The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-01-26

dows in the spire about fifty feet below
| the top, and | went inside the steeple
until ! reached them. That much of it
was easy. They had had man working
| for Il week to put up the cross and he had
failed. He built a 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 the scat
fold as a boy could go in five minutes by
climbing up the inside of the steepie to
the highest windows. When he was
through they sent for me. They thought
! ought to go up as far as the otner
mans scaffold went, but didn't want any
of that in mine. | fever used scaffold in
my life. l wouldn't trust myself on
scaffo'd
They were in hurry to have the cross
placed in position on the top of the
steepie, and sent for me to do it. They
offered me $40 for the job l got up at
o'clock in the morning and went up in
side that steeple to where the little win
dows are. Then | got out and climbed up
the lightning rod to the top of the
steepie, fastened a block and tackle, and
had the men on the ground below hoist
the cross up 10 me. l put it in place and
fastened ii so that nothing less than IA
hurricane could bow fl away and then
come down and went 20 breakfast. | was
making money faster than | ever made 1t
before or have since.
1.-THE easiest money | ever made was by
going up IN a balloon. ] happened to be
in a town up In Canada where the old
Barnum circus was showing. To make
1t more interesting the circus people were
in the habit OF Offering 500 to any man
who would 90 up in the balloon with the
aeronaut when he made on ascension.
This was to make 1t hook as though 1t
was very dangerous thing to 20 up in
a balloon. / had nothing particular to
do, and so I waited until the balloon was
about ready 10 start, and the offer of
500 to any man who would go up had been
shouted over and over, and Inc .handbills
making the same announcement had been
passed around all through the crowd, and
then / went up TO the ropes around the
balloon and said I would go up in 1t for
500. Everybody heard me, and l got a
cheer. and there was no chance for the
show people to back out. SO they told me
to get in, and up we went We came
down sixty miles away, but I got back
aud got my Sl00 the next morning. all
right. 1t was the easiest money / ever
made.
Il have been In the steeple-clmbing
business for seventeen years, although /
made my first climb when | was only
twelve years old l was working for e.
ID. Oliver with the intention of learning
the carpenter and mlllwright business.
which / afterward learned and worked
at until ] began climbing steeples alto
gether for living. There was a steeple
15i feet high, and they wanted some
body to put cross in place on top of It,
The spire was slender one. ana IT was
thought that it would not be strong
enough for a man TO go on top of II. They
advertised for two years for some one
TO put the cross in place, and no one
undertook the job. ] made up my mind
that 7 could do il al, right, and did.
Mr.. Oliver made the plans for me, and
told me Just what TO do after I got TO
the top OF the steeple. The cross was
made Of galvanized iron and only weighed
i0i pounds. so that / was able to handle
IT all right with the assistance of the
mon on the ground TO haul on the ropes
for me
THE highest spire ! ever climbed was
315 feet high. IT IS on the cathedral in
Ottawa. Canada. / gilded the cross on
that St. Johns steeple here. the one /
have been at work on, Is 262 feet high, In
Guiding the cross, which Is twelve feet
high / have left a rope around the base
Of the cross. so that 1t will be easier work
when Il comes to gliding the cross next
spring. always take contract to fin
ish a job Tor so much, no matter how
long IT takes. II the weather is bad so
that / cannot work. II Is my loss.
81 nave never been nervous or dizzy
when I was on a steeple since 1 stopped
using tobacco. ! used to be hard smok-
cr, ana when ! was not smoking | was
chewing an the time. / used to be such
a smoker that ! would get NJ Ia the mid
die Of the night to smoke n pipe / got
80 that I was dizzy and unsteady. ana
felt afraid sometimes. My doctor tcld
me that II 1 didn't stop using tobacco !