Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1901-12-05
HUMAN FLY'S" new JOB
VIII Erect Flagstaff on Tower
of National PoStoffice.
WORLDS CHAMPION CLIMBER.

Switzerland Does Not Use Ropes or
S~cafroIds, but Walks Up on the Out
side WaII-ContempIates Walking
Up the Washington Monument.
Some of His Feats.
T. S.. Switzerland, the champion
climber of the world, who is known
throughout the United States and in
Europe as the Human Fly" was in
consultation recently with Chief Clerk
Taylor of the postofice department at
Washington and a number of other
government officials. For some time
the question has been seriously consid-
cred Of erecting a fifty foot flagstaff
on the main tower of the poStof1ce
building and transferring to this pole
the time ball that now falls at exactly
noon each day from the staff on the
state, war and navy building, announc-
ing to the country the official time by
the meridian at Washington. The bali
at the war department staff can be
seen only a comparatively short dis
fance away, as the structure is not par
ticularly high and has no central tower.
Were the ball erected on the postofice
building, however, it would be over
400 feet from the ground and, being
centrally located, could be seen from
all parts of the city and even from the
Soldiers Home heights on the north
and the "basin'' or harbor of the Po-
tomac on the south.
The erection of the staff and ball,
however, appeared to be a very diff
cult job, and those steeple climbers
who were consulted on the subject ex-
pressed the opinion that it would be
necessary to erect a s~cafoIding from
the base Of the tower to it's apex, as
the sides of the tower rise almost per-
pendicularly for seventy-fve or a hun
Idred feet. The project had nearly been
abandoned because Of the vast amount
of work and trouble entailed and the
comparative unimportance of the trans
fer Of the time ballw when one Of the Off
tcia1s heard of Switzerland and sent for
him to ask his opinion as to the practi-
Liability Of the move, says the New
York Sun. He laughed when told what
was desired.
easy he said. "VVhy, it's not
worth while talking about. Tell me
what you want me to do and when you
want me to do it."
Mr.. Taylor asked the "Human Fly
whether he intended to use a scafold-
ing OF ropes and if ropes how he in
tended to get them to the top Of the
tower. Switzerland, who is built like a
gladiator, laughed in a deep chested
Ibasso and waved his hand scornfully.
"Ropes, scafolds-I don't use them.
They are for amateurs. I walk up.
That is where I got the name Of the
Human Fly"
"But, my dear man." said the chief
clerk despairingly, you might as well
try to walk up the wall of this room"
"That's easy, too," said the Human
Fly"
He quickly opened a valise, donned
an odd looking pair Of shoes and a still
more peculiar looking pair of gloves
and, stepping to a side of the room
clear of furniture, calmly walked up
the wall until his head touched the cell
ing with as much ease and facility as
If he were climbing a ladder. When he
came down and had removed his sue.
ton shoes and gloves, he was asked nc
more questions as to how he proposed
to get the slender shaft and time ball
on the top of the tower. The chief clerk
will lay the matter of the erection OF
the pole and ball before the postmaster
general, and Switzerland will probably
do his sensational climb some time in
the near future.
While in Washington Switzerland
Econtemplates asking the proper author
tiles for permission to walk up the
washington monument-on the outside
A. 49, -h4f4 So xxx F04L h;~L ~~S a.
sides are perpendicular Switzerland
was laughed at when he mentioned the
matter. He promptly resented the i'm
piled disbelief and offered to blindfolt
MI. Dawson, the postmaster general:
private secretary, equip him with thu
suction shoes and gloves and send hin
up outside of the Washington monu
Iment for a hundred feet or so.
"You could not climb to the top" h
said, because you are not strong
enough and are not used to the work
And I would have to blindfold you O.
you'd get dizzy. Blu you couldn't fal
If you tried"
Mr.. Dawson, however, has declined
the honor.
The Human fly is perhaps as vel
If not better known in Europe than il
the United States. It was he who pu
up the pole and ~halyards and raised thu
American flag on the Eifel tower il
Paris, worked on the spires of tn
cathedral in Cologne, Germany, ant
climbed up the outside of the chemica
stack in Glasgow, Scotland, n of TIT
tallest chimneys in the world. He ha'
climbed the steeples of st. Patrick
cathedral and Trinity church in New
York and st. PauI's in London, climbed
the national liberty pole on the High
lands of Navesink. n. j.; climbed th'
staff on The World building, New