Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1886-07-03
CLIMBING.
How One May GET Accustomed to the
Danser-ViewS OF u Workman.

How One May GET Accustomed to n
Danser-VieWS OF q Workman.
NetV York TfiJuae.
With hated breath and upturned faces, 4
large crowd stood the other day watching
a man who was slowly ascending the stee-
pie of IN uptown church. lie seemed to
90 over the delicate ScaflOlding Ikea snail.
The crowd below were expecting every
moment to see him fall. When he reach
ell tine end Of the scaflOlding and stood
upon a piece of framework that looked iii
the distance Us lift was about 4 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 scaflOlding and was still going
up the steeple. When nc reached the top
he remained for 4 few minutes, examined
the steeple On every side, and then retraced
his steps. When he got safely back to the
scafiold he waved his hand to the people
and smiled. lie went to the top of the
Stccple several times in the course of an
hour, and every time I crowd gathered.
You think it haZardOuS?" said the
steeplc climber to a Tribune reporter when
nc 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 eve and hand, and perfect
confidence in himself. His eyes sparkled
as if he was in love with his work, rs he
continued: People who are not used to
being at great heights, and who feel dizzy
when q few feet from the ground, natur-
ally look with wonder upon a man work
inc high up in the air, and think that he
must feel rs they would. l probably go
upon more Steeples and other elevated
places TO adjust ornamental designs than
any other man in the business, and | feel
Just rs much at home standing On a narrow
board POO feet from the ground ~ would
on "a rock. | feel a perfect sense OF safety
and never think Offalling.
''Rut was not always without fear.
When | first began the business l always
started up the scaffolding with trembling
legs and Il 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 q climb
err i'm his day saw me on n OF these OccI-
sions when my heart was weak, and gave
me a bit of advice that cured my faint
heartedneSs in thine. lie said when start
! i'm. up always to fix your mind %intently on
the work YOU are going to do, and keep
every thought of fear, or hat something Is
going to happen, out OF your mind. This
| WAS lust the thing, and | have found from
experience that it is thinking about fear
that makes 4 man afraid, and over caution
has given many n poor fellow a tumble,
| where boldncSs and seeming reckleSSneSs
would have carried him through all right,
| There are only a few expert climbers,
Hundreds quit the business in a short time
because they cannot overcome their ncr'
yous dread. / have seen stout hearted fel
lows who would march up to q cannon:
mouth without a CULVER, when they got t.
the place where the scaffolding ends, anC
from which point they would have t.
shin TO the top, try to step up, but a tor
of lead had been hOokedto their foot andl
would not 60 up an inch.
Il have known men who when they go
into a tickliSh spot would have blacl
sperks come before their eyes which would
move up and down and in a circle, anC
they would fall down and huga plank hS'
4 ~Iong-lost brother. Their heads woulC
seem 10 be in a whirl. This Is where
man gets ratified audit requires the great
est exercise of the will to overcome thi
feeling. have felt this way many times
and even now I sometimes have a Suddel
desire when on the pinnacle Of a Stecple L
hmm of, but / always laugh ut the ide
and il goes away rs quickly rs it m
man who drinks stimulants Is out OF plac
ON a Steeple, where = false step Will sen
him headIong a hundred feet or more he
low. 80 also is a int man, for q climbe
, must be light, agile and muscular. Dark
i haired men with swarthy faces usuall
. make the best climbers"
Does it prevent dizziness when goln
: toa great height to keep the eyes turne
upward?' .
'.gThis is n popular notion, but there !
notbing I'm il except that the attention
Turned from the idea Of falling, and thi
will keepa man from tumbling. But tn
place for the eyes is upon the road to b
, travelled to see that everything Is IN pos
tion. A high wind sometimes render
+. s,atIoIding unsafe, and if q man has HI
ewes on the sky he would never see II.
did you ever tall:'
Owe had many narrow escapes, bu
only one good fail. This was about sevent
feet. had q sick child at home, and wa
thinking about her, and was absent-mnt
lei, l started of sideways between II
scafold and steeple, and in two or thrs
seconds / was at the bottom. l though
: would be killed, and in q seeon
INV whole life flashed through m
mind. and also the future Of my amli.
and how they would all look after Il
children were f~ull-grown. l knew that
was humping against the timbers Of u
I scaffold. but there was no pain, ana w
oneroome apparently by q toothing mn
epee and never had o more pleasant JOY
nev In nv life. IL seems as If ] was Il
mo for hours. knew when i struck u
boftom and felt a shock at the suddt
ston but it was not diSagreeable. In
sn6ngh main afteTward, though, n
took about six months to patch up N
!, bo5v Both arms and n leg was broke
mode ue my mind 70 give up the bHs
nets when I got vel. bat IN a httle wm
The old fascination came back and l wei
- olsr,hsnU aOain-