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“Terrorism against our nation will not stand.” President Bush
‘We’ve lost our innocence,’ BSU prof says Page 2
Officials, students have travel plans interrupted Pages 2-3
Smoke and fire surround the upper floors of the World Trade Center in New York City in this image from television, after a second plane crashed into the buildings Tuesday.
U.S. UNDER ATTACK
East Central Indiana veterans react to attacks Page 3
Day of devastation captured in photos Page 4-5
The Associated Press
Terrorist attacks ignite chaos By DERRICK DePLEDGE and MIKE MADDEN Gannett News Service
WASHINGTON — Terrorists struck across the East Coast on this morning, destroying the twintower World Trade Center in New York and severely damaging the Pentagon in what surely is the worst acts of domestic terrorism in the nation’s history. In attacks just minutes apart, two hijacked airplanes slammed into the World Trade Center — the first about 8:45 a.m. — leaving thousands of workers to scramble before the towers collapsed in smoke and rubble. About 50,000 people work in the Trade Center. About 9:40 a.m., another aircraft crashed into a section of the Pentagon, headquarters of the nation’s military. Debris rained down on motorists going to work on nearby George Washington Parkway as some 20,000 Pentagon workers scrambled from the building. Another airplane also crashed near Pittsburgh on this morning, and authorities suspect the crash
was related to the other two attacks. Airports and train stations across the nation were placed on alert as the nation’s transportation system was effectively shut down. The Federal Aviation Administration ordered air traffic halted across the nation. Some Amtrak trains were canceled. Traffic in New York and downtown Washington soon turned to gridlock. Scores of buildings in New York and Washington were evacuated, with workers fearful of more attacks asking to go home for the day. People poured into the street, adding confusion as emergency crews and rescue workers tried to determine what had happened, fought fires, launched rescue efforts, and began the horrendous task of taking a death toll. President Bush, in Florida, described the attacks as a ‘‘national tragedy.’’ ‘‘Terrorism against our nation will not stand,’’ the president said. Pentagon official Rear Adm. Craig Quigley said, ‘‘What you see here is a full assault on the
The U.S. under siege
Thousands are presumed injured or dead after a series on terrorist attacks on American soil. 1. Two American Airlines jetliners are hijacked en route from Boston and Washington, D.C. 2. Just before 8 a.m. Muncie time, the first jetliner crashes into one of the World Trade Center’s twin towers. Minutes later, the second jetliner crashes into second tower. The event is recorded by CNN cameras.
1 N.Y. Pa. 4
3. President Bush is informed at 8:05 a.m. Muncie time. He leaves Sarasota, Fla.
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Va.
4. A third jetliner crashes into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. A fourth jetliner (presumed hijacked) crashes south of Pittsburgh. 5. With fires raging out of control at the World La. Trade Center, officials attempt to evacuate the complex. Ninety minutes later, the tower collapses. The second tower collapses shortly after, hurling ash and debris.
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United States of America.’’ Authorities attempted to put the events into perspective but were stunned by the coordination and the enormity of the attack. No terrorist group immediately claimed responsibility for the attacks. American Airlines confirmed that two of its planes, a flight
from Boston to Los Angeles, and a flight from Washington Dulles to Los Angeles, were lost and likely involved in the incidents. A United Airlines plane from Newark was involved in the Pittsburgh crash. And a separate United Airlines flight from Boston was also missing and likely was involved in one of the attacks.
At the Pentagon, emergency crews were still trying to control the fire and smoke from the crash by early afternoon. ‘‘We heard a loud thud,’’ Col. Glenn Takemoto said of the attack. ‘‘You could feel the concussion.’’ In downtown Washington, life was almost completely frozen. Sirens rang out every few minutes from every direction. Police shut down several blocks near the White House and shouted at pedestrians to stay off of Pennsylvania Avenue. The Capitol and congressional office buildings also were evacuated. Other federal office buildings were shut down. On Capitol Hill, buildings were quickly cleared. Robert Johnston, a sheet metal worker, was measuring water pipes in a computer room in a House office building when he heard an alarm and went into the hallway. A police officer told him to evacuate. Once outside, he could see the smoke coming from the Pentagon. ‘‘I’ve never seen anything like this,’’ Johnston said. ‘‘What are we supposed to do? We can’t go back into the building. I can’t go home.’’
World watches in horror Page 6
States react to terrorist attacks Page 7
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Sheriff’s trip to Pentagon comes to abrupt halt TRAVEL: The official was on a train in the capital when he was ordered off as a security measure. By T.J. WILHAM The Star Press
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Delaware County Sheriff Steve Aul was on a Metro train bound for the Pentagon today when his trip came to an abrupt end. A train operator told Aul and other passengers that a “situation” had developed — the apparently intentional crash of a plane into the Pentagon — and ordered everyone off the train, which had been about a minute away from the Pentagon. “When I realized there had been a bombing, I was just shocked,” Aul said in a telephone Interview late this morning from a hotel 25 miles from the AUL nation’s capital. “My first instinct was to get out of Washington because something else is going to happen.” Aul has been vacationing in Washington since Friday. Today, he was supposed to meet with his cousin, who works at the Pentagon, for a tour of the facility. Aul and members of the family were on the Metro train — which alternately travels below and above ground — en route to the Pentagon when the sheriff looked out the window and saw a large cloud of smoke “When I saw that high cloud of smoke rising to the sky, I felt something was wrong,” Aul said. When the train stopped at its next-to-last destination, the operator ordered everyone off. Aul and his family waited 45 minutes
“When I realized there had been a bombing, I was just shocked. My first instinct was to get out of Washington because something else is going to happen.” Steve Aul Delaware County sheriff
before they could catch another train away from Washington. As he waited, Aul said he heard the constant blare of sirens as emergency crews rushed to the Pentagon. “People everywhere was just looking at the sky,” Aul said. “It was odd. There wasn’t mass chaos. It wasn’t like things were out of control. There was just a constant array of sirens and vehicles going everywhere. “We were 60 seconds away. It’s scary. The good Lord was watching over us.” Aul said he planned on canceling the rest of his vacation and returning to Delaware County as soon as possible. Aul said late this morning he had not been able to reach his cousin, who is an Army general. He said as soon as he returned to his hotel, he spent most of his time answering pages and phone calls from friends and relatives. He said it was hard to find a phone or use a cellular telephone in Washington “People in Muncie, Ind., don’t realize how lucky they are to live where they live,” Aul said. “This is real. Terrorism is real. It is something we are going to have to deal with from now on.”
Lateness to work saved daughter from tragedy By KEITH ROYSDON The Star Press
MUNCIE — A Muncie family whose daughter works in the World Trade Center reported this morning it was likely her life was saved because she was late to work. Jill Fairchild, the daughter of Muncie residents Lance and Nancy Lillie, works on the 66th floor of one of the World Trade Center towers. Nancy Lillie, an employee of the Delaware County Clerk’s office, came to work today and had not heard about the attacks, County Clerk Karen Wenger said. Fairchild was apparently late
N EWS W ATCHING
for work and was en route when planes hit the buildings. When she arrived at the disaster scene, she found a telephone and contacted a family member. After an anxious half-hour, Nancy Lillie heard from a family member that her daughter was safe. “My sister is fine,” Muncie resident Brian Fairchild said. Wenger said her employee was “pretty distraught” and believed that her daughter’s friends and co-workers were killed in the attack. “Now, they’re trying to get her out of New York City,” Wenger said. “They’re very thankful. This was too close for comfort.”
