A MODEM STEEPLEJACK

Otago Daily Times, Issue 14700, 7 December 1909, Page 5

A MODEM STEEPLEJACK

' AT PRESENT IX DUXEDIX. SOME EXPERIENCES. Stecp'.oja.eking, a business for which apparently fit few men in the wcrld have a inking, is an occupation from wliioii tkuij.'.'ous situations and thrilling experiences are inseparable, and wihich only individual pi>s.so?in£ somo von* uniwial qualifications, such as nerves of iven and a cool disdain for dim - eimneilc'S, ;u\.' !o l>o found following. Such a person is .Mr William (Irccn, a sioeplejack belonging at ciu-c to tlie old' and the now schools, who is | at prosMt iii. Duncdin .repairing some of | tho taller brick and iron chimneys in and around (lie city. Mr Urecn, who hasaccompiiying him two assistants, one of whom is Mr Albert Green, his son, who is also no novito in the business, wis sowihr out bv a Times reporter and readily consented to rotate what had fallen to his lot during 30 years' experience as a steeplejack. A steeplejack's first busmen when his pci-viess are catted in is to view with it powerful microscope, which forms an essential part of his stosk-in-trade, any chimneys which are considered not to be porfectljtrue or in i-lic state that, from tho point of viow of safety, they should' not be in. 'J ho microscope pliows up any defects that exist, such as cracks, flaws, or twists. Tho next step is to roach such Haws in order to oorry out repair*. Iron slap!-:* aro driven into tho brick work and a ladder is lashed to them and held firmly against tho stack. 'l'he first ladder fixed in position, a second i« placed in position by lxring fitted into a socket at the tap of i.iie iiret, ami < similarly lashed to iron staples, and with a Rucocsion of such efforts tJie lop of tho stack is readied, or as far up as there is occasion to go. A platform, oreeie.d at tlio top, with large blocks, permits of nccosiary material Ixiing h»ktcd 110 at will. When cracks or .stioh like on the side of a chimney require lo be put risjh' tho steeplejack assents tho ladder to the required height, and then, encircling his waist with a stout leather bolt, hooks himself to one of tilra rungs of tho ladder, and then swings free and suspended in midair, works away at will, swinging himself towards 'the 6ido of tho stack as occasion arises. Not ouly chimneys, but t-all church ejiires also. ( come within the steeplejack's calling, and dancer and uncertainty ever lurk ih both.

Mr Green has, during his career, ascended for the purpose of carrying out repairs, about 500 chimney stacks in Englard and Scotland, including practically every one of any consequence, and has ako repaired or renewed 47 church sorres in tile Old Country, and in connection with this work holds testimonials from nine of the leading architects hi England, being the only steeplejack in England who can show that number. Tho tallest chimncyetack which Mr Green has repaired, and it. is the tallest in the British Isles, is at Tennant-'s G'honiicial Works, in Glasgow. This chimney rears itself to a. height of 450 ft, lhat elevation being rendered necessary in order to ensure carrying off the fumes from the works. A 30'dft chimney • at tho Plymouth Chondral Work 6 was built by Mr Green himself, and has also been repaired by him. This chimney cost something like £9000 to construct. There are stacK3 in Get many which reach a height of 600 ft, but in the repairing of these tho top is reached from the inside, involving, of course, the stoppage of the works. In carrying out his work Mr Green in no way interferes with the continuance of the works, performing the wholo of his operations from tho outside. The Vauxhal! Chemical Works chimney, which is 375 ft high, and the tallest in Liverpool, ranks among tho biggest chimneys repaired by Mr Green. Some of the feats performed by him almost surpass belief. Portions of' chimneys have been shifted bodily to tho extent of a. few fe=t without causing a oessation of work in the establishment with which the stack is connected. This is effected by means, of hydraulic screw-jacks, the chimney being cut through first on one side and then on the other, and lifted bodily over into its tiue position. This was oarried out at Seely's Flourmills at Lincoln, where the top portion of the stack was sft out of true. This is an octagonal chininey, 350 ft high, and it proved one of the most difficult jobs over tackled. The stack at l'oiwon's Chemical Works, near Ipswich, which is 290 ft high, and was 3ft 7in out of the perpendicular, wa6 similarly treated Felling chimneys is also carried out by Mr Green. The mothod adopted 111 these cases is to build up inside the base of the chimney wooden supports upon which the stack, from a few feet upwards, is made to rest. The bricks in the lower portion arc knocked o'ut, and the wooden foundation, which is thoroughly soaked with kerosene, etc., is set alight, and the demolition of tho chimney, properly guyed, follows as the wcodca blipports aro consumed by tho lire.

