Definition of "ladderway" [ladderway]

• A space or opening for ascending and descending by a ladder; specifically, in mining, a shaft arranged with a system of ladders by winch the miners have access to the part of the mine in which their work is carried on. (noun)

The Century Dictionary (Public Domain)

• "Instead he went up onto the roof by way of the steep ladderway used by the workmen who fixed leaks, removed the nests of birds and wasps, and washed the skylights and the windows in the attic cupolas."
• "Quin asked as they neared the ladderway to the bridge deck."
• "Then she was right beside him, damn it, reaching the small compartment at the base of the ladderway before he did."