Kurt Hostetler / The Star Press
Christy Arnold and her son, Raysen, 2, watch coverage of the attacks on television at H.H. Gregg on Tuesday morning. “Gosh, maybe we should stay home,” Arnold said. “It seemed kind of silly to come out and buy something when all of this was going on.”
Ball State professor says, Pence moved to ‘We’ve lost our innocence’ safe place By JOHN CARLSON The Star Press
MUNCIE — Remember this date: Sept. 11, 2001. “We’ve lost our innocence today,” said Bryan Byers, a criminal justice professor at Ball State University. “We really have. This is a turning point for us as a society.” Today’s horrific attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon mark an unprecedented violation against a country that had gone largely untouched by worldwide terrorism. “It’s been a terrible morning,” Byers said. Despite the scope of the attacks, however, the professor said the motivation boiled down one small word: hate. “Any kind of act of terrorism is rooted in some ideology of hate,” said Byers, a hate-crime expert. However, he and a colleague, professor and Middle East expert Dan Goffman, warned against
placing premature blame for the tragedy. “We can’t rule out homegrown terrorism,” Byers said. Goffman recalled how suspicion was immediately directed at Arab terrorists in the wake of the Oklahoma City Federal Building bombing. The facts, of course, proved otherwise. Regarding speculation about today’s attacks, Goffman said, “I think all of that is over the top at this point.” Regardless of who orchestrated today’s attacks, however, they mark a terrible change for our country. Americans have not been psychologically prepared for such acts of devastation. “We’ve been lucky compared to others that have been used to this,” Byers said. Terrorist groups have generally ignored America because of a belief that attacks against us would ultimately hinder attainment of their goals, he added. Today’s events, he fears, opens
us up to many new threats. The startling effectiveness of the attacks also is sobering, he said. “This did not require that equipment be brought into the United States,” Byers said. “The planes were used as weapons.” The ramifications of today’s attacks are liable to be profound, he added. “We will understand . . . this sort of thing can happen here,” Byers said. In a practical, even more depressing vein, he added, Americans will receive a painful national lesson in dealing with the aftermath of terrorism. As for preventing future acts, Byers said the sad truth is, it’s not possible. Terrorism is about power, and indiscriminately killing Americans is an effective way to prove that we are vulnerable. “That’s a message that terrorists like to send,” Byers said.
Mall closes; some events canceled MUNCIE — Muncie Mall decided to close this afternoon out of respect for the loss suffered by many American families “due to tragic events of the day.” In an interview, the mall’s Steve Buckley urged the public to remain calm. The mall should re-open Wednesday, he said.
In other news: • All afternoon and evening activities planned today at Muncie Community Schools facilities — except the Latch Key program and tonight’s school board meeting — have been canceled, Supt. Marlin Creasy said. • Also, tonight’s Jimmy Buffett
concert at Verizon Wireless Center near Noblesville has been canceled. • Nearly all East Central Indiana high schools cancelled athletic events scheduled for today, and tonight’s Ball State University’s women’s volleyball match with IUPU-Fort Wayne has been canceled.
By RICK YENCER The Star Press
MUNCIE — U.S. Rep. Mike Pence was an at undisclosed command center today after airplane attacks destroyed the Word Trade Center in New York City and hit the Pentagon in Washington, D.C. “He shares the shock of the nation,” said Lani Czarniecki, Pence’s district director. Pence was attending a House Agriculture Committee meeting reviewing the federal farm bill when news of the Trade Center attack came. “People were evacuated out of the Capitol Building and other federal offices,” Czarniecki said. Communication to Washington D.C., even cell phones and Internet e-mail, was down, although Czarniecki said Pence’s Washington staff assured him the congressman was OK. Pence was moved with other House and Senate leadership to a command center, Czarniecki said, and the congressman also was securing the safety of his family.
See BAYH on Page 3
East Coast bombings halt flights at county airport Federal offices closed
By JENNY KOPACESKI The Star Press
John Frye / The Star Press
Planes sit outside Muncie Aviation at the Delaware County Airport. Authorities were not allowing flights out of the airport in response to the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.
MUNCIE — Employees of the Delaware County Airport listened to the radio, checked flight patterns on computer programs and prepared themselves for an uncertain future. Richard Manes, properties manager at the airport, said four planes departed from the runway today for business meetings and all reached their destinations. All four planes were waiting for clearance to return to Muncie. Two local private pilots who were in flight this morning were
MUNCIE — While city hall and the Delaware County Building remained open in downtown Muncie today, the nearby federal building closed. It houses the local offices of the FBI, IRS, federal probation officers and a private telemarketing firm, Teleservices Direct. A sign taped to the front door read: “Office closed today. IRS closed by commissioner.” “We are still here but we’ve got the building locked down, so nobody is going to be getting in,” an FBI official said. directed to land to the airport after news of the bombings of the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. The airport was closed for departures until 5 p.m. today. At that point, the FAA (Federal
“Everyone right now has a high level of sorrow and anger. Everyone is just concerned with what is going on in New York and Washington.”
“We are trying to be responsive, but we don’t want to cause undue panic and concern for the people that work in these buildings. We are just trying to be cautious.”
Ron Bonham Delaware County commissioner
Capt. Brian Lipscomb Delaware County Police Department
Aviation Administration) public affairs officer, who was at the Muncie airport today, will give further flight instructions and ideas for additional security measures. The officer would not comment
this morning. A couple of planes were scheduled to take off from the Delaware County Airport today and head for Oklahoma, but the airplanes were not allowed to leave. The pilots were just “hanging around the airport,” waiting for further information. “Some were stopping through, some were overnight, and they just can’t leave,” Manes said of the pilots destined for Oklahoma. At 10:26 a.m., Muncie Aviation received orders by phone to “secure the airfield.” Manes would not comment on the details of that order.
