The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1886-07-30
Joys of steeple Climbing.
HOW ONE MAY GET ACCUSTOMED TO THE
DANGER.--vIEws OF A WORKMAN.

HOW ONE MAY GET ACCUSTOMED TO THE
DANGER.--vIEws OF A WORKMAN.
With bated breath and upturned
faces large crowd stood the other
day watching a man who was slowly
ascending the steeple of an uptown
church. He seemed to go over the
delicate scaffold like a snail. The
crowd below were expecting every
moment to see him fall. When be
reached the end of the scaffolding aud
stood upon piece of framework that
looked in the distance as if it were
about foot square, he leaned far over
and shouted something TO another
workman about half way down. The
spectators shuddered, but could not
take their eyes from the little climber
who had left the scaffolding and was
still going up the steeple. When he
reached the top he remained for few
minutes, examined the steeple on every
side, and then retraced his steps
When he got safely back TO the scat
fold he waived his hand to the people
and smiled. He went TO the top of
the steeple several times in the course
of an hour, and every time a crowd
gathered.
"You think it hazardous ?" said the
steeple-climber to Tribune reporter
when he came down to the ground.
Though he looked so small when in
the air, he was considerably above the
average height, slim and wiry, all bone
and muscle, with a clear steady eye
and hand and perfect confidence in
himself. His eyes sparkled as if he
was in love with the work as he con-
tinued: "People who are not used to
being at great heights, and who feel
dizzy when few feet from the ground,
naturally look with wonder upon a
man working high up in the air, aud
think that he must feel as they would
probably go upon more steeples and
other elevated places to adjust orna-
mental designs than any other man in
the business, and | feel just as much
at home standing on narrow board
200 feet from the ground as | would
on rock. feel perfect sense of
safety, and never think of falling.
| "But l was not always without fear.
When l first began the business l al.
ways started up the scaffold 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 climber in his day saw
me on one of these occasions when my
heart was weak, and gave me bit of
advice that cured my faint theartedness
in time. He said when starting up,
always 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 l
have found from experience that it is
thinking about fear that makes man
afraid, and over-caution has given
many poer fellow tumble where
boldness and seeming recklessness
would have carried him through all
right. There are only a few expert
climbers. Hundreds quit the business
in short time because they cannot
overcome their nervous dread. l have
seen stout-hearted fellows, who would
march up to cannon's mouth without
a culver, when they got to the place
where the scaffolding 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
1t would not go up an inch.
81 baua lpnur MOS, ,,lo ,,,lo., 49,.
got into tioklish spot, would have
black specks come before their eyes,
which would move up and down and
in a circle, and they would fall down
and hug plank like long-lost BROTH
er. Their heads would seem to be in
a whirl. This is where a man gets
'rattled,' and it requires the greatest
exercise OF the will to overcome the
feeling. l have felt this way many
times, and even now l sometimes have
a sudden desire when on the pinnacle
of steeple to jump off, but l al ways
laugh at the idea, and it goes away as
quickly as it comes. A man who
drinks stimulants is ont of place on
steeple where false step will send him
headlong hundred feet or more be-
low. So, also, as fat man, for
climber must be light, agile and muscu-
lar. Dark-haired men with swarlhy
faces usually make the best climbers"
"Does it prevent dizziness when go
ing to great height to keep the eyes
turned upward p
''This is popular notion, but there
is nothing in It except that the atten.
tion is turned from the idea of falling,
and this will keep man from tumbl-
ing. But the place for the eyes ia
upon the road to be travelled to see
that everything is in position. A high
wind sometimes renders scaffolding
unsafe, land if a man has his eye on the
sky he would never see it.
did you ever fall 7"
"Ive had many narrow escapes, but
only one good fall. This was about
seventy feet. / had sick child home
and was thinking about her and was alb
sent-minded. | started off sideways be-
tween the scaffold and steeple, aud in
two or three seconds was at the bot.
tom. l thought would be killed and
IN a second my whole life flashed
through my mind, and also the future
of my family, and how they would all
look after the children were full grown.
| knew that l was humping against
the timbers Of the scaffold, but there
was no pain and | was overcome by a
soothing influence and never had a
more pleasant journey in my life. 1t
seemed as if l had been falling for
hours. knew when | struck the bot
tom and felt shock at the sudden
stop, but it was not disagreeabe.
had enough pain afterward, though,
and it took about six months to patch
up my body. Both arms and one leg
were broken. / made up my mind to
give up the business when l got well,
bat in little while the old fascination
came back and l went to climbing
again"