America at war! (1941–) – Part 5

7722

Plane pierces skyscraper, wing falls block away

By Stanley Lomax

NEW YORK (UP) – I shouted: “climb fool, climb.”

A second later I saw the plane crash into the Empire State Building with a force that drove the engine and the cockpit into the skyscraper and sent out a tower of flame 100 feet wide and 100 feet high.

I was driving to work when I heard the roar of the plane’s engines. I looked up, and then I knew it would crash. It was an Army plane a B-25, obviously in trouble. Its course was straight down Fifth Avenue, and the pilot must have known when I saw the plane that he would hit the building. He pulled up a little, but not enough, and the plane crashed.

It hit at the 78th floor, where there’s a recess in the building, just below the observation tower. The left wing catapulted up into the fog and then over toward Madison Avenue, one block east.

The plane just hung there for about five minutes. As soon as it struck, with a crash like thunder in a nightmare, the entire floor where it hit burst into the same golden, blinding flames as the plane had done. It was as though someone had thrown a switch.

Then the floor above flamed up within 30 seconds. It was all so quick.

The cockpit of the plane was drive so deep into the building that the pilot and his crew must have been burned to death within an instant.

It was all like a hideous dream, maybe because the fog made it seem unreal. Not more than 100 feet above the plane, the fog hugged the tower and little wisps of it reached down, like they were trying to cover the tragedy.

Then the fire department got there. They must have come within two minutes after the crash. Twenty trucks roared down Fifth Avenue.

Office workers flee

By that time the flames were covering three or four floors, it seemed. Maybe I was wrong.

Maybe the flames or the tears I couldn’t stop made me a little crazy.

The office workers poured out of the Empire State Building, as many as could escape I’ve never seen such frightened people. I knew what they were thinking. I’d thought about it myself, plenty of times.

What if a bomb ever hit the Empire State? Well, now I know.

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7723

Plane blast blows girl from elevator, across hall

‘Not surprised at crash,’ declares eyewitness on 75th floor
By James W. Irwin

The author of the following dispatch is president of the James W. Irwin Co. management consultants.

NEW YORK (UP) – At about 10 a.m. today I was sitting alone in my office on the 75th floor of the Empire State Building.

Outside the windows there was a dense fog.

The roar of airplanes going overhead is a familiar sound to those of us who have offices in this giant structure.

But this morning I heard one coming that seemed to be headed right my way.

I ran into the hall as the roar increased. Just as I hit the hall the plane struck.

Blows girl across hall

A girl elevator operator had just opened the door of the elevator shaft on my floor. The blast blew her all the way across the hall.

She is in the next office as I dictate this to the United Press. No first aid has reached us as yet. We are isolated.

There are at least 11 other casualties on this floor alone, mostly women, some of them badly burned.

I am told that the plane struck the building several floors above my office. That would be hard to tell from here. The halls are still so full of fumes that we are afraid to use the stairs.

Not surprised at crash

The screaming and general hubbub up here is so terrific that I can hardly hear over the telephone, but now things are quieting down.

All of my windows are gone and the hallways are littered with glass.

I don’t want to claim too much, but I must say that I am not too surprised at what has happened. We hear these planes all the time and frequently they sound like they are coming awfully close.

Fortunately the building was not too full of tenants this morning because so many people take Saturday off. I don’t know what happened to the people on the floor where the plane struck.

Office shattered

This was a variable foggy morning. Sometimes I could see other buildings in the neighborhood and then the fog would close in and I couldn’t see anything. That is the way it was when I heard the plane roaring in. It was spitting rain.

Now at 10:30 I can hear noises from the street below. Glass seems to be falling continually.

Returning to my office after the blast, I saw how lucky it was that I got out into the hall. I would have been full of splintered glass if I’d been in here when it hit.

Firemen pant up stairs

Now, at 10:35, the first firemen have reached us on the 75th floor. They came panting up the stairs and said anybody who was able could start walking down the 75 flights. They said the fumes were clearing out.

There is no question about what side of the building the plane hit. My office is on the Northside (Uptown side) and it hit right above me.

On a later call to the UP offices, Mr. Irwin said that in addition to hearing the approaching plane he could actually see it hurtling through the fog and rain.

“That’s why I ducked,” he said.

After the firemen got up here, they began carrying people out, or at least helping them down the emergency stairways. People coming down from up above seemed dazed and couldn’t tell much about what had happened. All they wanted was to get to the street.

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7724

Record Navy raid rocks Jap fleet

2,000 U.S., British carrier planes resume attack on base at Kure

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7725

Battle raging off Malaya, Japs report

Tokyo gives new details on invasion

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7726

Attlee, Bevin off to resume Potsdam talks

New premier names six to cabinet

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7727

War of nerves aimed at Japs

Next move may be made by Russia
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7728

Senate vote due today on Charter

Congress to aid in assigning troops

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7729

Petain labeled collaborationist

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7730

Chinese capture Kweilin air base

CHUNGKING, China (UP) – The Chinese communiqué tonight reported that Kweilin, the former great American air base city in Kwangsi Province, has been recaptured by Chinese forces.

The reoccupation of the city was completed at 10 p.m. yesterday, the communiqué reported, by troops under the command of Gen. Tang En-po.

Jap forces were reported fleeing to the northeast with Chinese in hot pursuit in hope of annihilating the Japs.

7731

I DARE SAY —
The bad boys

By Florence Fisher Parry

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7732

Big Three ready to resume its session

Leaders eager to complete work

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7733

Hundreds of Yank airmen reported lynched by Nazis

Document found ordering police to take no action against civilians in killings

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7734

In Washington –
Truman to get troop problem

Senate group studies railroad tangle

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7735

Strikes show drop of 229 in six months

2,310 walkouts are reported

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7736

Memorial wreath put on Pyle’s grave

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2 Roosevelts, Pyle honored by Legion

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7737

U.S. sub chaser, landing ship lost

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48 lost as Japs hit battleship

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7738

Film actor jailed as drunken driver

HOLLYWOOD, California (UP) – Lawrence Tierney, 26, best known for his movie role as gangster John Dillinger, was serving a 10-day jail sentence today on his third conviction for drunkenness in less than three months.

Tierney was sentenced by Judge Cecil D. Holland, who had fined him $25 May 2 and again June 5. Police arrested Tierney for the third time yesterday.

7739

U.S. TAKES HARD STAND TOWARD BERLIN CIVILIANS
Soft treatment rumors hit by military chief

Colonel emphasizes they started war

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7740

10 Yank POWs killed in B-29 raid, Japs say

A Jap propaganda broadcast said today that 10 American prisoners of war were killed and five others were missing ss a result of a B-29 Superfortress raid on Kawasaki, an industrial suburb of Tokyo, Wednesday night.

The broadcast said the victims were inmates of a prisoner-of-war camp at Kawasaki. Nine others were said to have been injured in the bombing.

7741

Editorial: Britons willing to die

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