Year: 1870

8URRoWERS IN THE AIR


Not for a million-not for Cinciu-


nati--not for all the gold in the


would anybody get me to 90 pn


there. If l should undertake the ike


Of that I'd fall and smash. sure I


would Those men ought to be


well paid for such risks" Such ex.
/ pressions one might hear on Fourth


street, Saturday, from Broadway to
| Central avenue, which is certainly


long enough at a distance and.


doubtless, from many an upper story


window both north and south Of this


line, which commanded view Of the


tall s-eeple, whose heaven-pointing


niger is two hundred and seventy


Ilve teet above the base Of the church.


eSVrday morning and yesterday


afternoon calculations of the same


nature might be heard from the
/ quarters above named. The assavo-
ratlOns were Sometimes ,-ic,o,.,,,.,I,-


qualified, always strong. and in most


cases evidently backed bv strono.


emotions. The eyes Of the snaol,o,.s


were directed upward, The Iooi-ors


often held to banisters, a bit Of rail


ing, a door facing or a window onar5


and frequently drew short breatbe


The focus of these muItitudinous
eyes was a man climbing the spire
of the First Presbyterian Church
In fact, three men were engaged in
the ascent, but the one who for the
time was in the balance between life
and death commanded the sympathy
Of the crowd. These same three
brave fellows made the ascent Of the
Cathedral spire, only a few davs
since, and one Of them stood on the
tip-top Of the cross that terminates
that beautiful bit of architecture,
two hundred and twenty-five feet
above terra frma. There the feat
seemed wonderful, and so it was, but
far less time was required in accom-
plishing it than in the present in
s5ance. Any one who has seen the
two spires need not be told the
reason.


Saturday afternoon the ascent of
the First Presbyterian Church spire
was commenced. Yesterday at half
past twelve o clock it was completed.
Eighty-fiye feet below the tip Of the
index finger in which the spire cul-
inmates, a scafOld was built from
the tOpmOst louvre windows in the
octagonaI portion of the spire on the
side facing Fourth street. The plat
form Of this afforded 4 base of opera
tiOns. A sixteen foot ladder was
placed upon it and leaned against
the spire. One man stool at the
base OF this, the other asce1 ded it.
flung a rope around the spire and
fastened the top Of the ladder. Down
came our climber like a squirrel, took
up another sixteen-fOot ladder to the
top of the first, spliced it with ropes
and made the two as one. with the
top resting against a heavy ring
mOlding. How that was done was
a wonder, all the more startling when
one considers that in the spiIe the
top of ladder number one had to be
pulled two feet from its resting place
against the spire. The top Of this
secured, the bottom of another lad
der was lashed to the middle Of the
spliced one, while its top, in a line
perpendicular above its base, touched
the big rim molding, the severe point
of the ascent. While the people be-
low beheld and trembled, the little
man climbing straight to the top Of
this trembling, unsteady ladder, and
lashed it last. From now on the
ascent was perpendicular, but the
worst was over. One after another
was added to the long line of ladders
until six were joined together, and
the top Of the tOpmOst was on level
with the knuckles Of the great golden
hand This was accomplished at
noon yesterday. A rest and dinner
was taken.


After noon our steeple climbers
went to the top Of the topmost lad
der, stepped upon the golden knuck-
les, stood upright, held to the index
finger with one hand, and reaching
up with the other put his hat upon
the top Of the lightning rod, and
there left it while he came down and
and crept into the steeple. The
people below were too much awed to
cheer Expressions of wonder and
for the almost sublime
performance were frequent and
hearty. The object of all this was
to replace a rusty lightning rod by a
new one. The feat is not to be seen
three times in America, for tits said
the United States has but one higher
;pire.-CiHcianaij Gazette.