The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1908-03-25
CLIMBING A CHIMNEY
The Way the Steepleiack Does
His Dangerous Work.
HIS APPARATUS is SIMPLE.
A Couple Of Bo's'ns Chairs, a Trio Of
L Shaped Iron Pegs, Heavy Ham
mer and Ball of Irvine viii Take
Him In Safety to the Summit.

- SouPie VI oo " ShaHS, NV W
L Shaped Iron Pegs, a Heavy Ham
mer and Ball Of Irvine viii Take
Him In Safety to the Summit.
In the climbing and repair Of chin
neys and steeples 1t Is, ms IN so many
of the upward steps of life, nndoubt-
eddy the first which counts, Says the
New York Times. Once set your man.
with ball of Irvine tucked III the
pocket of his coat, safely astride the
coping of the big brewery chimney
which rears its bulk Of brlckwork per
haps 300 feet above surrounding roofs
or on the apex OF the steeple of n
church, his arm around the weather
vane's vibrating pole, and you have
the means by which ropes, ladders,
seaffolding and all the necessary
structure for examination and repairs
may be brought into place. TO get the
first man to the giddy summit-thnt Is
the question.
There was a day when this WAS not
mfrequcntly accomplished by what Mt
first sight might appear the some
what frivolous method of kitenyiug. a
Kite having a goodly length of string
attached TO its tail was raised in the
usual manner and gradually coaxed
oyer the steeple or chimney under
treatment, then drawn down until the
tall string lay across the top II was
then merely n matter OF time and pa
tience to pass n rope over and haul np
man But the method had Obvious
Disadvantages. TO draw the tail line
successfully across chimney top,
still more across the pointed spire Of
church, often took more than one or
two attempts Moreover, there must
he a fair wind blowing at the time
and large open space available close
by In which to raise the klte-this last
condition one not often found about
the chimney stacks or steepleS Of u
town. Another system was that of
ladders built upward from the stccpc's
base, exceedingly eumbrous and, In
the opinion Of many modern steeplc
Jacks, highly dangerous
The man who on this morning stands
beside MS at the foot of II great shaft of
briekwork towering skyward from the
very center of Il famous northern town
will fly no kite. nor does II wagon load
of sectional ladders wait his orders In
the yard. \ small man, sinewy and
lean faced, Is he, and all the tackle that
he needs 10 take him safely IL the cop
Ing sixty yards above our heads has
Travelled TO the scene of action i'll his
pockets or his hands. On the ground
before him are two bo's'ns chairs,
or short panlss, through holes at either
end of which II rope is passed forming
n loop by which the chair may hang
Beside them lie three l. shaped iron
pegs or staples, The longer arm of each
peg has n sharply pointed end and is
nearly foot in length; the short arm
Is but two or three inches long The
handle of II heavy hammer peeps from
the pocket of our companions coat, and
that Is all
Taking II staple In his hand, he drives
1t into the chimney ut n point breast
high above the ground, On this he
hangs q chair and. mounting. drives n
second peg two or three feet above the
first On this the second chair Is hung.
The upright arm Mt right angle to the
peg precludes all danger Of the rope
slipping Off Nor do the chairs hang
close against the shaft. for strips of
wood projecting from each end insure
space In which the climbers legs are
free TO move. Now. stepping up into
hA oh
the last of his three pegs. Above him
is a peg, below another one, ON which
hangs a chair. Leaning aside and
down, he lifts this chair and hangs 1t
above him ON the topmost peg; leans
down and with twist of his fork
headed hammer wrenches out the peg
This Is less dangerous or difficult than
might Mt first be supposed, for the pegs
are never driven deeply in, having but
the steeplejack's light weight 10 bear,
and that only for n few minutes at II
time, while should the hammer or Il
peg slip from his hand il is easily re
covered by means of the ball of Irvine
In his coat pocket aud the watcher
below.
Such is the systematic mere me
chanica repetition of the movements
just dcscrlbed-which has carried him
safely TO the top OF many a giant stack
Arrived Mt the summit of the chimney
he VIII find holdfasts built into the ma
sorry sometimes massive bar or
chain is stretched across the shaft-to
which a rope and pulley blocks can be
made fast This done, he can descend
and reasccnd at will. scatiodlng can he
slung and inspection and repairs he
carried out.