The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1889-12-20
n O. II
RIGGING DERRICKS.
An Interesting Talk on the Security of
Guy Ropes.

Guy Ropes.
A huge center pole, dozens of lines and
putting engine, projecting arm of
wood and big block of granite lifted
upward until you hear a creaking sound
which seems to intimate that the whole
arrangement will be rent assunder, is an
instantaneous photograph of a derrick,
and the picture is the inspiration of a
narrative concerning hardy specimen
of those who rig these big derricks, and
who are called Triggers" =
John F. Hayden is his name, and he
was born in Prussia about forty years
ago. Now he is a we'll known North
ender, and his fame as ''rigger" has
spread over the greater part of the
United States. At the early age of 10 he
went to sea on German bark of 1000
tons, called the Helius. That was a large
vessel for those days. 1t crujGed along
Mediterranean and Black sea waters,
trading at Sebastopol, Odessa and other
ports. On the return nothing of conse-
quence occurred until the bark was sail
ing through the pillows of the North sea.
when she lost rudder.
Although mere child at the time,
John soon learned the danger of the sit
uation, and displayed great nerve for
one so young. His offer to help the men
man the boats made officers and crew
laugh, and all were put in such good hui
NOR that rudder was built forthwith,
and the Helius was brought into Nor
way. Instead of getting scared at the
dangers attending sailors life, John
seems to have acquired a fascination for
them from his first voyage.
Twenty years ago he came to America
and shipped in the G. N. Davis, owned
in New York, but running between Mon
treal, Valparaiso and Callao. 1t was the
peculiar fate of this vessel to lose a man
or two every time she went around the
Horn, and hence extra seamen were al
ways carried. Sailors generally are SUI
perstitious, but those of the Davis were
especially so. Imagiae then how tAe
crew must have felt when, in the sum-
mer of 1869, as the vessel approached
the dreaded Horn, Hayden discovered a
tombstone aboard. From him to the
captain, mates and sailors the intelli-
gence spread, and only after the most
persuasive entreaties could the men be
induced to continue the journey. Not
long afterward, in sight of the Horn and
in dead calm, one man was lost over
board, and as the sailors saw a shark
grab him, they were for throwing the
tombstone into the deep. But the cap
tain assured them that if the tombstone
was thus disposed of, the whole crew
would be doomed.
1t was on a stormy voyage, when
about hundred miles north of the
Horn, that John first saw some real
rigging done. The vessels maintop-
mast had been carried away. This called
for work. The broken spar had to be
stripped and new one fitted. In twen-
ty-four hours a new topmast was COM
pleted.
81 remember" said John to reporter,
''of terrible voyage we had from Callao
to Antwerp. Besides losing all our cargo
the poor mate found watery grave. l
have been on vessels where the lower
mast was sprung, but was saved by fish
ing By fishing is meant putting lot
of oak slaves around the mast, mailing
them and twisting ropes about them.
81 am now a foreman" continued
John with evident satisfaction. "In
1887 first went into construction work
and rugged the derricks used at many of
the new buildings on the Back Bay.
Raising granite blocks is about as heavy
work as we have on the average build
ings, and therefore you've got to know
how to fix derricks so that they will
stand the racket. We sometimes have
to lift fifteen tons away up, and thens
when you've got to look out.
"Ive worked ON church steeples all
over the country, putting on and taking
off vanes. This is unpleasant, but profit
able work. One of the biggest jobs with
a derrick was putting in the Worthing-
ton pumps at the Cow Pasture. 1t was
a two months job. The engine for the
pumps weighed 1000 tons. The heaviest
piece weighed twenty -four tons. The
fly wheel, which was thirty-six feet in
diameter, had spokes that weighed three
tons each. The best of it was we got
pumps and engines in without iniuring
a soul or damaging anything.
81 sometimes wonder we don't have
more accidents caused by bad rigging.
The latter is often old, the ropes have
been exposed to the rain, and the lives
Of workmen and passers by are in dan
ger. If workmen complain that a rig
ging is bad they get no satisfaction, but
are told to go to work or throw up their
jobs. The trouble is generally with the
guy ropes. The best guy ropes are of
steel wire. The others are made of
Besides a desire for secure rigging,
John has another hobby of more historic
interest. 1t is this: How were the pyra-
mids built? He has not yet solved the
problem, but is of the opinion that the
huge blocks of stone that astounded trav-
elers were piled up by system of in
,lined planes and big rollers. Some day
ne expects to be able to give more lucid
Globe.
Many Varieties.