Episode One - Training StandardsEpisode Two - You Need To Get To The TopEpisode Three - Success.......Foot the First RungEpisode Four - Climbing up to SuccessEpisode 5 - Bosun's Chairs (Seats)?Episode 6 - Where did they come from?
EPISODE 6 – WHERE DID THEY COME FROM?Well a lot of them came from Nottingham, but of course they came from many cities and towns wherever there was a goodly supply of work, that’s how they thrived, and their main work was church steeples and tower, and chimneys. The main centre was Lancashire, lots of mill chimneys in brick and stone. The North East, Middlesbrough and Darlington, Edinburgh and Glasgow. Bristol and London of course. Birmingham and Nottingham. Why Nottingham? Well when I joined the industry in the early fifties there were five companies in the town undertaking steeplejack work plus a sixth that built chimneys. I’m not saying there were not others. Of these five I’ve referred to, not one of them is in existence today, that is, still practising the trade of steeplejacks. At this time there are other steeplejack companies in Nottingham, some well established and others that come and go with some regularity, and like all parochial type businesses they all tend to be spin offs from each other. Where did they all come from? Some think they came as a spin off from W J Furse & Co Ltd, however that is not quite the case as we must go back one step further than that to a company, they are still in existence of course but not in the steeplejacking business, Blackburn & Starling Ltd and in my time one of the originals. W J Furse himself worked for Blackburn & Starlings before starting his own business and when I joined Furse it contained the third generation, that was John Furse always addressed as Mr John. At that time it was a very friendly family firm to work for, it had many divisions one of which was ‘Steeplejacks’ and John Furse was at its genial head. Those were the days shortly after the end of the war when things were still in short supply in that the steeplejack division had but three pre war light trucks. The staff supervisor had one of the new rare Ford Popular’s, unlike today where every crew has one or even two vehicles. You might say how did we cope? Well you must remember we still had steam trains that went everywhere and I do mean everywhere, these trains had guards and luggage vans which collected and delivered anything, and all from door to door. And that included steeplejack plant and equipment, collected from your own depot via a small wheel based articulated commercial trailer pulled by a three-wheeled tractor unit called a Scammell Mechanical Horse (commonly called a Scarab) but this was no Egyptian god type beetle; they were so versatile and had the ability to turn around in their own trailer length. At the local train goods depot they then loaded it into a railway van and unloaded it at the other end of the journey onto a similar road truck and brought it to site. When done with they returned it to the works depot by the same efficient system. The men then! Well they were different, more dressed up than they are today, the were given a railway warrant and went to the site by train the next day, if the site where you were going to work had a railway siding, and many had, what could be more simpler? This method started before the war and during the war when steeplejacks were in a reserved occupation, and that meant they were exempt from being called up for military service. One of the things they did for the war effort was to apply camouflaging to high and prominent buildings including the large industrial chimneys, with paint. Two of the Nottingham companies were – MacDonald’s and Elliott’s. I applied for a job at MacDonald’s and thankfully I didn’t get it, I was fortunate. Some of the men I know/knew and remember, there were many more: - Steve Edie, Reg Sheavin, Ted Foster, Frank Janish, Albert Tasiman, Ted Shaw, Wally Fox, John Allcock, Ernie Haig, Fred Robinson, Bert Hudson, another Bert Hudson, Arthur Leighton, David Hill, Arthur Pearson, Jock Anderson, Frank Pikett, Tommy Tinkler, Chris Halvey, Alf Thomas and sons, ‘The brothers Paul’. Not forgetting Charlie Swift and his Father. There are many others. Look out for future additions for some more history of this industry, the dialogue continues.
EPISODE 5 – BOSUN'S CHAIRS (SEATS)?
