Omaha daily bee., 1921-10-16
Loftiest Structure in the
World Takes a Yearly
Toll Of Death-Tower
Holds Strange Fas- =
. cination.

By STIRLING HELLO.


Paris-A painter fell from the
Eiffel Tower. When his body
struck the ground it sunk FIVE feet
into a fowerbed. Four more men
must fall to complete the toll Of the
most dangerous painting job in the
world.
They paint the tower every six
years. All Paris is interested, be-
cause on its paint depends whether
Z the gigantic mass of iron is to be the
glcry or the eyesore of Paris!
Its first shade, in 1889, was dead
leaf" When the sun lit it hazy
golden, with effects OF jewelers. fra
gility, it was beautiful. In 1895,
after immense discussion, they
painted it orange. In strong sun it
CLEANED like FURNISHED copper. Os-
car Wilde declared it noble. Puvis
dc Chavannes, the grand old painter,
threatened to blow it up with dyna-
mitel
Electricity Eats Paintl
In 1900 they made it "sun color
which has always been repeated.
Again, the tower became thing of
slcry. -
Il. did not CLEAN sun color long.
According to Camille Flammarion,
the atmospheric electricity which
such ., mass Of iron receives is meal
7 culable. Conducting tubes two feet
in diameter lead it down to 50 feet
below the water-bearing stratum;
but its effects on paint are disas-
tfcus. The paint does not crack off
or peel off. 1t just disappears!
Il is the towers way of calling for
4 special bunch of victims-painters!
Every day it calls for voluntary
victims by whispering to visitors
with thrills Of that incalculable at
mospheric electricity, "jumpr'
On the upper platforms lounge
men who try to look like tourists,
yet whose lazy eyes watch every
new arrival.
Electricity Urges: "Junp!"
When they see tourist stand i'm
mobile by the railing, deaf to re-
marks, oblivious of surroundings.
with eyes fixed on the abyss and
face lit up with holy look, they
move little closer to the tourist.
They are the body-snatchers of
the tower. As the snake fascinates
the bird, so the abyss calls to 10
tourists daily, while electric soul
iolts murmur: Jump They're
snatched and saved, be sure-the
snatchers have the habit
l have seen ladies fairly rush to
the "down" elevators, hiding their
face in their handsl Those who may
be really ready to jump will feel a
strong, friendly human body bump
against them, with hearty apologies:
.@.A million excusesl How I am
clumsyw
Win Not Let You Jump!
It is the body-snatcher, saving
your life. He will not let you jump.
He stands by you, whether you wish
It or not, until you return to nor
malcy.
On the ground, by the west pillar,
isa police room. Here are wheel
barrows, shovels, and big pile of
black garden-earth. When a fasci-
mated victim succeeds in jumping,
few people realize what has hap
pcned.
The falling body makes deep
hole in the earth; but before any
Mortified or curious party can ac-
complish the slow descent by ele-
vator or stairway, the body is pious-
" wheeled to the police-room-and
the hole is filled up, smoothed with
new earth, and, maybe, geranium or
green shrub planted!
There are no statistics of those
who jump. It is not a thing to
talk about-they're mostly visitors.
But there are full statistics of le-
Ultimate victims-painters and in
ventors Of parachutesl
So fell Francis Reichelt.
II need heightr he said. an fall
ing, my parachute continues to un-
fold, ali BY itself. It is for aviators,
who have no time, you understand,
to adjust anything. A swimming
gesture of the arms, you under
stand"
Drops to Death
He looked into the abyss and
turned back in dread. He tore a
newspaper, to try the wind. He
looked down again and slowly his
face illuminated. His look Of vo-
iuptuous longing frightened the re-
porters. Before they could consult,
he was near the railing. The cape
unfolded. A bulging balloon of brown
silk swelled above him. 1t looked,
for q moment, like success. Then
down went Francis, like a lump of
lead!
The painting job is vast, by rea-
son of the towers open structure.
The edifiee weighs less than 5000
ztona but its total surface TO be