WTC questionnaire staff distribution notice, October 2004

NYC 9/11 Public Portal Document

FINAL CUT FOR WTC’S (0 3I Q) PILLAR OF IC 1 STRENGTH By WILUAM NEUMAN ing torches to cut down a Ground Zero workers 36-foot steel column that cut down the last remain­ was the last standing rem­

J ing column from the Twin nant of the trade center’s Towers last night in an south tower. emotional ceremony that Hard-hats cheered as a brought tears to the eyes huge crane picked up the of rugged hard hats. be^ and placed it on the ‘It choked you up, made ground so that a floral it hard to swallow. My wreath could be laid on throat was the size of a top of it. dime,” said Gerard Tate, a Then the crane lifted the heavy-equipment operator beam again and placed it who has been working at upon a flatbed truck. the World Trade Center Dozens of workers then site since Sept. 11. covered it with a black “We got some dignity shroud and a large Ameri- out of it,” Tate said of the can flag. ceremony. ‘There’s a lot Bagpipers played of dignity still left in that “Amazing Grace.” hole.” The hard-hats who fin­ About 250 construction ished the immense recov­ workers wearing hard hats ery job months ahead of and oraniIge safety vests at- schedule said the most tended the; tribute, de- moving part of the cere­ signed to mark the end of mony came next, wher the nearly nine-month they marched up the ramp- Ground Zero recovery ef­ out of Ground Zero, fort. flanked by a solemn honor The workers used weld- guard of Navy sailors and city firefighters, who sa­ luted them at attention. “It was very emotional,” said Joe Carsky, the chief engineer for Tully Con­ struction. The steel column will remain at Ground Zero until tomorrow, when it will be removed as part of the final cere­ mony to commemo­ rate the end of the re­ covery work. The column will be stored in a field at Kennedy Airport with other WTC artifacts for eventual inclusion in a memorial or mu­ seum display.

NYC-WTC_000164634