“People should not call 911. They probably know more than what we do. It’s not like we have a pipeline to the FBI.” Bill Gosnell, director Delaware County emergency management
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ISTEP+ testing continues despite bombings EDUCATION: Local schools elected to continue the first day of the state standardized testing despite news of the attacks. By MICHELLE KINSEY The Star Press
MUNCIE — Hundreds of local school students were unaware of the tragedies that were unfolding this morning in New York City and Washington, D.C. They were isolated in rooms taking ISTEP+ tests. The standardized tests began today at schools statewide for students in grades 3, 6, 8 and 10. “Many of them will not know until lunch time,” said Rick Kaufman, a teacher at Cowan JuniorSenior High School, shortly before 11 a.m. today. Marlin Creasy, superintendent of Muncie Community Schools, said all principals were notified of the World Trade Center and Pentagon incidents immediately. “All of the Muncie Community Schools were told to be aware of the possibility of increased security,” he said this morning. “Right now that is all we are doing.” Gerald Shelton, superintendent of Blue River Valley Schools, said teachers were notified this morning of the events. “We have been keeping them updated regularly,” he said. “We have only had one parent call and say they wanted to pick
their child up from school and take them home,” said Del Jarman, superintendent of Blackford County Schools. Creasy said it was best to operate “as usual.” That included ISTEP+ testing Creasy said he was most concerned about the students who were participating in the testing. Suellen Reed, Indiana’s superintendent of public instruction, announced the following shortly after 10 a.m. today: • Schools may suspend testing today if they choose to do so. If testing has begun, students need to continue testing until the end of a subtest at all grade levels. • Graduation Qualifying Exam testing that is suspended today will be completed Friday. Schools doing so must notify the Indiana Department of Education. The release, sent to all principals, also said that “testing that is suspended for grades 3, 6, and 8 can be resumed at a time of the corporation’s choosing within the test window [ending September 28].” Most local schools were already too far along in the test to stop. “The students that I supervised during the test today did not seem to be so upset that they could not take the test,” said Amy Lewman, a teacher at Delta High School. The students, she said, learned of what happened during short breaks in the testing. “They were anxious to go find out what was going on.” Indiana’s Department of
O N G UARD
Tell us The Star Press is interested in hearing from people with East Central Indiana connections who have been affected by today’s terrorism acts in New York, Washington, D.C., and other parts of the country. To report local connections, call the newsroom at 747-5754 or e-mail to news@thestarpress.com.
John Frye / The Star Press
LESSON: Heather Bowers addresses her class at Southside High School about the terrorist situation facing the United States on Tuesday afternoon. Most of the students were just hearing about the news after being in ISTEP sessions all morning. Education was to make a decision late today regarding testing Wednesday and Thursday. Schools will be notified by e-mail and posting on the IDOE Web site, at http://www.doe. state.in.us. Those not in testing this
morning were closely watching the news on televisions in the classrooms. Kaufman, who teaches history, government and economics, said the mood at Cowan this morning was “disbelief, shock and anger.” “I have been trying to explain to
them that we’ve had a history of terrorism in this country,” he said. ‘We have not been devoid of these acts. It’s also important to tell kids that they cannot start pointing fingers until we actually have information about who did it.”
‘Pearl Harbor all over again’ REACTION: Local veterans called for a violent response to today’s terrorist attacks. By SETH SLABAUGH The Star Press
MUNCIE — Delaware County military veterans watching on live television as New York and Washington, D.C., were attacked this morning were reminded of Pearl Harbor, and some called for a violent response. “Who did it? What is our reaction going to be? And how soon?” Those thoughts ran through the mind of Will Hale, past commander and manager of American Legion Post 19 in downtown Muncie. “My first reaction is, bomb the heck out of them,” Hale said. “I wonder if the government doesn’t already have aircraft under way. They know a whole lot more than we do.” World War II veteran Clinton Beaty said: “This is a terrible
thing. It comes as a heck of a surprise. I was thinking about Pearl Harbor all over again. This is as bad or worse than that. Everything is shut down all over the country. Lord, help us.” Beaty said his mind wasn’t clear enough yet to form an opinion about how the United States should respond. “I guess we should leave it up to the president and his team to do whatever they think is best,” Beaty said. “He’s already said they’ll pay for it.” Jim Voiles, commander of the American Legion post in Cammack, said: “If we find out where it’s coming from, we should take drastic measures. Round up everybody with a Marine card and send them across the pond.” Voiles said if he had been the pilot of one of the hijacked planes that was forced to crash into the World Trade Center or the Pentagon, “I would have told the son of a bitches to shoot me and fly it themselves — everybody on the plane is going to die anyway.” Ron Alexander, a retired
Marine master sergeant, said: “This should be a wake-up call to the American people. This is basically another Pearl Harbor, only a lot worse. It should make people realize we need a larger and better armed forces.” Vietnam veteran John Bultman said, “At least we had an enemy; this is like an invisible enemy.” “Our reaction should be to realize terrorism is now here, not in some other country, not on CNN,” he said. “It’s down the street. I though the first time the World Trade Center had been hit would have woken them up. The World Trade Center has already been hit once, and now it’s gone. If this is how good our counterintelligence is, we’re going to have to reevaluate. This will probably have a bigger impact than Pearl Harbor as far as the death toll.” Bultman was shocked that commercial airlines could be hijacked and flown into buildings. He said on his most recent flight, he couldn’t get his belt buckle past the metal detectors.
Local student travel plans canceled THE STAR PRESS STAFF REPORT
Kurt Hostetler / The Star Press
Delaware County Building security bailiff David Shaw patrols around the County Building on Tuesday morning as justice center guards Greg Taylor (front) and Kirby Johnson (back) secure the ramp to the justice center. Security was heightened after the terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.
Local students scheduled to travel to the nation’s capital or abroad today were grounded. East Jay and West Jay middle schools canceled an eighth-grade field trip to Washington, D.C. that was scheduled to leave on Wednesday. Students will attend classes as usual this week instead. The annual trip might be rescheduled for later in the school year, according to
Barbara Downing, interim superintendent for Jay Schools. “This is a very valuable trip, but we need to [analyze] the situation in the nation’s capital,” she said. School officials are working with the travel agency to postpone the trip, Downing said. Ball State University students had been scheduled to fly out of Indianapolis for the London Centre program and other international programs this morning, but their flights had not left by
the time the Federal Aviation Administration canceled all flights, according to Marc Ransford at University Relations. “Obviously, none of them are leaving today,” Ransford said, adding that students were still at home or were on their way to the Indianapolis airport at the time. Ransford did not know how the plane hijackings and crashes might affect the international programs beyond today’s canceled departures.
Mother fears for her daughter’s safety in New York By JOHN CARLSON The Star Press
ANDERSON — For Kathy Lind, today’s ghastly attack spurred the stark terror of a mother fearing for her child. The former Muncie resident’s
daughter, Allison Moody, works in the World Financial Center just across a plaza from where the World Trade Center towers stood. “It’s a little place to sit . . . and there it is,” the shaken mother said of the buildings’ proximity. Moody, who went to St. Mary’s
“The most productive course would be for us to conduct business as usual. We will be monitoring this throughout the day and keep our concern with those in Washington and New York.” Dan Canan Mayor of Muncie
School in Muncie, has lived in New York since May and was married in August, her mother said. She is an engineer, performing appraisals for railroads, banks and other major interests. Lind learned of the tragedy when friends come to her home
and told her about it. She had been trying to reach her daughter by telephone, but to no avail. “You can’t get through,” she said. “All the lines are busy, or whatever they say.” She called The Star Press hoping for information on damage to
“Our reaction should be to realize terrorism is now here, not in some other country, not on CNN. It’s down the street.” John Bultman Vietnam veteran
buildings that are near the toppled Trade Center towers. An Associated Press story offered at least this much hope: “Much of the downtown district, including the nearby Financial Center, was evacuated,” the wire story reported.
