Engineers Halt Inspection Of Washington Monument
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The National Park Service and an engineering firm inspecting earthquake damage on the Washington Monument have suspended their operations because of the weather.
The planned inspection Saturday was called off amid rain. The park service says work will resume Sunday. The team has been rappelling down the monument, removing loose pieces of stone and mortar and documenting damage.
In an update on the engineers' work, the park service says one climber, Erik Sohn, was blown about 30 feet off the monument wall Friday by a gust of wind about 6 p.m. The gust blew him from the west face of the monument to the south side. The park service says Sohn wasn't hurt.
Project Manager Dan Lemieux says the incident was not unusual. He says Sohn even enjoyed the ride.
(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
