The morning call., 1890-08-03
A STEEPLE CLIMBER.
He Tells How He Learned His
Art at Sea-His Falls.

7X<EJES, l have had some pretty hard
SzLg. falls" said Clarence Ward, the
~ daring steeple-climber, who daily
bangles in mid-air on the high steeple
of the First Presbyterian Church on
Fourth street. But | have never had
any bones broken yet" This was adj
dressed to a representative of the Cinein-
natl Times-Star. This is the four hundred
and seventy-ftth steeple that l have
climbed. have never climbed any higher
than this one. 1t is 2S7 feet. l once fell 60
feet inside of steeple, and l went through
two scaffolds in my descent-broke right
through them. But beyond a severe
shaking up and some bruises l came
out all right. l had another fall from a
church roof in Brazil, Ind We were Stat
ing. The roof was an awkwardly steep one.
1t seemed to me to be almost straight up
and down. 1t must have been 70 or so
degrees, and there was 40 feet Of this roof
and So feet straightdrop. The rope slipped,
and before we knew it we were sliding down
the roof at rate and with sensations that
nothing can describe. Water going over
Niagara doesn't shoot over the precipice
faster than we shot over the edge of that
roof, and took the straight drop. 1t broke
the two fellows all up who were with me.
| did not break bone"
Ever have any other falls?"
"Well, only one other serious one. [ fell
in love- That fall broke my heart"
Mr.. Ward attended the ceremonies of the
unwilling of the monument to the soldiers
Of Montgomery County at Dayton six years
ago. The supreme moment had arrived,
and Governor HOadley pulled the string
that was to let the covering fall away, but
the tackle caught at the top-away up there
40 feet high. The curtain didn't drop
The more the Governor pulled the tighter
the tangle. Ward was well known in the
~ a arta 81
Ward!' And for the next hour the Gov
ernor and other dignitaries had to take
back seat. Ward was the big man then.
He threw off his coat, and, taking two
ropes, he started to climb that monument
Ladies waved their handkerchiefs at the
gallant climber and men cheered. In forty
minutes Ward was at the top, tue difficulty
overcome, ard the column was unveiled
with unwonted enthusiasm
He does not splice ladders to do his climb
ing. He does it all with two ropes. He
takes one in each hand and commences to
swing it outward and upward, increasing
the arc and paying it out slowly as the
swing increases, and finally, with dexter
Gus jerk, he wbirls the upper end around
the steeple or chimney or monument, and
catches 1t as 1t tails around en- the other
side. 1t is then fastened. and he stands on
that, as in stirruD, while he twirls the
other rope around u little above, and so on
in succession until he Is at the top He is
now timing the tall Fourth-street steeple
and will also paint it, going cleaI up to the
big hand
Mr.. Ward was sailor. He recently
climbed the smokestack of the Louisville
Water Works in one hour and fifteen min
utes. 1t was 100 feet high.
Ward has done some famous work in
knitting or crocheting lace, and lace cos
tune of his handiw0rk is now displayed in
Mabley & Carew's window. He does this
work merely for pastime, and wont sell it,
but will give it away. and there are already
some delighted possessorS OF his lace work
in this city.
s'When | was railroading on the Chicago,
Milwaukee and st. Paul Railroad, Young
lady taught me how to crochet, and l made
mitts, wristlets and the like, and finally /
got to knitting lace. L did 1t as a pastime
at sea- worked seven months, off and on,
on that lace skirt and waist in the show
window.
Yes, l was wrecked once off the banks
of Newfoundland. 1t was the bark Sea
Gull, in the lumber trade. There were only
three of us saved out of the forty-6ve aboard
of her. | was in museum once. 1t was
in Detroit where was well known. had
climbed eight steeples there. But in the
museum / was introduced as La Tour, the
eeple-climber. l. did ii for fun and money.
But didn't like it. l commenced as
eabin-b boy and followed the sea seven years.
[ have cruised in all the waters to England.
Scotland. South America, the East Indies
and Canada. Oh. have never got too high
yet. When get all through with this job
| am going to come down hand over hand.
How will l get my rope DOWN. With
trip line. l will arrange 1t so that / can
throw out the moose and let the $50 feet o
rome come down."