Every one knows the difference between a boat and a ship, don’t they? Bosun’s chairs once were part of our industry, but not now. It’s the use of words you see; when writing a document words are important and, if you use them, you are expected to abide with what those words are intended to convey. So we had to change them to safeguard what we were about and now for us it’s become a Bosun’s Seat. It’s the very same thing really, but different, and there is a British Standard for the use of them. That’s not to say that some would like to stop the industry using them, not because they are unsafe or dangerous to use, that is not the case, what is the case is that in their minds they just cannot conceive that they are safe. Bosun’s Seats are for me, and if designed correctly, the most comfortable way of accessing a difficult place. Often, you will be in that position for long periods of time, and still being comfortable is important. You might say if there is a British Standard where does the design come in, that is if it is laid down in black and white? Well there is some flexibility in that the seat board itself can be made of anything that is suitable, even polished mahogany if you wish, and the size obviously needs to suit the person in both width and breadth (although, naturally, when working in a tight confined place these dimensions have to be restricted to accommodate the job) Because of all these things it is a very versatile piece of gear. These types of seat are traditionally one rope systems and that fact makes it very important that the rope used is the best one for the job, in the fifties and sixties, and onwards, this meant 1st grade manilla (not to be confused with Hemp) as the rope to use and at 1” diameter (25mm). The rope had very good properties in that it was very strong and flexible, it also resisted abrasion quite well. Its downside was mainly twofold; firstly, when wet it became very stiff to use and, secondly if contaminated with wet acids its natural fibre construction broke down quickly and destroyed its strength. And then came along Polypropylene, a man made fibre that had nearly all the answers; it was light to use, it did not rot, was not vulnerable to most acids we encountered within the industry, and was nearly indestructible during normal use apart from the fact that it tended to melt at high temperatures. Its long-term deterioration was caused by sunlight as it was estimated that two years of ultra violet ray attack broke down its molecular structure. Not a lot of people knew that. To use a seat you had to know how to tie and use a rolling hitch, build a seat from its component parts and have a good head for heights, (that also means that swinging about on a long pendulum perhaps one, two or in rare cases three hundred feet long). The parts are: - a block to suit the ropes diameter, the working rope itself, a seat board suitably reeved and a sound stop lashing. The last item if used correctly stopped you hurtling to the ground out of control. Suitably reeved means that if the reeving lashing broke the board was still safe to use, temporarily. I’ve never known one to break. Of course, as the Industry evolves we are using a wider variety of access techniques than the above. Look out for part 6 further additions to this dialogue Bert Bird – Chairman Delta International For further information, please contact:
Eleanor Bateman
EPISODE FOUR- CLIMBING UP TO SUCCESSErecting steeplejack ladders is, after first one, more or less a repetitious function, baring peculiarities referred to in part 3 of this discourse. Like most tasks starting the job correctly is half the battle and that basically means ensuring that the first section of ladder, when fixed, points accurately in the direction you want to go, (Up maybe!?) ladders don’t bend that easily to get you back on course, that is, if you are off it.
The two main laddering systems have totally differing modes of erecting them; They are not comparable in any way whatsoever. Skid ladders are installed by one operative only working at the very top of the ladder run with the next ladder being pulled up to him on a rope and pulley method. The dogs used are in the form of a hook and are sometimes referred to as backlines. Ladders are secured to these dogs by tying off with rope lashings, i. e. the line is tied back with the line, I understand it. Each ladder when received by the erector at the top of the run is, due to its length, spliced to the one fixed previously so that they can then reach further up the structure to drive in another dog. He then undoes the splice so that the ladder can be hoisted up by the operative on the ground using the rope method, and socketed into the section below to continue the run of access laddering upwards. Yorkshire ladders have twin arms every five feet of vertical run to hold them of the structure being laddered, sometimes with a stand off as much as 600mm from the structure being accessed. Five feet vertical spacing of these arms allows the erector to easily reach up to drive in the next set of ladder dogs (sometimes called holdfasts as they differ from backlines in that they are provided with a suitable hole in them to accept the stand off ladder arms supporting the ladders. Unlike skid laddering, Yorkshire ladders have to be passed up to the top person by hand by a second operative who usually has carried it up to that position himself. To accept the ladder the top man stands on the top two rungs of the ladder erected with his back leaning against the wall which enables him to lift the next section up bodily in front of him and socket it into the ladder he is standing on, which they immediately secure when the lower set of spacing arms (permanently fixed to the ladder itself) are inserted into the dogs already fixed. Reading the above, although quite brief, will not make anyone skilled in the practice in erecting our industry type ladders, nor will it make them an expert in methods. Like most trades where physical aptitudes are an essential part of the job, experience is vital and this takes time; anyway each day is different and so is the job in hand. If you are sensible you have to think about it a little. The forgoing methods described are, as it was fifty years ago, and it still is more or les the same now although certain additions are now employed to comply with new legislation such as health and safety One of these is the new ‘working at height’ regulations, which require the operative to be secured with a safety harness and fall arrest systems that has caused some heartache and much rethinking within the industry. You will remember what I said about change in a previous dialogue issue. Bert Bird – Chairman Delta International
EPISODE THREE - SUCCESS.......FOOT THE FIRST RUNGAll wonder! How do steeplejacks install ladders up the vertical face of a tall structure or chimney, how is it done? Like the Magic Circle, it’s a secret really or perhaps another step in the right direction, onwards and upwards.
