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This Issue 01/27/2005

Also in this issue

• We're not singing
• I'm gonna bag me a yuppie
• From Petty Theft to Selling Toner, and All the Rocking In Between

One of the most striking features of West Philadelphia's skyline is the spire of Christ Memorial Church at the corner of 43rd and Chestnut. The elegant gothic revival architecture is a testament to the grandeur of 19th century Philadelphia.

-- Christ Church and Academy's website (last updated in 2002)

10:30 p.m., August 3rd, 2004. The 150-foot spire imploded.

It did not wait for a slowly melting snow to put the mortar to its final test, a heavy rain sufficed. It did not fall in toward the congregation the way one engineer assured them it would. It did not fall like a tree; it did not tilt, rock or creak.

The spire crumbled and fell straight through to the basement. It put a hole in the roof of the nave, and it left a hole through the floor, taking rows of pews as it went. It left the area in front of the church a graveyard of cracked weathered stones. Stones littered onto the sidewalk and hit cars on the street. They knocked off the stone molding around the original stained glass. The glass remained intact. A 12 year-old boy had breathing difficulties from the dust, but no one suffered a scratch.

After the collapse, an engineer took a scrap of the sandstone from the church lawn and placed it in a bucket of water overnight. In the morning, he could crumble it in his hand. This type of stone had only been used for a little over a decade before it was deemed too porous for construction work.

The Night the Steeple fell

The 911 caller said he heard a loud rumble and saw that some of the stones from the church had fallen across the sidewalk and into the street. There was a fire station a block away. The firemen ran over, some carrying their boots in their hands. When the first firemen arrived and realized there was a great potential for people being trapped or killed, they called the fire marshal's office on 3rd and Spring-Garden.

The call was received and the men dispatched by 10:32 p.m. Four engines, two ladder companies, two battalion chiefs and one specialized rescue unit were on scene by 10:34. The rescue unit brought planks of wood and long metal rods so they could create tunnels, making digging into the rubble and dragging people out safe for the rescuers. They also brought sound sensitive equipment. Dogs were ready if needed.

On the way over in the fire trucks, members of each team found the vital building information sheet, cramming it into their heads as the sirens reigned above. Each major building in the city has a sheet, with information on where the heating is, and where the gas is, as well as how to shut them off. It is placed in a file on every fire truck and updated every 18 months.

Lieutenant Jim Brady was on scene a few minutes later than the others. He missed the first few minutes of chaos, because he had to drive over from another job in Northeast Philadelphia.