The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1873-02-08
THE STEEPLE.CLIMBJIR

lie L worked IN quarry, i'll one of tn
New-England States, and had tile fixing O
the tackle we used to sling round the bi.
stones with. Ropes would be getting fou
in the derricks, and / being a thin ant
spare boy, | used to have the climbing o
them to put them to rights. The plac,
itself, on steep mountain side, was might,
precipitous, and when there WIS blast, i
used to be my job to see how the stones la,
around. That, l suppose, taught me how
to climb and get sure footing. Trees war,
nothing to me; when I was fourteen,
could go up most anything, just like /;
stairs. After while learnt to be rougl
kind OF mason, and rs hands was rather
obliged in the section OF country | wa.
born in, which was Maine, to be kinds O
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 rely on m;
for that kind of work. You think, Sir
men don't care how they trust their lives
on lot of scantling 100 feet up in the air
There may be some fools among 'em, but
they mostly takes good look at where
they must work before trusting themselves
Well, | worked AT house. building until !
was nineteen, then-why | can't tell you,
unless it was to spite Il girl that | was
sweet on, who took up with another man
| went to sea, and what with a voyage to
China and back, if l didn't come back a
good sailor, at least got a good knowl-
edge of knotting and splicing, and hang,
ing on by your eye-lids. When l came
back did stroke Of work in one of the
Government shops as rigge,r and that,
| suppose, helped to make me cool-headed
and steady in the nerves. ! aim exactly
temperate, and don't belong to any society.
When jobs all over don't mind taking
a glass of ale, but l 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 bet
ter not try my line of work, which is climb
ing up steeples and fixing things which is
ont Of order, arranging weather cocks and
vanes and lightning rods, and furnishing
up such ornaments as they decorates the
top of high buildings with. Sometimes the
telegraph people calls on me, and SIX year
ago worked for EN- steady
l got into my first job by accident. l
know'd man as boarded in the same
house as I did. He was a painter and a
drinking man, and was a grumbling one
morning over the job his boss had put him
on, which was to paint a pretty high steeple
in Boston. Says he, If the wind blows
the least bit to-day I'll see the boss and the
whole church congregation further, THAT
wasn't, sir, exactly what he did say, but it
expressed pretty much the same thing
afore | ventures my life again on that old
rotten steeple.' "Bill,'' says I, tit 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 l, Bill, ! amt no pain
ter much, but l suppose people isn't very
particular how a fellow daubs on the color
up on steeple, is they?'' "Not bit,"
says he. 81 just work as quick as can to
get through. It's piece-work, and when
your up $50 feet, there amt no specifica-
tions as holds good as high up as that
But what are you asking all these ques-
lions for? If you want the job of painting
that steeple, you're welcome to it,
"That's just it." says /. "Then you
may take it off my hands and welcome.
can't do the work without three or four
stiff drinks to start on, and whilst I'm
painting l gets the horrors up there
Straightways we went around to the boss
and l got the job. All bargained for was
$25, and that | was to select my own rope
and spars. which he was to pay for. For
first job of the kind it was an ugly one |
dashed to window frame, with plenty of
good three-eighth rope, a spripgy spar as
thick round as my leg, and to the end of
that I reeved pully. and to that sling.
1t wasn't far had to go out Oh 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 brush
es all right without upsetting them, was a
job. | managed quite well, and did it all
without helper, crawling back to the
steeple for more paint when | wanted it.
The wind did squirt some, for when them
northeasters blow around Boston it makes
things howl; and the boss comes up, and
heard him sing out, "to give up the Job
for the day., for if l was killed they would
read him out of church for exposing an
other mans life for pay" He was a re-
ligious man, was the boss but pretended
not to hear him. Anyhow, in three DAYS
l got through painting the steeple, and the
boss gave me $25 in addition to what he
had promised, and kept me on steady work.
picking out the tough jobs for me when
they was offered. Oh, there are plenty of
men who do this kind of thing, WHO are
real bosses in the line of working on spots
where most hands is afraid to venture
There is a party in Philadelphia that 5
quite as good as any; sometimes he goes
as far as New Orleans for particular Job.
I believe that man has got suckers to his
feet like they say a fly has. amt afraid
to give him credit, because / am accounted
to be no lubber myself in the business.
amt given much to brag, but do believe
if you was to stretch five-inch plank
across Broadway, from the top of one
house to another, SO it was braced and
wouldn't spring, I'd go across it without
trip, slip or stumble. It's all habit, and
command of ones nerves. Ofcourse there
if things which annoys me, and one is to
have big gaping crowd of fools looking
up and starting at you. It's mighty
big temptation not to spill pot of paint
accidentally. or to let piece Of slate or so
fall among EN-. | seed woman with an
opera-gass a looking at me once, out of a
top story window, and following every
motion of mine. | amt queer, sir but
that woman's inquisitiveness bothered me-