New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1921-08-15
Man Perched for Dive Off
Williamsburg Tower Is
Hauled Down While
Hundreds Watch Feat
Crowds Cheer as
PatrOlnen Climb
Auto Horns and River
Craft Whistles Add to
Din; All Traffic Halts

Joseph Herzog decided yesterday
that he wouldn't jump off the Will
liamsburg Bridge. He had intended
to do so, but it being a rainy day he
was already wet and felt it would be
merely work of supererogation to
jump and get any wetter. SO he changed
his mind and instead of jumping he
went climbing up the bridge tower.
Rudolph Herzog, Joseph's uncle, who
lives at 522 East Fifteenth street, said
his nephew had come from Hungary
about fifteen months ago and worked
in restaurant. 1t was while joseph
was visiting his uncle a few days ago
that he told the neighbors to be on
the alert for his jump.
Policemen on Long Climb
Yesterday afternoon motorists. ne
destrians, policemen, tugboat captains,
bargemen, and others noticed a tinv
figure teetering on the sloping base
of the f1agpole atop the New York
tower of the williamsburg Bridge,
Joseph seemed to be enjoying notori-
ety.. for he was giving an Imitation
OF the leader of Hungarian orchestra.
While motorists footed their horns
and trolleymen changed their gonrs,
elevated motormen touched off their
compressed air whistles and tueboat
men leaned against the siren cord un-
tn the steam got low, two policemen,
Michael J. Kelly and John Quealy,
started aloft to clutch Joseph before
he should slither off the sloping base
and thereby give the neighbcrs that
promised thrill by dropping into the
East River, 365 feet below.
There are two narrow stairways
reaching the fagpolc, one wooden and
the other iron. Ascent is as speedy
ny one as by the other. Qucaly leaped
up the wooden one and Kelly hit the
iron.
Persons all around heard about the
aerial bandmaster, and groups an
peared on the roofs roundabout. Traf-
nc on the Manhattan Bridge to the
south, became sluggish.
230 Feet Above Roadway
Surveyors, mountain climbers, civil
engineers, gunnery officers and others
familiar with attitudes say that the
top Of the tower where joseph
balanced himself, 23O feet above the
bridge roadway, is co-equal with an
Office building twenty stories in height.
The crowd cheered Quealy and
Kelly as they went step by step 23O
feet into the air. At 100 feet Kelly
mopped his brow. At $50 feet Ouealv
unbuttoned his blouse, and at 200 feet
took it off and hung it over his arm.
At IT'S feet Kelly paused a moment for
breath.
In the rarefed atmosphere atop the
tower each patrolman found himself
in little shed, like the hospices of the
good monks of St. Bernard. The
doors were locked.
Kelly opened a window and climbed
through. Quealy could not open his
window, so he broke it. Both men ven-
tured out upon the fagpole base, which
proved to be like the concal roof of
a shed.
Joseph, weary of bandmastering and
notoriety, was prone and having a hard
time to keep from slipping off into the
cloudy weather. But the prospect of al
rest aroused him, and he resisted.
Kelly, who is an accomplished equili-
brist, got hold of Joseph's arms.
Quealy reentered a window. and the
two passed Joseph through feet first.
The salute of whistles, horns and
cheers burst forth again as Kelly and
Quealy started earthward with Joseph.
When they got all the way down. Kelly
sighed heavily and Quealy busted Off
his hands. Neither spoke. But both
stamped heartily.