Direct confirmation that a 4:15pm report, Witnesses tell of horror at New York carnage, found on the Thomas Crosbie breaking news archive, is sourced to the Associated Press, comes by comparing it with two early AP articles written by Helen O'Neill out of New York, ‘People were jumping out of windows,' found here in an Atlanta Journal pdf., and, "Pandemonium at ground zero of attack," found in a Seattle Times posting. Between the two, nearly the entire wire report is accounted for.
The alternative Associated Press archive for September 11tth, 2001, " 25 AP News Alerts, 18 Bulletins and Two 'Flashes", contains no reports out of New York from between 1:00pm and 10:30pm. An APNewsAlert out of New York from 11:15am, is headed, "Mayor Giuliani says: "I have a sense it's a horrendous number of lives lost," and although the body of that report isn't publicly available, its title quote is anomalous to O'Neill's subject matter.
This report didn't really need further attribution to the AP, since two eyewitness sources quoted within it, Associated Press newsman Dunstan Prial, and Joan Goldstein, communications project leader for AP, provide internal verification. All together, they help support the identification of the Thomas Moore archive as the legitimate AP breaking news archive.
4:15 PM Witnesses tell of horror at New York carnage
Eyewitnesses today spoke of their horror
as they saw terrorist attacks reduce parts
of New York to crumbling, smoking ruins.
On the streets of Manhattan, people
stood in groups talking quietly or watching
on television at ground-level network studios.
(Seattle Times)NEW YORK — It was the scene of a nightmare: people on fire jumping in terror from the World Trade Center 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.
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 the Supreme Court
building 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. There are
many injured.’’
This was the horror unfolding in
New York City in the wake of an
apparent terrorist attack.
(Atlanta Journal) ‘‘I just saw the building I work in come down,’’ said businessman Gabriel Ioan, shaking in shock outside City Hall with a cloud of smoke and ash from the World Trade Center behind him. ‘‘I just saw the top of Trade Two come down.’’
‘‘I just saw the building I work in
come down,’’ said businessman Gabriel
Loan, shaking in shock outside
City Hall as a cloud of smoke and ash
from the World Trade Center billowed
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.
Nearby, a crowd mobbed a man on
a pay phone, screaming at him to get
off so that they could call relatives.
Dust and dirt flew everywhere. Ash was two to three inches deep in places. People wandered dazed and terrified.
Dust and dirt flew everywhere. Ash
was 2 to 3 inches deep in places. People
wandered dazed and terrified.
‘‘People were jumping out of windows,’’
said an unidentified crying
woman. ‘‘I guess people were trying to
save themselves. Oh my God!’’
‘‘I was in the World Financial Center looking out the window,’’ said one woman. ‘‘I saw the first plane and then 15 minutes later saw the other plane just slam into the World Trade Center.’’
‘‘I was in the World Financial Center
looking out the window,’’ said one
woman. ‘‘I saw the first plane and then
15 minutes later saw the other plane
just slam into the World Trade
Center.’’
Another eyewitness, Associated Press newsman Dunstan Prial, described a strange sucking sound from the Trade Center buildings after the first building collapsed.
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.’’
‘‘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.’’
‘‘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 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.
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.
Joan Goldstein, communications project leader for AP, was on a bus from New Jersey when she saw ‘‘smoke pouring out of the World Trade Center building. We said, ‘Oh, my God! The World Trade Center’s on fire!’’ Perhaps 10 minutes later, ‘‘All of a sudden, there was an orange plume, a huge explosion. It shot out the back of the building. Everybody on the bus was just moaning and gasping,’’ said Goldstein, who wept and trembled as she spoke.
Joan Goldstein, communications
project leader for the Associated Press,
was on a bus from New Jersey at
about 8:50 a.m. when she saw ‘‘smoke
pouring out of the World Trade Center
building. We said, ‘Oh, my God! The
World Trade Center’s on fire!’ ’’
Perhaps 10 minutes later, ‘‘All of a
sudden, there was an orange plume, a
huge explosion. It shot out the back of
the building. Everybody on the bus
was just moaning and gasping.’’
The plume was from the second plane,
but she didn’t see the plane because
of the thick smoke.
She tried to call friends who work there,
but couldn’t get through.
"It was the most horrible thing I’ve ever
seen in my life," said Goldstein.
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