The Stoic Helm

‪@kapitaanmohan007‬
Lunch Atop a Skyscraper (1932)

Who They Were
They were:

Irish immigrants
Italian immigrants
Native American Mohawk ironworkers (famous for working fearlessly at great heights)
Other New York construction crew members

Despite popular belief, they were not actors or models — they were genuine workers taking a staged publicity photo, but they were genuinely comfortable at those insane heights.

Why They Look So Relaxed
Because:
Ironworkers routinely worked hundreds of feet above ground without harnesses (safety laws didn’t exist yet).
Mohawk workers in particular were known as “skywalkers”, famous for fearlessness and balance.
They had already spent years walking beams at deadly heights.
To them, lunch on a beam wasn’t unusual — it was just another day.

Who Are the Mohawks?

The Mohawks (Kanien’kehá:ka, meaning People of the Flint) are one of the founding nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy — often called the Iroquois Confederacy.
They traditionally inhabited what is now:
Upstate New York
Southeastern Canada (Quebec & Ontario)

Their culture is rooted in:
Community
Clan systems
Oral tradition
Strong spiritual connection to land and ancestors
The Great Law of Peace, a sophisticated system of governance and diplomacy

The Mohawks were historically known as keepers of the eastern door, guarding the Confederacy’s eastern territory.

Mohawk Ironworkers — The Skywalkers

This is the part that made them legendary.
For over 100 years, Mohawk men have been famous for their breathtaking skill as ironworkers, walking steel beams hundreds of feet above ground with calm, incredible balance.

Why Were They So Good at High Steel Work?

Researchers and Mohawks themselves often say:
They have excellent natural balance
A cultural tradition of courage and calm under pressure
They are raised with a strong sense of community and teamwork
Many grew up doing physical outdoor work
They often say they simply don’t fear heights the way others do
In truth, many Mohawk ironworkers say they do feel fear —
but they are trained to stay calm, focused, and rely on each other.

They Built North America’s Skyline

Mohawk ironworkers helped build some of the most iconic skyscrapers:
Empire State Building
Chrysler Building
Rockefeller Center
World Trade Center (both the original Twin Towers and the new One World Trade Center)
Major bridges including the George Washington Bridge and the Golden Gate

Entire families passed the trade down for generations.

Kahnawake & Akwesasne — Ironworker Communities
Two major Mohawk communities became world-famous for producing elite ironworkers:

Kahnawake (near Montreal)

A crucial center of ironworker tradition.
Many of the men in the “Lunch Atop a Skyscraper” photo are believed to have come from here.

Akwesasne
Another stronghold; many ironworker families trace their heritage to this community.
For decades, it was common to see:
Fathers
Sons
Uncles
Cousins
All working together on steel crews in New York.

Risk, Sacrifice & Brotherhood

Ironworking is one of the most dangerous jobs in the world.
Mohawk ironworkers developed a deep brotherhood, relying on each other to survive.
A saying among them goes:

“We don’t fall.
We are held up by those who came before us.”

Their courage isn’t about fearlessness —
it’s about commitment, mindfulness, and strength passed down across generations.

Cultural Pride

To this day, Mohawks take great pride in:
Their identity
Their skills
Their contribution to North American history
Many people don’t realize that the New York skyline owes its existence to hundreds of Mohawk families.

2 months ago | [YT] | 5

The Stoic Helm

Ahoy! ‪@kapitaanmohan007‬

Ships and Poop - A Sticky Deliberation
Once upon a time, sometime in the 1800s, dried cow dung collected from the prairies was dried into pies for use as fuel to stoke boilers to propel ships. These dung pies were stowed in the holds.

First, they weighed a lot less than coal. Secondly, gasoline or diesel had not appeared on the scene. Ships and poop were the only available alternatives. Seriously, ships and poop, read on, dear friend.






Consequences Aboard
The dung pies got wet during the passage. They not only got heavier but also started fermenting, emitting highly combustible methane.

Kaboom!

Having gotten to the root of this recurring disaster, a solution was arrived at. These precious pies had to be stowed on the open deck so that the methane could be dispersed into the atmosphere.


The Final Solution
It so transpired that the packages were to be stamped as SHIT—Ship High In Transit.


The Great Depression
This story is unfortunately untrue. It happens to be a 2002 post on Usenet directed at humor. Sorry to disappoint.


Harsh Reality
Shit has its origins in Old English, schite, meaning dung. This was way back in the 14th century.

Scholars are also pretty sure that it was in common use by Germanic tribes during the Roman era.

The word shit from a pedestal is barbaric. But such a great stress-buster and a self-explanatory word cannot be killed.


The Poop Deck
Sounds amusing, eh?

Well, it has little to do with relieving the bowels.

So What On Earth Is A Poop Deck?
The origin is from the French ‘La Poupe’ which translates as ‘ the stern.’

On sailing ships of bygone days, it was the elevated section of the deck at the stern.

3 months ago | [YT] | 1

The Stoic Helm

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7 months ago | [YT] | 1

The Stoic Helm

🎩🦜 Ahoy, Digital Deckhands! 🦜🎩
Welcome aboard The Captain’s Spyglass – where the ordinary walks the plank and the absurd steers the ship! 🚢✨

Are you a fan of talking plants, time-traveling pigeons, pirate romance, AI heartbreaks, jungle jams, or socks with secret lives? Good. You’re home. 🧦💔🪐

Drop your anchor in the comments, introduce your weirdest thought of the day, and remember – in this crew, the weirder you are, the higher your rank. 👑🛳️

New shenanigans every week. Bring snacks. And maybe a ghost repellent. 👻🍿

Now say it with me:
“Aye aye, Captain of Chaos!”

#WelcomeWeirdos #SpyglassSquad #AhoyAlgorithms #CaptainOnDeck #WeirdIsWonderful

7 months ago | [YT] | 1