The Washington times., 1912-11-02
KODAKS WIRELESS
TOWERS 635 FEET
ABOVE THE EARTH
Daring Steeplejack Gets
Unique Photographs While
Painting Arlington Tower.

Painting the thIrty-nvc foot flagstaff
OH top of the G0O-foot tower OF
the Arlington wireless station, the
tailest wireless tower in the world, was
accomplished b. Samuel Il. Kilian, "A
Washington man, after, Kilian says.
the United States Government tried
everywhere to get some steepiejack
with daring eEough to perform the
task.
The topmost point OF the fagstaH
which will float the Stars and Stripes
over the worlds greatest wireless sta
lion, and where Killian sat for q brief
moment yesterday while compan anion
made series OF snapshots Of him, Is
evactly $50 feet above the top of the
Washington monument, the highest
memorial in America
While Killian holds that the Arling-
ton job W. the most dangerous of his
evcntful' career, he says he Gpt enough
money out of 1t to pay him for his
trouble.
Got Sras for Risk.
For the twenty minutes work re-
quired In painting the fiagpoe proper"
he said, "the Government paid me sl2j.
OF course, this is only pin money for
me. have been in the habit OF climb
ing to heights and smearng paint at
uiSthHN's idi cHOuBn dDONt lHe BTOuHu
20 make II worth while. But the dis
tlnction of having been the man to
paint the staff on the earths tallest
wireless station recompensed me for
the difference between the SIS received
and what l should have received.
Kiilian has what he declares to be
the only set of pictures ever made of
the wireless towers from close range.
The SWar Department, for reasons OF
Its own. doesn't want detailed photo
graphic history of the construction OF
the highest wireless towers in the world
10 be. in promiscuous hands. Conse-
auenty Photographers, kodakers, and
camera fiends have been shooed off
whenever they appeared at Arlington
during the course of construction OF the
steel frames.
Killian. however, smuggled Il camera
in his lunch box. nut his lunch inside
his blouse, climbed 635 feet above the
ground to the top of the flag STAN on
the highest OF the trio of towers, and
made snapshots to his hearts content
for several minutes. The result OF his
photography is given here.
The three towers now being tested by
the government have been IN the pro-
cess Of construction for more than
year and a half. AS each section of
steel framework was put up. which re-
uuired just a little more climbing to-
ward the sky. the painters in this part
of the country wanting jobs over In
Arlington began proportionately to lose
their desire for such work.
Steeplejacks Were Shy.
Finally, when the highest OF the
three stations, which is 600 feet, was
ready for its thirty-fve-foot flagstaff,
, there wasn't a man In sight to do the
work. Several steeplejacks half-heart-
cdly offered to go up. but with each
offer. secretly prayed that it would be
rejected The department declined to
permit any of them to attempt the
task.
Killian put in an appearance about
this timS, and his services quickly
We're accepted. With Arthur Baily, II
young Virgintan steeplejack. Killian
the other day started for the highest
point on the middle tower, with his
paint and his brushes. his lunch box,
which hid his camera, and his lunch.
1t was but question of a very few
minutes when he began smearing the
paint on the tall pole, till his work
was completed. Then he climbed down.
The hill upon which the three Gov
ernment wireless stations were erected
is exactly $50 feet above Washington.
The middle tower which killian prides
himself on having painted, Is 635 feet
from ground TO tip OF Flagstaff, or SSJ
feet above the Capital. The other two
towers are 45O feet in height each.
His Most Dangerous Task.
killian declares the Arlington task
ever undertaken. Climbing up flag
staffs on tall buildings" he said, lis an
easy job as compared TO this. Anyone
of n hundred steeplcjaCks whom | know
will jump at the chance to go up on the
Singer building and spread paint on
the flagstaff there: II, by any chance. a
man should fall from the Singer flag
staff, he would land on top Of the
building.
III a fellows foot even slips on the
Arlington towers. however, he is gone
past recovery. He Is sure to strike one
OF the narrow steel beams. but cannot
lodge there. Ills body will bounce off
like a rubber ball. only to strike on
some other beam q few feet below.
This will continue until it finally strikes
the ground.
"All this was taken into consideration
before I agreed to do the work. | got
through with no mishaps, and am
proud of my accomplishments"