The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-01-14
FIGHT WITH EAGLES.
a PAINTERS EXPERIENCE ON TIE
FACE OF A PREclPlCE.

jected to the Placing of a Medicine Adver
Frank l.. Van Ness, who Is now por-
trait painter In this city, once had an un-
usual experience. Mr.. Van Ness says he
Is not likely TO forget the first and only
sign he ever painted, for it was while
putting a patent medicine advertisement
on the face of precipice in the Adirondack
mountains that he made a too intimate nc
Guaiptance with colony OF American
eagles.
my adventure in the Adirondacks &C.
CURED several years ago, said Mr.. Van
Ness, "but / remember 10 just as well as
II ii were only yesterday. had gone to
Keene Center little town In the noun
tains of western New York, with friend
to do some sketching from nature Some
Of the mountain scenery there is very fine,
and we wanted 10 take advantage of IL
during the warm vacation months. There
was then no railroad at Keene Center, but
a stagecoach dine ran from the town to
Westport on the banks of Lake Champlain,
about 80 miles away. SO we had an ideal
location. One day there camo to the little
hotel where we were stopping the agent
of q well known patent medicine COM
pany. He was accompanied by two sign
painters and we were informed that these
two men were going to paint sign on the
face of precipice about 900 feet high,
which was located about half way between
Keene Center and Westport The preci-
pice was high in the mountains and In
plain view Of the stagecoach line, which
wound around lower down and almost
two miles away.
1.-THE medicine people were sharp enough
TO know that IL they could have a sign
painted on that stone wall in letters large
enough to be read from stagecoaches pass
ing by it would be great card for thom.
So two painters were brought out to do
the job. The agent took them out TO the
precipice. They took one glance down the
$40 feet Of perpendicular rock and abso-
lutely refused to go down the face Of the
mountain to paint the advertisement.
The medicine man came back TO the hotel
berating the men and wishing he could
find somebody who would tackle the job.
/ told him / would do 1t IL he could make
sufficient inducement.
1.-THE agent offered mo $500, and we each
posted forfeit Of $50 The two painters
who declined TO make the descent agreed
to handle the ropes In letting me down,
and as soon as l was ready we made our
way to the precipice. | looked over the |
edge, and I'll acknowledge the prospect |
looked pretty scary. About 200 or 800 feet |
down there were projecting lodges, and
here and there on the lodges bald eagles |
had their nests. And they were good big |
eagles too--none of your owl size.
1.-The men tied strong ropes to the spruce |
trees growing at the top of the precipice, |
and the other ends Of the ropes were tied to
a big basket, into which l climbed with |
my bucket Of paint. Then they dropped |
the basket over the cliff and let me slowly |
down until l was about 1875 feet from the |
top, which had calculated was about the |
point where l wanted to begin painting
hadn't calculated on having much trou-
BILE with the eagles, but TO be on the safe |
side had taken club and n revolver with /
me in the basket. Well, the first day / tell |
you those bald old fellows made it mighty |
hot for me. My basket hadn' { any more
than stopped in its descent when the birds
'et up terrible racket far down below
ne. They screeched and screamed as IL
hey were holding a terrible indignation
Meeting / watched them for "a minute or
wo, but as they didn't appear to be flgur-
ng on committing assault and battery |
Tipped the big whitewash brush | was
ising into the paint and started to work
minute or two later thought / heard a
wish in the air, and looking up saw
big eagle that looked about the size of
N ostrich swooping down on me. He
vas so close that / didn't have time to
,rab either my club or revolver. made
pass at him with my big brush as he
anne down. hit him kind of a glanc-
NJ lick, and think l got little paint in
is eye or in his mouth, for he sat down
n ledge for minute and made queer
notions with his head as IL he wero try
ny to get the paint out of his eye or
Mouth.
"Then another eagle came to his assist
nee, and the two began gyrating around
my neighborhood in manner that
idn't like. l dropped my paint brush
nd went to hunting, so to speak / shot |
them time or two, but didn { seem to |
o much damage. Again one of them flew
bove me, and, folding his wings to his
DIES, came down with n swoop II he in.
'nded 10 hit me squarely his aim wasn't
ny better than mine / shot at him and
Kissed, and he opened a wing that knocked
~ hat off as he shot past me. Then the
Their one came at me with a scream OF
age. But, as good luck would have it, l
lazed away with my revolver and hit
I'm, and he flew back wounded to the |
imily below. None Of the eagles came
cry close after that, but kept up an in |
'rmittent firing to let them know that
roposed 10 hold the fort. 1t was the time
year when the young eagles were in the
ests, and the old ones probably feared that
had come TO rob them. They either
armed that my mission was peaceable or
Ise / scared them out, for they did not
other me at all after the first day.
Even without further molestation from
ne eagles 1 had pretty big job on nv
ands. The men had to pull me up and
own quite distance, for made the sign
tiers 20 feet high. Each letter, as n
hole, was 10 feet wide and the lines Of
ne letters 81 in width. by ropes an
nored far away from the point from which
10 basket was suspended the men pulled
le In the direction i had to travel along
,e face OF the precipice to continue the
ainting. The rock on which was paint.
lg was dark gray, SO / painted the
gn pure white, and it took three half
irrels of paint to finish the job 1t took
10 20 days to complete my undertaking.
he sign could easily be read from the
age road, but the letters appeared from
ERE TO be only an inch and half in