Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1885-11-05
CHIMNEY SWEEPING. The presence

CHIMNEY SwEEPING.-The presence
of the ubiquitous chimney sweep.
"Smithy," in town this week and his
CHEEKY song from the housetops, sug-
gests the thought that few people are
well acquainted with the modus oper-
andi of that business. From CONVEX
sation with the above gentleman dur
ing "business call'' we gained some
ideas of this useful industry. From inn
pressions gained from stories of CHM
ney sweeps in England, read in our
childhood, we think of them as diminu-
tive speci mems of humanity who go
into chimney and clean it, emerging
as black as the SCOT itself. The pro-
cess of sweeping in this country is
different, and might better be called
''scrapingf The sweep does not
enter the chimney. except the towers or
'fre-arches' used in large factories.
Equipped with a couple of scrapers
made of iron and joined together by a
chain, and the whole attached to long
rope, he mounts to the top of build
ing and then to the top of the chimney,
where he stands and lowers and raises
the scrapers until all the SCOT Is de-
tached from the sides of the fue. II
the chimney does net reach clear down
to the cellar, or has no slide at the
bottom for removing SCOT, he inserts
into the lowest stovspipe hole before
going up what is called ''smut-sack"
to catch the SCOT as it falls. In Chicago
and other large cities sweep is en-
ployed for every ward, who has charge
OF the chimneys of the large business
blocks. His duty is to see that the
chimneys are cleaned once in four
months, and to condemn such as are
defective. He employs two sweeps who
receive wages as high as S25 day.
Each sweep has helper below who re-
moves the SCOT. and ladderman ac-
companies them carrying light ex-
tension ladder for getting up and down
when contiguous blocks are of different
heights The head sweep is known as
"caller." He goes to a business
house and notifies the inmates that the
sweeps are going onto the building. He
then goes to the opposite side of the
street and keeps watch of them. If the
sweeps see anything wrong about a
chimney they call his attention with a
policeman's whistle and tell him what
is the matter, and he gives them their
instructions what to do. For instance,
they will call out, "She's cracked clear
down." and his reply will come back,
Throw her." The chimney top win
then be pushed over on the flat roof
and in less than an hour the masons
will be there and new chimney top
will be put on. Our informant works
in two different wards in Chicago about
two months each quarter and during
the remaining four months he goes
from town to town in northern Illinois
and southern Wisconsin His name is
M. L. Smith aad his home is in OAR
lington. The business is one that re-
quires considerable experience, and
above all, good nerve and cool head.
Twenty-Five dollars day is pretty good
wages, but "Smithy'' says he has made
as high as S42 in one day wsrki ng for
himself. In going about so he meets
with some queer experiences. About
eight years ago in the old Green county
poorhouse (sinee burned) he found
hidden in a chimney purse containing
SIS, which he promptly delivered to
the overseer. 1t is his habit to sing
while at work on the housstops to keep
his spirits up, and he seems to enjoy
life as he goes along. Lots of people
could on $25 d aY.