Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-01-02

of architecture it is have been told, but
forgotten. It goes up ever SO straight
and ends with 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 congregation, 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 l thought I'd do it with
only a rope. 1t was the stating as had
been badly done, and the wind was rip
ping them off, so that the work had to be
patched up at once. 1t was mighty high
up and as tough a job as l 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 new inch and a.quarter rope, and,
getting my feet against the largest part of
the round, pushed off a little, lowering
myself some six feet, so that when |
swung in | should get to the under part,
when [ would get clutch and hold on to
a couple of big iron bands and get foot
ing Though a ticklish job, / had done
all the same before, so got right after
the first trial Well, [ worked away
steadily, taking out the old slate and put
ing in new, and nailing down those that
were loose. I i,;t5t have been two hours
at work when | wanted to 60 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 q minute to take breath,
as it was hot, sultry day. and
warm even up as high as l was
My toe was on a level with one layer
of slate, when thought I noticed | was
| lowering an inch or so, when it stopped;
then it began again, and | went down
most eight inches; then stopped again for
a minute, and lower | went by half
course of slate, | was thoroughly alarm
ed. OF course, l reasoned, it could only
| arise from one of four things-either the
rope was stretching, and that wasn't pos
sible, or the double hitch I had given to
the rope round the head of stair case
was slipping, which, again, too, wasn't
possible, it being contrary to the rule of
knots; or the stair case was getting pulled
out, which wasn't likely, or, what was
worse, and which struck me must be the
fact, the rope was cutting, and l settled
on that. [ watched to notice if there
was any inclination to twist in the rope,
but couldn't see it. Now, | knew that if
| made any violent motion, | might in
crease the damage. | clutched all | could
to the sides of theAslates, trying to take
advantage of even nail that might be
sticking up, but couldn't get more hold
| than agin glass. | was now under the
larger part of the swell of the dome,
with q hundred feet clean unaer me. To
get below to where [ had been working
was impossible. I was afraid to swing
out on the rope now, which would have
19Jcnf q iarH If n n hniI9r
for no one 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 go,
and may be, thought, if the rope viii
hold, may get up yet. Slowly | went
up, with quiet, steady pull. 1t was
about shutdown, and as | got up, inch by
inch, I saw the sun shine on bit Of jag
ged tin, about twenty feet above me- and
saw it was that which had been cutting
slowly but surelyinto 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 a strand. All
along I had held fast to nay tools; now
let go of my hammer first, and then some
twenty States, and | heard them smash
with CHATTER below on the tombstones.
Slowly l crept up, nearing the point a
little where the rope was cutting. Just
then | got my head over the top Of the
round. / had a pretty strong knife in
my pocket, so jabbed it ia between the
edges of the slate until it took hold in
the woodwork, and l braced my heel
against it. II I had had two knives |
could have managed first-rate, using one
for enc foot and the other for the other,
so as to take the strain off the rope.
+,,o oh No, 4J,o
tin, but seeing it was still under strain,
with my hcft to it, I couldn't bulge it.
/ Well, | never should have known to this
day how | would have pulled through it
if it hadn't been for q woman who Just
then stuck her blessed old head out OF
little window in the church below me.
"Mister," says she, ''dOn't you know
your trade better than to be throwing
down slate and things that way? And
my little child as came IS near as could
be having his head split open with q
slate, and I'm the sections wife, and just
see if l don't report all about it to the
vestry as meets tonight"
Says l, "For Gods sake don't scold,
for | am here in scrape. My rope is
cut, and getting cut all the time Pm talk
ing to you, and you are just as likely SIS
not to be the last person as will hear my
final will and testament
Lord mercy" said she, 'Tll
scream"
Don't" says I. "Is there any>nen
about here 90
Not soul but me- What shall I
do 2"
"Got any rope-no rope in the
church %
eve don't run this church with bells,
and there amt no bell ropes, and there
amt no shop as keeps any around here"
''Well, see here" says /, cts mat
ter of five minutes, Or ten at most, with
me-"
''I've got a clothes line. 1 dries the
clothes sometimes in the loft, up there,
but it ANITA new line nor it amt very
long"
''That will do" says l. CHOW come
up, and be quick about it, with the
clothes line"
She was gone minute, and presently
| could hear something moving inside
of the little dome, and soon she was at
the window.
"Now," says l, 'stretch out your cord,
and just where the middle is pass it three
tunes round the upright at the head of
the stair case make a good double knot
at the loose ends, just as you would on
double thread when you are sewing, and
throw the ends to me-"