Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1870-11-03
Sslsst 8adino.
CLIMBING A CHURCH srEEpLE

The Newark Advertiser tells this start
ling story Of an adventure in chat place ::
St. Patrick's Cathedral has sseeple
ornamented by a ball, on which is cross.
The top of the cross is two hundred and
fifteen feet above the surface of the ground
the height being but five feet short of
that Of Bunker Hill Monument The
steeple is of wood, square at the base and
tapcring to point Along each angle,
from the base to the point, are nailed, at
the distance Of four feet apart, Ornamental
knobs of wood.
All this woodwork. being weather-hea
ten, in the course Of time rots; especially
the knobs and the cross, which present
many small angles; so that it becomes
necessary to attend now and then to the
repairing Of these parts To erect a
staging for the purpose, when a man of
sufficient daring and GOODNESS might climb
and do the work. would not be the most
economical method. Such men are rare
but they are to be found The price
charged for each ascent is usually about
twenty-five dollars. The risk does not
consist merely in the danger of becoming
glddy and demoralzed while climbing in
mld-air on the outside Of steeple, and
while the neighbors aud passers by are
collecting in groups below and gazing up
ward with bated breath and trembling
knees at the climber lie must go up by
clinging foot and hands to what he finds ;
and what he clings to are these very
knobs, rottng and weakening in the wea-
Their, and finally to the cross, already de-
eayed and almost ready to drop. The
man who does this sort of work in New
ark, is Mr.. Frank Jacobust.
One day last week he was engaged to
make an ascent Of the cathedral steeple
for the purpose of removing the old cross
and replacing a new one
Going up inside the steeple to the high
est admissible point, he reached out the
narrow window and felt one of the knobs
to test its strength. Judging it to be
strong enough, he swung himself out by
it, and scrambling up caught hold of The
next highest knob, and rested his foot op
the lower one. So far ell right. He
glanced around him and then looked up
along the line of knobs that reached far
up to the bali aud cross, marking his has-
srdous way. It was something of an ex-
pertinent. Were the other knobs, too,
strong enough? Carefully and quickly
he scrambled up and felt of the knob
next higher. Il seemed to have sufficient
strength. He pulled upon it. It bore
his weight. and up he went. Gathering
confidence, he made his tssts and drew bis
conclusions rapidly. He went up more
and more quickly, at last scarcely caring
to try the strength of the knobs before
trusting his weight to them Already
two-thlrds of the stoeple WAS climbed. A
few more efforts aud his hand would be
on the cross.
He reached forth to raise himself A
slight scraping reached his kean ear. even
in the breezes blowing strongly about his
ears. The knob had moved under his
pull-was giving away. A mist spread
before his eyes. He felt himself falling
backward. With convulsive effort that
famed his back, he clutcLed at somethiu g
aud brought himself forward again and
down he slid His presence of MUD had
not once left him be even tested the knobs
as he slid over them, to see where he
might trust to stop himself with the mo
mentum Of his falling. Gradually he
even lessened the momentum then be
fastened his grip upon knob. Ii held
him Gnd he was safe. The shouts that
went up from the observers il the street
below almost reached his q1ickenel ears.
and it grew into shout. He was not
demoralized. lie might have come down
aud given up the job. Not SO. His
purpose to go up to the cross was not
changed. But he could not trust him
self to the knobs on that angle of the
steerie. lie must get across to the next
anglo. He tried to reach, but the knob
was just beyond his utmost stretch of foot
or hand.
The observers were looking on in
breathless suspense. They saw him go
up higher almost to the very spot whence
he had fallen, and then at last reach out
and swing himself across. He was nov
on another angle. cliugipg to an untried
place and looking up at the long liue of
uateste knobs. lie went up more care
fully, less rapidly than before, trying ev-
cry knob well before trusting his weight
to it, Soon he was at the ball Grasp
ing that, he slid himself over it and sat
himself down Oh it, with his feet on eth
er side Of the cross There he waited
awhile. though he It'll seemed TO be busy.
Then raising himself to his feet. he stood
beside the croos. With his hand he broke
it in piecemeal, and threw the pieces
down, and they fell into fragments as
they touched the stone walk, Then lie