The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1901-02-13
FAMOUS STEEPLE JACK
EASY. HEALTHFUL AND PLEASANT
WAY or EARNING A LIVING.


First Aseeet e Twelve Years.
Climbing tan church steepies Is an
easy. healthful and pleasant way Of
making 4 living. according 10 Joseph
3 Perry. the man who recently re-.
paired and painted the spire that tow
efs skyward high above the roof Of
ST Johns Cathedral at Erie aud su-
perior streets he has been long 1T
the business and has made enough
money 70 retire in 3 year OF So an
spend the remainder Of his life com
foriahiy on the ground Mt his farm
near Aipcna. Mich Perry is getting
toward forfy-nine years now. and ho
says that when a man is fifty years
old he is old enough 70 give up the
steeple jack business. He Is one Of the
most famous steeple climbers in the
country, and although he has taken an
kinds Of chances in his work. he has
never been hurt in repairing tho
steeplc Of ST. Johns Cathedral IN this
city he took about as dangerous a
chance as has fallen to the lot Of any
one.
He came here the day after the wind
storm that seemed TO be blowing the
spirc over almost. and. although the
wind was about as high that day. he
ascended the steeple and tied a rope
around it, lie went up inside the stee-
pie 90 The highest point where there
was a chance to get out and from
there threw a small rope around the
base Of the cross at the top With tins
he pulled a heavier rope into place and
was ready for work He put a strong
rope around the steeple where II was
beginning 10 crack open. attached
block and tackle to this and iightened
the rope until the steenle was squeezed
together again and the crack closed
This put an end to the danger nf the
stceple blowing apart for the time be-
ing. and after the wind moderated he
climbed The steeple again and repaired
it thoroughly This took a week For
this work. although he could not work
an ihc time on account Of the wind and
rain. Mr. Perry got S225 When he
was through ne made q contract 70
paint The portions of the sDire that
needed repainting Next spring be
win cild the great twelve-foot cross
that surmomts she stecple. The gild-
ing 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 steeple 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 10 hear the steeple
climber talk Of the things he has done
high above the heads OF the people IN
the streets
II made S110 before breakfast one
morning he said to a 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
splre about fifty feet below the top
and / went inside the steeple until l
reached them That much Of it was
easy. They had had a man working
for 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 az near the
ton with a scanold MS a boy could go in
five minutes by climbing up the inside
Of the steeple to the highest windows.
When he was through they sent for
me. They thought I ought to 90 up
as far as the other mans scafiold
went. but didn't want any Of that In
mine. never used a scaffold in my
life. wouldn't trust myself on a
scahold
~They were in q hurry to have the
cross placed in position on top Of the
steeple. and sent for me to do It. They
offered me S11O for the job. got mp
at O'Clock IN the morning and went
up inside Of the steeple to where the
little winGows are. Then l got out
and climbed up the lightning rod to
the top Of the steeple fastened block
and tackle. and had the men on the
ground below hoist the cross up to me.
l put It In place and fastened it so that
nothing less than q hurricane could
blow it away. and then come down and
went TO breakfast I was less than
two hours on the job. and It was max
ing money faster than / ever made it
before or have since
''The easiest money ever made was
by going up ia a balloon. ! happened
to be in a town Up in Canada where
the old Baruum circus was showing
To make it more interesting the circus
people were in the habit Of Offering
500 TO any one who would 90 up IN
the balloon with the aeronaut when he
made an ascension. This was 70 make
It look as though it were a very dan
gerous thing t. 20 up in a balloon. ]