Lighthouse tower Puzzle

A lighthouse tower is 300 feet high. It has a central Support column about which winds a spiral staircase with an iron Hand-rail which goes exactly four times around the column. There is one Baluster to each step and since these balusters are just one foot apart it Should be impossible to find how many steps one has to take to get to the top. unless, of course, i hasten to add that the Diameter of the entire tower(that is, the diameter of the cylinder around Which the rail twines is 23feet, 10.5 inches. Then it should be easy.

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