Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1870-05-26
A THRILLING SCENE.
nam Men on the Gross ofthe Cath edraI
at Cincinnati.
From the Cincinnati Gazette.


Two Spanish brothers, Rodriguez by
,sme. went to Father Edward Purcell aud
os,sd leave to put in order the lightning
rod that runs up the tall spire of the cathe-
dral at the corner of Plum and Eighth
streets. The father told them the insula-
2ors on the rod we're broken, and other re-
nairs TO it, no one could tell how much,
we're needed, but he besought them to put
mn scaffolding in order to get at the rod
which was to be repaired. Having been
commissioned to do the work they pro-
ceeded to the execution of it without
DELAY. Coming out of the spire at
one of the Louvre windows, just
above the dial-faces of the tower, the
men swung ladder partly by rope
dropped down from a narrow aperture
INST below the base of the spire and partly
nv It's own hooks caught upon the stone
holding around the next story above of the
tower. Up this pendulousladder one of the
men clambered, hanging to the rungs like
a parrot to its perch. On the ledge OF the
holding the hooks of the ladder hung to
was a good base of operations. A half q
dozen ladders were provided. One was
drawn up and planted on the new base and
lashed in place both at the top and the bot
tom. The top touched the last ledge of
moding in the ascent, the base out of
which the tower arose. On the streets for
souares distant along Plum in both direc-
tions and along Eighth eastwardly wit
pesses watched the ascent, while near
the scene the pavements were lined with
spectators. The two brothers were on the
scene bv this time, and the ascent up the
spire proper had been commenced. The
frst ladder of this final series rested on the
base Of the spire, and was lashed to it both
at the top and the bottom by ropes pass
no around the spire The two men carried
a second ladder up this one, lashing the
bottom of the former to the top of the lat
ter. The next thing was to secure this last
addition of climbing apparatus. One of
the brothers climbed it while the other
held its base. Up in that dizzy height
a rope was thrown around the spire,
and the top of the last ladder secur-
ed by it, until five or six ladders
were strung in the series, the topmost reach
ING within two or three feet of the base of
the cross, which terminates the spire at a
height of 222 feet above the base of the ca
thedral. When the line of splced ladders
had crept upth eastern face of the spire to
this position, ladder with hooks at the top
was carried up and hooked upon the cross
one OF the brothers assembled this, took a
position first upon an arm of the cross and
then stepped up and stood erect upon the
very top of the upright portion OF the stone
cross Standing there he unscrewed the
top ofthe lightning rod and tossed it to the
ground. Several variations of the perform
ance took place about this time. Once both
the brothers were on the opposite arms OF the
cross. The standing upon the top OF the
cross and the climbing about its arm con-
tinued for some time, when the men de-
scended, leaving their ladders for con-
tinuation of the performance. The crowd
cheered when the top of the cross was
reached - that is the boys in the crowd
cheered. The men were sober observers.
One strong fellow turned from the sight
with the remark that it was too much tor
hisnerves. Others shuddered audibly and
WISHED aloud for the men to come down,
but still continued to look. Men who had
passed at o'clock, when the work began,
returnedand saw it completed at shutdown.
Everybody expressed relief when the men
came down, and many gave vent to regrets
that the perllous work would be continued