Kaufman’s regular lesson plan for today, understandably, was drastically changed. “In my history class I told my kids that this is exactly what their kids will be reading about years from now,” he said. “We are now living history.” Kaufman, also a part of the Newspapers In Education program, which provides The Star Press to schools, said he will be making sure his students follow up on the events tomorrow. John Robbins, principal at Southside High School, said Wednesday and Thursday would be difficult days. “This certainly affects everyone,” he said. “Some kids will take it harder than others. Maybe some of them might have family members in the service or know someone who was at the Trade Center. “This is a very important, tragic thing that will be talked about [in the classrooms] for several weeks to come.”
Bayh says scene was ‘horrific’ Continued from Page 2
State directors for U.S. Senators Richard Lugar and Evan Bayh said the senators were moved to undisclosed locations. “It’s my understanding that everyone was evacuated,” said Leslie Reser, Lugar’s state director. “Communication has been minimum.” Bayh was at a meeting outside the capital when sirens went off the smoke went up over the Pentagon mall. “It was horrific,” Bayh said. “ This is an act of war.” Besides assisting the families of victims, Bayh said the federal government had to find out who was responsible and respond with strong retaliation. Former U.S. Rep. David McIntosh called today’s terrorist attacks “unbelievable.” “We live in a world where we think this will never happen,” said McIntosh, also a former U.S. Justice Department official. When he worked at the justice department, one of McIntosh’s jobs was clearing surveillance of terrorists. The government either let its ability slide on tracking terrorists or terrorists have done a better job concealing their actions, McIntosh said. Indiana Gov. Frank O’Bannon also called a state of alert this morning, and increased security at government buildings. State police were put on standby.
On the air Many local radio stations switched from their usual formats this morning to broadcast continual news reports or periodic updates. • WLBC 104.1 and WXFN 1340 — broadcasting ABC news. (Other stations owned by the same company, WURK, WERK, WHTY, WHBU and WHIT, used the same broadcasts.) • WMDH 102.5 — broadcasting ABC news. • WBST 92.1 — broadcasting National Public Radio and CNN news.
“Unbelievable, We live in a world where we think this will never happen.” David McIntosh former congressman
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SOMBER ADDRESS: President Bush looks down as he makes a statement Tuesday regarding the terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center in New York. Bush was visiting a school in Florida at the time of the attacks.
COLLAPSE: One of the World Trade Center towers in New York City collapses in this image from television.
PANIC: People run from the collapse of the World Trade Center tower Tuesday in New York City. Two planes crashed into the towers.
CLEANING UP: Harry Shasho sweeps up Tuesday before being evacuated from his vitamin store after the collapse of the World Trade Center.
PRAYERS: Hope College students in Holland, Mich., sing hymns during a prayer service Tuesday in response to news of the World Trade Center attacks in New York.
Photos by The Associated Presss
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PENTAGON RUBBLE: Flames and smoke pour from a building Tuesday at the Pentagon after a direct hit from an aircraft. WATCHING FROM AFAR: Spectators watch the burning World Trade Center towers from the Brooklyn Promenade, across the East River from Manhattan.
RUBBLE: One of the towers of the World Trade Center in New York collapses in this image from television.
COMFORT: A woman who claimed to have lost an aunt in the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York is comforted outside a downtown Los Angeles high rise after it was evacuated Tuesday.
ON GUARD: A pair of unidentified FBI agents stand gaurd at an entrace to the Federal Building in the Westwood district of Los Angeles.
DELAYED: A board shows delayed Southwest flights after the FAA canceled all flights Tuesday.
Photos by The Associated Press
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United says two planes crashed The airline said 110 people were aboard the downed jetliners By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
“I heard the engine gun two different times and then I heard a loud bang, and the windows of the houses all around rattled. I looked up and I saw the smoke coming up.”
SHANKSVILLE, Pa. — Two United Airlines jetliners crashed Tuesday morning, one in western Pennsylvania and the second at a location the airline did not immediately disclose. A total of 110 people were aboard the two planes, the airline said. One plane, United Flight 93, crashed north of the Somerset County airport, a small airport about 80 miles southeast of Pittsburgh. The Pennsylvania crash followed the crash of two planes into the World Trade Center in New York City. American Airlines initially said its planes crashed into the twin towers but later said that was unconfirmed.
Michael R. Merringer near crash scene in Pennsylvania
‘‘It shook the whole station,’’ said Bruce Grine, owner of Grine’s Service Center in Shanksville, about 21⁄2 miles from the crash. ‘‘Everybody ran outside, and by that time the fire whistle was blowing.’’ United said that flight, a Boeing 757, left Newark, N.J., at 8:01 a.m., headed for San Francisco with 38 passengers, two pilots and five flight attendants. A second plane, United Flight 175, a Boeing 767, also crashed, the airline said, but it did not give a location. That plane left Boston at 7:58 a.m., bound for Los Angeles with 56 passengers, two pilots and seven flight attendants, the airline said. United’s pilots union said Flight
175 crashed into the Trade Center. But the airline had no immediate comment. Because of the attacks in New York, the Federal Aviation Administration had ordered all departing flights canceled nationwide, and any planes already in the air were to land a the nearest airport. The Pennsylvania crash came after the order was issued. According to Somerset County dispatchers, Flight 93 crashed about 9 a.m. Muncie time about 8 miles east of Jennerstown, WPXITV in Pittsburgh reported. Michael R. Merringer was out on a mountain bike ride with his wife, Amy, about two miles away from the crash site. ‘‘I heard the engine gun two
different times and then I heard a loud bang and the windows of the houses all around rattled,’’ Merringer said. ‘‘I looked up and I saw the smoke coming up.’’ The couple rushed home and drove near the scene. ‘‘Everything was on fire and there was trees knocked down and there was a big hole in the ground,’’ he said. Earlier Tuesday, terrorists crashed two planes into the World Trade Center and the twin 110story towers collapsed. A plane also hit the Pentagon in Washington. In Chicago, United CEO James Goodwin said the airline was working with authorities including the FBI. United said it was
sending a team to Pennsylvania to assist in the investigation and to provide assistance to family members.a ‘‘Today’s events are a tragedy and our prayers are with everyone at this time,’’ Goodwin said. At Boston’s Logan Airport, Joseph Lawless, director of public safety for the Massachusetts Port Authority, said a family assistance center had been set up and families were arriving at the airport. The three passenger terminals at Newark International Airport were evacuated. At 11:30 a.m., several hundred people were still clustered at the Terminal A baggage carousel, while shotguntoting officers patrolled. Ticket counters were deserted.
World watches in horror By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
The Associated Press
CELEBRATING: A Palestinian woman receives free sweets from a vendor as groups of locals in Jerusalem’s Old City celebrate after hearing the news of a terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York.
