Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1898-04-07
an Old CHARLESTON sTEEPLR
the Herbor Light That Is Tend
ed by q sexton.

The all-pervading war talk and spec
! ulation as to cannonading, lombard
| ment and the like, recalls an occur,
renee that interested Charleston peo-
/ pie about two years ago. The engineer
I in charge of the government works in
! Charleston harbCr had prevailed on the
vestTy of ST. Philips church, in that
! city, TO allow range light for the har-
Dor TO be placed in the church steeple.
! Workmen began the task OF making
! such alterations in the old spire as
were necessary, and, all Unexpectedly,
| the men came upon an unexploded shell
| Embedded in the woodwork.
BE extremely careful in handling
| il" was the superintendent caution
when the discovery was reported to
| him, but the workmen did not need
I such a warning. a royal infant, on
4 whose well-being the fate of nations de-
pended, was never lifted more tender
/ ~ and with such care and solicitude.
The church steeple is tall and the
way leading up 10 il narrow and dark.
/ Whether the souvenir of the war was
/ lowered earthward over the outer scat
/ folding or taken down and out through
/ the interior Of the church is not re-
I corded. but, at any rate. the workmen
+ breathed freer when il was well out of
/ their hands, and they used their ham
mers less recklessly while the remain
( der of the woodwork was being ZOOS
eneC, for fear another unsupported
/ shell might lurk beneath the surface.
| The shell was taken 70 Fort Sumter.
( This range light in St. Philips steeple
! is one OF the few harbCr lights on the
( coast, if rot the only one. lodged in a
/ church steepie. and kept trimmed and
! burning by a church seXton-by the
! identical old colored sexton who ushers
/ strangers up the aisle on Sundays. sees
after funerals and christenings and per-
! forms other duties connected with his
office. When the government official
first preached the matter Of making the
/ steeple 4 lighthouse the vestry of the
church said no" TO the proposition. 1t
was a benevolent, a kindly purpose. it
was true. but secular withal. To lend
the church for such purpose would be
stultifying somewhat of its dignity.
putting ii to an irreverent use. St.
Philips church is very old. Its congre-
CATION is stepped in exclusive con-
StEN i4>iH- L Ht pSOBlS q = Jld uOSu tl4S
decision Of the vestry. The government
representative, nothing daunted. waited
until things had Gained down little.
and then he urged the matter again,
making it plain to the vestry that their
steeple was just in the exact spot where
I a range light was most needed; that
their sexton should tend the light: that
everything should be done to preserve
the dignity and placidity Of the ancient
edifce. and indeed to improve and re-
pair it. should occasion require. With
these stipulations the opposition of GER
tain members Of the vestry was al
length withdrawn, and now the ships
that go up the harbor at night are
guided by the light in the old steeple.
Old St. Philips spire was always just
in range line with the entrance of the
harbor. The marksmen on the battle.
ships that bombarded the city in the
civil war always said that St. Philips
steeple was the neatest target on the
coast. St. MichaeIs was not three
blocks away. but that spire didn't an.
swer the purpose so well.-N. y. Sun.