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Discussion Topic:
JULY 1945
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greggwebs |
07-04-2005 @ 4:39 PM
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My mother worked for the University of California at the time of the plane crash. They were on the 67th floor (I think) and under tight security as this was an R & D office for the Manhattan Project (atomic bomb). They thought they were personally under attack because of their work and were rushed out, with everyone else, by what was then the Secret Service. Everyone working in the offices had top secret clearance. She saw parts of the plane drop from above into a flower shop down below. According to what she heard at the time the plane was NOT off course but simply on a joy ride to tour manhattan when they got lost in the fog.
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greggwebs |
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07-08-2005 @ 9:52 AM
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My mother worked for the University of California at the time of the plane crash. They were on the 67th floor (I think) and under tight security as this was an R & D office for the Manhattan Project (atomic bomb). They thought they were personally under attack because of their work and were rushed out, with everyone else, by what was then the Secret Service. Everyone working in the offices had top secret clearance. She saw parts of the plane drop from above into a flower shop down below. According to what she heard at the time the plane was NOT off course but simply on a joy ride to tour manhattan when they got lost in the fog.
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greggwebs |
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08-20-2005 @ 9:54 AM
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My mother worked for the University of California at the time of the plane crash. They were on the 67th floor (I think) and under tight security as this was an R & D office for the Manhattan Project (atomic bomb). They thought they were personally under attack because of their work and were rushed out, with everyone else, by what was then the Secret Service. Everyone working in the offices had top secret clearance. She saw parts of the plane drop from above into a flower shop down below. According to what she heard at the time the plane was NOT off course but simply on a joy ride to tour manhattan when they got lost in the fog.
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Charles |
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12-12-2005 @ 12:54 PM
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Theres an old story in my family that that I have not yet confirmed.
A member of my family in Jefferson. County, Alabama married ---- Smith, her husband joined the US Navy
at the start of WW2 and was assigned to the USS Sims.
The Sims was sunk 7 May 1942 at the battle of the Coral Sea and her husband went down with the ship.
---- Smith took the death of her husband extremly hard and mourned for a very long time.
On May 7 of 1945 she got the news that her brother Col. William Smith was killed when his plane crashed into the Empire State Bldg.Already in a weakened state of mind as more news was reported she soon went into a mental breakdown and was admitted to a hospital.
This is all I know of this story, if anyone knows where Col.William Smith "the pilot of the B-25" was from or who his parents were please E-Mail them to me out of respect for members of his family
PLEASE DO NOT PUT THEIR NAMES ON THE NET.
Thank you
Charles
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pbrown |
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05-02-2006 @ 0:38 AM
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I am having a hard time understanding how the ESB, a building that was completed in 1931, did not collapse under stress like the trade center buildings when it was struck by a large plane. I've been doing research and this is the best and most similar instance I can find that compares with the planes striking the trade centers. The WTC buildings completed in 1970 and 1973 were far more advanced in structure and yet both of them fell from a plane's impact. This to me is impossible. Meaning I think there were other detonations in the buildings. Anyone have a take on this?
pb
Paul Brown
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Crawdad |
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05-25-2006 @ 4:58 PM
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Interestingly enough, my brother and I, (ages 7 and 10 at that time), lived on the corner of West End Avenue and 71st St. and saw the crash site shortly after it occurred after hearing about it on the radio.
We used binoculars from our 11th story apartment window that faced east, but also south, so were able to view the hole on the north face of the ESB.
One other comment, in a message from "Charles" earlier on in this forum, he mentions that the sister of the pilot who crashed into the building was notified as follows:
"On May 7 of 1945 she got the news that her brother Col. William Smith was killed when his plane crashed into the Empire State Bldg."
That's a little hard to swallow unless she had precognition since the crash occurred in July.
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greggwebs |
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05-25-2006 @ 5:59 PM
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Two things immediately come to mind. #1 - The B-25 Bomber is a toy airplane next to a modern commercial airliner. #2 - The ESB, while much older, is a brick sh#&house compared to the WTC construction techniques. There is a documentary about the massive construction of the ESB worth seeing. I would suggest to you that if the WTC used the same construction materials as the ESB they would still be standing - tho the size and impact of a big modern jetliner may have taken down anything. It would be interesting to see a computer generated comparision of the load factors and statistics.
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RayBurghen |
08-02-2006 @ 3:19 PM
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To E P Becker:
Hi!
You don't know me, I was a friend of your mother (if she is Jennifer Dearing), back around 1951-1956. We were at Bennett HS together, in Buffalo, NY. I believe she attended in 1954-1956. I started in 1952.
She told me that her father, a reporter in the Empire State Building, was killed when an airplane crashed into his office.
I was researching the crash, when I found your post, and was surprised over the inquirery. That was over 50 years ago.
Hope you and yours are well. If your mother is still living, give her my best regards.
Sincerly,
"Man learns from history only that he learns nothing from history."
Ray
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RayBurghen |
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08-04-2006 @ 2:40 PM
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"I would suggest to you that if the WTC used the same construction materials as the ESB they would still be standing - tho the size and impact of a big modern jetliner may have taken down anything. It would be interesting to see a computer generated comparision of the load factors and statistics."
I heard that there was three(3)explosions after the crash into the WTC that actually brought the buildings down. The buildings fell like a planned demolition. Could there be more here than meets the eye? How safe is the ESB in this reign of terror?
"Man learns from history only that he learns nothing from history."
Ray
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greggwebs |
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08-04-2006 @ 3:09 PM
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My mother was Ida Shaffer known as "Peggy" - she passed away last week and was 85 years old. The plane came into the floor that was occupied by Catholic Charities (it may have been Catholic Relief Services - I am not certain) and killed just about everyone in their offices. Someone with that agency probably has a record of the events that day.
I always find it interesting that most people, even those in their 60's & 70's (and New Yorkers at the time) do not know of this event tho their parents certainly discussed the incident at length. It really didn't come to light until 911.
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