The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-12-26

On the morning Of July 4, 1898. she city
Of Chicago knew, in an Indirect way. that
the American feet had destroyed the fleet
OF Cervera, Off Santiago de CUBA. That
| Chicago did not know more about il was
due to the fact that every newspaper IN
the city had suspended publication. \ diff
ference of opinion between The stcreo-
! typers on the papers and the publishers
had led to a strike. and for nearly week
| Chicago had to do without her local news
papers.
In consequence Of this the news from
Santiago came slowly. and the mass OF
the people really did not know until the
night OF tho Fourth Of July that a great
victory had been won for the flag But
carly on the morning of that memorable
day one man in Chicago certainly did be-
lieve that Ceryera had been defeated and
he was Supt Edward Williams of the
Masonic Temple Building. the twenty.
three story structure al State and Ran
doplh streets. whose Flagstaff TOP is 800
feet above its ground line. MIR. Williams
saw various kilograms from the East In
regard to the victory. and he decided that
the stan of the temple should float al
once, as the sign of rejoicing, the largest
national nag on which he could lay his
hands.
To get the flag was easy enough but
| when it came to hosting il from the great
dome, up the slender STAFF, with a stiff
wind blowing and hot sun beating down,
| there was trouble, In pulling the hal
| yards the nag caught at the top of the
| stan. twisted itself into every kind OF
shape, and was so snarled that Il could not
| be displayed.
Several men tried to climb the stan and
dlsentangle Old Glory, but their heads fau-
ed them almost before they started II is
a dizzy look down from the dome OF the
temple to the busy street below, where the
walking people look only half their natu-
raj size.
Go anywhere" said supt. Williams.
ana get me ple-chaser-anybody
that can climb"
Olaf Anderson was at leisure that dav
standing at the main entrance to the ,ity
| postohice, two blocks from the temnle
| wondering how he could celebrate the ma
tlonal holiday when he was reused by the
nan OF a man who asked him: Can you
| climbY DO you want to make S5?"
Hesitating moment. Anderson reDlled.
Il can climb II there Is anything 70 hold on
| TO- As to S5-yes, | should like S."
The man laughed at the form Of the an
| swer, and then explained as to the tangled
| nag on the STAN or the temple.
Anderson went with him to the dome
of the building, and from that point
| glanced upward. AS to what happened
after that, let him tell the story He
| said:
1T didn't seem like much Of a job-iust
a shin up, little pulling and hauling, and
| slide down. True, I'd been up In the air
over 300 feet and nothing beneath me, II
4 came down too quick, but steel roof or
| the paving stones OF the street below but
| didn't plan to come down any way but
my own way. ! tossed Off my coat, gave
| nay belt hitch, and up the staff l went
Now, / hadn't figured that the staff
was affected by the wind but when / was
up seven or eight feet | felt that II was
| swaying back and forth at a great rate
| and the higher / went the more IL seemed
| to move. or course. my imagination
| helped some, but when | could put my
| hand on top of the ball of the stan and
was right with the flag, Il seemed to me
| that with every blast of the wind / was
swinging over the edge of the dome and
then coming back, just as the pendulum
of a clock does.
Il had one leg on the pole with a snake
twist, one leg free and one arm free. 1
found the hayards caught in the little
guide-wheel of the STAFF, to which they
run to the flag, and the flag by one Of
those trick that nobody can explain, mad
tied itself and the halyards and the other
ropes into good knot. / pulled and
hauled and tugged away at the knot, and
the sweat just ran off me In big drops
| and the wind was rising every minute.
could look way out over the Lake Michi-
gan front, and saw the waves we're choppy
and white. Looking toward the city, /
could see | was above every chimney and
dome about the temple. once l gave a
look downward but the street seemed far
away. and the roof, with its steel girders,
looked too hard
FINALLY, / got everything Strengthened
out, and glad / was for TO say nothing OF
the s. ] was 20 have, wanted 10 see the
flag wave myself. for the good of what
our boys had done at Santiago. I'm an
American citizen, and i feel toward that
flag just as | do toward my old mother,
who is still alive I'm Norway.
when ! got the flag free, the wind
caught II up and whipped IL out In great
shape, and ] took good glance at the
Stars and Stripes, and just FOR the sake
Of the thing / loosened my grip a little
50 that / could take of my hat and bow
to the colors. The men on the roof were
cheering. What happened next l don't
know 10 this day
LAS ] raised my hat aud waved Il. my
leg slipped. / make a grab for the star,
caught rope, slipped a Bit and suddenly
found myself hanging. head downward
from near the top Of the staff / didn't
fall to Cine roof, because the rope ana my
left leg were so mixed up that l was tied
up just IS IL I'd done II on purpose Now
that was a fine situation for a man to be
In, and an old sailor at thar There J
was. 800 feet In the air, feet Up. head
down, tied to the top of a miserable little
Flagstaff. and the wind swaying us back
and forth just as II pleased.
Il could see the fellows on the roof, and
they were dancing about but they didn't
know what 10 do If they'd cut the ropes. !
down / must have come. As for me, / was
thinking. | wasn't certain how tight 1 was
tied up there. II ! wriegled / was afraid
] might get loose and drop. Then there
was let up in the wind. and the flag.
which had been out straight settled down