The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1872-11-18
The Story Of a sseepre-cis,ni,er:

fuSAN H. " uofL<HJtlft correspondence A>uI'
fiWaore San.
The Story Of n stcepie-Cilsnser;
Rut rnce, sir, rms frightened, and faiu't
afraid 10 acknowledge it. Twas working on
u church which had spirc Of 4 shape which
ain't common. What kind Of architecture it
Il have been told, bit foIgotteii. il Scss
Up ever 80 straight, and ends with kind of
swell like al onion or a turnip, and had to
work on the under side. The party rs was
repairing the church wasn't paid what the
job was worth BY the congregation. and
things was being pared town line. wanted
scatfold, hut they wouldn't stand tho two
or three extra days. work it would have cost
to rig it. SO thought I'd do 1t With only n
rope. 1t was the Stating rs had been badly
done, apd tue wind YVES RIPPING ,hC'li of,
50 that the work had to be patched
up at once. 1t was mighty high up and as
tough a Job as | most ever worked on. l
studied IL up, as mostly does all the jobs
have, and ] was obliged to work from the
top down. and crawl under the low er part.
I let myself down with new inch-and-a-
qlhlt, n ropcs ard, getting my fectaea:nst the
largest part Of the round, pushed OF little,
lowering myself scmo siN tect 80 that when
| swung In should get to the under part,
when would geta clutch and hold on toa G Il !
pie of giron bands and gtta secure fnoting'
Though tiekliSh job, had uoiic the same
before, and SO l got all right after the first
trial. Well, / worked away steady, taking
out the old slate and putting i'll new, and
mailing down those that were loose. must
have been two hours ut work, when WANTED
to 60 up for more nails, 50 l commenced TO
fn
clear Of tho swell Of tho dome. SO far go
good. When I WAS almost halfway up /
thought I'd stop lust minute to take
breath. as 1t was hot; sultry day; and warm
even UP rs high az was. lily toe was on
level with 6uc layer of slate, when thought
that noticed it was lowering an inch or SO,
when it stopped; then it began again, and ]
went down 'inost eight inches: then stopped
again for minute. and lower went by haif
Il coarse or slate. ] WAS thoroughly alarmed.
Of course, reasoned, it could only arise
from one OF four thinSs--cther the rope was
stretching. and that wasn't possible, or the
double hitch | bad given to the rope
| round the head OF the staircase WAS slip
ping. which. again. too, wasn't possible,
it being contrary to the rule of kuots, or
the staircase was getting pulled out, which
wasn't likely, or, what was worse, and
which struck me must De the fact, the rope
WINS cutting, and settled on that. watched
to notice if there was any inclination to
twist the rope, but couldn't see it. Now, |
knew that if I made any violent motion
might Increase the damage. / clutched all
] coulG to sides of the states, trying to take
advantage OF even i nail that might be stick
ing up, but / couldn't get more hold than
again glass. WAS now under the larger
bart OF the swell Of the dome. with Il hun.
drcd feet clean under me. To get below to
where l had been working was impossible:
| was afraid to swing out on the rope now,
which would have caused jerk. 1t
was no use to halo, for no one
could have heard me; and there was
no Use Of making signs, rs was on
the side away from the street, aud nobody
could sec me. Up must 20, aud MAY be,
| thought, if the rope will hold, may get up
YET. Slowly went up, with quiet, steady
| pull. 1t was about shutdown. and IL | got
up, inch by inch, saw the sun shine on /,
bit Of jagged tin, about twenty-five feet,
above me, and ! saw il was that which had
| been cutting slowly hut surely into my rope.
! With the strain | had given II, three or four
Of the strands looked lis if they had bcen cut
through with 4 sharp knife, and was hing
| inI nov Icy maybe Il strand. All along |
had held fast 10 my tools Now | let go my
hammer first, and then soue twenty states,
and heard them sDush with Il clutter be-
low Oh the tombstones. Slowly crert UP,
peariry the point 4 little where the rope Wi,
top or the round. bad pretty strong
knife in my pocket, so I jabLed it in
between the edges Of the slate until 1t
took hold in the woodwork, and braced
my heel against il. If had had two knives
I could have managed fiIst-rats, using one
for one foot aud the other for the other,
80 is TO take the strain off the rope.
tried MI l could to throw the rope off the
tin, but seeing it was still under strain,
with my heft TO ii, couldn't bulge it.
Well, j never should have known to this
day how would have pulled through ii
it hadn't been for a woman who just then
stuck her blessed old head out Of little
window il the church below me. "Alis-
ter" SAYS she, "dcn't you know your trade
better than to be i throwing down slate and
things that way: And my child as came as
ncur as could be baying his head split open
with a slate, and I'm the seXton's wife, and
inst see if I don't report all about 1t to the
yestry as meets tonight"
saws /, "Eor GODS sake don't scold, for
am here in scrape. My rope Is cut, and
Getting cut all the time Pm talking to you,
and YOU are just Us likely as not to be the
last person us will hear my final will and tes-
lament"
Lord mercy says she, I'll scream"
"Don't," says l. as there any mon ABOUT
heref" .,-,,s
scot any rope; no rope IN the church ?"
owe don't run this church with bells, and
there ain't no bell-ropes, and there amt no
shop as keeps any round here"
| dwell, see here" says I; "irs matter OF
five minutes, or ten at most, with me-"
"Tve got a clothes-line. 1dries the clothes
sometimes In the loft up there, but 1t amt mo
new line, nor it amt very long"
"That will do" says /. "Now come up,
and be quick about it, with the clothes-hne; :,
She was gonea minute, and presently could
hear something moving inside of the little
dome. and soon she was at the window.
"Now." says ], stretch out your cord,
and, just where the middle is, pass it three
times round the upright at the head OF inc
staircase, makea good double knot at the loose o.
ends, just us you would on . double thread
| when you are sewing, and throw the ends %
/ me.n How the poor old woman flustered, ano
/ wiped her face with her apron, and how That
old clothes-lne for could see it plain, was