The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1886-10-22
A DANGEROUS BUSINESS.
A Steeple-Ciimbcr Tells How lie Became
Accustomed to His Work.


faces large crowd stood the other day
watching man who was slowly
ascending the stceple of an up town
church. He seemed to go over the
delicate scaflOlding like snail. The
crowd below were expecting every mo-
ment to see him fall. When he reached
the end of the scafloding and stood
upon piece of framework that looked
i'm the distance rs if il was about foot
square. he leaned far over and shouted
something to another workman about
halfway down. Tho spectators shud-
dered but could not take their eyes
from the little climber who had left the
scaflolding and was still going up the
steeple. When he reached the top he
remained for u few minutes, examined
the steeple on every side, and then re-
traced mis- steps. When he got safely
back to the scailold he waved his hand
to the people and smiled. He went to
the top of the stceple several times in
the course of an hour, and every time
crowd gathered.
you think il hazarlOus?" said the
steeple-climber To a reporter when he
came down to the ground. Though he
looked SO small when i'm the air, he was
considerably above the average height,
slim and wiry, all bone and muscle.
with clear. steady eye and hand. and
perfect confidence in himself. HIS eyes
sparkled as if he was IN love with the
work, us he continued: People who
are not used to being at great heights
and who feel dizzy VIXEN few feet
from the ground, naturally look with
wonder upon man working high up
i'm the air, and think that he must feel
as they would. | probably 90 upon
more steeples and other elevated places
to adjust ornamental designs than any
other man in the business, and l feel
| Just as much at home standing on a
narrow board two hundred feet from
the ground as would on rock. feel
a perfect sense of safety and never think
of falling.
'.But l was not always without fear.
When first began the business l al
ways started up the scaflolding with
trembling legs and quaking heart,
and many times have not gone to the
top but returned with some excuse for
not going up just then. An old man
who had been Il climber in his day saw
me OH one of these occasions when my
heart was weak, and gave me n bit of
advice that cured my faintheartedness
i'm time. He said when starting up al
ways to fix your mind intently on the
work you are going to do, and keep
every thought of fear, or that some
thing is going to happen, out of your
mind. This was just the thing, and
have found from experience that it is
thinking about fear that makes n man
afraid, and overcaution has given many
poor fellow Il tumble, where holiness
and seeming recklcssness would have
carried him through all right. There
are only few expert climbers. Hun
drcds quit the business i'm short time
because they can not overcome their
nervous dread. have seen stout.
J hearted fellows who would march up to
lannon's mouth without IL CULVER,
when they got to the place where the
scailolding ends and from which point
they would have to shin TO the top
try to step up. but ton of lead had
been hooked to their foot and il would
not 60 up an inch.
81 have known men who when they
| | SOJ "oul' hstNt
black specks come before their eyes
which would move up and down i'm {
circle, and they would fall down anu
/ hug plank like II lOng-lOst brother
. Their heads would seem to be in :
whrl. This is where a man gets rat
, tled,' and it requires the greatest eXer
else of the will To overcome this feeling
have felt this way many times, ant
even now sometimes have a suddeI
desire when on the pinnacle of n steepl
to jump oil. but always laugh ut the
) idea and it goes away rs quickly rs i
l comes A man who drinks stimulants i
out of place on 4 steeplc, where Il falls
step will send him hcadlong Il hundred
feet or more below. So also is a fl
man, for Il climber must be light, agile
: and muscular. Dark haired men will
swarthy faces usually make the hes
climbers"
f "Does it prevent dizziness when 90
ing to great height to keep the eye
turned upward?"
, "This is popular notion, but there
J is nothing i'm it except that the atten
I ton is turned from the idea of falling
and this will keep man from STUN
! bling. But the place for the eyes il
upon the road to be travelled to see tina
everything is in position. A high wine
, sometimes renders scaflolding unsaf
and if man had his eye on the sky h
would never see it.
did you ever fall?"
4 "T've had many narrow escapes bu
a only one good fall. This was abou
seventy feet. had sick child hom
t and was thinking about her and wa
l absent minded. | started off sideway
between the scaffold and steeple and il
. : two or three seconds was at the bot
= tom. thought would be killed, ant
= in a second my whole life flashes
! through my mind and also the future o
8 my family and how they would all Loo
8 after the children were full grown.
, knew that l was humping agains
e the timbers of the scaflold, but Their
: was no pain and was overcome mp
II parently by soothing influence an
e never had more pleasant journey i
!; my life. 1t seemed as if was fallin,
u for hours. knew when | struck tn
bottom and felt shock at the sudde
. stop. but it was not disagreeablc.
h had enough pain afterward. though
) and it took about six months to pate
e up my body. Both arms and one lie
s were broken. made up my mind {
@ give up the business when | got wei
n but in little while the old fascination
It came back and | went to climbin
/ ~ Tss.V