Taliban condemns attacks in U.S., denies bin Laden’s involvement By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
KABUL, Afghanistan — Afghanistan’s hardline Taliban rulers condemned the devastating terrorist attacks in New York and Washington on Tuesday and rejected suggestions that Osama bin Laden could be behind them. ‘‘We never support terrorism. We too are targets of terrorism,’’ Abdul bin LADEN Hai Muttmain, the Taliban’s representative in the southern city of Kandahar, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. After the attacks, a Londonbased Arab journalist said followers of bin Laden warned 3 weeks ago that they would carry out a ‘‘huge and unprecedented attack’’ on U.S. interests. Abdel-Bari Atwan, editor of the Al-Quds al-Arabi newspaper, said he received a warning from Islamic fundamentalists close to bin Laden, but did not take the threat seriously. ‘‘They said it would be a huge and unprecedented attack but they did not specify,’’ Atwan said in a telephone interview in London. ‘‘We usually receive this kind
of thing. At the time we did not take the warnings seriously as they had happened several times in the past and nothing happened. ‘‘This time it seems his people were accurate and meant every word they said.’’ Atwan, who interviewed bin Laden in 1996 and has since maintained contacts with his followers, said he believed the attack on the World Trade Center in New York was the work of ‘‘an Islamic fundamentalist group’’ close to bin Laden. But Muttmain, who is the representative for the Taliban’s reclusive leader Mullah Mohammed Omar and one of the most senior Taliban officials, dismissed allegations that bin Laden could be behind the attacks in the United States. ‘‘Such a big conspiracy, to have infiltrated in such a major way is impossible for Osama,’’ said Muttmain. He said bin Laden does not have the facilities to orchestrate such a major assault within the United States. Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers, who espouse a harsh brand of Islamic law, have resisted U.S. demands to hand over bin Laden, indicted in the United States on charges of masterminding the bombings of two U.S. Embassies in East Africa in 1998 that killed 224 people, including 12 Americans.
“This certainly affects everyone. Some kids will take it harder than others. This is a very important, tragic thing that will be talked about [in the classrooms] for several weeks to come.” John Robbins, principal Southside High School
LONDON — Astonishing terrorist strikes in the United States quickly reached a global audience Tuesday, with many around the world watching live coverage as both World Trade Center towers collapsed. In the West Bank city of Nablus, thousands of Palestinians poured into the streets to celebrate, chanting ‘‘God is Great’’ and distributing candy to passers-by, even as their leader, Yasser Arafat, expressed horror over the attacks. Audiences were transfixed by the awful images from New York and Washington, and world leaders expressed solidarity with an America that looked more vulnerable than ever, offering a stream of condolences. Key indexes sank on world stock markets and some European airlines canceled flights to the United States and recalled planes already in the air. Canada closed all border crossings with the United States, although the border with Mexico remained open. Many countries beefed up security at American embassies, and in Oslo, Norwegians left bouquets of flowers in a park near the U.S. Embassy. U.S. armed forces in Europe and Asia were put on high alert, and Israel closed its airspace to foreign flights. NATO and European Union institutions also
In the West Bank city of Nablus, thousands of Palestinians poured into the streets to celebrate, chanting ‘‘God is Great’’ and distributing candy to passers-by, even as their leader, Yasser Arafat, expressed horror over the attacks. took special security measures, including partial evacuations. ‘‘It is impossible to fully comprehend the evil that would have conjured up such a cowardly and depraved assault upon thousands of innocent people,’’ said Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien. Russian President Vladimir Putin expressed condolences to the American people, calling the attacks ‘‘terrible tragedies.’’ ‘‘This mass terrorism is the new evil in our world today,’’ said British Prime Minister Tony Blair. ‘‘It is perpetrated by fanatics who are utterly indifferent to the sanctity of human life, and we the democracies of this world are going to have to come together and fight it together.’’ Queen Elizabeth II said she watched developments in ‘‘growing disbelief and total shock’’ and offered her prayers to Americans. President Jacques Chirac of France called the attacks ‘‘monstrous.’’
‘‘There is no other word for it,’’ he said in a televised statement. Arafat and his top aides followed the events at his seaside office in Gaza City, gathered around a TV set. ‘‘I send my condolences to the president, the government and the people for this terrible incident,’’ Arafat said. ‘‘We are completely shocked. It’s unbelievable.’’ The leaders of Northern Ireland’s joint Protestant-Catholic government, Reg Empey and Seamus Mallon, also offered condolences. ‘‘As a society that has suffered from the effects of terrorism for over 30 years, we have some recognition and understanding of the hurt being felt by the American people,’’ they wrote. ‘‘It is hard to comprehend what could motivate anyone to cause such misery, destruction and deliberate loss of human life.’’ In Berlin, Foreign Ministry officials huddled in a crisis meeting. Virtually all German TV
channels switched to live coverage. ‘‘This is pure mass murder,’’ one commentator said. ‘‘My government condemns these terrorist attacks to the utmost,’’ German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said. Airlines including British Airways, Scandinavia’s SAS and Belgium’s Sabena canceled flights across the Atlantic and recalled planes that were already in the air. In Puerto Rico, people scrambled for news of relatives and friends in New York, where an estimated 2 million Puerto Ricans live. Groups gathered on the corners of cobble-stoned streets in the colonial city of San Juan, clinging to strangers in search of more details. ‘‘Dios mio, have mercy!’’ exclaimed a whited-haired man, making the sign of the cross as he watched the second tower explode on TV. Broadcasters around the world broke into programming to show images of the disaster. ‘‘It’s incredible. I thought I was watching a Hollywood movie,’’ said Hong Kong school teacher Doris Tang. In the Nigerian capital of Abuja, aghast hotel workers at the local Hilton stopped their chores to watch. ‘‘If this can happen in America, then the whole world is not safe,’’ said one, Augustine Okweche.
Theme parks shut down as precaution THE ORLANDO SENTINEL
ORLANDO, Fla. — From the theme parks to Kennedy Space Center to downtown Orlando, Central Florida raced to take unprecedented security precautions Tuesday in the wake of the country’s worst terrorist attack. Walt Disney World, Universal and SeaWorld closed, KSC shut down. Disney closed down its theme parks and shopping areas at 11:25 a.m., announcing the news on loud speakers to guests and cast members, many who had been there since 7 a.m. All four theme parks, all three water parks, all shopping areas, including Downtown Disney and Pleasure Island closed. Disney officials say they do not know how long operations will remain closed. Theme park and store cast members were told to go home, but hotel workers were asked to stay on.
The Associated Press
WATCHING: A crowd gathers in a market in downtown St. Paul, Minn., on Tuesday to watch television coverage of the attacks in New York City and Washington, D.C.
“Obviously, this will be disruptive of business, but it is too early to know any answers after such a tragedy. First, we must think about the people who have been hurt and killed, then we need to consider national security — and what might be next.” Kelly Stanley, CEO, Ontario Corp. Chairman, U.S. Chamber of Commerce
“All of the Muncie Community Schools were told to be aware of the possibility of increased security. Right now that is all we are doing.” Marlin Creasy, superintendent Muncie Community Schools
MUNCIE
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The Star Press
Page designer: K. Scott
The Star Press
“BLACK” Tuesday, September 11, 2001
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SPECIAL REPORT: U.S. UNDER ATTACK
Pentagon hit, one side catches fire and collapses The Pentagon was hit a short while after the World Trade Center was struck. by a plane, described by witnesses as a jetliner. Here’s a look inside the complex:
eet alls .6 f 1 2 er w 9 n s n I e Sid CORRIDOR 3
One side of the Pentagon is slightly longer than three football fields.
t fee 50 s g Rin
Restaurants: Seating for 4,000. About 17,500 meals served daily in one dining room, two cafeterias and six snack bars.
et 8 fe . 0 36
Helicopter landing pad: 12-15 flights a day with 2-3 passengers per flight. Includes control tower.
