The Washington times., 1903-02-01

"A lille 'he danger Oh ln0se
Nv who go down to the sea in
ships has been told in song
and story for thousands of years,
practically nothing has ever been said
about those who go heavenward dur
ing the construction Of a modern sky
scraper-
The dangers which beset the mari
neT are spectacular and fearsome,
Those incident to the erection Of q
lofty steel building are less sensation
al. but none the less real
One OF the strangest of the many
odd things about the construction Of
these huge cages of steel is that the
very men employed in the most dan
gerous positions are dry-land sailors.
These men once followed the sea
They lived the rough life of the foe
sic. did the nard. grinding work of the
sailor and learned to keep their heads
at high attitudes
It was their work aloft which fitted
them for the more remunerative en-
pIoyment Of putting steel buildings to-
gether.
When skyscrapers first appeared the
contractors were at a loss to find men
who could climb the lofty steel col
umns and fasten the frames Mere
Iandsmen were quite useless. In the
first place. they could not climb; in the
second place, they frequeHtIy lost their
heads and fell when hoisted aIofL
Then some one discovered the sailor
He was Iured from the sea by double
the wages he had been accustomed TO.
He was put to shining tail steel col
Umns and driving steel bolts He lived
on the fat of the land, had every night
ashore and was soon weaned from all
desire to go back to the fo'c'sle-
Did Not Escape Danger.
But when Jack gave up the sea he
did not escape danger. He simply
swapped one kind Of danger for an
other. There was no fear Of his being
drowned in his new calling, but there
was good chance of being hit on the
head by falling tool. Of being thrown
TO the ground from the eleventh story
by q sudden gust Of wind, of being
crushed by falling timbers or jammed,
by badly placed structural steel. But
through it all he was still every inch
a saiIor-he seldom lost his head and
toppled from mere dizziness. as did
the Iand-lubbers. He became, in time,
firmly intreuched in the building
trade He formed himself into a un-
ion. c1amored for higher wages and
got them, clamored again and got
them, and has kept on clamoring ever
since.
These Web-footed mechanics are eX-
posed to many perils. The danger Of
dizziness alone is never quite eliUinat-
Cd. no matter how much accustomed
man may be to going aIoft. Under
normal conditions he may be reason
ably sure Of his head But there may
come a time when his stomach is not
just right If that moment catches
him in a crucial position there is usu-
aI5y another sad accident 10 chronicle
in the evening papers
House painters and other landsmen
whose business takes them high in the
air find il necessary L. eat little or no
breakfast and a very light noon lunch
The structural steel worker disdains
such precautions He regularly. three
times q day. puts under his belt huge
quantities Of good beef and everything
else he likes. When he was a seafar-
ing man he laid the foundation Of a
hearty appetite, and he has couscien-
tiousIy bailt upon that foundation
during the years Of his IandIubbering.
Nerve Is Necessary.
It takes nerve to stand on the mar
row top Of steel column hundred
feet or more above the street and bolt
crossframes into place.
4 quick squaIl alone is enough -
disturb a mans balance in such po-
sition, if he does not keep his weather
eye skinned for such an emergency
The wind has playful habit Of blow