The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1901-02-07
FAMOUS STEEPLE JACK
EASY, HeALTHFUL AND PLEASANT
WAY OF EARNING A LIVING.
Room Enough at the Top--A Professor of
Steeple Climbing Talks Interestingly
About His Profession - Made His
First Ascent at Twelve Years.

First Ascent at Twelve Years.
easy, healthful and pleasant way Of
making a living, according to Joseph
b Perry. the man who recently re-
paired and painted the spire that tow
ers skyward high above the roof of
St Johns Cathedral at Erie and Su.
parior streets. He has been long az
the business and has made enough
money to retire in year or so AMI
spend the remainder of his life COM
fortally on the ground at his farm
near AlpCnG. Mich Perry Is getting
toward forty-rinc years now. and he
says that When a man is fifty years
Old H. is old enough to give up the
stecple jack business. lie Is one of the
most famous steeple climbers in the
country. and although he has taken all
kinds of chances in his work, he has
never been hurt. In repairing the
steeplc Of ST. Johns Cathedral in this
city lie took about as dangerous Z
chance as has fallen TO the lot Of any
one.
lie came here the day after the wind
storm that seemed to be blowing tho
sprc over almost. and, although the
wind was about as high that day, he
ascended Ike stecple and tied a rope
around it. lie went up inside the stee-
pie to the highest point where there
was n chance to get out. and from
~
base of the cross at the top. With this
he pulled heavier rope into place and
was ready FOR work. He put strong
ropc around ihe steeple where ii was
beginning to crack open. attached
block and tackle TO this and tightened
the rope until the steeple was squeezed
together again and the crack closed.
This put an end TO the danger Of the
stceple blowing apart for the time he
ing. and after the wind moderated he
climbed the stecple again and repaired
1t thoroughly. This took q week. For
this work. although he could not work
all the time on account Of the wind and
rain, Mr.. Perry got S225. When he
was through ne made a contract TO
paint the portions of the suire that
needed repainting. Next spring he
will gild the great twelve-foot cross
that surmounts the steCplc. The gild
inc cannot be doue in winter because
the gold leaf cannot be made to stick
in cold weather.
Mr. Perry is well known all over the
United States and Canada. being. per-
haps. the best known stceple climber
in the country. All the summer he has
been in New York repairing one and
another of the tall steeples there. 1t
is interesting to hear the steeple
climber talk of the things he has done
high above the heads of the people in
the streets.
Il made S11O before breakfast one
morning" he said to n reporter. 1T
was at my home in Alpena. The wind
had blown the cross from the top of
the spire of one of the churches. The
steeple is 204 feet high and the new
cross that was TO be put on was six
teen feet tall and ten feet across.
There were some little windows In the
spire about fifty feet below the top
and | went inside the steepie until
reached them. That much of it was
easy. They had had a man working
for week TO pur up the cross and he
had failed. He built n scaffold up from
the roof OF the church, thinking that
he would be able to reach the TOP in
that way. He didn't get as near the
top with a scaAold rs boy could go in
five minutes by climbing IN the inside
of the steeple TO the highest windows
When he was through they sent for
me. They thought | ought TO 90 up
rs far rs the other mans scaffold
went, but dldn't want any of chat in
mine. I never used scGfToid in my
life. wouldn't teust myself on
scaGcld.
They were m hurry to have the
cross placed in position on top Of the
sJeeple and sent for me to do il. They
offered me $40 for the job. l got up
at ) O'Clock IN the morning and went
up inside cf the steeple TO where the
little windows are. Then / got ont
and climbed up the lightning rod to.
the top OF the steepie. fastened a block
and tackle, aud had the men on the
ground below hoist the cross up 10 me.
/ put it in place and fastened 1t so that
rOthing less than a hurricane could
Elow it away, and then come down and
went 10 breakfast. l was less than
two hours on the job, and it was max
ing money faster than l ever made it
before or have since.
"rne easiest money ever made was
by going up in n balloon. / happened
20 be in n town up IN Canada where
the old Barnum circus was showing.
To make 1t more interesting the circus
people We're in the haDit OF Offering
500 TO any one who would go up in
the balloon with the aeronaut when he
made an ascension. This was TO make
II look as though It We're very dan.
gerOus thing tV 90 up In a balloon. |
had nothing parClcniar to do, and so |
waited until the balloon was about
ready 10 start, and the offer of 500 10
any man who would go mp had been
shouted over and over, ard the hand
bills making the same announcements
had been passed around all through
the crowd, and then 1 went up to the