| > > THE PRICE WE PAY:
> > > > My name is Adam Mayblum. I am alive today. I am > > committing this to "paper" so I never forget. SO WE > > NEVER FORGET. I am sure that this is one of thousands > > of stories that will emerge over the next several days > > and weeks. > > > > I arrived as usual a little before 8am. My office was > > on the 87th floor of 1 World Trade Center, AKA: Tower > > 1, AKA: the North Tower. Most of my associates were in > > by 8:30m. We were standing around, joking around, > > eating breakfast, checking emails, and getting set for > > the day when the first plane hit just a few stories > > above us. I must stress that we did not know that it > > was a plane. The building lurched violently and shook > > as if it were an earthquake. People screamed. I > > watched out my window as the building seemed to move > > 10 to 20 feet in each direction. It rumbled and shook > > long enough for me to get my wits about myself and > > grab a co-worker and seek shelter under a doorway. > > Light fixtures and parts of the ceiling collapsed. The > > kitchen was destroyed. We were certain that it was a > > bomb. We looked out the windows. Reams of paper were > > flying everywhere, like a ticker tape parade. I looked > > down at the street. I could see people in Battery Park > > City looking up. Smoke started billowing in through > > the holes in the ceiling. I believe that there were 13 > > of us. > > > > We did not panic. I can only assume that we thought > > that the worst was over. The building was standing and > > we were shaken but alive. We checked the halls. The > > smoke was thick and white and did not smell like I > > imagined smoke should smell. Not like your BBQ or your > > fireplace or even a bonfire. The phones were working. > > My wife had taken our 9 month old for his check up. I > > called my nanny at home and told her to page my wife, > > tell her that a bomb went off, I was ok, and on my way > > out. I grabbed my laptop. Took off my tee shirt and > > ripped it into 3 pieces. Soaked it in water. Gave 2 > > pieces to my friends. Tied my piece around my face to > > act as an air filter. And we all started moving to the > > staircase. One of my dearest friends said that he was > > staying until the police or firemen came to get him. > > In the halls there were tiny fires and sparks. The > > ceiling had collapsed in the men's bathroom. It was > > gone, along with anyone who may have been in there. > > We did not go in to look. We missed the staircase on > > the first run and had to double back. Once in the > > staircase we picked up fire extinguishers just incase. > > On the 85th floor a brave associate of mine and I > > headed back up to our office to drag out my partner > > who stayed behind. There was no air, just white smoke. > > We made the rounds through the office calling his > > name. No response. He must have succumbed to the > > smoke. We left defeated in our efforts and made our > > way back to the stairwell. We proceeded to the 78th > > floor where we had to change over to a different > > stairwell. 78 is the main junction to switch to the > > upper floors. I expected to see more people. There > > were some 50 to 60 more. Not enough. > > > > Wires and fires all over the place. Smoke too. A brave > > man was fighting a fire with the emergency hose. I > > stopped with to friends to make sure that everyone > > from our office was accounted for. We ushered them and > > confused people into the stairwell. In retrospect, I > > recall seeing Harry, my head trader, doing the same > > several yards behind me. I am only 35. I have known > > him for over 14 years. I headed into the stairwell > > with 2 friends. > > > > We were moving down very orderly in Stair Case A. > > very slowly. No panic. At least not overt panic. My > > legs could not stop shaking. My heart was pounding. > > Some nervous jokes and laughter. I made a crack > > about ruining a brand new pair of Merrells. Even > > still, they were right, my feet felt great. We all > > laughed. We checked our cell phones. Surprisingly, > > there was a very good signal, but the Sprint network > > was jammed. I heard that the Blackberry 2 way email > > devices worked perfectly. On the phones, 1 out of 20 > > dial attempts got through. > > > > I knew I could not reach my wife so I called my > > parents. I told them what happened and that we were > > all okay and on the way down. Soon, my sister in law > > reached me. I told her we were fine and moving down. I > > believe that was about the 65th floor. We were bored > > and nervous. I called my friend Angel in San > > Francisco. I knew he would be watching. He was amazed > > I was on the phone. He told me to get out that there > > was another plane on its way. I did not know what he > > was talking about. By now the second plane had struck > > Tower 2. We were so deep into the middle of our > > building that we did