The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-02-25
A FAMOUS SfEEPLE JACK
Bob Merrill Among the Deco
rators at the Pension Office.
Al Home on the Loftiest Pcrches-
Some OF His Feat< and Narrow Es-
cnpes-How the Work of Preparing
for the Inaugural Ball is Progress
ing-A False Ceiiirg of bunting.

VIXEN thousands gather In the Pension
Building at the Inaugural Ball next Mon
day night the glow of almost innumerable
electric bulbs will reflect back from the
arched ceiling of the edhce golden
glare, and the roseatc hues of hundreds of
flags and miles OF gay bunting. now being
deity arranged throughout the structure.
Few of those who attend the ball will
give even a thought to the giant labor,
not to say expense, of such an adorn
ment of one of Uncle Sans workshops
Yet weeks of preparation are necessary
to put the Pension Building in shape for
an Inaugural Ball, and hundred men,
I many mechanics skilled in their respec-
| tive lines OF work, have had charge OF
the structure for two weeks or more
| One of the most interesting tasks in
the scheme of preparation and decoration
is that assigned TO a New York firm and
to Bob Merrill, famous steeple climber,
now in their employ. Merrill is at home
hundred feet in the air. or a thousand,
! as the case may be, and Saturday he was
/ found by a reporter perched very near
placently working and surveying by turns
! the broad expanse of floor and ceiling,
the former 10 feet below him. Although
( busy. Bob as he is called found time
+ to talk of his work. both of the past and
! present. He takes pride in the Pen
/ sion Building job, for never before in
( career of twenty years has it been his
/ fortune to help arrange decorations for
an Inaugural Ball. Gladly he explained
the scheme of preparation; pointed out
the work accomplished, and that yet to
be done.
Merrill is a born climber, and many
times has he reached the Hottest points
of New York's sky-scrapers and he has
yet to record his first serious accident
Narrow escapes have been frequent with
him, ana more than once death has stared
him in the face. but. nothing daunted. he
continues to work high above the earth.
Now" said Bob Saturday, you see
the work of week already accomplished ]
for We came down upon Washington last
Monday morning. When We got to work
that day there We're wires to be run and
pulleys to be placed, besides thousands of
yards of cotton bunting to be properly
connected, and finally hauled into place
1t is a false ceiling we have made, las you
see, and in the glare of the lights will
give the golden glow of rich yellow to
everything in sight
This false ceiling is raised in two giant
sections, but not until wires and puleys
are in place. and then only with great
care. lest a portion OF the bunting should /
be rent. and thus made useless. Across !
the roof at height of 40 feet from the |
main floor, we had to string twenty heavy |
wires. also running several the entire |
length of the building, to be used as sup /
ports for the bunting which is now about !
in place Next it was easy to connect |
various sections Of bunting together, |
while it was still on the main floor of |
the building. and this done, the work of |
hauling up the false ceiling was begun. !
the two sections being raised separately !
by means OF pulleys and guide ropes.
Each section was hauled above the top
of one of the massive columns, and there /
fastened in place supported by the wires.
the guide ropes, and pulleys. steel clamps
are used to connect the various pieces of
bunting and form no little support to the
otherwise somewhat himsy material, Civ
ing it weight and an almost substantial
appearance.
Perhaps the maiz reason for this false
ceiling, besides its splendid effect, is the
fact that tie electric power at the COM
maud of the committee is scarcely suffi-
cient TO properly meet all requirements
in connection with the thousands of lights
to be used in the building. BY an ar
rangement such as will exist, and have
outlined however. considerable space
near the roof Will be unused and there
fore. unlishted. Seventy-fve thousand
yards Of bunting are required to make this
false ceiling; it all had 10 be of the same
shade. and was made to order, after plans
had been carefully prepared months ago.
The bunting was shipped here from the
North. the last consignment of three cases
arriving today"
Merrill said that the ceiling was about
so that he and others should
be able to begin work on the smaller de- {
tails of the decorations some time today.
There are thousands OF flags to be placed;
the various reception rooms are yet IN
touched, while the decorators art is still
TO be applied to the great banquet hall,
1t the south end % the Pension Building.
Il was Bob" Merrill who mounted to
the top of a Park Row building in New
York, 512 feet from the pavement. and I
.hirty-twO stories high, and painted a nag !
pole towering leo feet from the roof, With
the slight assistance Of a rope ladder 1t !
was Merrill who did the Trinity Church
over, in New York. first painting it, and c
gliding the top afterward, at a height of d
100 feet from the ground.
And il was Merrill who was on the top (
II the Tract Building. corner Nassau and !
Spruce Streets. New York. when the eX
,losion at the wholesale establishment of '
dfIdAt - No.s III uH6iSlS, tdl4g iaoL 4ilis
Yearly shook him from his hold. while
wenty stories above the ground. At that v
ime Merrill was raising halyards. and he !
,rasped one OF them in the nick of time l
o avoid being thrown from the roof by
he force of the explosions. one after an d
ther which caused a disastrous fire and d
eavy loss. c
4 most interesting portion Of the work
( preparation for the inaugural ball is v
hat OF the wiring for electrical purposes, +
lighting George Davis is here +
rom Newark y. J.. with a corps of thirty +
killed electricians, and his work is al
eady well in hand. Twelve miles Of wire i
ave been stretched about the building: S
umerous festOons for giant electric bulbs.
nd 100 dummy columns for 12-inch elec- o
rio globes are now in place. 1t yet re "
lains to properly connect the wiring and i
D insert thousands Of bulbs into the re- a
eptacles for lights so far as the main
all is concerned and to then take up the ?
asst scheme Of Illuminating the banquet
all and reception rooms. not yet touched
The first balcony above the main floor
ill be Illuminated on a grand scale; num-
rous huge five-pojnt electric star lights d
eng already In place. while festoOns and Fl
rings of lights by the Thousand have
cen planned by the contractors. Huge =
reamers hanging hundreds of lights will :,
III from the tdiTd gallery toward the q
ain floor, and about each pillar a cluster IS
electric bulbs will be gathered. so as y
bring cut to the fullest extent the true y
ateliness of the architecture of the build u
X. III
It IS planned to light the banquet hall with "a
fteen columns Of lights, each hanging Z;
lirty bulbs. and the effect will be made as g
early that Obtained in the new Congress p
II Il.