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Debris palestine Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/5084862.htmhttp://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/5084862.htm
Posted on Sat, Feb. 01, 2003
Shuttle debris rained on Texas
By Jodi Enda and Deanna Boyd Knight Ridder
PALESTINE, Texas - Columbia's explosion shortly after 8 a.m. Central Time, spewed wreckage along a 120-mile swath from the Dallas-Forth Worth area southeast to DeRidder, La.
In addition, some human remains were found in Sabine County, Texas, near the Louisiana border, according to Sheriff Tom Maddox. They remains were placed in bags and taken by hearse to the office of the nearest medical examiner in Lufkin.
While wreckage was scattered widely in the county, ``Only a small number (of sites) had human remains,'' Maddox said.
In Montalba, Texas, residents found a rounded piece the size of a car hood beside a highway. In Palestine, four people checked into the hospital after they ignored official warnings and touched what was believed to be shuttle debris.
About 30 pieces had been found by midday in Anderson County, where Palestine is located. The pieces ranged in size from a few square inches to four feet.
In Nacogdoches, Texas, Stacy Corley heard what she thought was ``a dump truck coming down the road.''
That was the beginning.
``There were several loud booms, then the windows started shaking,'' said Corley, executive assistant to the city manager. ``I went outside and saw a plume of smoke. It was very strange.''
Debris that resembled burned insulation was spotted in nearby Alto, along with a hunk of metal about a foot-and-a-half long that appeared to be a bracket.
In the North Texas town of Rice, a piece of debris landed in the high school parking lot.
``It appears to be a piece of tile -- it's charred,'' said James McDuffie, Rice's police chief. ``We were told that it's possibly radioactive and to stay away from it until the powers that be can get here.''
Shortly afterward, NASA announced that anyone finding possible shuttle debris should call a special number, 281-483-3388.
The first people to hear the explosion were in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area. Many people said they heard a boom, but didn't think it was anything unusual, and so they went back to their Saturday morning routines.
Bob Stark of Garland was lying in bed and thought a tree limb had fallen on his house.
Nick D'Alessandro of north Dallas thought his stove had exploded until his kids called from Santa Fe and told him to turn on the television.
Red Oak resident Sandra Mitchell said she initially thought her garage door might have been blown shut.
Larry Vonwald of Arlington was listening to a broadcast of the landing on his car radio.
``The last thing I heard the NASA guy say was something like ''Good burn, no trim,' and then I got out of my car and heard the boom,`` Vonwald said.
In Cherokee County, Sheriff James Campbell said he was at home when he and his wife heard a loud boom.
``My wife asked me what it was. I said it's probably the space shuttle's entry back into the atmosphere,`` said Campbell who added that he has seen and heard previous re-entries.
``She said, ``No come look at the vapor trail.' It was zigzagging down and I said, ''Well something's wrong.``'
Later that morning, Campbell's office received more than 100 calls an hour from people claiming to have spotted pieces of the shuttle. Campbell said authorities had confirmed debris in 30 to 50 locations of the 1,050-square-mile county by 1:30 p.m.
``We've had some debris lying right beside some houses,`` Campbell said. ''One of them landed on a lady's front porch.``
Despite warnings from NASA and the state officials not to touch debris, Campbell said a man carried in a foot and a half long piece of metal into the law enforcement center Saturday morning.
``This stuff is going to be showing up for years to come,`` Campbell said. ''There's going to be pieces on people's mantles.''
e-mail: jenda@krwashington.com
Fort Worth Star-Telegram reporters Dianna Hunt, J. Taylor Rushing, Peyton Woodson, Paul Mosley, Susan Schrock, Patrick McGee, Kristi Payne, Josh Shaffer, Jack Douglas Jr., Mark Agee, John Gutierrez-Mier, Eva-Marie Ayala, Melody McDonald, Anna M. Tinsley, Gordon Dickson, Karen Brooks, Bryon Okada, Paul Bourgeois, Ellena Morrison, Anthony Spangler and John Moritz contributed to this story.
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