CORRIDOR 4
Hall of Heroes, second floor
CORRIDOR 2
Portion damaged
CORRIDOR 5
CORRIDOR 6
CORRIDOR 1
The Associated Press
5.1 acre courtyard One side of the Pentagon courtyard is slightly longer than one football field. Courtyard has outdoor snack bar.
The south side of the Pentagon in flames after the attack. RING
RING
A
CORRIDOR 10
CORRIDOR 9
B
RING
C
RING
D
Land area: Building covers 28.7 acres. The White House and grounds sit on 18 acres.
RING
E
CORRIDOR 7
According to rumor: In 1989, Defense Secretary Dick Cheney, on one of his first days in office, became lost in the building's basement and wandered for 10 minutes before finding his way out.
CORRIDOR 8
Subway, mall, visitors’ entrance
THE BUILDING OF THE PENTAGON
Construction began on Aug. 11, 1941, and took 16 months to finish. Up to 15,000 workers were employed at any one time on the 6.5 million-square-foot building. First completed portion was occupied on May 1, 1942.
CONSTRUCTION 10” of concrete
6” of Indiana limestone
Walls
8” of bricks
5.5” concrete Floor
COSTS Pennsylvania Ave.
Height 71 feet 3.5 inches
NUTS AND BOLTS Total length of corridors 17.5 miles Stairways 150 Escalators 19 Elevators 13 Fire hose cabinets 672 Light fixtures 85,000 Lamp replacements (daily) 250 Clocks 4,200 Plumbing fixtures 4,900 Telephones 22,500
N WORKERS
31,419
Peak (1952)
25,000
Now RIVER ENTRANCE
Washington, D.C.
White House
Windows: 7,748 (metal frames, most are rusted)
Va.
The Mall Washington Monument
$1.1 billion
Pentagon rests on 41,492 concrete piles, which if placed end to end, would stretch to 200 miles. Piles were needed because it was built on Potomac River flood plain.
THE SHAPE
1
Designers discovered the pentagonal shape created maximum space and efficiency. No two officers are more than a seven-minute walk apart. Rooms are designated by floor, ring and corridor.
Plane hits Pentagon 395 Potomac
$35 million $87 million
THE FOUNDATION
Constitution Ave.
Arlington National Cemetery
Projected construction cost Actual construction cost 1993 dollars
1/2
mile
River
Source: The Pentagon: The First Fifty Years; Pentagon Tidbits; The Pentagon Renovation Program, USA TODAY research
The Star Press
State-by-state reaction to Tuesday’s terrorist attacks on U.S. soil By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Some precautions taken around the nation in the wake of the terrorist attacks: The Federal Aviation Administration shut down airports nationwide. ALABAMA: Security increased at military bases including Redstone Arsenal, site of the Army missile command and NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. ALASKA: Military bases were placed on high alert, FBI coordinating with other federal agencies to check major buildings in Anchorage, the state’s largest city. Security also heightened along the trans-Alaska pipeline, which supplies the nation with about one-fifth of its oil needs. CALIFORNIA: Airports closed, as are other landmarks, including Knott’s Berry Farm in Orange County, the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles and the city’s 74-story Library Tower, at 1,700 feet the tallest building west of the Mississippi River. State on high alert. State’s Emergency Council convened as Gov. Gray Davis requested heightened security at all state buildings. COLORADO: City and state officials stepped up security around government buildings. City opened an emergency preparedness office in the base-
ment of City Hall, where representatives of police, fire and health agencies, public transportation officials, Denver International Airport and utilities were gathering. FLORIDA: Security heightened at federal courts. Walt Disney World evacuated and closed its four theme parks and shopping and entertainment complex. Space shuttle operations halted, 12,000 employees of Kennedy Space Center sent home. Increased surveillance, with helicopter patrols and extra gate checks in place. Skeleton crew remains at launch control center. GEORGIA: All flights at Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport, the nation’s busiest, stopped. The CNN Center, world headquarters of Cable News Network, closed to the public, although journalists at CNN and The Associated Press remained. Legislators stopped their session to sing God Bless America. ILLINOIS: Sears Tower shut down, state government buildings in Chicago and Springfield closed. National Guard on state of heightened alert in Illinois. INDIANA: Federal offices on alert. KENTUCKY: Southern Governors’ Association canceled annual fall meeting so governors of Arkansas, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky and West Virginia could
head back to their states. LOUISIANA: Upper floors of the 34-floor Capitol building closed. Louisiana Offshore Oil Port, which handles supertankers in the Gulf of Mexico, suspends operations. State’s 19 oil refineries on alert. MAINE: Federal courthouses and state office buildings closed. MARYLAND: Officials tightening security throughout the state. Security heightened at Andrews Air Force Base. BaltimoreWashington International Airport taking arrivals not departing flights. MICHIGAN: Tunnel between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario, closed to car traffic and security increased along the Canadian border. Internal Revenue Service closes 18 Michigan offices. MINNESOTA: Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport shut down. Evacuation of the 51-story IDS Center, the state’s tallest building, located in downtown Minneapolis. The Mall of America, in suburban Bloomington, and World Trade Center in St. Paul closed. NEBRASKA: State employees responding to requests for blood donations. Security was heightened at Offutt Air Force Base near Omaha. Churches in Norfolk and Fremont areas holding or planning prayer services for victims. NEVADA: Security increased
at casinos on the Las Vegas Strip, at federal buildings across the state and Nellis Air Force Base near Las Vegas. Flights suspended. NEW JERSEY: Airports and river crossings into New York City closed. Traffic reported snarled on the New Jersey Turnpike. At Newark International Airport, officers with shotguns blocked the road leading to Port Authority offices and the air traffic control tower. Security increased at state buildings in Trenton. Liberty State Park closed. Federal buildings and courthouses closed. NEW YORK: Courts closed. Security clamped down across the state. Security increased at border points. Gov. George Pataki canceled his New York City events. NEW YORK CITY: Subway lines shut down; some limited service later restored. Mayoral primary election called off. Airports closed. Trading on Wall Street suspended. United Nations building evacuated. Many offices throughout Manhattan closed. Cellular phone service crippled. Regular phone service congested. Evacuations from Wall Street to the United Nations. Lower Manhattan closed to all but emergency vehicles. Bridges and tunnels into Manhattan closed. NORTH CAROLINA: Security was heightened at the Marine
Corps’ Camp Lejeune and its air base at Cherry Point. The old Capitol Building, which houses the governor’s office, closed; security tightened at other state government buildings in Raleigh. OKLAHOMA: Gov. Frank Keating ordered all state office buildings closed. Oklahoma City police created a one-block perimeter around the jail, where bombing conspirator Terry Nichols is housed. PENNSYLVANIA: Philadelphia International Airport closed. High-profile tourist attractions like the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall closed. SOUTH CAROLINA: All federal courthouses closed. At Fort Jackson in Columbia, the Army’s largest training facility was closed anyone without military identification. SOUTH DAKOTA: Commercial flights from Sioux Falls, Rapid City, Pierre and other South Dakota cities grounded. TENNESSEE: Department of Energy’s nuclear weapons and research complex in Oak Ridge put under heightened security. All flights from Tennessee’s major airports grounded. Planes were allowed to land. TEXAS: Some office buildings evacuated. Flights out of DallasFort Worth International Airport canceled and Austin-Bergstrom International closed. City Hall in El Paso closed.
