The sun., 1918-08-30
DARE DEVIL STEVE
DEFIES HUMAN FLY
Challenges Rival to Climb Up
Skyscraper While He
Climbs Down.
MR.. O'BRIEN Is A SCOFFER
Literary Ex-Hod Carrier Says
He Knows the Down Man
Will Win.

Up to yesterday the debated question
whether II is more glorious to CLIMB UP
the outside Of a New York skyscraper
or down had received little attention
from the academicians, the last NOTE
worthy procurement on the suoJect
having been penned by James Dennis
o'Brien when in 1897 he resigned the
presidency of the New York State Ex-
empt Hod Carriers Association to de-
vote his whole time to literary work.
At page 24s OF his famous monograph
we find the following language; Inc
man who would raise the question OF
whether the man on his way up with the
hod is a better man than the man COM
ing down Is a mere demonstrator OF the
obvious, a rag chewer without claim on
the consideration of serious men. ASK
the bosses and find the answer In the
pay envelope. The o'clock whistle is
the conclusive test. No man ever got
a cent of the bosss money for time spent
coming down the ladder after the whistle
went off. and all discussion on this point
is for the professional hairsplitters and
North of Ireland Protestants."
Trowel Fever in His Blood.
Mr.. o'Brien, as the literary world we'll
remembers. laid down his pen for the
mason's trowel within eighteen months
after he had declared that he would
never look a tall building in the face
again For the fever and habit of build
ing trades were in his blood, and he
had discovered that the writing inspira-
ton did not visit him in the stiffness Of
his library. Later he became riveter,
then snapper in shipyard.
Now in his declining years he has set
up as boniface OF the White House Hotel
and restaurant at Arverne. l.. l.. where
the younger generation OF writer's seek
him out over the week ends. bandying
his pithy sayings from one to another
and finding endless instruction and en-
couragement in his revisions of their
declarations
The fire of old times blazed in his eye
again yesterday when word was brought
to him that Dare Devil Steve Patterson
who earns his bread in the sweat Of
shining UP the outside of tall buildings.
had issued a rousng challenge to Harry
Gardiner. his rival and exponent of the
same profession. who is amply known to
fame as the Human Fly.
'On any day that may be elected by
the challenger" ran Mr.. Patterson's
communication, land for any part of
$4,000. you are hereby challenged to a
contest taking in any tall building
within the city Of New York tthe
t,lr
TO climb up the face OF the same and !
to repeat your performance in the in
verse order-that is to say by climbing
down Loser to pay forfeit of $4,000
to any war charity at the election of
the winner. This challenge without re-
gard TO atmosphere, meteorological con-
ditions or windage."
Calls Down Harder Than Up.
To the challenge was added an after
word by Mr.. Patterson's press agent:
The purpose of the within challenge
is to bring about IL possible a triumph
Of art over mere mechanics Practically
any person with a little intensive study
may acquire the mechanical skill SUN
cient to enable him to shin up the
tallest architectural structure without
great expenditure OF time and without
|
Coming down Is a different matter
This requires art In that the climber
down must carry a complete and de-
tailed chart of the structure he is de-
scending unerringly in mind during his
performance. His eyes can be of no aid
TO him in this undertaking. A single
| slip Of the foot-un seul faux pas--and
he is in pieces on the pavement below. II
| Neither Of the two boys has ever
been in my place" said Mr.. O'Brieu
when the details Of the challenge were
| made known to him, but that's some.
| thing l make it point never to hold
against any man. But this whole mat.
ter of climbing down the outside OF a
building is pure logomachy; dilettantisn
! in its least excusable form. After the !
o'clock whistle blows"
1t was suggested TO Mr. OBrien thai
| times had changed since the dear old
days Of '97 and that Dare Devil Stew,
proposed reversing the old order 70,
revenue only.
"It's faddism." retorted Mr.. O'Brien
that has put the building trade where
1t is. One deadly innovation after an.
other. First is was the cast iron Irish,
man, as they called the diabolical con,
traption which was introduced in thu
, early SOS with the avowed plan o
uENhls the hou carrier out OF business
for all time, | will not say that it anc
other devices which owe their inspira
I ton to Its initial successes have not at,
tanned certain measure of permanency
deservedly or undeservedly But to pu
, lasting faith in any one OF them is Il
invite the disaster which inevitably flow,
from the disregard OF the established
, fundamentals Up is up and down I,
down. To quote no less an authorit,
than Mayor Hylan himself