The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1874-06-12
mi eIIaneOus.
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 worked in quarry, in one
of the New England States, and had the
fixing of the tackle we used to sling round
the big stones with. Ropes would be get
ting foul in the derricks and being 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 NIGH
ty precipitous, and when there was blast
it used to be my joy to see how the stones
lay around. That, l suppose, taught me
how to climb and get a sure footing
Trees were nothing to me; when I was
fourteen l could go up almost anything,
Just like stairs. After while learned
to be rough kind of mason, and as hands
were rather obliged in the section of coun-
try was born in, which was Maine, to be
Jacks of all trades and masters of none,
got to doing bits of rough carpentering.
l always was good on getting up scaffold-
ing and generally, workmen used to rely
on me 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 2 There may be some fools among
'em, but they mostly takes good look at
where they must work before they trust
themselves. Well, I worked at house
building until was nineteen, then-then
why l can't tell you, unless it was to
spite q girl that was sweet on, who took
up with another mani went to sea, and
what with voyage to China and back, if
I didn't come back good sailor, at least
got good knowledge of knotting and
splicing, and hanging on by your eye-lids
When l came back did stroke of work
in one of the shops as a rigger, and that,
I suppose, helped to make me cool-headed
and steady in the nerves. l amt exactly
temperate, and don't belong to any society.
When a job is all over, l don't mind taking
a glass of ale, but have passed through
all my lite, so far, without ever having been
tight. My business wont allow of it. A
man that's the least bit shaky had better
not try my line of work, which is climbing
up steepes and fixing things which are
out of order, arranging weather 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 l worked for 'em steady.
l got into my first job by accident. l
know'd man as boarded in the same house
as l did. He was painter and drink
ing man, and was grumbling one morn
ing over the job his boss had put him on,
which was to paint pretty high steeple
in Boston. Says he, "if the wind blows
the least bit to day III 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 thingD
afore 1 ventures my life again on that old
rotten steeple." Bill, says l. it 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 painter much, but
| suppose people isn't very particular how
a fellow daubs on the color up Cd steeple
is they 2" "Not Bit" says he. II just
work as quick as can to get through. It's
piece work, and when you're up $50 feet
there amt no specifications as holds good as
high up as that But what are you asking
ali these questions for Ifyou want the
job of painting that steeple, you're well
come to it." "Thats just it," says I.
@Then you may take it off my hands and
welcome. l 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" Straight-ways we went around to
the boss and got the job. All bargain
ed for was $25, and that was TO select
my own rope and spare; which he was to
pay for. For first job Of the kind it was
an ugly one. I dashed to window-frame
with plenty of three-eighth rope, springy
spar as thick round as my leg, and to the
end of that reeved pully, and to that
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 upset
ting them, was job l 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 northeasters blow around Bos-
ton it makes things howl; and the boss
comes up, and heard him to sing out so
give up the job for the day for if was kill
ed they would read him out of church for
exposing another mans life for pay" He
was religious man, was the boss, but |
pretended not to hear him. Anyhow in
three days got through painting the stee-
pie, 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 any 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 Philadel-
phia that's quite as good as any some
times he goes as far as New Orleans for a
particular job. believe that man has got
suckers to his feet like they say u fly has.
amt afraid to give him credit, because /
am accounted to be no lubber myself in
business. amt given much to brag, but
do believe if you was to stretch FIVE
inch nlank acrosa Rroalwav from the ton