News crews listen to a news conference on the damage to the Washington Monument in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2011. Structural engineers are preparing to rappel down the Washington Monument to check on damage caused by last month's earthquake. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
News crews listen to a news conference on the damage to the Washington Monument in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2011. Structural engineers are preparing to rappel down the Washington Monument to check on damage caused by last month's earthquake. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
A man attaches rigging to the top of the Washington Monument on the National Mall, in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2011, before engineers rappeled down the sides of the monument to survey the extent of damage sustained to the monument from the Aug. 23 earthquake. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Dave Megerle, a member of Wiss, Janney, Elstner, Associates (WJE) "Difficult Access Team," right, and an unidentified co-worker, test their equipment at the top of the Washington Monument, on the National Mall, in Washington, Tuesday, Sept. 27, 2011, preparing for people to rappel down the sides to survey the extent of damage sustained to the monument from the Aug. 23 earthquake. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? A team of engineers harnessed to ropes began a daredevil inspection of the Washington Monument on Wednesday that will include them rappelling down the obelisk to look for damage from last month's earthquake.
The team of two men and two women was climbing through hatch one-by-one and starting their work at the top of the 555-foot monument just after noon. After some time at the top, they will start rappelling down. They had spent several hours setting up equipment and preparing for the work.
The team plans to climb up and down the monument to check each stone for cracks, chips and other damage caused by the 5.8-magnitude quake that shook the nation's capital Aug. 23. Each descent can take 12 to 15 minutes. The team will take breaks as needed.
Each team member is carrying several items, including a digital camera, an iPad that includes data from the 1999 restoration of the monument, a two-way radio, masonry tools that will allow them to remove loose pieces of stone or mortar and a soft mallet for audio testing.
The team is in frequent contact with the National Weather Service and will suspend work on the monument's exterior if there's a chance of lightning or heavy winds. The weather was calm and mostly cloudy late Wednesday morning after an earlier thunderstorm and showers.
The inspection of the monument's exterior was delayed a day because of lightning. A team worked for several hours Tuesday setting up equipment and creating a protective barrier around the monument's lightning rods.
The inspection is expected to last several days and the team has not ruled out working over the weekend.
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