Both Yorkshire and Lancashire ladders are designed, or not, to be socketed together end to end to create, when erected, a continuous run of ladders with little or no hindrance or interruptions between each one and the next to interfere with smooth access whilst climbing them. Other steeplejack ladders that have no provision for socketing together have to be spiced at the interconnection point which creates a tricky climbing situation over two or three rungs where they are joined together, creating a step in or out as the case may be, not an ideal state of affairs, although sometimes unavoidable, not outside the range of skills of a steeplejack. Normal dogs are made from mild steel, wedge shaped in design similar to that of a chisel to allow you to drive them in. If they were just driven into the masonry there would be little or no friction between it and the brick or stonework to provide a secure sound anchorage for the purpose required. To overcome this problem a suitable hole is required to be cut, using a dogging chisel, as small as is practical but of sufficient depth to ensure that the dog, when driven in, will not hit the bottom of the hole when inserted and re-bound out or become loosened. So what is the difference than just driving the dog straight in? The difference is this; before driving the dog into the hole it is filled totally, hammered in, with a straight-grained softwood plug. Why? Remarkably this has very good frictional properties between it and the masonry and the same similar excellent properties with mild steel. The dog is then driven into the wooden plug and if done correctly, pull out figures for the dog can reach two tonne, this depends much on the type of dog used and the quality of the masonry being accessed. All steeplejack ladders have a facility within their design to allow them to stand off the wall by a suitable amount to assist in climbing in that the feet when put on the rung is not hampered by the toe of the boot coming into contact with the wall. This space behind the ladder can be as little as 225mm or as much as 600mm and that larger amount makes it possible to stand behind some types of ladder, looking outwards. You must start with the first ladder and it must be soundly footed although in essence it dose not have to carry the full weight of all the ladders above it; If all the ladders are fixed well and correctly they are able to carry their own weight themselves via the dogs and lashings or arms supporting them. It is possible to fix the first ladder so that it can be removed on a daily basis as a security measure to prevent others climbing them overnight. There are cases where this has happened with disastrous fatalities occurring to some poor daredevil. It is now time to start dogging for the fist ladder but that will have to be catered for in the next issue.
There is a lot more to say about laddering, look out for future dialogue in part 4. EPISODE TWO - YOU NEED TO GET TO THE TOP"You want to get to the top!” Well of course if you are a professional, that’s where you need to be. If you are a steeplejack not only is it essential but if you don’t get there you might as well go home. Today there are rules and regulations, yesterday you did the best you could based on traditional methods handed down and honed by your peers. You needed good climbing skills plus a natural head for heights. Not all steeplejacks fitted the bill fully, but most survived anyway usually by using their wits. So how do you get to the top? Well, to kill a silly myth straight away, we don’t use chewing gum, almost anything else that’s legal is OK. There are plenty of proven and tested methods that have evolved over the years are accepted. Probably the best known is ‘dogs’. If you are fixing ‘dogs’ you are ‘dogging’ and more often than not you require a dogging chisel. A ‘Dog’ is the general term used for ‘fixing to’ but they are mostly locally described as spikes, holdfasts and backlines. Nowadays they are called anchors. And that’s just what dogs do? They anchor whatever you need to fix to the structure. All the ladders you use must be anchored firmly, one way or another to provide safe and sound access for the personnel using them. Bearing in mind that on a lengthy job they may be in that position for some considerable time, so the anchor points must be continuously checked to make sure they remain safe. Steeplejack ladders are special and they vary from company to company and area to area. They generally come in two main varieties; Yorkshire and Lancashire and if it stopped at that, it would be quite easy to describe them, but no: each type of ladder has its own set of varieties and peculiar wishers of the locality and user. All traditional steeplejack ladders are often as not constructed from timber and in the beginning they were ordinary pole ladders, some as much as 24 feet long (over 7 metres). Long ladders were more normally pulled up by someone at ground level while lighter 10 foot sections were carried up on the shoulders. In both cases this was strenuous and tiring work. These ladders took some handling and strong arms at ground level to pull them up. They were heavy and I mean HEAVY! Today ladders like these are only really used now in single operations to get over a particular difficulty. Up to 20 years ago a firm in Dukinfield in Cheshire were still using them exclusively. Yorkshire ladders are generally 10 feet long while Lancashire ladders were 15 feet. However, sometimes they weren’t, and it gets worse, so pay attention; each ladder was fixed by dogs depending on its length usually using 2, 4 or 6 dogs. These were fixed either to each side of the ladders or in the centre. In later years, ladders made from aluminium began to appear but they were not always practical in several areas of work. They were lightweight and that was nice for the operative but in wintertime they were very cold to use and operatively needed gloves, which was not always acceptable. The same problem occurred at the top of a chimney when they became hot from the fumes being emitted. Metal conducted the heat to the operative’s hands immediately, whereas timber was much kinder. Another problem with aluminium was that it did not flex like timber, when the laddering was required to undulate around projections on the structure. If they became bent or damaged in any way they stayed bent which caused further problems when they came to be re-erected again. So a ladder is not just a ladder. How laddering is done mind, is another tale in itself but you’ll have to wait for that one… Bert Bird – Chairman Delta International For further information, please contact:
Eleanor Bateman
EPISODE ONE
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Bosun’s Chairs belong to the Navy and other people that go to sea in any kind of boat or ship.
Yorkshire ladders tend to have four dogs per ten-foot ladder section whilst Lancashire ladders, fifteen feet long (nicknamed skid ladders) have but two dogs per ladder section. Seems an odd thing but true, no loss of stability is jeopardised in this dog number anomaly.
First select your structure and decide which elevation is best to have an un-interrupted route to the top, which makes sense if it’s at all possible. Sometimes it’s far from a straightforward attack; there are sometimes roofs and overhangs to consider, windows, buttresses and pinnacles along the way and with that dreaded chimney head over sailing, which invites you to drive in dogs behind your head,
- TRAINING STANDARDS