UTAH: Security tightened at Hill Air Force Base in Ogden. The Deseret Chemical Depot near Tooele is at highest alert. Salt Lake International Airport shut down and some federal employees sent home. VERMONT: Federal buildings in Montpelier and Burlington open. State’s lone atomic plant placed on heightened security. VIRGINIA: Navy installations throughout Hampton Roads, home of the world’s largest Navy base, placed under an increased security condition. The 192nd Virginia Air National Guard 192nd fighter squadron, an attack unit of fully armed F-16 fighter jets that will patrol the nation’s East Coast, were put on alert with orders to down any unauthorized aircraft. WASHINGTON: Airports and military bases throughout the state boosted security. Outgoing flights canceled at SeattleTacoma International Airport, but planes allowed to land. Federal Court House in downtown Seattle on high alert. WEST VIRGINIA: Chemical plant security heightened. Flights out of Charleston’s Yeager Airport, West Virginia’s largest, suspended. Capitol Complex evacuated, increased security at other state buildings. Federal courthouses closed.
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MUNCIE Page 8
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DATE_9-11-01 The Star Press
SECTION_A
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★ FIRST EDITION ★
The Star Press
YELLOW RED
BLUE
Tuesday, September 11, 2001
“BLACK” Page designer: K. Scott
SPECIAL REPORT: U.S. UNDER ATTACK
Target: World Trade Center Twin tower turmoil About 50,000 people work in the World Trade Center. Here’s a look at the complex:
The skyscraper’s history
New York
Map area
Maine Vt.
N.H.
Mass. Conn.
R.I.
Pa. N.J.
Long Island
Church St.
y hwa Hig ide st S We
■ Built 1968-1973. 0 20 ■ Designed by architects Minoru Yamasaki and Emery Roth and the Garden miles structural engineering firm of Skilling, State Helle, Christianson and Pkwy. 80 Robinson. ■ Twin skyscrapers of 13 million square N.J. New York feet. 280 ■ Total construction costs: $750 million. 495 ■ Second tallest Jersey City building at 110 stories (1,350 ft.) high. The World 278 95 ■ Built using a Trade Center braced tubular N cantilever system: each New York City World Trade Center wall is a rigid truss, four trusses Vesey St. are joined at the U.S. Customs corners; resulting in NE Plaza a continuous tube Fulton St. of square sections that resist the forces Tower of the wind. One Dey St. A metal-mesh skin supports the bulk Concourse level of the towers weight, Vista unlike typical modern Hotel skyscrapers, which Cortlandt St. Tower are supported on Two SE Plaza a steel frame. Liberty St.
Sources: NYC Access, GNS research
The Star Press
Engineers shocked by towers’ collapse The building was designed to withstand impact of a jet CHICAGO TRIBUNE
CHICAGO — The World Trade Center, a symbol of American economic might, survived one terrorist attack in 1993. It was designed to withstand the impact of a jet, but both its towers collapsed this morning after planes rammed them. The structural engineer who designed the towers said as recently as last week that their steel columns could remain standing if they were hit by a 707. Les Robertson, the Trade Center’s structural engineer, spoke last week at a conference on tall buildings in Frankfurt, Germany. He was asked during a questionand-answer session what he had done to protect the twin towers from terrorist attacks, according to Joseph Burns, a principal at the Chicago firm of ThorntonThomasetti Engineers. Burns, who was present, said that Robertson said of the center, ‘‘I designed it for a 707 to smash into it.’’ Burns, whose firm did the structural engineering for the Petronas Twin Towers in Malaysia — the world’s tallest buildings — said Robertson did not elaborate on the remark. Robertson could not be reached early Tuesday. Completed in 1972 and 1973, the 110-story twin towers were the fifth and sixth tallest buildings in the world. One World Trade Center, finished in 1972, was briefly after its construction the world’s tallest building. The towers have been called ‘‘a monumental gate to New York and the United States.’’ They withstood the 1993 attack, when a bomb-laden van exploded, killing six people and injuring more than 1,000. Closely spaced steel columns that ringed their perimeter held up the World Trade Center towers. Chicago’s Aon Center (formerly the Amoco Building), completed in 1973, uses a similar support system, known to structural engineers as a ‘‘tube.’’
Completed in 1972 and 1973, the 110-story twin towers were the fifth and sixth tallest buildings in the world.
Shocked by the building’s collapse, structural engineers pointed to fire as the likely cause of the structural failure. ‘‘Fire melts steel,’’ Burns said. In addition, he said, the impact of the plane could have severely damaged the building’s sprinklers, allowing the fire to rage, despite fireproofing supposed to protect steel columns and beams. ‘‘You never know in an explosion like that whether they [the sprinklers] get cut off,’’ Burns said. Architects Minoru Yamasaki and Associates, in association with Emery Roth & Sons, designed the World Trade Center. The structural engineers were the firm of Skilling, Helle, Christiansen, Robertson. The developer was The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Tuesday’s attack marked the second time that a plane has crashed into a New York City skyscraper, although the first incident was an accident. In 1945, a B-25 flying at 200 miles per hour slammed into the 78th and 79th floors of the Empire State Building, gouging an 18-by-20-foot hole 913 feet above the streets of Manhattan. The pilot, Lt. Col. William F. Smith Jr., had been heading from New York’s LaGuardia Airport to Newark, N.J., when he became disoriented. Fourteen people died in the crash and the fire that followed — three people in the plane and 11 in what was then the world’s tallest building.
