The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1908-03-20
CLIMBING A CHIMNEY
The Way the SteepIejack Does
His Dangerous Work.
HIS APPARATUS IS SIMPLE.
A Couple Of Bo's'n's Chairs, a Trio Of
L Shaped Iron Pegs, a Heavy Ham
rner and a Ball Of Twine Will Take
Him In Safety to the Summit.

nner and a Ball Of Twine Will Take
Him In Safety to the Summit.
In the climbing and repair OF chin
neys and steeples 1t is, as in so many
of the upward steps Of life. undoubt-
edly the first which counts, says the
New York Times. Once set your man,
with a ball OF twine tucked In the
pocket OF his coat safely astride the
coping OF the big brewery chimney
which rears its bulk OF brickwork per
haps 300 feet above surrounding roofs
or on the apex OF the steeple OF
church, his arm around the weather
vane's vibrating pole, and you have
the means by which ropes ladders,
scaffolding and all the necessary
structure for examination and repairs
may be brought into place. TO get the
first man to the giddy summlt-that Is
the question.
There was day when this was not
infrequently accomplished by what at
first sight might appear the some
what frivolous method OF kitehying. A
kite having a goodly length OF string
attached TO its tail was raised In the
usual manner and gradually cOaXed
over the steeple or chimney under
treatment, then drawn down until the
tail string lay across the top. 1t was
then merely a matter OF time and pa
tience to pass rope over and haul up
a man. but the method had obvious
disadvantages. To draw the tail line
successfully across n chimney top,
still more across the pointed spire Of
n church, often took more than one or
two attempts. Moreover, there must
be a fair wind blowing at the time
and large open space available close
by In which TO raise the kite-this last
condition one not often found about
the chimney stacks or steeples Of
town. Another system was that OF
ladders built upward from the steeple's
base, exceedingly cumbrous and, In
the opinion of many modern steeple-
jacks, highly dangerous.
The man who on this morning stands
beside us at the foot Of n great shaft Of
brickwork towering skyward from the
very center Of a famous northern town
Will fly no kite. nor does a 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 TO take him safely to the cop
ing sixty yards above our heads has
Travelled 90 the scene OF action In his
pockets or his hands. On the ground
before him are two bo's'n's chairs
or short pIanks. through holes at either
end of which n rope Is passed, forming
"A 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 I'm length; the short arm
Is but two or three inches long. The
handle of heavy hammer peeps from
the pocket of our companions coat, and
that is all
Taking n staple In his hand, he drives
IL into the chimney at point breast
high above the ground. On this he
hangs n chair and, mounting, drives
second peg two or three feet above the
first. On this the second chair Is hung
The upright arm at a right angle to the
peg precludcs 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
n space Ia which the climbers legs are
free TO move. Now. stepping up into
the last of his three pegs. Above him
is peg. below another one, on which
hangs chair. Leaning aside and
down, he lifts this chair and hangs II
above him on the topmost peg; leans
down and with n twist of his fork
headed hammer wrenches out the peg
This is less dangerous or difficult than
might ut first be supposed, for the pegs
are never driven deeply in, having but
the stceplejack's light weight TO bear
and that only for n few minutes at
time, while should the hammer or
peg slip from his hand IL is easily re
covered 10y means of the ball of twine
I'm his coat pocket and the watcher
below.
Such Is the systematic mere me
chancal repetition of the movements
just described-which has carried him
safely TO the top of many giant stack.
Arrived at the summit OF the chimney
he will find holdfasts built into the ma
sonry-sometlmes a 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 reascend nj will, scsffolding can be
slung and inspection and repairs be
carried out.
AZ The Rarn ain Cnuntnr.