A PERILOUS FEAT.

Evening Post, Volume XXXII, Issue 130, 16 October 1886, Page 1 (Supplement)

A PERILOUS FEAT.

In honour of the birthday of the Emperor of Austria, a journeyman gilder, named Joseph Pircher, per- j formed a feat of almost unparalleled foolhardinoss. Ho had made a bet that he would climb unassisted to the gilded pinnaclo of St. Stephen's steeple in Tienna, and plant an imperial bag there with a garland of flowers. The climbing was not to be effected from the platform of the tower, but from it base in the Stefans Platz, the height thence to the gilt ball and cross being 432 German feet 6 inches. At 1 1 in the evening Pircher arrived on tho Stefans Platz with a small party of friends, tied his shoes round his neck, and began his perilous ascent by means of the lightning conductor. Swarming up the metal rod with the agility of an ape, and resting his feet on every projecting piece of stoD' c . work, he took 35 minutes to r^ach the platform of the tower. From this point until within 12 fe/jt o f the piuacle the ascent was eonVp ara ti V ely easier, as the fretted sides of the stoeple form a perpendicular staircase. The last 12 offered a I sheer bmooth surface which had to bo swarmed up*. Long before Pircher had finished his ascent, a large crowd kaA assembled, and the guardian o£ the tower, becoming aware f/hat something was happening, left his bod and came out pa, to the Platz. Horrified by wh/it he heard, the poor man bawled to Pircher to ask what |h&v; as doing, but was answered by a -mocking laugh. The guardian th-on despatched messengers right »"nd left for police and firemen, and noon Rafter midnight a company of firemen encircled tho tower with mattresses and canvas stretched out to catch the hardy climber in case ho should fall. The night was clear, and Pircher's movementsfcould be distinctly seen fronibelow. Reaching the gilt ball, Pircher took a small yellow-and-black flag with a crown of flowers from his pocket, tied both to the cross, gave three " Hochs" for the Emperor, and then began coolly to descend. Finding his shoesinconvenient,heleftthem en the stone under the ball, and ou reaching the ground good-humouredly suggested that one of the policemen should go up and fetch them. Pircher descended, as he had climbed, by the lightning conductor, and his feat occupied altogether 2 hours and 33 minutes. He was a little tired at the finish, and his hands were somewhat grazed, but he jumped gaily on to the pavement amid the enthusiastic cheers of the spectators. After this, however, he was led off to the police station. It is said that he has already climbed 130 steeples. His latest exploit, however, surpasses any feat of steeple-climbing ou record.