The Logan County banner. [volume] (Logan, W. Va.) 1889-1903, 1892-03-03


new buildings shirer runs through
,sme,s for it calls to mind an adventure J
once had which nearly caused my
\ death.
SO awful is the remem bfance to me
that not for all the gold in the world
would mount one of their long lad
z ders and stand, as have seen them do,
on merely the two-foot top ledge Of "a
lefty brick wall and gaze coolly down
on the hard pavements, hundred or
more feet below.
As for going up in a balloon, the very
thought makes me feel faint and sends
chill down my backbone.
| also avoid looking from the higher
4 windows in the immense sky-scraping
: structures now rapidly filing our
! cities. for the fascination then have to
Jump out and down is too strong to
.trife with.
y Even the birds soaring high In the
air make me feel uncom Portable, and
the circus with its trapeze performers
rs barred from my list of pleasures.
!. All this came about because I, when
IA boy, ventured d climbing feat which,
as have said well-nigh pnt an early
end to my existence.
was, maybe, dozen years old at
the stime, as agile as wild monkey,
and too thoughtless to know what
danger meant.
large church was in course of err ec-
ton near our house. and its very tall
wooden steeple was being topped with
huge ball surmounted with cross.
iThe carpenter work was all done
and the scaffolding was left for the
painters to finish and to gild the ball
and cross,
As far as the belfrey in the steeple
the scaffolding went; then narrow
Stats ma led across one of the octagon
= sides formed a sort of ladder to reach
its highest point, the Stats growing
smaller as they rose, until, coming to
the ball, they changed to a rude,
rounded arrangement following the
shape of the ball and under and over 1t
TO the cross.
4 We boys found this daily growing
4 church a fine play ground, and after
Il school used to congregate there to
watch the workmen, particularly when
r they were risking their lives and look
ing no bigger than dwarfs upon the
steeple.
1t was, indeed, circus to us, and the
sight of the men way, way up on the
cross thrilled us with queer delight.
One holiday, when the men were not
working. we were there as usual, gaz-
B ing upward and eagerly discussing the
matter until one of us proposed seeing
how hard or how easy 1t was by
climbing up ourselves
None but boys, OF course, would
think of, let slone attempt such a
hazardous feat, and so. after a few
'dares, up the scaffolding and long
outside ladder to the roof we started, I
leading the rest
We all safely gained the edge of the
sloping roof and sat there awhile to re-
connoitre. The steeple didn't look so
saladder lying on the roof to where the
tower began.
On that we crawled cine after an
other and then stopped again to get
our breath before the next mount.
Some of the lads now began to be a
little scared at the prospect before
them, and in spite of the more daring.
ones rdicule and loud assertions that
we wouldn't fall they wisely concluded
TO go no further for the present and
then carefully picked their way back
i % the roofs edge and. thence down to
Y thAstreet, from where they stood in =
grshpwatching with frightened faces
the four Of MS who remained.
Getting up. to the Top Of the shalxy
single plank scaffolding at the steeple's
pahe was an easy matter, and when
Il We got there we waved onr hats and
z gayly. shouted to our comrades below
and laughed at their replies for US to
Wlhs All i that ! pisee q board
knoeked of BY our feet Tell to the
ro9f, and, sliding fast and faster 70
ne edge, bounded off and struck the
payment with such force that It splin-
y Tered
This caused two more Of Wy COM
panlons to weaken, and without say
ing word they, after slipping once or
tNice IN their anxiety to reach solid
roand, managed to climb down and
eiu hegroup on the street, which had
sen increased BY passing people stop
ping to watch our proceedings.
Filled with tho foolish bravado Of
moving off to the audience below, 4
M the ascent up the steeple.
The Stats, nailed there Tor men 70
e]lFnb on, were pretty ~ apart for lit
boys legs, and we. too, aoon {ound
task MT 80 easy Is II looked Hut