Free Republic

ntil yesterday, when the Port Authority released its raw historical records from Sept. 11, the two men were remembered from glimpses as the north tower of the World Trade Center was heaving toward collapse. One was short, the other tall. They carried a crowbar, a flashlight and walkie talkies. Beyond that, say some who survived that day, the smoke had blurred their faces and hair and clothes into gray.With their tools, the two men, Frank De Martini and Pablo Ortiz, an architect and a construction inspector respectively, attacked the lethal web of obstacles that trapped people who had survived the...

NEW YORK, Aug 28, 2003 (AP Online via COMTEX) -- After a plane struck the first of the World Trade Center towers on Sept. 11, callers from the top floors of neighboring tower were told by Port Authority police to remain where they were. According to transcripts made public Thursday, a male caller from the 92nd floor of the second tower told a Port Authority police officer, "We need to know if we need to get out of here, because we know there's an explosion." The officer asked if there was smoke on the floor, and the caller replied...

VIEWS OF THE WORLD TRADE CENTRE SITE IN NEW YORK This is a composite of seven photos assembled to show a wide view of the site of the World Trade Centre, in New York on Tuesday, as construction continues prior to the second anniversary of the attacks on September 11, 2001. Pleas of "mayday" made by officers just moments before their deaths in the tower complex appear on heart-wrenching transcripts to be released on Thursday. REUTERS/Chip East September 11 transcripts recall horror of attack NEW YORK (Reuters) - Pleas of "mayday" made by officers just moments before their deaths in...

NEW YORK (AP) — The voices of at least 36 victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center have been identified on tapes of emergency calls and radio transmissions from that morning, according to a published report. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey was due to release transcripts of the tapes on Thursday. That comes after a New Jersey judge ruled the agency is bound to an agreement it made last month with The New York Times. The victims who identified themselves on the tapes or whose voices were recognized by co-workers include...

Some Fear Media Will Seek Graphic Details; Others Say Public Should Hear NEWARK, N.J. -- Depending on whom you talk to, there is dread and support for the Thursday's release of transcripts of emergency calls made from the World Trade Center towers during the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. A state judge in New Jersey ruled Friday that the transcripts of emergency transmissions must be released by 5 p.m. EDT Thursday. The Port Authority, which owned the trade center, argued it was trying to protect the privacy of victims' families by preventing the release of the transcripts. They cover radio transmissions...

<p>August 26, 2003 -- The Port Authority said yesterday it will not appeal a New Jersey state judge's order to release transcripts of World Trade Center emergency calls on Sept. 11, 2001. "Although we remain profoundly disappointed that the judge's ruling did not address the merits of protecting the families from an invasion of privacy, we see no point in prolonging the legal process," the agency said in a statement.</p>