Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-06-24
BILLY PENN TIPS
HIS HAT T0ALADY
City Hall Statue Being Spruced
Up When Fair Visitor
drops In"
WORKERS CHAMBER HIGH UP
"IIold It, Newt
"Atta boy, ats catchin' EN-"

"Atta boy, ats catchin' EN-"
Only $50 feet in the air, his foot
on the third button from the top Of
William Penn's coat, a workman paused
to rcgin his balance as his foot slipped
while making tho perilous ascent.
Lcvcl-headed, care free workmen are
repairing the City Hall tower, and
daily take chances which would make
the hair of an ordinary human being
stand on end.
The approach to the wide .brimmed
Quaker, that possibly means nothing
to the used-to-it workman, but to the
uninitiated, it's an upward path beset
with snnres and twists and turns which
at time fill the explorer with fear and
trembling and desire to turn back.
But shnky knees are ''out' and
firm footing is necessary. One takes
the elevator to the seventh floor and
goes to the tower room, where special
elevator conveys passengers to the OBJ
scrvation platform. And there. the
average visitor stops. But not SO the
workman
A small iron ladder is climbed and
one gets right into the "works" Of
the elevator. Looking up. can be seen
Il mnnholc. which is guaranteed 100
per cent standard size. 1t Is no place
for fat man for the opening Is about
eighteen inches long and ten inches
wide.
A rope is clutched, feet danglc about
In the air. and finally foOthold Is found.
TO the person making the climb for the
first tine, when that foothold il finally
found, it is n viritable Rock of Gibral-
tar. and although 1t Is just an inch or
two wide, having run out of prayers.
the ascender bursts into song with
"IIow Firm Foundation
More Ladders to Climb
Then one is confronted with another
ladder. but It's only the first hun
dred that are the hardest, SO the guide
says. Afraid to look down and too dark
to see If one looks up. hand and feet
hold on to the ladders edge with all
the tenacity of an animal.
Another ladder and Billy Penn's
waistlinr Is reached. a narrow plank
bridges the distance across his legs,
which. from the ankle to the knee joint.
are eight feet, and nine feet around the
calf or thr leg.
1t is rally inside stuff one gets on
Penn-rather n Jonah in the whale
If careful to hold on with
both hands one can stop to look around
at the heavy bronze structure which
looks so small from the ground, but is
in reality thirty seven feet high and
weighs 80 400 pounds.
And then Billy Penn tips his hat. for
the first time in more years than he
can remember woman is within. John
Rcvcr. superintendent Of repair work
being done on the tower, reaches up
and unfnstcns the top of the hnt, which
is chained. and slips, it off like trap
door.
One more final climb, a big step over
and one crouch down and finally suf-
ficicnt courage to clutch the sides of the
brim and peer over $50 feet Mt the ants
md tiny wheeled vehicles running about
below
Scared? Not Bit! |
"Some people have Imagination,
how they say this hat is wide enough
to drive horse and wagon around. !
You can see for yourself how crazy
they are"
Yes, one could see, and mentally |
made note that those who guessed |
weren't nearly so crazy as those who
were actually Scein'. The hat is !
three feet in diameter and twenty three ,
feet in circumference.
And there the favored visitor stops,
afraid to move, afraid to look But
the workman, who gets this far In
much less time than could be told,
fastens a rope and is lowered over the
side, where he balances on the finger
tips.
The fingers are two feet, six inches
long, and there the workman sits cas-
ually painting, a pipe sticking from
one corner of his mouth, the gaping,
people far below him an OBJ
ject for his pity. All sorts of things
could happen to n fellow down there,
what with traffic SO contested and a
brick liable to fall from buildin'!
And he Is perfectly safe. good
breeze. nice view, just little lonely,
thassal. And he climbs over to the
buttons. which weigh about twenty L
1--we pounds each and are six inches
across. The tower sways slightly on
4 mild day and there is a very notice
able vibration when the wind blows.
Scared? We should say not, amt
. ~