Forest City press. (Forest City, Potter County, D.T. [S.D.]) 1883-19??, 1908-03-26
S"TEEpLEJACk A
FRIEND oe BIRDS
H.. Is Never Too High or Too
Busy to Do a Kind Act to
a Bird in Distress.
From the indianapolis News.

Big Jack Norton. the steeplejacls, was
busily daubing away on II huge lao
foot sn,okestack OF the Union station
power house. He sat suspended in y
small chair which. was swinging from
the top OF the stack supported by Two
three-quarter-inch ropes. The crowd
in the street far below was rubber
ing" up at the daring steeplcjack and
himself Jack n forth around tine
stack. reaching down every 1cw Sec
onds to refill his brush from t.i. two
buckets OF black paint that swung
from the chair In which he sat.
While the crowd watched 1t saw Nor
ton quit his work and begtn drawing
himself nearer the top of the stack.
Then he put forth his hand and grasped
something. the crowd did not know
what. After Il M or two the peo-
pie in the street saw the steeplejack
begin lowering himself back to earth.
Down. down he came. slowly and do
liberately. Several OF the watchers ran
over to the power house to have q
closer view of the dare devil and to try
to satisfy their curiosity as to why he
came down from his lofty perch when
the morning was not half worn away.
Norton reached the ground safely and
swung himself free from his chair.
Those gathered near saw him put his
hand In the pocket Of his Jacket. and.
to their nmazelnent. bring forth a lit
tie sparrow.
There you are. you poo 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
eot a good warm coat pocket IN here
IN The power house and you can get
in there and go to Sleep
With that tenderly spoken comfort
to a half frozen sparrow. the
est of all birds, the steepletack hur-
rtnT inf mo ovvya ~,r~ $780,
his coat. Into OF the pockets the
suffering sparrow was deposited. Then
Norton went to his lunch basket ma
found. among his other MONDAY viands.
a bread sandwich. One OF the slices OF
bread was broken into crumbs and
dropped Into the pocket containing the
sparrow.
Now. MI. Sparrow. you stay there
and fill up and get warrn.' he said IA
q parting comfort to the bird. when
YOU get all Strengthened out again I'LL
turn you loose" Norton then turned
10 a nesro ash hauler and said:
q boost OF the ropes. will YOU.
John? I've got to get back up to the
top OF the stack n get busy. I had
to come down with the bird. Poor lit
tie devil! He was up on the aange OF
the stack and was almost frozen to
death. You fellows don't make enough
smoke come u of that stack to keen
a bird warm. That's one thing rye GOT
against slnoke
did you come all tho way down
from the top OF that stack just to
save a sparrow" a b%ystander asked.
Its a ctnch," answered the steenie.
jack. II always do 1t. l always have
and always will. When a bird rets in
to trouble I'm never too busy nor tno
high up to give It q helping hand. NV
wife laughs at me n says I'm sentj.
mental. If that's what 1t is. we'll. VEN
just let 1t go at that"
h steeplejack then went on to tai,
stories of experiences he has had WITH
birds while he was working ut lnftv
heights. Pigeons. sparrows and every
other species OF bird that scars to Jack
Norton's workshop. steeples and smoke
stacks. finds a friend in hi1n. Time ana
again he has found them crippled. inst
as he found the sparrow on the fianre
OF the stack. The birds are his oniv
companions away up there and he
frankly admits that he "is fool enough
to believe they feel pretty kindly to-
ward him." Norton says that he never
harmed q bird in all the years Of his
life and that he would come down a
stack or steeple any day to do a friend
ly turn for n 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 excursion.
up down many q spine.
49, ---