Chicago eagle. [volume] (Chicago, Ill.) 1889-19??, 1893-03-18
JACK o. THE STEEPLE.
A Man Who Makes His Living at an E1e-
waited Calling.


ing chap, says the Chicago Herald.
Somebody had to put up the flag
poles on all the Worlds Fair build
ings and paint them after they were
up. Alick Virgins knew this, and
he struck across the country one day
from New York, and never stopped
until he reached Jackson Park. The
work is hazardous and nobody was
looking for the job. So when Alick
Virgins came along he got it, He is
a steeple climber, or, as he expressed
1T himself, docs steeple work"
This steeple climber went to sea at
ID years. 1t came easy for him to
climb the ships rigging, and what
was more natural than that he should
do stceple work when he quit the
sea? He has been climbing flag poles
and steeples for twelve years, and
likes the work. The higher he gets
the better he likes it. A reporter
saw Virgins on the peak of one of
| the minarets of a tall building at
Jackson Park the other day. The
| steeple man was working away as
| carelessly. as though he were stand
ing down on the ground.
this work here is dead easy," he
said. "That is, it's nothing like I'm
used to do. Oh, of course, they haVs
few poles here as is worth any
mans time, but most of them are
easy"
"Do you intend to climb those poles
out there?" he was asked, the ques-
tloner indicating number of slender
rods along the cornice of Electricity
Hall.
"Why, certainly, if they want it
| done. That's what | call soft Job.
I'll go right up that pole to the top,
paint it for them or hang out a ban
ner, and not feel that | have done
anything worth talking about. If
ne yer had anything worse than that
I'd think myself in luck"
well, what do you call bad job,
then?"
"Oh, we'll, when you strike some.
thing like the fag-pole on the Man
haitian Athletic Club in New York,
for instance, you've got bad job.
That was the riskiesJ work / ever
tackled. The pole is forty-fve feet
long. It's on cupola forty feet high,
and the top of the pole is 300 feet
above Madison avenue. That makes
man think he's climbing. / painted
it some time ago and got S25 for two
hours work. / use what's called the
boatswain's chair in going up. It's a
board, with a rope through it, The
rope comes up and winds around the
pole. Then / have strap down
under the chair for foot rest. This
strap goes around the pole, and l just
push myself up and then fasten the
rope that holds the boatswain's chair
I've seen lots of traps for going uI
poles, but this beats them all.
Il make speciality of editorial
work." Alick Virgins continued. 81
fixed the New York World flagpole
and also the New York Times. A
funny thing about this business is
that | feel nervous on scaffold, but
when / get on a pole l am at home.
My nerve steadies right down and
never think about falling
Liberty pole in Philadelphia was
a good job. That is 1877 feet high
and the pole is only four inches
through at thestop. Invent upsthat.
and Logan Square was full of people
expecting to see me slip off, but
fooled them. l finished the job il
three days and got S75 for it,"
What do you get for risking you
neck in this fashion,"
"Oh, it all depends. On contract
work we aim to clean up about $15 4
day, but sometimes less. But or
regular work like this the wages are
low; not half that. had a bad jot
in Chicago on the Pullman Building.
| painted the pole all right, and two
days later wind came along anG
broke it off at the base. The pole
was rotten. Now, that's what / cal
close shave. The big Catholic
Cathedral in New York was a good
one. It's the highest one in New
York.
"They's not many of US in the bust
ness now," Virgins continued. "Olc
Jimmy Ferguson was killed not lone
ago. He slipped off the tower of the
Albany Penitcntiary and was mashed
on the ground. But Jim was too ole
for this business. say that when {
man gets to be ffty-six years old hi
wants to quit climbing steeples.
Charley Shaw was another. He
dropped, too. He worked on the
stack OF Clark's thread mill at New
ark, and the papers were full of it al
the time"
Virgins helper, Norwegian
painter, yelled for him to come w
and help get out flag, and the
steepleman went back TO work.
That fellows a good climber" hs
said, "but / don't guess he'll eyel
make boss steepleman."