not hear or feel anything. We had > > no idea what was really going on. We kept making way > > for wounded to go down ahead of us. Not many of them, > > just a few. No one seemed seriously wounded. Just some > > cuts and scrapes. Everyone cooperated. > > > > Everyone was a hero yesterday. No questions asked. I > > had co-workers in another office on the 77th floor. I > > tried dozens of times to get them on their cell phones > > or office lines. It was futile. Later I found that > > they were alive. One of the many miracles on a day of > > tragedy. > > > > On the 53rd floor we came across a very heavyset man > > sitting on the stairs. I asked if he needed help or > > was he just resting. He needed help. I knew I would > > have trouble carrying him because I have a very bad > > back. But my friend and I offered anyway. We told him > > he could lean on us. He hesitated, I don't know why. > > I said do you want to come or do you want us to send > > help for you. He chose for help. I told him he was on > > the 53rd floor in Stairwell A and that's what I would > > tell the rescue workers. He said okay and we left. > > > > On the 44th floor my phone rang again. It was my > > parents. They were hysterical. I said relax, I'm > > fine. My father said get out, there is third plane > > coming. I still did not understand. I was kind of > > angry. What did my parents think? Like I needed some > > other reason to get going? I couldn't move the > > thousand people in front of me any faster. I know they > > love me, but no one inside understood what the > > situation really was. My parents did. Starting around > > this floor the firemen, policemen, WTC K-9 units > > without the dogs, anyone with a badge, started coming > > up as we were heading down. I stopped a lot of them > > and told them about the man on 53 and my friend on 87. > > I later felt terrible about this. They headed up to > > find those people and met death instead. > > > > On the 33rd floor I spoke with a man who somehow new > > most of the details. He said 2 small planes hit the > > building. Now we all started talking about which > > terrorist group it was. Was it an internal > > organization or an external one? The overwhelming but > > uninformed opinion was Islamic Fanatics. Regardless, > > we now knew that it was not a bomb and there were > > potentially more planes coming. We understood. > > > > On the 3rd floor the lights went out and we heard & > > felt this rumbling coming towards us from above. I > > thought the staircase was collapsing upon itself. It > > was 10am now and that was Tower 2 collapsing next > > door. We did not know that. Someone had a flashlight. > > We passed it forward and left the stairwell and headed > > down a dark and cramped corridor to an exit. We could > > not see at all. I recommended that everyone place a > > hand on the shoulder of the person in front of them > > and call out if they hit an obstacle so others would > > know to avoid it. They did. It worked perfectly. We > > reached another stairwell and saw a female officer > > emerge soaking wet and covered in soot. She said we > > could not go that way - it was blocked. Go up to 4 > > and use the other exit. Just as we started up she said > > it was ok to go down instead. There was water > > everywhere. I called out for hands on shoulders again > > and she said that was a great idea. She stayed behind > > instructing people to do that. I do not know what > > happened to her. > > > > We emerged into an enormous room. It was light but > > filled with smoke. I commented to a friend that it > > must be under construction. Then we realized where we > > were. It was the second floor. The one that overlooks > > the lobby. We were ushered out into the courtyard, the > > one where the fountain used to be. My first thought > > was of a TV movie I saw once about nuclear winter and > > fallout. I could not understand where all of the > > debris came from. There was at least five inches of > > this gray pasty dusty drywall soot on the ground as > > well as a thickness of it in the air. Twisted steel > > and wires. I heard there were bodies and body parts as > > well, but I did not look. It was bad enough. We hid > > under the remaining overhangs and moved out to the > > street. We were told to keep walking towards Houston > > Street. The odd thing is that there were very few > > rescue workers around. Less than five. They all must > > have been trapped under the debris when Tower 2 fell. > > We did not know that and could not understand where > > all of that debris came from. It was just my friend > > Kern and I now. > > > > We were hugging but sad. We felt certain that most of > > our friends ahead of us died and we knew no one behind > > us. We came upon a post office several blocks away. We > > stopped and looked up. Our building, exactly where our > > office is (was), was engulfed in flame and smoke. A > > postal worker said that Tower 2 had fallen down. I > > looked again and sure enough it was gone. My heart was > > racing. We kept trying to call our families. I could > > not get in touch with my wife. > > > > Finally I got through to my parents. Relieved is not > > the word to explain their feelings. They got through > > to my wife, thank God, and let her know I was alive. > > We sat down. A girl on a bike offered us some water. > > Just as she took the cap off her bottle we heard a > > rumble. We looked up and our building, Tower 1 > > collapsed. I did not note the time but I am told it > > was 10:30am. We had been out less than 15 minutes. > > > > We were mourning our lost friends, particularly the > > one who stayed in the office as we were now sure that > > he had perished. We started walking towards Union > > Square. I was going to Beth Israel Medical Center to > > be looked at. We stopped to hear the President > > speaking on the radio. My phone rang. It was my wife. > > I think I fell to my knees crying when I heard her > > voice. Then she told me the most incredible thing. My > > partner who had stayed behind called her. He was alive > > and well. I guess we just lost him in the commotion. > > We started jumping and hugging and shouting. I told my > > wife that my brother had arranged for a hotel in > > midtown. He can be very resourceful in that way. I > > told her I would call her from there. My brother and I > > managed to get a gypsy cab to take us home to > > Westchester instead. I cried on my son and held my > > wife until I fell asleep. > > > > As it turns out my partner, the one who I thought had > > stayed behind was behind us with Harry Ramos, our head > > trader. This is now second hand information. They came > > upon Victor, the heavyset man on the 53rd floor. They > > helped him. He could barely move. My partner > > bravely/stupidly tested the elevator on the 52nd > > floor. He rode it down to the sky lobby on 44. The > > doors opened, it was fine. He rode it back up > > and got Harry and Victor. I don't yet know if anyone > > else joined them. Once on 44 they made their way back > > into the stairwell. Someplace around the 39th to 36th > > floors they felt the same rumble I felt on the 3rd > > floor. It was 10am and Tower 2 was coming down. They > > had about 30 minutes to get out. Victor said he could > > no longer move. They offered to have him lean on them. > > He said he couldn't do it. My partner hollered at him > > to sit on his butt and schooch down the steps. He said > > he was not capable of doing it. Harry told my partner > > to go ahead of them. Harry had once had a heart attack > > and was worried about this mans heart. It was his > > nature to be this way. He was/is one of the kindest > > people I know. > > > > He would not leave a man behind. My partner went ahead > > and made it out. He said he was out maybe 10 minutes > > before the building came down. This means that Harry > > had maybe 25 minutes to move Victor 36 floors. I guess > > they moved 1 floor every 1.5 minutes. Just a guess. > > This means Harry was around the 20th floor when the > > building collapsed. As of now 12 of 13 people are > > sccounted for. As of 6pm yesterday his wife had not > > heard from him. I fear that Harry is lost. However, a > > short while ago I heard that he may be alive. > > Apparently there is a web site with survivor names on > > it and his name appears there. Unfortunately, Ramos > > is not an uncommon name in New York. Pray for him and > > all those like him. > > > > With regards to the firemen heading upstairs, I > > realize that they were going up anyway. But, it hurts > > to know that I may have made them move quicker to find > > my friend. Rationally, I know this is not true and > > that I am not the responsible one. The responsible > > ones are in hiding somewhere on this planet, and damn > > them for making me feel like this. But they should > > know that they failed in terrorizing us. We were calm. > > Those men and women that went up were heroes in the > > face of it all. They must have known what was going on > > and they did their jobs. Ordinary people were heroes > > too. > > > > Today the images that people around the world equate > > with power and democracy are gone but "America" is not > > an image, it is a concept. That concept is only > > strengthened by our pulling together as a team. If you > > want to kill us, leave us alone because we will do it > > by ourselves. If you want to make us stronger, attack > > and we unite. This is the ultimate failure of > > terrorism against The United States and the ultimate > > price we pay to be free, to decide where we want to > > work, what we want to eat, and when & where we want to > > go on vacation. The very moment the first plane was > > hijacked, democracy won. > > Home - Last Updated:
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