The Columbia Center

June, 1984

This photo represents the most terrifying event of my career: the climbing of a crane 6 floors above the 63rd floor. I tied my camera to a rope which the crane operator then pulled up to the crane as I made my climb. When I got to the wire mesh floor just below the crane, I found that the last bit of ladder went out at a 45 degree angle -- nothing between me and oblivion but the rungs of the ladder. I sat down and contemplated this for a few minutes. I realized if I didn't go the rest of the way up, someone would have to carry me down. The catwalk around the crane was so narrow, I had to set my tripod up in the corner, and have the crane man move the crane to the position I wanted. The Smith Tower in the background once was the tallest West of the Mississippi.

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Photograph by 

K. L. Slusher