Pueblo chieftain., 1921-09-04
By Frederic j. Haskin.


New York City, Sept. 3.-There is one
class OF workers in New York who are
never afraid of hard times, who have
more opportunities for employment
than they can take advantage of, and
who set their own wages and hours OF
work. without consulting employers or
labor unions. Possessed of cxtraord-
nary courage, vision and poise, they
follow the high road to success. They
are the stceplejacks.
There are only about half dozen
stceplejacks listed in the New York
telephone book-a number not nearly
largo enough to take care of all the
work that is available on church spires.
chimney stacks and skyscrapcr flag
poles. Competition is kept down ny
fear. Steeplejacking is not likely to
appeal to the majority; certainly. one
docs not find it listed in the adNer-
tisements of correspondents courses.
This monopoly. made possible by his
physical superiority, the steepie1ack
closely guards. as an inventor guards
the secret formula of his invention He
is loath to expand his business to in
clude outside workers, but usually
keeps it carefully within the circles OF
| his own family. Thus a stecp,ejack IS
F, usually the son of a steeplejack or the
father of ono. One New York steeple-
jack, Louis Mccarthy. has trained his
wife to assist him, and is now pro-
cecding to train his infant son.
|
made the way easy" he declared in
explaining this peculiar form of bust
ness corporation. Il had to pick it up
by myself and risk my neck doing 1t.
| Catch me giving the game away.
When / am overloaded and have to
hire an assistant don't go about look
ing for the smart guys. The thicker
they are the better. I'd rather take a
week to show him how to tie paint
| bucket to a bo-sun'e chair than to have
\ tv,Gt r In
few weeks be competing with me Tor
jobs"
This attitude seems a hit odd, es-
pocialiy when so few people arc eager
to paint the peaks Of skyscrapcrs or
fix the clocks in church towers. II
can be cxlaincd only by the steeple-
Jacks natural desire to protect his high
wages. Mr.. Mccarthy. for example.
makes f15 for every day he works. and
some DAYS when the task is exception
ally difficult the figure rises to 500
or $50.
TOOK THE LADY ALONG
| When Mr. Mccarthy first introduced
his wife to stcepiejacking he had no
intention of making her his assistant
1t was simply to quiet her fears, which
kept her constantly worried while nc
was away at work.
Il decided he said. that she would
just have to 60 mp with m" couple
OF times so as she could sec II wasn't
50 awful dangerous. Tho first time
| took her up was working on Bor-
ough Hall in Brooklyn. The flaEpole
was to be painted and the gildcd bali
on top was 1855 feet above tho street
| She went up that nagpole with me in
a bo'suns chair. and has never boon
afraid for me since. She is happicst
when VIC arc together high up on the
rim of some chimney stack. Most of
my work Is on chimncys. am a sort
OF stack specialist. The baby keeps
her homo now. but before long I hope
to have them both with me on tho job
| Tho younSster is going to he the
greatest stceplejack that ever lived.
why. only the other day. con-
tinucd the proud father. ~ found him
playing with a rope and trying to
climb up the back of a chair. We en-
COURAGE him to climb. He'll need good
climbing muscles.
II give him other tests. too. Some
| times I hold him out OF u fourth story
| window by his wrists. He never shows
| any signs of fear. Hc likes II. The
first time tried that he Just smiled.
Then he saw n little dog In tho back
yard below and said. 'Eowwow.' I'm
going to take him up pole with me
pretty MON and have our pictures
taken figure It will he ncmonto
| for him in after life II his dad should
kick off before he grows up"
| Kicking Off is a rather frequent
occurrence among steeplcjacks. Tho
mortality rate Is so enormous in their
profession that insurance companies
viii not insure them. yet thcrc have
been some who have died Of pneumonia
|