Pueblo chieftain., 1921-09-04
THE HIGHEST LIFE IN NEW YORK
d similar germ diseases at a ripe old


| age.
A stceplcjack's safety, according to
one of them, depends very largely up
on how the ropes which hold
| his bosun's chair are knotted ana
manipulated If the equipment is
efficient, the chance of fall is very
slight. AS soon as the beginner un-
derstands this. a good deal of his fear
leaves him.
81 had a boy with me once" decar,
cd this steeplejack, who was so tiln;u
couldn't teach him nothin'. His
hands would trcmble while he wuz
paintin' and one time when the chair
swayed slightly he let out an awful
| yell. 1 kept tellin' him that the ropes
wuz safe, but it didn't do any good
Finally. l seen he had to have les
son. So, one day, when he was gong
up flagpolc, looBin' desperate nut
securely tied as usual, suddenly gave
him a push. He went down head first
only little distance; The ropes
held him, of course After that he
| knew he couldn't fall very far ana
stopped being frightened
A TIGHT SQUEEZE
\ Like swimmers. steeplejacks are fire.
.Nucntly attacked by cramps, largely
/ because of the strained position in
Having laboriously pulled thcmseiNo.
up to the top of the chimney they must
stay there. They cannot waste time
and strenuous labor going up ana
down for lunch. While painting or re-
! pairing they are usually seated on
narrow board The tools cannot oc
flung careicssly OH this board, put
must be held or made fast to the seat
for it they fell they would prooaois
kin someone on the ground below,
, Not long ago, a steeplejack work'nE
on a 1so-fcot stack. repairing damages
lcaused by lightning. was suddenly
seized with cramps which paralyzcd his
arms.
Taking a turn of the rope about my
leg" he later explained. II gripped y,
above with my teeth and then slid
out of tho narrow board scat, by
doubling up my body in the fashion on
Ian inch worm, | got lower grip Win
my teeth and then slipped my i,E
grip until my body was extended. VI,
this slow and painful way I managed
10 get within 20 feet of the ground
Then the cramps seized my legs. for
n moment I was able to hold on Win
my tccth-thcn | dropped. Luckily, l
suffered only few bruises with no
internal injuries, and after Eooa
rundown and rest was able to go back
I. to work. J..
| While the ropes are important in
tho steeplcjacks game. II is nature
which provides him with the taloht
| for scaling high chimncys. As scicnc.
| cNplalnH II. TIC mas ~ liii'iN ''N'''i
condition Of tho scmi-circuiar cana's
| of the inner car. where the sense OF
equilibrium Is located. 1t is the same
physical attribute which tho most SUE
cessful aviators possess. In additlotl
he must he equipped with strong cali
and forearm muscles. and nc must
know how to USE his feet There have
been stecplojacks who have possossen
prehcnsil., toes. which were a trcmen-
ldous aid in climbing.
| Ono OF the most Irritating factors
with which tho stccplejack must con-
tend is the inevitable crowd whicn
gathers to watch him from the street
below. He knows what they arc think
ling as they gaze up at him and his ap-
naratus ciinCinc like an ant to tho
surface nf the building. suppose ne
falls" Some OF them viii even wager
on hi. chances Of survival pnd fccl
disappointed " he fails to como tumhi-
ing down in their midst
Years ago. ono etecplcjack working
on Chicago church tower, became
so maddcncd hy the spectacle of the
! waiting crowd that he climbed INTO tho
ihcIfry tower and hanged himself IN
his pocket they found n note which
said: We'll. | sec that nothing nut
my death viii satisfy tho public, SO
horc goes I will he my own cxccu-
toner. I suppose tho verdict VIII Dc
| Conc 10 He'll"
vet unfortunately. >hero arc occas-
sions when tho crowd fails to appear
such ms ono here in New York "A short
time ago when three men calmly seal
cd building and removed s'o.o"o
worth Of furs from tho TOP window
| ,ri,hput my orc ohScryinC them.