Washington Monument Hosts Necessary Rappelers for Repairs

On August 23 an earthquake in Maryland damaged the Washington Monument. It's been closed to tourists ever since. So,this week an elite team of professionals was spotted rappelling down the 555 foot marble structure. As an audience of tourists looked up, two men and two women climbed from the windows at the top of the monument and began lowering themselves with ropes, looking for damage. Through their efforts, a large inch-wide crack was located in the structure.

The monument's website shows it was built in 1884 to honor our country's first president, George Washington. It's patterned like a four-sided Egyptian obelisk with the pyramid shape on top. It's the most prominent structure in our nation's capitol. Repairs are a must as it tops the list of tourist attractions there.