Telegram-herald., 1890-06-26

s1c oAs r1ag ss rns snc. Eh-ch pro-
D. r-1ss sfser l. L4s bee1 1rissa kCl-e-
lie greatest csrs U1lst be takes "
Eaake sure s14t shs ''1sgF - thcro1g1ly
ErD-s 411 lie sorxzaeD ssss~ Il ~ eyegg
s2g Ee ca before LesFiog IT,
lea sLs nrst s'1og'i - fzst. : ruan5-s
block u aEleeksd - 2. through ~hien :
sEs0ag repe l. E2sssd Cle ED q HAS
Eops - I'D - tLs zi3dle u Efty %
sixty fCoS Ls.6eE 2Dd ths latsss is
pulled - ias3 saoh . POSITION th4t is =
alu3ost rst against rbe blllai1g. s4th
greater part u is leDzuh t.los thai
above tha -uoz. Thls long LADDER :
thea lssd FOR ths fixing of : ssc0Ea
-doZ ~ witch block znd line are a.
t4ehet In TIE sau4e manner - ~as Ehe
case 9Th tie nrsL TIE next proeess Is
70 plll ths ladder into sgca : position
that h4lf-4-dO50n " 50 u is raBgs are
left underneath TIE lowest dog and
IL Lash it tigaly u the pair thai 2rs
h4e1. Using u - = ue41s sf fastening
= third
30 the ~ork goes on sntil the long
string u ladders stretch - tue way Up
the ballcing, Or. Is all events, fzr
enough - enable . man u work
The ladders are 30 arranged With the
help of pieces OF wood that they stand
about seven or eight inches away from
the brickw0rk; this allows = man
ascending them 10 make sure OF = good
grip, and leaves plenty OF room for his
feet Any one with a fairly strong
head could 20 up one Of these ladder
ways without being made 70 feel IN the
least uncomfortable.
The time that Is occupied in getting
the ladders into position Of course de-
pends chieny upon the height of the
building Sometimes they may b0 run
I'd Ia a day. while ~ other times three
Or four days will be spent over the busi-
ness IL there are any lOophOles in the
building at intervals, as Is oftsn the
Case, the work Is OF course simpltuod o
very great deal for unless these arc
very FAR apart, there is no need 10 use
'dogs" at all; all that is necessary is TO
get some short stout poles, fasten them
an such manner that they project The
right distance, and lash the ladders on
70 them. a great deal of time Is saved
when the construction OF the building
gives such help ss this, for it is the
proper securing " the ''dogs" that occu-
pies The time.
Sometimes steeple-jacks have to get
mp a building of such q sort that they
can not drive any thing into IL; or per
haps they may be engaged upon the
spire of some church or cathedral which
tho people in charge Of think will be
injured by that kind OF thing. When
there Is any thing like this IN the way
OF running up ladders, scatolding has
30 DO built, sometimes right round the
whole spire, sometimes up one side OF
1t; that makes the Job much longer, OF
course.
Accidents do not occur so often as ono
would think. Mon must be steady for
steeplo- lacking, and no one is likely to
60 in for tho work unless he feels conf
dence in his nerve. Most steeple-ja jacks
lose their heads after a time. A man
may be constantly employed as a
steeple-ja jack for ffteon or twenty years,
and never all that timo feel as though
he had any nerves, when suddenly one
day he Will 60 ali wrong; and though
the ft may pass off, it is sure 10 come
on again, and \ man is wise if he leaves
the business as soon as he gets warn
ing Of this kind
1t is not 70 be wondered at that time
comes when steeple-i iack's head turns
a. he looks down from a height of per-
haps two or three hundred feet, with
nothing but a flimsy ladder between
himself and the ground, which seems
such long way OF. 1t often happens
that men are seized with desire TO leap
down from the top of a tall chimney, but
such an awful fatality very seldom ac-
tually occurs.
Though every steeple-jack has many
stories of narrow escapes TO relate, the
number OF accidents among them is sur
prisingly few considering the perilous
character OF their work If it were not
for the truth of the adage that ''famil-
iarity breeds contempt" the misbsps
would be far less frequent than they are.
When the causes that have led TO an ac-
cident come to be investiga ted, it is al
most invariably found that the victim
owes his fall TO some carclesSness either
on his own part or on that OF his fellow
workInen- Unavoidable accidents OF
course occur IN this as in all other call
ings, but provided that due attention is
paid 70 the Observance Of proper precau-
tions. they should be very few and far
fatvu -(-harl hQra' Journal