As already stated tno repairing l of some o£ tho tallest church spires in lingland is i included- in Mr (Jreon's list of big works. Among them are tho FtymouUi Cathedral Spirt, which is 212 ft high, and tho slenderest spire in all England, being only 9in through it the.top; th©. Ratoliff o (Bristol) Parish Church spire, 350 ft high; and tho Scarborough Church spire, 200 ft high, Ohurch spires present nrore difficulties and dangers than chimney stacks, and some exciting experiences have been encountered. On one occasion Mr Green's son was seated in the boatswain's chair, suspended in midair about 120 ft above the ground, when his hokl on the guy rope, which was new and <iry, proved inseoure, and lie slipped down it tor 25ft or mole, and was thrown feet upwards, but fortunately rotained his hold', and was there left suspmded with hundreds of peoplo gazing breathlcssl;' at him from the streets' below Tho chair was quickly lowered, and a rcicuo effected On another, oowion, while working on the Scarborough Baptist Church Bp ire, about 200 ft high, portion of tho scaffolding, 12ft from tho top, gavo way, and the two men standing oil it wore luft suspended, each clinging to a rope which they had been holding as a precaution. Both swung' round, cno to each side of tho stack, and, ,not seeing each other,. each concluded that the other had dropped. Tho swinging of the ropes at- length brought them face to face, and the surprise and relief was mutual. Bath then slid down tteropo for about 70ft. and thus roadfcd .mother staging and safely. While never having any acciJcnt attended Jiy serious results, ilr Green and his son witnessed, whilo working on a. sister st':ck, a fall frcstn the top of the Government nhot tower at Derby, which is alout 20CIt high, of a workman, who was dafhed to pieces an tho ground below after striking roofings, ctc., on the wav down.

Diving opciatkms aro ako undertaken by this person of ncrvo and daring, and one of tiio principal works carried out in this department was in connection with the sweeping away of the 'fay bridge in Scotland some ycare ago, Mr Grcsro 'being engaged to go dawn to the bottom o! tho river in diving dfress and hitch on tackle to tho demolished railway carriages and to neardi for 'bodies. He lias inspected tho foundations of many bridges and other st-rutfuTDs on Wialf cf the British Govornnwnt., for which, in fact, ho has carried out all kinds of daring works, hi<s operations extending over all the main dockyards' in Kng';.nd,

Mr pTP.cn is a pupil of the original steeplejack, Joseph Harrison, of JidinburKfc'. Mr Harrison's method was to fly a largo linen k.ite, ,vith bajjs of sawdust attached, over the top of ttra chimney to bo repaired, and as soon as the kite \y ; is poised immediately over the stack the lino was run out. and the kite dropped on the other side and secured. A heavier line was by this means hoisted up over the top of the chimney, and an ascent thus accomplished. Thero was, of course, quite an art in flyinjf a kite. Later on Mr Green introduced his own method, which he now lins in practice, of malting an ascent bv means of ladders which, fitting into a socket, are built ono •ibovo the other, an<l which can at present bo teen in use on the large iron chimney at the corporation, converter station in Cumberland street, on which he is now engaged.