The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1908-04-22
CLIMBING A CHIMNEY
The Way the Stesplejack Does
His Dangerous Work.
HIS APPARATUS IS SIMPLE.

A Couple Of eo's'n's Chairs, a Trio Of
l Shaped Iron Pegs, a Heavy Ham,
mer and a Ball Of Irvine Will Take
Him In Safety to the Summit.
In the climbing and repair Of chin
neys and steeples it is, as In SO many
Of the upward steps Of life. undoubt-
eddy the first which counts. says the
New York Times. Once set your man, (
with a ball Of Irvine 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 a
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 tho
first man to the giddy summit-that is
the question.
There was a day when this was not
infreQuently accomplished by what at
first sight might appear the m
what frivolous method of kiteflying. A
kite having a goodly length Of string
attached to its tail was raised In the
usual manner and gradually coaxed
over the steeple r chimney under
treatment, then drawn down until the
tail string lay across the top. 1t wa
then merely a matter Of time and pa
thence to pass a rope over and haul up
a man. But the method had obvious
disadvantages. To draw the tail line
successfully across a chimney top,
still more across the pointed spire Of
two attempts. Moreover, there must
be a fair wind blowing at the time
and a 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 a
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 a 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 ir
the yard. A small man, sinewy anG
lean faced, is he, and all the tackle tina
!. he needs to take him safely to the cop
ing sixty yards above our heads has
travelled to the scene Of action in his
:. pockets or his hands. On the GROUND
:. before him are two bo's'n's chairs
or short planks. through holes at eitheI
end of which a rope Is passed, formin:
= a loop by which the chair may hang
. Beside them lie three L shaped irol
pegs or staples. The longer arm Of eacl
peg has a sharply pointed end and !
nearly a foot in length: the short arm
. is but two or three inches long. tn
;, handle Of Il heavy hammer peeps iron
= the pocket Of our companions coat, an
that Is all.
!. Taking a staple in his hand. he drive
: it into the chimney at a point breas
= high above the ground. On his h
hangs a chair and. mounting. drives
second peg two or three feet above tn
- first. On this the second chair is hung
- The upright arm at a right angle to. th
peg precludes oil danger Of the rop
slipping off. Nor do the chairs han
" close against the shaft. for strips c
wood projecting from each end insur
a space in which the climbers legs al
free to move. Now, stepping up int
- the second chair the steeplejack drive
the last of his three pegs. Above hi
u is a peg. below another one, on whic
: hangs a chair. Leaning aside an
down. he lifts this chair and hangs
above him on the topmost peg; lear
1e down and with a twist Of his fol
g headed hammer wrenches out the pc
This is less dangerous or difficult tina
~ might at first be supposed, for the pc.
are never driven deeply In, having b.
the s~teeplejack's light weight to bea
time, while should the hammer or
~ peg slip from his hand 1t is easily 7
x. covered by means Of the ball Of twi
Ct in his coat pocket and the watch
" below.
" Such is the systematic mere N
chanical repetition Of the movemen
," Just described-which has carried hi
safely to the top Of many a giant STAG
lo' Arrived at the summit Of the chimn'
0s he will find holdfasts built into the N
sonry-sometlmes a massive bar
ol chain is stretched across the shaft
~ which a rope and pulley blocks can
made fast. This done, he can desce
and reascend at will. sca6olding can
slung and inspection and repairs
carried out.