The evening times., 1896-06-23
Goldenberg's,
oz6-028 9TH St.-7oo X st.
THIS
PAINTING MISS Liberty.
A Difficult Job, Requiring Monkey
Like Ability to Hold on to Things.


Ne,r York Sun.
For a week three men have been paint
ing tue iron work on the interior OF the
Statue OF Liberty on Bellows Island
The outer suriae of the statue Is copper,
and Will last indefinitely without corro-
sion. This copper sbeathiRg is three-six-
teenths of an inch thick Because there
are little holcs IN il here and there.
visitors to the statue have frequently
brought away an idea that something
should be done to stop it, In reality, these
holes We're made when the statue was
erected. They were necessary as means
OF holding some of the plates in place while
being rivsted. There might have been some
danger of cOrrosion through electrical &c
ton If the iron supports and framework
had been permitted to come in direct
contact with the copper, but all such con-
nections Were carefully insulated by plac-
ing sheets OF asbestos between the two
metals.
The interior of the statue II almost al
open to atmospheric influences as the out
side The great torch is oIen to the air.
and when rain falls water is blown IN and
drips down through the arm and body 10
the bottom OF the pedestal. II is. there
fUre. necessary that all the interior iron
work should be thoroughly protected from
rust by a coating of paint. While the
framework of the staue WIS lying on the
ground at the island waiting to be put in
place every t:iTdcr and brace was carefully
painted 4 second coat was iait. on after
the statue was erected Jr the Course
of years The paint has TAXED Oft Hni rust
has begun to collect on the surface Of the
sirders. and a renewal ef the preservdtive
became necessary.
Visitors to the statue are well acquainted
with the difficulty cf climbing mp through
the regular stairway TO the view platform.
| The stairway itself is very narrow, the
hand rail Is dangerously low. the pitch is
! steep. and, worst of all. the lighting is rs
| bad 5s il could possibly be and still exist.
Once in every two or three twists OF the
spiral there is smoky kerosene lantern.
The visitor feels that il there Were actuIliy
no light at all he would depend altogether
| upon his sense OF touch and climb more
| safely. There is fully competent cleo
| trio lighting equipment in the statue. but
the government. some years ago, Withdrew
| the funds necessary to keep 1t running.
| If travel along the highway is SO diffi-
cult, it is evident that the men who under
| take 10 60 out on the hundreds of cross
| beams aud girders have dangerous task.
| The iron work follows no ymmetreal pla n:
\ the girders cross and recrOsS, and are
| holted together at every possible angle.
! So complicated il their structure that it
is almost impossible to erect sc;iffold
l
| be formed by joining the uprighis with
| rope at intervals OF two or three feet.
| The men selected to do the painting this
| time are ship riggers. There are three
| of them, David Sloan, Matthew Bennett,
| and Johu Sltau. All OF them were employ
ed on the Brooklyn Bridge while it was
| being erected. David Sloan was ore Of
the workinen who assisted in putting up the
| statue. so that he is fairly well acquaint ed
| with the Eouks and era nnies that the paint
| ers must reach.
A Sun reporter found them working In
the vicinity of the tablet which the God
dess holds in her left arm and hand He
didn't exactly find them. either: he heard
them singing. He crawIed up and down
the narrow ladder until he found the point
! where their voices sounded lotidest and
called to them. There was an answering
shout, and the glimmer of an approaching
light sgnalled the appearance OF one OF
the painters.
''lt's the worst job was ever on. or ever
will be- he said. ''You can't see how
to move or paint. If YOU fali, you don't
light ON water or grass or a fiat brick
pavement. but on a lot OF iron giriers witt,
sharp edges. one after the other. We are
working around the tablet now. I'm in
her thumb. Sometimes YOU fee. like lying
on your back and painting with your toes;
only all the time you have to hold u lantern
up to within 4 few inches of the piec,. ycu
are working on. SO as to he sure that YOU
leave paint on it. This thing is like y
great big parrot cage more than anything
else"
''Wish I was a parrot said another
voice hack in the darkness. II wouldnt
do thing but hang on and climb around
with nay beak. paint with oac claw and
hold the paint pot in the other
You're a lot better off as YOU are
said the first speaker. unless you had eyes
like q bat. Where would your parrot
hold his lantern? No, it's hang on with
your knees and elbows. swing the pot on
your foot. hold the lantern in enc hand
and paint with the other. And he added.
without irreverence. .,may God have mercy
on your souir'