The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1892-07-01
From the Cleveland Leader.l

pSIIOT Sbr0eIS, IOdlS tO-udy al ADuoIiCdb
flag. 1t is not large ensign, being only
about a by Is inches in dimension, but
the stars and stripes are there in all their
beauty. 1t is not often that the national
emblem can be seen at so lofty an alti-
tude, and churches are seldom orna-
mented with "Old Glory" The task of
placing the flag in position was no easy
one, and several hundred spectators stood
in the vicinity Of the church yesterday
afternoon and looked with their eyes, and
incidentally with stiffened necks and
bated breaths at the intrepid climber as
he slowly made his way up the outside
of the tall steeple. The first intimation
that the passers by on the streets below
had that anything unusual was about to
take place was about 3:45 o'clock, when.
from a point Just under the coping, from
which rises the iron sheathing of the spire
and where the slate sheathing ends, some
thing white stuck out. At first it looks
like snake as it hung down the side OF
the spire. Gradually it grew longer and
then it was seen that a rope was being
pushed through it from the inside. Lower
and lower the rope
CREPT DOWN THE STEEPLR
And presently the end of it found lodge
ment behind the projecting stonework at
the base OF the spire, where it began to
coil itself. In few minutes a large coil
had been formed and then the downward
motion of the line ceased, and from base
TO near the summit stretched a thin white
strand, clearly outlined against the dark
gray steeple. While the spectators were
wondering what it all meant and what
would occur next, the figure of man ap-
peared In the west window of the four
which are placed half way up the spire.
The man was clad in a suit of grimy
overallS and a SLOUGH hat Climbing
through the narrow opening he sat upon
the sill, and carelessly swinging his legs,
gazed at the gathering crowd. He was
FULLY 100 feet above their heads, but seemed
to be quite at home.
For seventeen years Clarence z. Ward
has made business of climbing steeples.
chlmneys and other eXcrescences that
nothing but spider or a monkey would
seem to nave any business with Several
years ago he gilded the cross on the spire
of st. Peters Church at the corner of
Dodge and superior streets, and since
that time he has been walking up steeples
whenever he found chance to do so.
The cross on st. Johns Cathedral spire
has become sadly furnished, and the pow
ers that be decided that bran new coat
OF gilt would brighten it. and so they sent
for Ward, whose home is in Cincinnati.
and who IS about the only man in the
country who would undertake the lob.
1t was just five minutes after 4 o'clock
when Ward rose to his feet, and leaning
forward grasped the rope that dangled in
front of him. Then holding it with one
hand, with the other he pulled through
the window coil OF rope and "bosuu's
chair' so-called,
a FLAT PIECE OF WOOD
With a roma To aitl,o,- o,,,1 -. I
meeting few feet higher up, the whole
forming an iSosceles triangle. In trice
the chair and the coil Of rope were fast
ened to the pendant line. In a few sec
onds more, by means of a sailors knot,
Ward had fastened q ''sling" simply a
Topped rope, to the line few inches above
his head, having previously passed it
around his waist. Everything was now
ready. Ward began to sing in high
falsetto voice, and the weird strains were
waited to the ears Of the people below.
As singer Ward may be said to be a
'howling success" There was no band
to play while he went through his act of
steeple-climbing and he used his own
vocal organs instead. He swung out into
the air and hung motionless for a mo-
ment. Then, drawing himself UP with
his left hand, he shifted the knot which
held the sling few inches higher up the
rope. Letting his weight again fall upon
the sling the knot became tight and he
had got about half a foot higher in the
world. This operation was repeated time
and again, and at length he was on level
with the top of the narrow window from
which he had emerged. y small iron
cross snrmounts the pinnacle of the win
dow. Ward had another rope around his
shoulders and he unwound it and placed
one end over the cross. Then he swung
lightly to the top of the south window
ar n a Dh hn I,
surmounted it. From there he threw the
rope over the east window. With howl
that made the hair of the spectators stand
on end he swung clear around the steeple
To the north window, and then he had
placed a girdle around the spire. Once
more he began to mount the rope, now
DRAWING THE GIRDLE UP
With him, and shortening it as the cir
cumterence of the spire became smaller.
About half way up the slate work there
is a coping which extends around the
steeple. 1t was ticklish job to get over
that, but it was safely passed, and then
about thirty feet more of slate stretched
above the climbers head. In lust an
hours time from his appearance at the
window he had reached the top of his
rope. With considerable difficulty the
girdle was placed above the coping at the
base OF the iron part of the spire. That
having been done Ward proceeded to
draw up his large coil of rope and the
chair above described. When he had
made them fast he hung from the girdle
while he cut the rope up which he had
climbed and fastened it around his waist.
Then he clambered over the coping and
stood upright against the tapering spire.
The hardest part of his task had yet to be
performed. TO complete it il was neces-
sary 10 throw another girdIe around the
spire. Ward mad the rope ready. At the
lower end he had tied a gasket, which is
a large, loose knot, and which served as a
weight. Leaning back, while he held fast
to the girdle already in position, Ward
began TO swing the rope outward with a
circular motion. Then with a wide swing
he let it slip through his hand. Ii passed
three-fourths around the spire. and
then the knot at the end fell toward the
ground. The climber gathered in the
Slack of the line, and again swung it over
his head. This time the weight of the
casket carried the rope entirely around
the steeple. The second girdle was made
fast a couple of feet above the one which
snnported Ward. He fastened a sling to
81 and climbed into the loop. Then he
leaned down and pulled up the first
girdle. Untying it he passed it above the
one which now supporting him and tied
il a couple feet higher up the spIre. AT
The same time he was drawing up after
him the long rope and the chair" BY
ranesting the process of passing one girdie
ahove the other he reached the large ball
at the top OF the spire and at the base of
ffa cross Fifteen minutes Were spent in
e Get his ropes and girdles over the
6sii Having accomplished that feat he
CLIMBED OVER THE BALL
Ard was safely lodged at the foot of the
ross. His first movement was to Sc
cr0eI fasten the pulley through which
the the long rope passed to the base OF the
cross. Then he placed both arms around Rsi,l
the cross and shook II VigoTI99uSls- ro ~
the street the tall pole c9u1u pe see IL IT.