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We were to get extra money or a bonus for this bit of tricky work. It was three planks about six feet long with round iron railing front and back and pulleys on a round iron pyramid structure on each end. Each of us pulled it up with ropes or let it down, and I remember thinking that one best not let the rope slip. The interesting thing was how the scaffold was secured so as not to fall and was not even secured with a knot. It was some kind of loop so that the weight of the scaffold kept it from falling. It always fascinated me but I cannot recall exactly how it worked.
It was my first experience with heights accept as climbing to the top of trees when I was a kid. I almost fell only once. I remember it was a close call and I managed to grab a lower branch before I went down. I was pretty far up and it was a summer evening. I thought about that one and what if I had missed that branch.
I didn't mind a scaffold. There were so many things to grab onto - struts and whatnot. I often made a plan as to what was available should it be necessary. Really didn't mind ladders either for that matter. Pretty hard to fall off an extension ladder accept if way at the top. I remember working on a place for Anna on Potrero Hill, where my ladder a thirty footer wouldn't reach the widow frames I was working on. I backed the truck up onto the side-walk and put the ladder in the bed, which gave me an extra three feet, which was enough.
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