“People everywhere was just looking at the sky. It was odd. There wasn’t mass chaos. It wasn’t like things were out of control. There was just a constant array of sirens and vehicles going everywhere.” Delaware County Sheriff Steve Aul Vacationing in Washington since Friday
‘Everyone was screaming, crying, running – cops, people, firefighters, everyone’ By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — It was the scene of a nightmare: people on fire jumping in terror from the Trade Towers just before the buildings collapsed. ‘‘Everyone was screaming, crying, running — cops, people, firefighters, everyone,’’ said Mike Smith, a fire marshal from Queens, as he sat by the fountain outside a state courthouse, shortly after the second tower collapsed. ‘‘A couple of marshals just picked me up and dragged me down the street. It’s like a war zone.’’ Others compared it to Pearl Harbor as thousands of people poured off the Brooklyn Bridge, fleeing Manhattan covered in gray dust and debris. Many wore respiratory masks, given by the police and fire departments. Ambulances screamed down every major thoroughfare in Manhattan, depositing casualties at hospitals and returning to get more. Clusters of people, their hands clutched to their heads in horror, stood at boomboxes set up outside stores to listen to the news. Others gathered around cars, their doors open and radios turned up high. Looking down West Broadway through billowing brown and black smoke, Tower Two tilted across the street. Ash, 2 inches deep, lined the streets. Police and firefighters gasped for air as they emerged from the sealed-off area. At least three explosions were heard, perhaps from gas lines. Army Humvees whizzed by on their way downtown. Workers from Trade Center offices wandered lower Manhattan in a daze, many barely able to believe they were alive. Kenny Johannemann, a janitor, described seeing a man engulfed in flames at One World Trade Center just after the first explosion. He grabbed the man, put the fire out, and dragged him outside. Then Johannemann heard a second explosion — and saw people jumping from the upper stories of the Twin Towers. ‘‘It was horrendous; I can’t describe it,’’ Johannemann said as he stood outside the building. Donald Burns, 34, was being evacuated from a meeting on the 82nd floor of One World Trade Center, when saw four severely burned people on the stairwell. ‘‘I tried to help them but they didn’t want anyone to touch them. The fire had melted their skin. Their clothes were tattered,’’ he said. After the initial blast, Housing Authority worker Barry Jennings, 46, reported to a command center
The Associated Press
WITNESSES: People in front of New York City’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral react with horror as they look down Fifth Avenue toward the World Trade Center. on the 23rd floor of 7 World Trade Center. He was with Michael Hess, the city’s corporation counsel, when they felt and heard another explosion. First calling for help, they scrambled downstairs to the lobby, or what was left of it. ‘‘I looked around, the lobby was gone. It looked like hell,’’ Jennings said. Boris Ozersky, 47, computer networks analyst, was on the 70th floor of one of the buildings when he felt something like an explosion rock it. He raced down 70 flights of stairs, and outside, in a mob in front of a nearby hotel. He was trying to calm a panicked women when the building suddenly collapsed. ‘‘I just got blown somewhere, and then it was total darkness. We tried to get away, but I was blown to the ground. And I was trying to help this woman, but I couldn’t find her in the darkness,’’ Ozersky said. After the dust cleared, he found the hysterical woman and took her to a restaurant being used by rescue workers as a triage center. As most people fled the area, others were drawn to it — desperate for information about friends and relatives who worked there. ‘‘I don’t know what to do,’’ a weeping Alan Rivera said as he
stood behind barricades, hoping for word about his niece, who worked in the Trade Center. ‘‘I can’t get through to her on the phone. . . . No one can tell me anything.’’ Businessman Gabriel Ioan wept too. ‘‘I just saw the building I work in come down,’’ he said, a cloud of smoke and ash from the World Trade Center behind him. ‘‘I just saw the top of Trade Two come down.’’ Nearby a crowd mobbed a man on a pay-phone, screaming at him to get off the phone so that they could call relatives. ‘‘People were jumping out of windows,’’ said an unidentified crying woman. ‘‘I guess people were trying to save themselves. Oh my God!’’ Another eyewitness, AP newsman Dunstan Prial, described a strange sucking sound from the Trade Center buildings after the first building collapsed. ‘‘Windows shattered. People were screaming and diving for cover. People walked around like ghosts, covered in dirt, weeping and wandering dazed.’’ ‘‘It sounded like a jet or rocket,’’ said Eddie Gonzalez, a postal worker at a post office on West Broadway. ‘‘I looked up and saw a
huge explosion. I didn’t see the impact. I just saw the explosion.’’ Morning commuters heading into Manhattan were stranded as the Lincoln Tunnel was shut down to incoming traffic. Many left their cars and stood on the ramp leading to the tunnel, staring in disbelief at the thick cloud of smoke pouring from the top of the two buildings. Throughout lower Manhattan, rescue workers and police officers wore surgical masks to protect them from the dust. Police, some of them with semiautomatic rifles and dogs, guarded federal and state buildings and prevented anyone from entering. At the city’s hospitals, hundreds lined up to give blood, after hospital workers yelled on the streets, ‘‘Blood donations! Blood donations!’’ Roman Catholic Cardinal Edward Egan arrived at St. Vincent’s Catholic Medical Center to comfort the injured; other priests also were on hand, many wearing blue rubber gloves. Mark Ackermann, chief corporate officer at St. Vincent’s, said: ‘‘I was here during the World Trade Center bombing [in 1993] and this is a hundred times worse.’’
Bush promises U.S. will find terrorists By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
BARKSDALE AIR FORCE BASE, La. — As chaos unhinged New York and Washington, President Bush deplored the acts of ‘‘a faceless coward’’ and commanded the United States military to highalert status worldwide. ‘‘The resolve of our great nation is being tested. But make no mistake, we will BUSH show the world that we will pass this test,’’ Bush declared Tuesday as terrorist strikes on the nation’s centers of commerce and government forced him into virtual hiding. ‘‘Freedom itself was attacked this morning by a faceless coward and freedom will be defended,’’ he
said. With the White House itself under threat of attack, the president’s whereabouts were kept secret. He made a brief statement from a conference room here, assuring Americans that he is in regular contact with his command post in Washington: Vice President Dick Cheney, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and the White House national security team. ‘‘Our military at home and around the world is on high-alert status and we have taken the necessary security precautions to continue the functions of your government,’’ Bush said, his back to a pair of American flags and the portraits of Air Force leaders. ‘‘We have been in touch with the leaders of Congress and with world leaders to assure them that we will do whatever is necessary to protect America and Americans.’’
“We’re encouraging people to try to contact [the persons they’re concerned about] directly for 24 hours.” Stephanie White director of communications American Red Cross, Muncie
He then boarded Air Force One at 12:30 p.m. Muncie for a destination unknown. The Boeing 747 taxied down the runway at Barksdale, near Shreveport, but the small pool of reporters on board were ordered off their cell phones and, contrary to normal practice, no journalists were allowed on base to watch the plane lift off. The president had landed here just 90 minutes earlier under escort by military fighter jets, arriving from Florida where he had intended to make an education speech. At the first reports of attacks on New York’s World Trade Center, Bush told his Sarasota elementary school audience that he was hastening back to Washington. All of that immediately changed — and he was diverted to Louisiana — when a plane slammed into the Pentagon, and Washington, too, was under attack.
Secret Service agents took the extraordinary step of ‘‘sweeping’’ White House aides for explosives and weapons before they were allowed to board the president’s plane for his flight out of Sarasota. On Capitol Hill, first lady Laura Bush, who was to have made her debut testifying before the Senate on education, tried to soothe a horrified nation. ‘‘Parents need to reassure their children everywhere in our country that they’re safe,’’ she said grim-faced as she and Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., announced their hearing was postponed. Mrs. Bush and a handful of aides were whisked by motorcade straight to a secure location away from the White House, which had been evacuated but for the small corps of foreign policy advisers who manned the basement Situation Room.
“The people of Indiana should be confident that our national government and our military is on the job. We will prevail. We will respond..” U.S. Rep. Mike Pence Indiana, 2nd District