The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-10-18
THE CHIMNEY SWEEP
HE WILL CLEAN ANY CHIMNEY.
NO MATTER HOW HIGH 1T is.

oIory Cnfmney.
There is deep rooted impression among
the people of this city that the noble art
OF chimney sweeping has almost IL not
quito disappeared. The towering Chin
neys now in vogue give some color to this
, belief. ut would be impossible to climb
them; therefore they are not cleaned:
therefore the chimney sweep is thing of
The past" The hearty though husky CRY
of the sweep is no longer heard in tho
streets. 1t is quarter of u century nearly
since the deep voice of old Peter Bowling
has been heard in Greenwich village. md
old Peter was one of the last OF his tribe
to advertise himself with his lungs. His
cry, still well remembered by many old
residents of that neighborhood, ALWAYS
contained an implied threat. lie was for
ever telling his customers that he was
about to change the scene of his labors tn
baltimore, perhaps on account of tho
greater number Of sooty chimneys i'm the
metropolis Of Maryland, and he predicted
doleful things to happen in New York
after he deserted it's flues. His invnrinble
cry MS he went through the streets with
MS brooms and two sooty BOYS was:
Who'll sweep the CHIM-neys when
go to BAI~ti-m-o-r-e2"
The disposition, however, to class Chin
ney sweeping among the lost arts is
Iouhded upon misapprehension of the
facts. Instead of declining, the art has
sCeaully advanced, Keeping pace in all re.
spects with the progress of the times
broadening and cn.arging it's sphere in COR
rect proportion with tho increasing size Of
buildings and chimneys, and with the in.
tellecttal development of the artists who
make 1T their life work. If we no longer
near the sweeps cry in the street it is only
because the art has reached u status IL,
which street crying is considered undipni-
he'd and unprofessional, and Instead of
beckoninS i'll the sooty workman, as we
once did, we now apply TO the gentleman
III Inc oHice ana seek I'M appointment with
the artist who cleans our chimncys.
The chimney sweeps have found n better
way to advertise their business than by
bawling in the streets. They advertise in
the newspapers, like other professional and
business men, and it was this advertise.
nent' published n few days ago, that led
10 reporters cunning valuable insight
into the present condition of the art:
Chimney Swecp-Chmncys cleaned with
ncatness and dispatch. Apply ut :s;0i Seventh
avenue.
The professional instinct makes itself
evident i'll the brcvity Of the advertisement
and the absence of any name attached to
it. Neither IL physician nor lawyer cares
to publish more than card giving his
name and address, and tho Same profess
sional modesty obtains in the other arts
and sciences. AS the information con
tanned i'll this article, however was OBJ
tanned from the unobtrusive author of the
card, it will be no breach of professional
etiquette to say that the name that should
be attached to it is the Rev. William
Henry Couts," and that the place men
toned is IN apartment house, of which the
ficf nfc Il
chimney sweeping and ministerial work
What do you charge for sweeping a
chimney" was asked bluntly of this artist
in black
Anywhere from $40 to $3.50, according
to size" was the surprising reply.
The high grade Of the urt was immedi-
ately settled by this answer 1t Is not ev-
cry artist who can get $3.50 for a single Job.
n job of the greatest magnitude was evil
IDENTIFY expected OH this occasion, and look
of sadness crept over tho artists face when
he learned that his questioner had no chin
neys to be swept, but was merely in search
of information.
"You would not undertake to go into
chimney in one of the fifteen story Office
buldingss" he was asked
But Mr.. Couts decidedly would. He
would undertake, he says, to clean any
chimney in this city, and would climb up
and down any chimney with flues large
enough to admit him.
"IIow do you clean high chimney that
has no flues large enough for man to 20
into?" he was asked.
The professional eye began to sparkle
rs he sow In imagination some difficult
chimney for him TO grapple with
"Oh, there are several ways" he replied.
For some chimneys we go up TO the roof
with long rope and n heavy weight. The
weight is tied to the rope and slowly low
cred down the chimney, one flue at u time
Then one man takes the rope at the bot
tom and another ut the top, and with the
rope we scrape all the SCOT out of the chin
ney.
Where there is n straight 1ue from top
to bottom" Mr.. Couts continued, I'VE gen.
orally use rods You've seen an artesian
well bored? Well, our rods go together in
the same way. They need only reach half
way, as we can work from top and bottom
The chimney is cleaned as fur ms the rod
reaches, and then another length is fast
ened on. With ropes and rod we can clean
any chimney that ever was built, no mat
ter II it is n hundred stories high"
Are not the prices you name rather
high?"
"Not Mt ALL" he replied "For an ord-
nary dwelling house of three stories we
charge ten dollars for each chimney. Such
chimney is fully days work, and some
times much longer for two men; and we
furnish all the apparatus. There are sep
arate flues. you understand, for each story,
and every flue has furnace, q range. q
stove or CRATE Mt the end of it. We clean
them, too, all included in the price, and
the proper cleaning of range alone takes
three or four hours. Then we have all the
SCOT to carry away"
"How about the $3.50 jobs?"
"Well, we have good many of them,