3 October 2001
These 72 photographs of the World Trade Center disaster site in New York City were taken on 3 October 2001, about noon. The first few, 001-004, are taken from Broadway, walking south, several blocks east of the WTC site from street corners where a part of the site can be seen. These locations are where the public is blocked by barricades and guards.
Then a few photos, 005-012, were taken during a walk along a street off Broadway going west, a couple of blocks south of the site. Every cross street was barricaded and guarded.
This street intersected the West Side Highway, a wide boulevard which passes by the site. A series of photos , 013-018 were taking walking north toward the site. There were no barricades or guards along this path, which was surprising for the site is carefully guarded at most of its perimeter by police and and the military and the public is kept at least two blocks distant and usually much farther away.
The next photos, 019-051, are close-ups of the site looking east and west from the West Side Highway, east to the location of the collapsed World Trade Center and west toward the heavily damaged World Financial Center.
Photos were taken during a walk past the sites from several angles, and then more, 052-073, taken retracing that path walking south.
At the end of this return walk a NYC police officer asked to be shown authorization for taking photographs. The photographer said there was none. The oficer asked how access to the site was gained. Answer: just walked in. Other police officers were consulted, several said this is a crime scene, no photographs.
A NYC police captain was consulted who directed that the photographer be escorted from the site but that the digital photos need not be confiscated. The captain advised the photographer to apply for an official permit to visit the site and to take photographs.
The police officer took the photographer to the several New York State police officers nearby who asked to examine the digital camera and view the photos. The digital photos were deleted by a State police officer without telling the photographer.
The photographer was then escorted to the perimeter of the site by another NYC police officer who recorded the photographer's name, and a issued a warning to stay away from the site or face arrest.
______________________
While waiting to leave the site, a group of victim families were escorted toward the ruins. Many carrying flowers, crying, holding hands, stumbling, dreading their walk into hell -- which the site truely is. A terrible scene of heartbreak far worse than photographs can ever show.
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Later, the photographer, after discovering the photographs had been deleted, restored them with a program called Photorescue sold by DataRescue, a Belgian company which offers the program online. Thanks to the persons who pointed to several digital photo recovery programs.
The camera used was a Nikon CoolPix 880, with a 192MB Compact Flash memory chip.
Presented for public education. No restrictions on non-commercial reproduction. Credit Cryptome or not.
Each image is about 1MB, of high resolution JPG. Best viewed on a large monitor.
From Broadway looking west, walking south, blocks from WTC site:
wtc001.jpg
wtc002.jpg
wtc003.jpg
wtc004.jpg
From street off Broadway looking north, walking west, still blocks away:
wtc005.jpg
wtc006.jpg
wtc007.jpg
wtc008.jpg
wtc009.jpg
wtc010.jpg
wtc011.jpg
wtc012.jpg
From the West Side Highway looking north, walking toward WTC:
wtc013.jpg
wtc014.jpg
wtc015.jpg
wtc016.jpg
wtc017.jpg South bridge connecting WTC and
WFC.
wtc018.jpg
From the West Side Highway walking north, looking east to the WTC and west to the World Financial Center (WFC):
wtc019.jpg WTC, southwest corner, bridge
at left to WFC.
wtc020.jpg WTC, with two-story remains of
12-story Vista Hotel at the base of WTC.
Crimson screened building beyond is the damaged Millennium Hotel.
wtc021.jpg WTC. Tall creamy building beyond
is the historic Woolworth Building.
wtc022.jpg WTC
wtc023.jpg WTC
wtc024.jpg WTC
wtc025.jpg WTC
wtc026.jpg WTC
wtc027.jpg WFC, Amex tower shows embedded
structure from WTC.
wtc028.jpg Port Authority Visitor Viewing
Stand.
wtc029.jpg WFC Bridge.
wtc030.jpg WTC
wtc031.jpg WTC. Tall creamy building beyond
is the historic Woolworth Building.
wtc032.jpg WTC
wtc033.jpg WTC
wtc034.jpg WTC. Dark building facade beyond
shows 10-story gash caused by tower collapse.
wtc035.jpg WTC
wtc036.jpg WTC
wtc037.jpg WTC
wtc038.jpg WFC, Amex tower, showing parts
of WTC embedded high on the facade.
wtc039.jpg WTC
wtc040.jpg WTC
wtc041.jpg WTC
wtc042.jpg WFC, Amex tower.
wtc043.jpg WTC
wtc044.jpg WTC
wtc045.jpg WTC
wtc046.jpg WFC, Amex tower base, damaged
Crytal Pavilion at left.
wtc047.jpg WTC
wtc049.jpg WTC
wtc050.jpg
WTC
wtc051.jpg End of walk north.
From West Side Highway, walking south:
wtc052.jpg WFC, base of Amex tower.
wtc053.jpg WFC, Crystal Pavilion.
wtc054.jpg WFC, Amex tower.
wtc055.jpg WTC, looking southeast.
wtc056.jpg WFC, Amex tower base, Crystal
Pavilion.
wtc057.jpg WFC, Amex tower base, Crystal
Pavilion. Large crane being assembled.
wtc058.jpg WTC
wtc059.jpg Building north of WTC. Holes in
facade may have been cause by heavy aircraft
debris which rocketed from the South Tower.
wtc060.jpg WTC
wtc061.jpg WTC, remains of low building at
northwest
wtc062.jpg WTC, remains of low building at
northwest
wtc063.jpg WTC, remains of low building at
northwest
wtc064.jpg WTC, remains of low building at
northwest
wtc065.jpg WTC, remains of low building at
northwest
wtc066.jpg WTC, large box columns, probably
base columns
wtc067.jpg WTC
wtc068.jpg WTC, elevator machine motor
wtc069.jpg WTC, elevator machine motor
wtc070.jpg WTC
wtc071.jpg WTC
wtc072.jpg WTC
wtc073.jpg WTC
