The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1908-04-17
STEEPLEJACK A
FRIEND OF BROS
II. Is Never Too High or Too
Busy to Do a Kind Act to
a Bird in Distress.
From the indianapolis. Nova.

Big Jack Norton. the steeplejack. wAs
busily daubing ava on the huge $50
foot smokestacl1 of the Union station
power house. He sat suspended in q.
small chair which was swinging from
the top of the stack supported by two
INSTRUMENTATION ropes. The crowd
in the street far below was rubber
stack painter. He carelessly swung
himself back and forth around the
stack. reaching down every few sec
onds to refill his brush from the two
buckets of black paint that swung
1fom lhe chair in which he sat.
While the crowd watched il saw Nor
ton Quit his work and begin drawing
himself nearer the top of the stack.
TAcn he put forth his hand and grasped
something. the crowd did NOT know
what. Alter a moment or two the peo-
pie in the street saw the steeplaiack
begin lowering himself back to earth.
Down. down he anne. slowly and de-
hberately. Several of the watchers ran
over to the power house 10 have a
closer view OF the dare devil and to try
10 satisfy their curiosity as to why he
came down from his LOFTY perch. When
the morning was not hai worn away.
Norton reached the ground safely and
swung himself free from his chair.
THOSE gathered near saw him put his
haid IN the pocket Of his jacket. and,
70 eheiF amazement. bring forth a lit
tie sparrow.
h you are. you poor little fell
low" he said to the bird. giving no
heed TO the crowd around him. Nearly
frozen to death. aren't you: Well. I've
got a good warm coat pocket in here
IN the power house and you can get
IN there and go to Sleep
With h a tenderly spoken inf
10 a half frozen sparrow. the omn,on
est of all birds. the s~teeplaiack h,,--
lied into the w house and found
ms coat. Into n OF the pockets the
SUFFERING sparrow was deposited. Then
Norton Went to his lunch basket ana
found. among his other MONDAY viands.
a bread sandwich. One OF the slices Of
bread was broker into crumbs and
dropped into the pocket containing the
sparrow. 800
and mN@ CIV M Mr. IS Sparrow. . stay there
a parting comfort to the bird. when
you get all Strengthened out agaio Ri
lufn you loose" Norton then turned
to a ash hauler and said.
Gimme a boost on the ropes, will you.
!onn. I've got to get back UP to the
top of the stack and set busy. I had
10 come dow with the bird. Poor lit
ne devil. He was up on he 9anra or
the stack and was almost frozen to
death. You fellows don't make enough
smoke come out of that stack to keep
!" ~" "AiAu. 4Hdt 8 one tNlGE I've got
against smoke consumers"
Did you come all the way down
from the top Of tina stack tust tn
save a sparrow" a bystander asked.
TITS a cinch." answered the %steenie-
Jack. II always do 1t. always have
and always will. When a bird gets in
TO trouble I'm never too busy nor TOO
high up to give 1t a helping hand. nv
wife laughs at me and says I'm serti,
mental. II that's what 1t is. We'll vel,
Just let 1t go at that"
The steeplejack then went on TO fell
stories of experiences he has had with
heights. Pigeons, sparrows and eyary-
other species OF bird that scars to .!acL
Norton's workshop. steeples and smoke.
stacks. finds a friend In him. Time ana
again he has found them crippled. lust
as he found the sparrow on the tlanga
OF h stack. The birds are his only
companions away up there and he
frankly admits that he lis fool enough
to believe they feel pretty kindly to-
ward him" Norton says that he never
harmed a bird in all the years of HIS
life and that he would come down a
stack or steeple any day to do a friend
~ turn for one of his feathered friends.
Norton has been steeplejacking for
twenty-five years and has never met
with a serious accident. although his
stunts have sent thrills on excursions
up and down MANY a Snjpa