Repairs begin on Statue of Liberty's weathered nose

Restoration work at the Statue of Liberty this week faced up to ''her'' nose and found some serious damage. In the accompanying photos, taken by Associated Press photographer Suzanne Vlamis, safety engineer Angelo Joseph examines the monument.

The nose is 4 feet 6 inches long and the face from chin to the top of head measures 17 feet 3 inches. The copper plating on the statue runs from one-eighth inch to three-thirty-seconds of an inch thick. It is this plating that will be refurbished in time for its centennial on Oct. 28, 1986.

Estimates are that it will cost nearly $40 million to repair the statue. Another $128 million will be spent to restore nearby Ellis Island, entry point for more than 17 million immigrants beginning Jan. 1, 1892. In 1965, Ellis Island was brought under joint-administration with Liberty Island, collectively designated the Statue of Liberty National Monument.