Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1893-03-17
TACK q. THe
A MAJ Who Makes IHts Living ~ ~ N.
vated CsliinE.

JACK O. THE sTsgrL1.
A Man VINO Makes sis Living % ~ NJ.
waited Calling.
His name Is Wiggins-Alick Wig
gins. Not exactly an engaging name,
but the fellow himself Is an interest
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 n day
from New York, and lever 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 1t. He Is
a steeple climber, or, rs he expressed
it himself, docs steeple work.
This steeple climber went to sea at
13 years. 1t cama easy for him to
climb the ships rigging, and what
was more natural than that he should
do steeple work when he quit tho
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 II OF
the minarets of a tall building at
Jackson Park the other day. The
steeple nan was working away as
carelcssiy as though he were stand
ing down on the ground.
"This work here is dead easy" he
said. "rhat is, it's nothing like I'm
used to do. Oh, Of course, they have
a few poles here as is worth any
mans time, but most of them are
easy"
do you intend to climb those poles
out there2:" he was asked, the ques-
TONER indicating a number of slender
rods along the cornice of Electricity
Hall.
"Why, certainly, If they want it
done. That's what l call a soft job.
I'll 90 right up that pole to the top,
paint it for them or hang out IA ban
ner, and not feel that | have done
anything worth talking about. If
nj yer had anything worse than that
I'd think myself In luck"
"Well, what do you call a bad job,
them"
"Oh, well, when you strike some
thing like the flag-pole on the Man.
haitian Athletic Club in New York,
for instance, you've got a bad job.
That was the riskiest work / ever
tackled. The pole is forty-flve feet
long. It's on a cupola forty feet high,
and the top Of the pole is 800 feet
above Madison avenue. That makes
a man think he's climbing. l 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 l have a strap dowE
under the chair for a foot rest. This
strap goes around the pole, and / just
push myself up and then fasten the
rope that holds the b~oatswain's chair
I've seen lots Of traps for going w
poles, but this beats them all.
Il make a speciality Of editorial
work" Alick Virgins continued. ri
fixed the New York World ilagpol,
and also the New York Times. !.
funny thing about this business il
that | feel nervous on a scatfold, bu'
when | get on a pole | am at home
My nerve steadics right down and
never think about falling.
Liberty pole in Philadelphia wa
a good job. That is 1877 feet higl
and the pole is only four inche.
through at the top. l went up that
and Logan Square was full of peeps
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 contrac
work we aim to clean up about s15
day, but sometimes less. But OF
regular work like this the wages ar
low; not half that. l had a bad jol
in Chicago on the Pullman Building
l painted the pole all right, and TIVE
days later a wind anne along ant
broke it off at the base. The pol
was rotten. Now, that's what l cal
a close shave. The big Catholi
Cathedral in New York was a gout
one. It's the highest one in Ne,
York.
"They's not many OF us in the busi
ness now" Virgins continued. "Ol,
Jimmy Ferguson was killed not Ion.
ago. He slipped off the tower Of tn
Albany Penitentiary and was mashe
on the ground. But Jim was too oil
for this business. | say that when
man gets to be tlfty-six years old h
wants to quit climbing steeples
Charley Shaw was another. !!
dropped, too. He worked on tn
stack of Clark's thread mill at New
ark, and the papers were full of it a
the time"
Virgins helper, a Norwegia
painter. yelled for him to come u
and help get out a flag, and TIL
steepleman went back to work.
"That fellows a good climber" h
said, "but I don't guess he'll eve
maka a hose Stnanleman