Lawrence democrat. (Lawrenceburg, Tenn.) 1884-1925, 1890-07-25
STEEPL E-JACKS.

STEEPLE-JACKS.
Their Methods of Scaling Seem
ingly Impossible Heights.
There are manyacarious trades and
professions, but few more 50 than that
OF steeple-jack, a \ an Whose business
Vt is to ascend to places which apparent
ly nothing but bird could hope to
seach, and when there to do all kinds of
work. A spice of danger is held to lend
charm to an occupation. If this is
really so, the work of a steeple-jack
must be one of the most attractive in
existence, for OF danger it has no lack
The most usual job these adventur-
GUS men are called upon to do is the re-
pairing OF chimney shafts. Chimney
jacks" would really be better name for
them than ''Steeple- jacks" but pre-
sumably the business began before the
great chimneys one sees about nova
days were known, Very often they
manage to got to the top of chimney
by the help of kite; not an ordinary
schoolboys kite, but one measuring
eight or ten feet by six or eight and
made OF the strongest canvas. Such a
4 kite weighs from thirty to forty pounds,
and costs the best part of three pounds
Without counting the line it carries,
which may be thousand yards
in length. From each of the four
corners of the kite, lines run, and
they are joined about twelve feet
or SO away from it. After an
interval about twice as great, the
''down-all" joins the main line. The
'down-all" is made of thinner rope than
the principal cord, and need not be
above hundred yards long. Its use
becomes apparent when the steeple-
jacks assistants manage to make the
kite sail over tho chimney's mouth, for
the instant this happens the man who
is handling the ''down-all" gives jerk,
which has the result of making the
kite fall over, so that the main line
lies across the top of the chimney The
monster kite is manipulated in just the
same way as boy manages his com par
lively small one. OF course the direc-
ton it takes is not left to chance; il
this were so, it would as rule be q
long time before the line lay over the
chimney's mouth. The men in charge
of the cord become by constant practice
very clever at steering the great
kite, aud provided that the wind helps
them, guide it in such manner that
ii seems rs though 1t we're endowed with
reasoning powers, and were as anxious
as any of them to bring the job TO ia
vorable termination with the least pos
sible delay,
Once the cord occupies the desired pc
sition, 1t is Of course an easy matter t,
attach strong ropes to tho original lin,
and fix up blocks and gear, by whicl
chains are drawn up over the mouth o
the chimney, and finally cage from
which u man can work.
AS may easily be believed, grea
deal depends upon the man who ha
hold of the ''down-all." If he fails t
make his jerk at the right moment, al
he succeeds in doing is to bring the kit
down with a run, when there is tn
bother of carrying it back from tn
place at which it started and maxim
another try. Only a steady, reliabl
man is given the charge of the ''dowr
ALL" the trouble involved in worlxin
the kite until it trails the line RICH
over the shaft is far too great for an
risks to be run when it is in the prope
position.
The kite is generally started abou
four or Ave hundred yards away fror
the chimney, and once it is off, all d.
ponds upon the wind. Steeple- jack
like a nice fresh steady breeze; tn
steadiness is the great point, for an
little variation in it means that tn
careful guiding of the kite so far h5
been of no use, and that it must all b.
gin over again. If the wind is as favo
able as possible land steeple-j jacks al
apt to aver that it isn't often so whe
they have work in handy, a lucky gar
of assistants may get the whole thir
over in an hour or so; but then, on IL
other hand, they may be three or fo'
days Trying III vain W cOdA bhe ilhS Wv
the chimney. Not even the captain of
becalmed sailing vessel longs for stead
breeze more than master steeple- iaC
does when he has a chimney-repairiT
lob on and half dozen men to pay q
the timo that is being lost He does n
want too much wind for his work;
strong breeze makes such big kites
he uses quite manageable; Zig
wind isn't strong enough to carry one
\ them; and wind which chops al
changes about is the one that
worst of all. When one Of the la
named kind is blowing, it is best
leave the kite alone and get out the Ia
ders at onc2.
Ladders are what steeple-jacks u
when it is a question of repairing
steeple, a spire or a round chime
Most chimneys are built square, and
Is for square ohimneys that the k
comes into use. Many OF our read'
have probably seen a string of ladd'
up the side of a spire, and have VIZ
aered how they we're arranged, straie
spop tho top Of one anethsr II los