For Notre-Dame, lessons from a fire-damaged New York cathedral

Before the restoration of Notre-Dame de Paris can begin, engineers may have to tap nearly every stone in the cathedral and listen for subtle sounds of damage, according to specialists who repaired one of the largest cathedrals in the world in New York after a devastating 2001 fire. French President Emmanuel Macron's vow to restore the Paris landmark within five years after a fire consumed Notre-Dame's roof and toppled its spire on Monday may prove unrealistic, they said. "Everything is done in 'cathedral time,'" said James Patterson, director of facilities and capital projects at St. John's on Manhattan's Upper West Side near Columbia University.