Alvin "Shipwreck" Kelly facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alvin "Shipwreck" Kelly
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"Shipwreck" Kelly pole sitting in 1942
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Aloysius Anthony Kelly
May 11, 1893 Hell's Kitchen, New York City
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| Died | October 11, 1952 (aged 59) Hell's Kitchen, New York City
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| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Shipwreck Kelly |
| Occupation | pole sitter |
Aloysius Anthony Kelly, known to many as Alvin "Shipwreck" Kelly (born May 11, 1893 – died October 11, 1952), was a very famous pole sitter. He became well-known in the 1920s and 1930s for sitting on tall poles for many days. He performed these amazing stunts all over the United States.
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Alvin "Shipwreck" Kelly's Early Life
Alvin Kelly was born in a neighborhood in Manhattan called Hell's Kitchen. Sadly, his mother passed away when he was born, and his father died before he was born. When he was just 13, he ran away from home and went to sea. This is when he changed his name to Alvin.
In his younger years, Alvin had many different jobs. He worked as a steelworker and a steeplejack, which is someone who builds or repairs tall structures. He was also a high diver, a boxer, and even a movie double. He was a licensed pilot too, and he performed exciting aerial stunts in planes! During World War I, he served in the U.S. Merchant Marine Reserve, helping out from 1918 to 1921.
What is Pole Sitting?
Pole sitting was a popular trend in the 1920s and 1930s. It involved a person sitting on top of a very tall pole or flagpole for a long time. People would gather to watch these daring individuals.
Shipwreck Kelly is often given credit for making pole sitting famous. Some say he first climbed a pole at age seven. When he was nine, he did a "human fly" trick, climbing up the side of a building. In 1924, he sat on a flagpole, either because a friend dared him or to attract customers to a store. That same year, he sat on a pole for 13 hours and 13 minutes to promote a movie.
Shipwreck Kelly's Amazing Stunts
Alvin Kelly set many records during his career.
- In 1926, he sat on a flagpole in St. Louis, Missouri, for seven days and one hour.
- In June 1927, he stayed on a pole in Newark, New Jersey, for twelve days.
- Later in 1929, he sat on a pole at Carlin's Park in Baltimore for 23 days!
His biggest record was in 1930. He sat on a flagpole on top of the Steel Pier in Atlantic City, New Jersey. This pole was about 225 feet (69 m) (68 meters) high! He stayed there for an incredible 49 days and one hour.
At the peak of his fame, Kelly traveled to 28 cities. People would pay to watch his stunts from rooftops. He also made money from advertising products and writing books about his life. He often called himself "the luckiest fool in the world." He once figured out that he spent over 20,000 hours sitting on flagpoles. A lot of that time was in cold or rainy weather.
In one daring stunt in 1927, he climbed onto a pole on a fast-moving biplane. He sat on a small twelve-inch (30 cm) iron bar while the plane flew 500 feet (150 m) (152 meters) high!
How He Managed to Stay Up
While pole sitting, Kelly mostly drank coffee and had cigarettes. He learned how to take naps while sitting upright. He was never held by more than a simple strap around his leg. He once said he didn't take as many risks as a window cleaner. Newspapers often showed pictures of him brushing his teeth or shaving high in the air. He claimed he could sleep by putting his thumbs into holes in the pole. If he started to sway, the pain in his thumbs would wake him up just enough to correct himself.
The End of His Pole-Sitting Career
After the Wall Street Crash of 1929, people were less interested in these kinds of stunts. Police also started to see them as causing too much trouble. In 1935, Kelly tried to break his Atlantic City record in the Bronx. However, he was arrested for being a public nuisance and had to come down after less than a day. Police even threatened to cut the pole down!
One of his last big public appearances was in 1939. He celebrated National Donut Dunking Week by sitting on a pole on top of the Chanin Building in Manhattan. While up there, he ate 13 donuts that were dipped in coffee and fed to him while he stood on his head!
He served in the United States Merchant Marine during World War II.
How He Got His Nickname
There are different stories about how Alvin Kelly got the nickname "Shipwreck." He claimed he had survived five shipwrecks, two airplane crashes, three car accidents, and one train wreck, all without getting hurt! His wife once told reporters that he survived the sinking of the RMS Titanic. However, records show that all the Titanic survivors named Kelly were women. Another story says he got the name as a boxer because he was often "adrift" or lost in the boxing ring.
A 1939 article described him as a "stocky, blue-eyed, battered little Irishman" with "sparse red hair."
His Family Life
Alvin Kelly married an elevator operator named Frances Vivian Steele. They met while he was pole sitting. They had a son named Alvin Kieran Kelly.
The End of an Era
Shipwreck Kelly's very last flagpole-sitting appearance was on October 4, 1952, in Orange, Texas. This was just one week before he passed away. He had two heart attacks that forced him to come down from the 65-foot pole. The club sponsoring the event wouldn't let him go back up. Because of his heart attacks, he decided to retire, saying, "This is it. I'm through."
When he died on October 11, 1952, Kelly was an older man. He was not wealthy and had been receiving some help. His son was serving in the U.S. Army overseas. Kelly had been suffering from heart problems and hardening of the arteries.
He was buried at Long Island National Cemetery in Farmingdale, New York. Among his belongings, people found a duffel bag still packed with ropes and his pole-sitting gear. It was as if he was ready for another job. He also had a scrapbook of his adventures, which he had titled "The Luckiest Fool on Earth."
