The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1873-02-08

there is any hanging work to be done,
don't allow any body to put hands on the
scallold uses; if it breaks it amt nobody's
fault but NINE When fellows dangling
between heaven and EARTH and all he's got
to hold him there is an inch, or inch and
quarter rope, he is a fool if he don't take
his precautions.
It's not an unpleasant kind of work to
be up ever so high of summers day. 1t
may be sweltering on the pavement, but
up on the steeple, working, comes mostly
a cool breeze, blowing all the time. Then,
III them undisturbed places, there are little
bits of grasses and MOSES that don't grow
down below. Then it's so quiet; for the
noise of the street cries, and the rumbling
of the vehicles comes up to you in hushed
and softened kind of way. It's good pay,
sir, for the risks-and there are risks
for there amt none of the steeple- climbers
as hasn't had their shocks now and then.
It's only summer work, for when the cold
comes the chill would freeze all the strength
out of you, and when it blows hard we
don't try it on neither. I've been ketched
a half-dozen times in a regular summer
storm, when I've been hanging from a
steeple without a scaffold, and it amt nice
to take. Yes; l have had some narrow
shaves. Once it was a scaffod. Just as
| had finished the .job-it was the setting up
of cross on a new church-and l had
! ~, l,ol+ all 7
my tools together. It's kind of habit l
have, whenever l am working up very
/ high, to pass slip knot of thin rope around
my waist, which | secure to something
which know can't give way. 1t being an
! easy job; this ere cross, hadn't used my
rope much. There was wrench | had
mislaid, which saw just out at the furth-
end of the scaffold. l walked out to get it
rather careless. The stuff must have been
rotten, for it went all to splinters under
me, and | thought l was gone, and the
fact is did say amen. The first thing |
knowed | was hitched up under the arms
by my own rope and was hanging quite
comfortable. When | had put the rope
round me, | never knew; it was force Of
| habit, | suppose. l got a scare, but it was
over again in moment and l haven't
given it a thought since that day. But
once, sir, was frightened, and l amt
afraid to acknowledge it. | was working
on church had a spire of 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 work on the under side. The
party as was repairing the church wasn't
paid what the job was worth, by the con-
gregation, and 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 a rope. 1t was
the Stating as had been badly done, and the
wind was ripping 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. l 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. l let
myself down with new inch and a quar-
ter rope, and getting my feet against the
largest part of the round, pushed off lit
tie, lowering myself some six feet, so that
when l swung in | should get to the under
part, when | would get clutch and hold
on to a couple of big iron bands and get
secure footing. Though ticklish job, l
had done the same before, and SO got all
right after the first trial. Well, I worked
away steady, taking out the old slate and
putting in new, and mailing down those
that were loose. | must have been two
hours at work when l wanted to go up for
more nails, so I 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 l
thought Id stop just minute to
take breath, as it was hot, sultry
day, and warm even up as high as l was
My toe was on 4 level with one layer of
slate, when thought noticed 1 was low
ering an inch or so, when it stopped; then
it began again. and l went down most
inches; then stopped again for minute,
and lower l went by half course of slate.
was thoroughly alarmed. OF course, l
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 staircase was slipping, which,
again, too wasn't possible, it being con
trary to the rule of knots, or the staircase
was getting pulled out, which wasn't like
ly, or, what was worse and which struck
me must be the fact, the rope was cutting,
and settled on that. | watched to notice
if there was any inclination to twist in the
rope but couldn't see it. Now, l knew
that if made any violent motion, might
increase the damage. | clutched all |
could to sides of the slates trying to take
| advantage of even nail that might be
sticking up, but couldn't get more hold
than agin glass. l was now under the
larger part of the swell of the dome, with
hundred feet clean under me. To get
below to where had been working was
impossible l was afraid to swing out on
the rope now, which would have caused a
jerk. 1t was no use to holler, for no ore
could have heard me; and there was no use
of making signs, as was on the side away
from the street, and nobody could see me-
Up must 90, and may be, thought, if
the rope will hold, l may get up yet
| Slowly went up, with quiet steady pull
1t was about shutdown, and as 1 got up,
inch by inch, saw the sun shine on a bit
| of jagged tin, about twenty feet above me,
and l saw it was that which had been cut
ting 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 I was
hanging now by maybe 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 clat-