Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-11-27
Anecdotes of al" Ports,
Known as the "HumanF ly''

a NAN who had strange claim tC
~ notoriety died in Washington the
= other week. He was Albert Ports
a professional rigger. human fly and
he often remarked that he was the only
man who ever had his picture taken
within kissing distance Of the Goddess
of Liberty. This he considered more OF
a distinguishing circumstance than the
fact that he once fell from the dome Of
the Capitol and lived to tell the tale. In
cidentally, he bore the scars of that ac-
cident to the grave. Ports was one OF
the best known and conspicuous Of the
d-time attaches Of the Capitol, and
rendered untold service to the govern.
ment
About five years ago an appropriation
was made by CO. gress for the cleansing
with which the dust and rains for many
years had played sad havoc. The task
of erecting a scaffolding around this dis
human. but Albert Ports announced he
could do it-and he did. The statue
weighs 1900 pounds and the surface.
therefore. is very considerable. The tim
bers of the scaffolding were hoisted up
from the inside of the dome .one at a
around the goddess-or Indian as she
is frequently referred to. From the base
line to the crest OF the building is a
good 3O7 feet, while Miss Liberty stands
to be able to scrub her aquiline nose the
man with the brush must be suspended
326 feet in the air. Ports was the only
man willing to. undertake the feat, and
he made good at 1t.
And this he accomplished thirty years
after he had fallen, from the dome. 1t
was in August, 1874, that Ports climbed
into the dome and made his way out
upon the eight balcony. Crawling up
on the railing, he leaned far over to ex-
anime the roofing directly under the bal
cony. This gallery, by the way. is COM
posed Of thirteen columns emblematic of
the thirteen original states. and Ports
never quite decided whether the thirteen
hoodoo was responsible for his fall or
whether It brought him good luck and
saved his life. Not long ago he was
telling some friends in the architect S
office OF his experience. and he said:
Il was leaning away over and thought
had a good purchase. The city. like a
great wheel. lay spread out beneath me.
Suddenly. I don't know how or why. I
lost my balance and plunged down, down.
OOW u. j seemed 10 DE hours I9lllnR anu
know ! turned complete Somersau,t
AS ! shot into space l heard the fright
ened screams OF my two assistants. FL
nally, I landed In a crumpled heap in the
gallery above the first order of columns.
The other riggers told me afterward that
they ran down the steps and climbed out
on the balcony expecting to find little
more left Of me than small grease spot.
But I wasn't dead nor even badly hurt
and was already trying TO untwist and
untangle myself when they arrived. My
men took me to the superintendent Of
flee and the doctor that they called
couldn't find anything more the matter
than badly broken wrist. He set the
wrist. but. as you can see. 1t Is badly
MANNED and dfscolored to this day. Inc
doctor said that it wasn't his fault and
1 guess II wasn't He wanted me to go
home. and not fuss around any more. and
give the bones a chance to mend. but /
just had to finish that little job-and /
finished it that day, too