1828.] the Necessity of Climbing- Boys in sweeping Chimnies. 451 



practice of sweeping chimnies by children to prohibit it altogether, 

 rendering the act penal at law. This proposal went too far. It was 

 unquestionably impossible to pass a bill to such effect : but it was not 

 necessary, in consequence of the rejection of that bill, that the law 

 should have remained where it is. 



There are many cases, not adverted to by the Committee of the 

 friendly Society in the publication before us, in which the services of 

 boys for the purposes of climbing chimnies are almost indispensable : at 

 least, many in which to forbid the resort to such a measure would be to 

 create a greater evil than that which would be removed. In the process 

 of building every chimney, for instance, an obstruction which must be 

 removed by hand, called a " core," is formed. That is to say, in the 

 process of raising the structure, at every bend or angle an accumulation 

 takes place of mortar, which hardens as the work is proceeding, and, 

 choking, in a great measure, the draught of the flue, would of course 

 prevent the smoke from passing. These " cores" could only be got rid 

 of by the very costly and troublesome expedient of opening the chimney 

 (after it was built) at every point where a bend occurred, unless they 

 were removed, as they are at present, by the aid of a climbing-boy. 



For a second example. Most persons will be aware, that the chim- 

 nies of the better class of houses are subjected to a process called " par- 

 getting:" in less technical words, the brick funnel is rendered more 

 completely fire-proof, by coating it with a lining of strong mortar, in the 

 manner of a ceiling. It occasionally happens, that, from decay or damp, 

 or various other accidental causes, this " pargetting" composition becomes 

 loose and partially broken : in which case, the smoke penetrates through 

 the interstices into other flues, and even apartments, and the whole 

 building may be exposed to considerable danger. There are no means by 

 which the existence of this evil can be ascertained, but by the employ- 

 ment of a climbing-boy : and the only other mode of even repairing it, 

 would be by the very costly process of opening the chimney. To 

 take this latter course every time that an accident might be suspected, 

 would hardly be possible ; and very considerable danger might result 

 from the neglect of some precaution. 



In another case after fire has taken place in a chimney. The thought 

 of sending any human creature especially a child up a chimney in a 

 state of ignition or even before there was clear proof that the fire was 

 extinguished, and time had elapsed to allow the flue to cool would be in 

 the highest degree scandalous, and ought to be punishable : but, after 

 the fire has ceased, it is impossible to deny that there is a necessity the 

 chimney should be examined. It constantly happens, especially in the 

 older houses, that beams of wood are let, for support, into the chimnies. 

 In cases of fire, the ends of these timbers become ignited ; they go on 

 smouldering long after the fire in the chimney has ceased ; and frequently, 

 in the end, communicate it to the floors of the building. To ascertain 

 the condition of a chimney, under such circumstances, there are no 

 means but by the employment of a climbing-boy. And, in addition to 

 these circumstances, and some others which might be named, there are, 

 in many of the older houses, some chimnies so extremely crooked, that 

 no machine which ever has been constructed, or of which any hopes are 

 entertained by the most sanguine advocates of the mechanical system, can 

 sweep them. 



These facts, therefore, form, and most fairly, an answer to any propo- 

 sition for prohibiting, by law, the employment of climbing-boys. It is 



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