The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1892-01-15

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From the Washington Post.
Sharp-eyed peope may have noticed that
the base on which rests the great bronze
statue of America or Freedom" or the
Goddess Of Liberty" as it is vsriously
called, that surmouuts the dome of the CAPT.
toll, has taken on a new luSter the past few
days. This bettermenL in the appearances of
the finest building in America is due to the
leveles5 headed man in Wa hington. Other
men may be able to manage depar tmeH tal
fOiios, run the army and navy and that sort
of thing, but not one of them ould have
the unliinChing nerve to perch on the peak
of the great iron dome of the capitol anu
paint Miss Liberty's foOtrest. And the man
who did this, who worked day altar day SO
high up in the air that he seemed to be
nearer heaven Than earth, got just So day
for 1t.
He is a wiry, dark-skinned man, rather
under than over medium hight and it goes
without saying that he doesn't know what
nervousness is. His name is Albert Ports
he looks like a Portuguese and be Is IS years
old. He is. however, al American, and a
bright, well educated man. This feat OF
painting the bese of the statue on the dome
was accomplished last week for the first
time since six years ago, and it was Albert
Ports WHO did the work then. He Is tae
only man who has ever done it twice, aud
if he doesn't break his neck within the next
five or Six years he NAV do it next time.
ITS easy enough" he says. IAN you've
got to do is to look at your painting and not
at the sky or groundn-a bit of philosophy
that's well worth thinking of down here on
| the ground "a well as 200 or 800 feet no In
the air. This painter-for Albert Ports is
borne on the rolls of the capitol laborers as
an ordinary S3-a-dGy painter - has for
years been dangling his heels in the jaws of
death every day, and be doesn't regard
his feat Of painting the base Of the
statue as anything so very remark
! able. His ordinary occupation is Chamber
ing over the outside of the great white dome,
sometimes dangling from the end of a rope
| held by his helpers, 100 feet up above the
rest of the building. sometimes clinging in
the convolutons of the ornamental cornices
that look as though they would not afford a
| foothod for big bug when one gazes up at
them from the ground, sometimes prone on
his back painting an overha 1ging ledge as
he lies on a projection the width of his two
strong hands placed side by side
Though the statue on top of the dome is
bronze. the 20-foot high base on which it
rests Is Of iron, and has TO be painted to
nrevent its rusting. Snow and rain and
| hail wear this paint off, so that 1t has TO be
repainted once in FIVE or SIX years, and it
was for this reason Albert Pors took his
life and his bucket Of paint and his brushes
| In his hand and spent three or four days
2s5 feet up in the air last week. A scatfold-
| ing that looked to people down on the
ground as slender as q spiders web, but
which was in reality made Of dozen or so
good 2.inch pine scantlings, was put up on
| the sky balcony that crowns the dome at
the base of the lantern.
The top of this just reached the bottom Of
the iron base that was to be painted bronze