The Red Cloud chief., 1881-10-27
The Naa On the Steepla.

The hundreds Of people who have
watched the operations OF the man upon
the towering sieeple Of the Third Street
Bsptist Church painting the wooden
spire and arranging the weaiher-vane.
have expressed wonder rs TO the means
used to reach this lofty position. A re-
porter Yesterday went up into the bel!ry
and interviewed the most experienced
s,eeple climber in the world. James
Ferguson. why. nv dear boy said
he. with an honesty Of expression tina;
struck home at once. 1--WE spent the
greater part of my life up among those
rolling clouds. For eighteen years !
sailed the sea between the East Indies
and China before the mast. and after
ward occupied ever station excepting
that OF Captain. When wa sixteen
year of age l climbed a sieeple in Gas
gov 800 feet high in half an hour.
The same feat it took the noted .Steeple
Jack three days TO perform. I've been
mounting steeples for the past seven
years. as a business. The last n ]
went up previous to this was the Chapel
Street Presbyterian, in Albany. which
is three hundred feet in height. |
took dawn the weather-vane, in the
shape OF a fish, which weighs 81
pounds. being Of copper and loaded
with lead. 1t vas the first time any one
had been up the steeple in thirty years.
The highes. steeple | ever climbed went
ND go feet. This was in Ayrshire.
Scotland. The general impression is
that when on a steeple j. is easier to
look up than down. This is all n mis-
take. When looking up an almost ire
sistible feeling comes over you TO jump
from your seat. / had experience of
this kind while on the steeple Of DIR.
Darliny's church in Albany. l gazed
steadily up for a moment into space.
when, without any feeling Of dizziness
or ANYTHING Of that sort, ] he anne al
most beside myself, and a kind OF de-
lirium came over me. l had TO quit
right then and there, for amomcnt later
l would have sprung from my seat. l
can look steadily down and it does not
affect me. / seldom climb steeples in
cold weather. It's too confounded dan
gerous, the sides being icy and slip
perry. | wa up on a Hudson steep!e
last January, and then vowed I'd swear
OFF climbing in winter, as | nearly fell.
They tell me this here steeple
shakes when the wind blows. Do you
know, it's all the better for that. 1t
gives the iron rods on the inside play.
Look out for those taut and apparently
solid steeples. They go sometimes with
a sudden crash. And. besides. | enjoy
q ride on a swaying steeple. 1t reminds
me of the days when l was at sea. Troy
looks immense from the top of that
spire. The people appear like mites.
while the sky bears the same aspect as
from the street. | never remember Of
having felt dizzy when on a steeple. |
feel just as muchto home away up there
where Gods handiwOrk can be viewed
in all its beauty as on the ground. I've
got to, in fact. for if didn't you'd
never catch me hundreds Of feet
from good walking. That arrow on
the spire of the church l took down.
gilded it and replaced it. 1t is ten feet
in length and weighs all of 200 pounds.
When putting it back held it in posi-
ton with one hand and frightened the
bolts withthe other-nO easy task, | tell
YOU A man at this business can earn
from seven to ten dollars a day. As to
the manner in which l ascend that must
remain a secret. 1 never allow an out
slider TO handle Or examine my ropes.
[ attend strictly to business when up
on high. and if | saw even my wife on
the sidewalk would refuse to recognize
her. l just glory in being as high as
ever | a get. It's my home up there.
and | think if | 60 below when | die it
will be a terrible piece of bad judgment
on somebody's part-probably my
own."-1roy ca. ~ Times.