Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-11-10
Samuel E. Virgin Tells Another Story of "a
Strange Job Which Fell to a Steeplejack
II Battle Amid Flame and Water.
'tRatlesnake 7reStle" and the Serbeuts
Of Sonora.

ing continuously. We sized It up and decided
painting it was no play-boy job.
HOWEVER, nothing happened to mar our
progress until we had reached a point
about half way across. Here the weight of
two men standing ON q 24-foot scaffold pulled
the Scafiold loose at one end. This ripped
up one Of the stringer beams and caused the
endless chain to snap. A car loaded with ore
jumped the track and crashed nose downward
until 1t struck between two spacers balanced
like teeter-tauter.
Heavy chunks of ore rained down upon the
heads of the men, who were Scrambling to
right themselves on the upturned Scaffold
This shower Of rocks made them lose their
hold and fall about twenty-five feet to the
ground Luckily they were uninjured except
for few bruises where the ore had struck
them.
This accident set us back two days but we
sawed wood, and before long we were on the
last stretch, strip about 100 feet long level
and about 20 feet above the ground.
Starting on this section, two riveters, as usual
took the lead to tighten the loose bolts and
replace the rusted ones. Behind them were
Two gangs Of painters. Suddenly one of the
riveters, who was sitting in bo'suns chair,
gave loud yell and jumped from his chair
to the ground
ran to pick him up. but before had time
to ask him what had happened, the other riveter
let out yell and he. too, leaped to the grouric.
The r1veters had barely recovered their eQui-
hbrium, and was still wondering what on earth
was the matter, when one of the painters
dropped down, then another and another until
the treStle was bare.
They were all so excited 1t was some time
before I got an explanation out of them Finally
they told between every joint connection was
coiled huge snake, and when they put their
rivet torches or paint brushes between the con-
nections, squirming, wicked head would dart
out, working its forked tongue in and out like
lightning.
Because of their excitement, I was unable
TO find out what kind of snakes they were
After thought they had regained their nerves
l ordered them to go back to work but they
replied in body:
go and do it yourselfI"
I was up against it. I was in hurry to
complete the job, so climbed up the trestle
to investigate. When reached the first scat
fold took long pole and cautiously poked
it into one of the connections
Whew! My hair fairly stood on end! big
rattler darted out of the hole. III never forget
how he looked and how he shook his rattIes
The poke of the pole had made him mad and
no mistake. It did not take me long to get
down from there
Back on the ground, began to study the
situation. For while I was up q tree as to
what 10 40. Inen thought came to me-
Why not burn them out? Telling one of the
men to cut a pole 20 feet long, which he did,
had the hose of the rivet torch securely tied
to the end of the POLE
The torch was lit and we pushed the fame
in between each joint. There was some squrm-
ing and rafting and huge snakes, some of
them feet long, dropped to the ground, partly
burned. IF they tried to wriggle away the
torch finished them. We kept this up two or
three days, until there wasn't snake left on
the bridge.
week later we had the job completed and
were back in Chicago. not bit sorry or re-
gretful. don't believe any of that crew will
ever forget "rattlesnake treStle." How the
snakes got there was always a mystery One
of the mine workers thought they were dumped
on the dock with the ore and crawled up the
stringer beams until they found a place to
nest in.