Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1872-10-31
s,eeuIe climbing.


A writer in the New York Times, having in
teryiewed a professional steeple climber, lets
him tell his story of narrow escape as follows:
But once, sir, | was frightened, and amt
afraid to acknowledge it. was working on
churchIwhich had a spre of a shape which amt
common. What kind OF architecture it is
have been told, but forgotten. 1t goes up ever
so straight, and ends with a kind of swell, like
an onion or a turnip, and had to swork on the
under side. The party as was repairing the
church wasn't paid what the job was worth, by
the congregation, aud things was being pared
down fine. | wanted a scaffold, but they
wouldn't stand the two or three extra days
work it would have cost to rig it, so thought
I'd do it with only rope. 1t was the Stating as
had been badly done, and the wind was a rip
ping them off, so that the work had to be
patched up at once. 1t was mighty high up and
as tough job as | most ever worked on. /
studied it up, as / mostly does all the Jobs |
have, and was obliged to work from the top
down, and crawl under the lower part. | let
myself down with a new inch and a quarter
rope, and getting my feet against the largest
part of the round, pushed off little, lowering
myself some six feet, so that when | swung in |
should get to the under part, when would Get
a clutch and hold on to a couple Of big iron
bands and get a secure footing, Though tick
lish job, | had done the same before, and so
got all right after the first trial. Well worked
away steady, taking out the old slate and put
ting in new and mailing down those that were
loose. | must have been two hours at work.
when wanted 10 go up for more nails. so
commenced to haul away, kicking myself
from time to time clear of the swell of the
dome. So far so good. When | was almost
half way up | thought I'd stop just a min
ute to take breath, as it was hot sultry day,
and warm even up as high as | was. My toe
was on level with one layer of slate, when |
thought that noticed | was lowering an inch
,rha IL ctn Il. t,ot I
| went down most eight inches; then stopped
again for a minute, and lower went by half a
course of slate. | was thoroughly alarmed. OF
course, ! reasoned, it could only arise from one
of four things-either the rope was stretching,
and that wasn't possible or the double hitch
had given to the rope round the head of a stair
case was slipping, which, again, too, wasn't pos
sibe, it being contrary TO the rule of knots or
the staircase was getting pulled out, which
wasn't likely,s or, what was worse, and which
struck me must be the fact, the rope was cut
ting, and settled on that. / watched to notice
if there was any inclination TO twist in the rope
but couldn't see it, Now, knew that il | made
any violent motion, might increase the dam
age. | clutched all | could to sides of the sates,
trying TO take advantage of even nail that
might be sticking up, but l couldn't get more
hold than again glass. | was now under the
larger part of the swell of the dome, with a
hundred feet clean under me. To get below to
where had been working was impossible. |
was afraid to swing out on the rope now, which
would have caused jerk. 1t was no use to
holler for no one could have heard me; and
there was no usesof making signs as | was on
the side away from the street, and nobody could
see me. Up must go, and may be, | thought,
II the rope will hold, may get up yet. Slowly
| went up, with a quiet steady pull. 1t was
about shutdown, and as got mp, incl. by inch, |
saw the sun shine on a bit Of jagged, -,
about twenty feet above me, and saw il Vas
that which had been cutting slowly but surely
into my rope. With the strain had given it,
three or four of the strands looked as if they
had been cut through with a sharp knife, and
was hanging now by may be strand. All along
had held fast to my tools; now | let 90 my
hammer first, and then some twenty states, and
heard them smash with CHATTER below on the
tombstones. Slowly, | crept up, nearing the
point little where the rope was cutting. just
then got my head over the top of the round
had pretty strong knife in my pocket, so
jabbed it in between the edges of the slate until
1t took mold IN the woodwork, and | braced
my heel against it. Ii had had two knives,
could have managed first rate, using one for
one foot and the other for the other so as TO
take the strain off the rope tried all | could
to throw the rope off the tin, but seeing it was
still under strain, with my heft to it, couldn't
bulge 1t. Well, never should have known to
this day how would have pulled through if it
hadn't been for woman who Just then stuck
her blessed old head out of little window in
the church below me. Mister" says she,
"don'tyo know your trade better than to be
throwing down Slate and things that way? And
my child as came as near as could be having
his head split open with slate, and Pm the
sections wife, and Just see if | don't report all
aboutit to the yesry as meets tonight"
Says |, "For Gods sake don't scod, for am
here in scrape. My rope is cut, and getting
cut all the time I'm talking to you, and you are
just as likely as not to be the last person as will
hear my final will and testament"
Lord mercy" says She, "Ill scream"
here?"
'Not soul but me- What shall do?"
Got any rope-no rope in the churchY
eve don't run this church with BELLS and
there amt no bell ropes, and there aim no shop
as keeps any around here"
"Wel, see here" says l.; Otis matter of five
minutes, or ten at most, with me-"
I've got a clothes line. | dries the clothes
sometimes in the loft up there, but it amt no
new line, nor 1t amt very long"
That will do" says ]. "Now come up, and
be quick about it, with the clothes line" She
was gone minute, and presently could hear
something amoving 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 the staircase,
make good double knot at the loose ends, lust
as you would on a double thread when you are
sewing, and throw the ends to me-" How the
poor old woman fiustered, and wiped her face
with her apron, and how that old clothes line,
for | could see it plain, was all tangled and
twisted Presently all was ready, and taking
good aim at me, she flung the knotted end |
toward me. Ii wouldn't reach me by nearly three
feet | managed to get my knife blade some
few inches higher up, but even this exertion
and the strain | had given on the rope stretched
out the fbers. 1t was a jump | had to make,
and 1t wanted nerve, and thank God had H.