Evening star., 1945-07-29
BY CHARLES E. HARNER,

by ChAhLES T.. hAhNEh,
| Public relations counselor and for
ner staff member OF the Associated
Press. Writing for the Associated
Press
NEW YORK, July % R.-My
desk chair slid like they do in
South American earthquake and
there was a huge fash Of light from
the outside.
This was the Hill and Knowlton
Office on the 33d floor of the Empire
State Building-the south side, op-
posite from where we later dis
covered a bomber had struck.
1t seemed AS though we had
swayed a good 6 inches. There was
no noise-just the earthquake and
the lightning fash.
Penthouse Wac Blazing.
Suddenly chunk of powdered ce-
ment ratified past the window I
looked down over Thirty third
street, on the south side of the
building, and saw the penthouse on
| the 18th floor of a building there
blazing furiously.
My first thought was that there
had been an explosion in that
building. The heat and smoke
poured up toward our windows.
Then Esther E. Bowman, Ramsey,
N. j., one of the three secretaries
on duty, came in and said: Looks
like that was an airplane hitting.
There are pieces of plane all over
the 30th floor offset"
Debris Dribbled Past.
Twisted portions of engine cowling
and strip of wing were lying on the
outjutting roof three floors below
The debris from high above still
dribbled past our windows.
Beatrice Spivak, one of the girls,
who is studying journalism at Hun
ter College, said quietly: This is
just what you read about, isn't it?
Gee, I wish I was a reporter. What
happens next?"
The third girl, Evelyn S. Norton,
put the cover on her typewriter.
Il never did believe in working on
saturdays, Sne Sald.
They were calm.
Little Man Appears.
Then little man in T-shirt,
whom none of us ever had seen be-
fore, suddenly appeared.
We've got to get out Of here
fast" he exclaimed. Something
gone wrong. 1 always knew these
skyscrapers weren't safe. Come on!
Let's get going"
We told him to go ahead, but he
stuck around. He was very unhappy
about the whole thing.
When the fire alarm gong rang
in the hall, we decided to leave.
After turning out our lights and
locking the Office doors, we went out
to the elevators. None of the other
offices on our floor was occupied,
because 1t was Saturday.
Started Down Stairway.
And that was a blessing. I'd hate
to think of what might have hap
pened If the weekday thousands had
all tried to leave by the route we
had to take.
The elevators were not running
in our section and we started down
the fire stairway.
The 33rd floor is about $50 feet
in the air. The trek down was
wearying.
Alongside the fire stairway is an
open interior air shaft. Water
poured down this shaft, carrying
with it the fumes and smoke from
the fires high above.
Doors Locked in Building.
All the doors from the stairway
are steel and are kept locked on
the interior with spring locks. Once
you start down the well you have
to keep going all the way to the
bottom.
After five or six minutes of de-
scent, we lost all track OF where we
were. On two or three of the floors,
the dim interior lights were ex-
tinguished.
In the blackest part Of the de-
scent, water from above was flow
ing ankle deep down the stairs and
lover the landings. Miss Norton took
of her shoes, while three men who
overlook u from some upper door
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