Year: 1870

L


From theciucint tah Gazette. Sg
Two Spanish sbrothers, Rodriquez by


name, went to Father Edward Purcell and
asked leave to put in order the lightning


rod that runs up the tall spire of the cathe-


dral at the corner of Plum and Eighth


streets. The father told them the insula-


tors on the rod were broken, and other re-


pans to 1t, no one could tell how much,


were needed, but he besought them to put


up scatfoldlng IN order to get at the rod


which was TO be repaired. Having been
commissioned TO do the work they pro-
ceeded to the execution OF it without
delay. Coming out of the spire at
one of the louvre windows. Just
above the diai-faces of the tower, the
men swung a ladder partly by rope
dropped down from,a marrow aperture
just below the bsase Of the spire and partly
by its own hooks caught upon the stone
moldiug around the next story above of the
tower. Up this pendulous ladder one of the
men clambered, hanging to the rungs like
parrot to it's perch. On the ledge of the
molding the hooks of the ladder hung to
was good base of operations A half q
dozen ladders were provided. One was
drawn up and planted on the new base and
In she'd III place beth at the top and tie bot
tom. The top touched the last ledge of
moldlng IN the ascent, the base ont of
which the tower arose. On the streets for
squares distant along Plum in both direc


tions and along Eighth eastwardly wit
nesses watched the ascent while near
the scene the pavements were lined with
spectators. The two brothers were on the
scene by this time, and the ascent up the
spire proper had been commenced. The
first ladder of this final series rested on the
base OF the spine, ard was lashed to it both
at the top and the bottom by ropes pass


ng around the spire. The two men carried
a second ladder mp this one, lashing the
bottom of the former to the top of the lat
ter. The next thing was to secure this last
addition of climbing apparatus. One of
the brothers climbed it while the other
held its base. Up in that dizzy height
rope was thrown around the spire,
and the top of { last ladder secur-
eel by 1t, until five or six ladders
were strung in the series, the topmost reach
ing within two or three feet of the base OF
the cross, which terminates the spire at q
height of 222 feet above the base OF the ca
thedral. When the line of spliced ladders
had crept up the eastern face of the spire To
this position, a ladder with hooks at the top
was carried up aud hooked upon the cross
one OF the brothers assembled this, took n
position first upon an arm OF the cross and
then stepped up and stood erect upon the
very top of The upright portion of the stone
cross. Standing there he unscrewed the
top ofthc lightnine rod and tossed it to the
ground. Several variations of the perform
ance took place about this time. Once both
the brothers were on the opposite arms ofthe
cross. The standing upon the top of the
cross and the climbing about its arm con-
tinued for souse time, when the men de-
scended, leaviug their ladders tor IA con-
tinuation OF the. performance. The crowd
cheered when The topof the cross was
reached tn It is the boys in the crowd
cheered. The men were sober observers.
One strong fellow turned from the sight
with the remark that it was too much for
his nerves. Others shuddered audibly and
wished aloud for the men to come down.
but still conti-- red To look Men who had
passed at O'Clock, when the work began,
returnedand saw it completed AZ sundown
Everybody expressed relief when the men
came down, and many gave vent to regrets
that the perIlOus work would be continued