Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1902-01-23
HUMAN FIY'S" new JOB
Viii Erect Flagstaff on Tower
Of National Postohce.
WORLDS CHAMPION CLIMBER

Scafrolds, but Walks Up on the Out
side WaIl-Contemplates Walking
Up the Washington Monument.
Some of His Feats.
r. 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 postottice department at
Washington and number of other
government officials. For some time
the question has been seriously consid-
cred of erecting fifty foot flagstaff
on the main tower Of the postoffice
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 ball
at the war department staff can be
seen only comparatively short dis
lance away as the structure is not par
ticularly high and has no central tower.
Were the ball erected on the postoffice
building, however, 1t 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 scaffOlding from
the base Of the tower to its apex, as
the sides of the tower rise almost per-
penGicularly for seventy-five or hun
dred 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 bali when one Of the Off
+, clNls heard of Switzerland and sent for
him to ask his opinion as to the practi-
cablity Of the move, says the New
York Sun. He laughed when told what
was desired. >..,~,
Easy" he said. "Wty, 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 scaffold.
ing or ropes and if ropes how he in
tended to get them to the top Of the
tower Switzerland. who is built like
gladiator. laughed in a deep chested
basso and waved his hand scornfully
Ropes, scaffolds-I Gon't use them
They are for amateurs. walk up,
| That is where got the name Of the
Human Fly"
'But. my dear man." said the chief
clerk despairingly, you might as we'll
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 u 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
IL he We're climbing a ladder. When he
came down and had removed his sue
ton shoes and gloves. he was asked no
more questions as to how he proposed
to get the slender shaft and time ball
or 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
contemplates asking the proper author
tiles for permission to walk up the
Washington mOnument-on the outside.
AS the shaft is 555 feet high and it's
sides are perpendicular Switzerland
was laughed at when he mentioned the
matter. He promptly resented the i'm
piled disbelief and offered to blindfold
Mr.. Dawson, the postmaster generals
private secretary, equip him with the
suction shoes and gloves and send him
up outside of the Washington monu-
ment for hundred feet or so.
"You cou14 not climb to the top" he
said, because you are not strong
enough and are not used to the work.
And l would have to blindfold you or
you'd get dizzy. But you couldn't fall
If you tried"
Mr. Dawson, however, has declined
the honor.
The Human Fly" is erhaps as well |
If not better known in Europe than in |
the United States. 1t was he who put
up the pole and halyards and raised the |
American flag on the Eiffel tower ilf |
Paris, worked on the spires of the |
in Cologne, Germany, and |
climbed up the outside of the chemical !
stack in Glasgow, Scotland, one of the
tallest chimneys in the world. He has
climbed the steeples of st. Patrick's
and Trinity church In New
York and st. Pauls in London, climbed
the national liberty pole on the High
lands of NayeSink NJ T.: climbed the