Evening star., 1945-07-28
Empire State
Continued From First Page.)

who was at Thirty-sixth street and
Fifth avenue, said "the entire top
of the building appeared to be in
flames, Heavy smoke poured from
three and four stories at a time.
There was a terrific explosion before
the fire"
Frank A. Slovenian III, who saw
the accident from the window of his
Office at 40 East Thirty-fourth street,
said smoke was coming from the
plane just before it struck the
building
The plane crashed near the top
/ floors of the building with a stun
/ ming roar and Immediately eX-
ploded," Mr. Slovenian said. Parts
of it fell burning on an offset.
Plane Out of Control.
The plane was obviously out of
control and flying extremely low.
AS it neared the building, the pilot
seemed to try and yeer away, but 1t
struck squarely."
Mr.. Slovenian is an executive of
Slovenian Stores, Inc.
1t. Aubrey B. Condit. an Army
pilot who was on the 55th floor of
500 Fifth avenue, saw the plane
strike the building. He said it was
BIS Mitchell bomber.
Stan Lomax, sports announcer
for Radio Station WOR, saw the
crash when his automobile stopped
for traffic light at Thirty-seventh
street and Fifth avenue.
He said the plane flew straight
down Fifth avenue and into the
building, striking four or five
stories below the observation tower
There was the damndest ball
of fire you ever saw" Mr.. Lomax
said. "It was a tremendous big
burst of flame. A wing of the
plane shot off to the left toward
Madison avenue. The remainder of
the plane stuck right in the building.
Almost two floors the entire
width of the building burst into
flame. 1t was an inferno"
Tried to Gain Altitude.
william Utley of Pleasantville,
N. Y, vice president of Carl Byoir
& Associates, public relations firm
at 10 East Fortieth street; gave this
account of the crash:
The plane went past by window
at eye level, or just little above it.
This Office is on the 38th floor The
engine was apparently going and it
looked like the pilot was trying to
gain altitude"
A writer in the firm, Miss Nanette
Morrison of 120 East Thirty ninth
street, said:
My windows face west and south
and to the south have a direct
view of the Empire State Building.
heard the plane heading south
over Fifth avenue and I could tell
by the uneven sound of the engine
and the tipping of the plane that
the pilot was in trouble. That was
when the plane few past my west
facing window.
When I looked south toward the
Empire State Building the plane
had climbed little. The pilot was
trying to gain altitude and was tip
ping as though trying to bank.
Smoke Obscures Building.
There was a terrific explosion
when the plane hit. 1t looked as
though the flash and flames from
the explosion spread over four floors
The building is so obscured in smoke
now (10:35 ann that can't tell If
there are any flames"
The building in which the firm is
located is between 39th and 40th
streets on Fifth avenue.
Miss Harriet Weiskopf, a clerk
typist for the ODT on the 63rd floor
of the Empire State, said that "at
about $50 am. there were two
terrific explosions. The whole build
ing shook. Then, about a minute
later, there was another explosion
not as violent as the first ones.
The office staff of about so ran
out to the hall. We thought buzz
bomb might have hit us.
Looking out the windows, facing
downtown, we could see flaming
debris falling down.
Some windows on my floor were
broken. I took the regular night
passenger elevator down. Stai ing
on the street, I could see thl top