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February 20, 2008

House update: 'Oh oh there they go' / Photo

Journal photo / Bill Murphy
Two excavators begin to get the job done, as others watch and cheer just before 1 p.m. today.

Projo.com reporter Michael McKinney reports from the scene at Yucatan Drive in Warwick, where another effort to demolition the house for its "Extreme Makeover" -- using an orange and a yellow excavator -- is being put in place. A first attempt using a big truck on a crane failed. Here's his account:

12:41 p.m.

He's inched up, on the front yard of the house

Orange claw in front

(Constant beeping in background)

Second one -- yellow vehicle with claw

Both going up with claws

It's reaching out with the claw right now

Here it goes

It's reaching over the roof

They both are now

And there's a little chant in the crowd -- can't tell what they're saying (before they were doing "Swing the truck, swing the truck")

Stopped -- suspended -- two claws over roof of the house -- just waiting, we'll see what happens

I feel like I'm calling a golf match -- (lowers his voice) OK, Jack Nicklaus is getting ready to putt, it's all come down to this

The guy in orange just closed the door to his compartment

The yellow excavator to the right of orange is moving

You can hear the engines starting to roar now

Still waiting here

C'mon guys, do something

12:46 p.m.

We're kind of in suspended animation waiting for the claws to rip up some house

It was all this suspense and now it's just suspended suspense, literally

(Mike promises to call back when they actually get ready to tear down the house, hangs up)

12:57 p.m.

Here they go, here they go

Oh, sorry, it didn't actually -- false alarm again

(Crowd yelling)

Oh oh there they go

Oh it really went right throught the roof, it's huge

It's really smashing through it, you should see it

They're really making short work of the house

It's gone already

Oh my gosh, i thought it would be a little slower than that, but it's fast

There goes the front wall of the house, oh wow, oh boy, there it goes again

You can see like pink insulation among the debris getting clawed apart

(Beeps from the excavators)

Wow, it's really something

Now, cheers from people dressed in blue Home Edition T-shirts

They stopped

It looks like a hurricane hit it

12:58 p.m.

Yellow excavator -- has its claw hanging in suspense at top

Other has its claw firmly dug in pile

Some house still standing

Most down

Front yard chewed up

12:59 p.m.

Most of the front of thouse smooshed up, back barely standing

1:23 p.m.

The house is a pancake now

Posted by Andrea Panciera  at 1:05 PM | Permalink

Comments

SAL | February 20, 2008 4:17 PM link

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