Massive Bethlehem Steel headquarters in Pennsylvania demolished in seconds: ‘It breaks my heart’ (Paywall)
By ASSOCIATED PRESSMAY 19, 2019
BETHLEHEM, PA.
Sixteen thousand tons of Bethlehem Steel collapsed in a matter of seconds Sunday as a demolition crew imploded Martin Tower, the defunct steel maker's former world headquarters.
Crowds gathered to watch the demolition of the area's tallest building, a 21-story monolith that opened at the height of Bethlehem Steel's power and profitability but had stood vacant for a dozen years after America's second-largest steel maker went out of business.
The implosion, which took 16 seconds, created a thick plume of dust that lingered for several minutes.
Tyler Kent, whose father worked at Bethlehem Steel for 46 years and raised 11 children, said his “heart stopped” as he watched the building fall. His father and other relatives took pride in working at the industrial behemoth that armed the U.S. military and helped shape skylines across the country.
“To see it come down brought a tear to my eye. I didn't think it was going to affect me emotionally like it did, but I just can't imagine it's gone. It's so sad,” said Kent, who could see the tower from his house.
RUSTVILLE, May 20
(with a nod to T. S. Eliot)
The jobs were long gone
now the headquarters too
is reduced to a pile of rubble.
Steel, glass, concrete
are no more substantial
than an Internet bubble.
Follow men who are hollow men,
that is the way the world has to end
with BOTH a bang and a whimper.
A sad simple fact made sadder and simpler.