The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1872-12-25
MISCELLANY.
THE sTEEPLE CLIMBER.

1t would be rather hard for me to tell you
exactly how learned to do it. | suppose it
came to me natural. You see early in life
States, and had the, fixing of the tackle we
used tossing loundthe bigstones with. Ropes
would be getting foul in the derricks, and
being a thin and spare boy, used to have the
climbing of them to put them TO rights. The
place itself, on a steep mountain side, was
mighty PERCEPTIONS, and when there was a
blast it used to be my joy to see how the stones
lay around. That, | suppose, taught me how
to climb and get a sure footing. Trees were
nothing to me when | was fourteen | could
go up most anything, just like stairs After
a while learned to be a rough kind of mason,
and as hands was rather obliged in the section
of country Twas born in, which was Maine,
to be Jacks of all trades and masters of none,
got to doing bits of rough carpentering.
always was good on getting up scaffolding,
and generally workmen used to relyion me for
that kind Of work. You think, sir, men don't
care how they trust their lives on a lot of
scantling 100 feet up in the air? There may
be some fools among 'em, but they mostly
takes. a good. look at where they must work
before trusting themselves. Well, / worked
at lieuse-building until ] was nineteen, then
then-why can't tell you, unless it was to
spite girl thatsI was sweet on, who took up
with another mani went to sea, and what
come back good sailor, at least got good
knowledge of knotting and splicing, and
hanging on by your eye-lids. When i came
back did stroke of work in one of the shops
as rigger, and that, | suppose, helped to
make me cool-headed and steady in the nerves.
/ amt exactly temperate, and don't belong to
any society. When job is all over | don't
mind taking glass Of ale, but have passed
through all my life, so far, without ever having
been tight. My business won't allow of it.
A man that's the least bit shaky had better
not try my line of work, which is climbing up
order, arranging wcather-cocks and vanes
and lightning-rods, and furnishing up such
ornaments as they decorate the top of high
buildings with. Sometimes the telegraph
people calls on me, and six years ago worked
for 'em steady.
/ got into my first job by accident. Iknow'd
man as boarded in the same house as did.
He was a painter and drinking man, and was
a grumbling one morning over the job his boss
had put him on, which was to paint pretty
high steeple in Boston. Says he, &c If the wind
blowsthe least bit to-day ! Il see the boss and
the whole church congregation further chat
wasn't, sir, exactly what he did say, but it
expressed pretty much the. same thing afore
i ventures my life again on that old rotten
steeple." ''Bill, -" says |, sit amt nice day
for your work. for it's blowing now" Says
he, 'That's so, and strikes work for to-day !;
and, what's more, there amt man in the
shop that will undertake to do it." Says /,
"Bill l amt no painter much, but | suppose
people isn't very particular how fellow daubs
on the color up on a steeple, is they?" "Not
q b;t saws he. 81 just work as quick as |
can to get through sII.'spiece4wors, and when
you're up 1850 feet there ali no s.neclficatlons
as holds good as high up as that. But WIZ
are you asking all these questions forp If
you want the job of painting that steeple,
you're welcome to it, s.That's just it" says
l. "Then you may take it off my hands and
welcome. / can't do the work without three
or four stiff drinks tostart on apd whilst IN
painting + gets the horrors Cup there. "
Straight-ways we went around to the boss and
I got the job. All bargained for was $25,
and that / was to select my own rope and
spar, which helwas. to pay for. For first
job of the kind it was an ugly one. l dashed
to a window-frame, with plenty of good
three-eightli rope, a springy spar as thick
round as my leg, and to the end of that |
reeveda puliy, and to that 4 Sling. 1T wasn't
far had to go out on that pole, not more than
eight feet, but that had to be done by taking
the.spar and going along it hand over hand,
but / didn't mind it much, though to settle
myself down in the sling, and get the paint
pot and the brushes all right without upsetting
them, was job. / managed quite well, and
did it all without helper crawling back to
the steeple for more paint, when l wanted it.
The wind did spur some, for when them