Click the Pic
Posted on 07/10/2005 7:50:04 AM PDT by areafiftyone
The bell that was a gift to New York from the people of London after the 2001 terrorist attack rang again Friday in a tiny chapel near ground zero -- this time with New Yorkers mourning those who died in Britain.
The world's latest terrorism victims were remembered at St. Paul's Chapel, which had served as a sanctuary for rescue workers who prayed, washed and wept there after the World Trade Center assault.
The 5-foot, 650-pound bell, known as the Bell of Hope, was given to New Yorkers on Sept. 11, 2002. It was cast by London's Whitechapel Bell Foundry, which also cast the Liberty Bell and London's Big Ben.
On Friday, it tolled four times -- once for each explosion in London on Thursday -- and then tolled continually for one minute in memory of the victims.
In a steady rain, the bell rang from its place in the historic church graveyard overlooking ground zero, which includes some tombstones marking the graves of Americans who died in the Revolutionary War with Britain.
Peter Ashplant and his wife, visiting New York from Birmingham, England, were among about 100 people who attended the daily service at the chapel, which started with a special prayer for the victims in Britain.
Ashplant said his son was on a London subway at the King's Cross station just minutes before the explosion there. He said his son was safe.
"It seemed right to pray for the victims here overlooking ground zero," Ashplant said.
St. Paul's withstood the collapse of the twin towers nearby and became a haven for rescue workers. Last year, a permanent Web-interactive exhibit opened inside the church, offering people a way to join painful memories with today's feelings. Displayed are some of the thousands of artifacts left on the church fence in the days after the attack, including photographs, letters, drawings and flags from around the world.
Under a church window stands a rescuer's cot, strewn with teddy bears sent to weary workers who took comfort in them while they rested in the sanctuary.
On Sept. 1, 2001, the collapsing World Trade Center felled a giant sycamore in St. Paul's churchyard, missing the tombstones and the church itself, then shielding the chapel from the still-falling fiery debris. Pennsylvania sculptor Steve Tobin is now creating a memorial using the tree stump and its roots -- as a symbol of endurance.
Kristy Dougan, who works for Michigan State University and attended the service, was visiting New York, where she has a cousin who had been a rescue worker in the pit -- as workers dubbed the cauldron of burning debris.
"I called home and said we're safe," Dougan said. "If any city can handle it, it's New York."
Earlier Friday, Mayor Michael Bloomberg signed a condolence book at the British consulate in New York.
"All New Yorkers' prayers are with our friends in Britain," he wrote.
Standing alongside British Consul-General Sir Philip Thomas, Bloomberg said city buildings would fly the American flag at half-staff to honor those killed in the attacks. Bloomberg also promised any help the city could provide in the investigation of the attacks, including shared intelligence.
"It's a great time for us, together, to show the world the true mettle of our leadership," he said.
Thomas noted that London and New York now share a tragic tie.
"Of course, it does remind us of the terrible moment of 9/11," he said. "As in New York, we're determined that the terrorists won't win."
((((PING))))
I thought the Liberty Bell was cast by Pass and Stowe?
Wondering about Pass and Stowe? The Original bell, ordered from Whitechapel in England was unsatisfactory and was recast several times by Pass and Stowe, a Philadelphia Foundry, with little improvement.
Click the Pic
LOL you shouldn't talk to yourself like that. ;-)
I used to argue with myself...
...and lose those arguments.
LOL :-)
"I used to argue with myself...and lose those arguments."
That's promising...we need to talk. :)
Indeed.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
