Weekday
The Weekly Feature Page of The University Daily Kansan Oct. 4, 1978
On the Top o' the Town
Condon's cat guards the principal tool of his trade, a wire brush weighted to be dropped down a chimney.
Photos by Randy Olson
Story by David Edds
A 1977 Kirk graduate with a degree in playwriting, Kirk Condon can be seen on the skyline of Lawrence almost any day in his present occupation as a chinney sweep. In keeping with good English tradition he wears clothes, tails and a hat. His passion for helping sleeping service provides for a basic need and is a bit of a circus at the same time.
Kirk Condon isn't superstitious, but he's got nothing against tradition.
Kirk Condon isn't superstitious, but he's got nothing against tradition.
"I like used clothes," he said recently. "I think the top hat is cool, and I can certainly do my best to maintain it."
Condon, a 177 graduate of the University of Kansas, started a company last spring he calls Piececled Chimney Sweeping. His attire is part of the superstition surrounding chimney sweeps. According to English tradition, it's good luck for chimney sweeps to wear used clothes and a top hat. It also is good luck for a brace to be kissed by a sweep.
And business is good. Condon said he thought he would be able to support his family with his own business, so he boomed business within the next three years. He charges $40 to clean an average chimney.
But Condon, who lives at 1242 Louisiana St., isn't in the business only for the money. He likes the job and even claims that each chimney has a personality.
"Some have the mortar burned out so they are kind of old and cracked and wrinkled," he said. "Some are very new stainless steel jobs. They seem like flashy young executives. I suppose."
He has a degree in playwriting, but he wants to learn about people before he puts his education to use.
Condon also is meeting real grime. He hasn't fallen off a house, but he has been covered with creosote, an oily liquid that accumulates from the burning wood.
"The worst place to get creosote is in your eyes," he said. "I wear goggles, but will manage to get through the cracks of the goggles and get you in the eyes. It's like having a sharp little object in your eye, you have to water your eye a lot to get it.
"The blackness on your face doesn't matter, but when the creosote falls into an open shirt then it starts scraping."
He can clean a chimney from inside the inside or on the roof.
When he operates on the inside, Condon snaps fiberglass rods together with brushes on the ends of the rods. He shoves the brushes up the chimney and scraps them.
When he cleans from the roof, he puts down a painter's drop cloth and uses a special vacuum cleaner to prevent soot and ashes from going into the house.
But when his job is done, Condon can't sit back and relax—at least not for a while.
"Trying to get creosote off is bad." he said. "You have to use a lot of soap.
"I like used clothes," he said recently. "I think the top hat is cool, and I certainly don't mind kissing ladies."
Condon, a 1977 graduate of the University of Kansas, started a company last sorine he calls Piccadillah Chimney Sweeping.
**us* attire is part of the superstition surrounding chimney sweeps. According to English tradition, it's good luck for chimney sweeps to wear used clothes and linens. It is also believed that smoking helps prevent chimney fires.
And business is good. Condon said he thought he would be able to support himself as a chimney sweep within a year and would have a booming business in the next few years.
But Condon, who lives at 1421 Louisiana St., isn't in the business only for the money. He likes the job and even claims that each chimney has a personality.
"Some have the mortar burned out so they are kind of old and cracked and wrinkled," he said. "Some are very new stainless steel jobs. They seem like
Condon got the chimney sweep idea from an article in Mother Earth News magazine. He has a degree in playwriting, but he wants to learn about people
Condon also is meeting real grime. He hasn't fallen off a house, but he has been covered with creosote, an oily liquid that accumulates from the burning wood.
"The worst place to get creosote is in your eyes," he said. "I wear goggles, but it still manages to get through the cracks of the goggles and get you in the eyes. It's like having a sharp little object in your eye, you have to water your eye a lot to get it out."
"The blackness on your face does not matter, but when the creosote falls into an open shirt then it starts scraping."
He can clean a chimney from ether inside the house or on the floor. When he operates on the inside, Condon snaps fiberglass rods together with brushes on the ends of the rods. He shoves the brushes up the chimney and scrubs it clean.
an open shirt then it is scrapping.
He can clean a chimney from either inside the house or on the roof
When he cleans from the roof, he puts down a painter's drop cloth and uses a special vacuum cleaner to prevent soot and ashes from going into the house. But when his job is done, Condon can't sit back and relax—at least not for a while.
"Trying to get creoseout is bad," he said. "You have to use a lot of soap, sometimes cold cream. Sometimes clean up takes a lot of time." I love the idea of using an inside chimney.
Condon cleans chimneys from the top and the bottom. While cleaning from the bottom a good deal of the creosote falls on his hands and face, above, and a large part of the job is spent cleaning the chimney itself off a roof, light, although he is often in precarious positions.