The Washington times., 1912-01-09


William Sheehan.
Banks Hampered.
The Bankcrs' Trust Company made
Its morning clearings at It's main, office
and arranged to reopen the Mercantile
branch at 7 Wall street. The officers Of
the company declared that. so far as
they knew. their vaults were intact.
The governing committee of the New
as a result Of the Are. all stock deliver
les were suspended FOR the day. except
by the mutual consent OF buyers and
sellers This was done because great
;. Of Z, SECURITIES Ecu we're keEt IN the
Company. and this precluded prompt de-
livery,
N S,aihtv Ba INK ori in the immediate
| Chase ationaNl Bank, opened for busi-
| ness. The American National, COM
PEELED to close it's main office, opened
| temporarily at 66 Broadway.
Firemen Are Fearless.
Instances of individual heroism paled
| into insignificance in comparison with
the general conduct of the entire depart
| met. Though mammoth blocks Of gran
lite and marble fell constantly about
them. firemen plunged into the mael-
strom of flames without a word.
| At 8:15 o'clock the firemen turned the
water OH the gigantic Trinity building,
directly opposite the Equitable, on
Broadway, in an effort to prevent the
fire spreading to that structure.
| The great walls of the Equitable
building on the Broadway side crumpled
and fell at $3.50 o'clock, hurting tons OF
brick. granite and marble into the
street. 1t is believed that all firemen
on that side were called away in time
to escape being caught under the fall
| ing walls.
| the three men entrapped In the vault
| could be seen looking out and appar.
emily talking through grating to the
firemen. The f1remen were working like
mad to get at the door Of the vault.
way fell at $685. Again this time the
| firemen had warning, and got out from
under before the immense mass toppled
down into the street.
1922. Firemen Encased In Ice.
AS the water left the hose it froz'
and firemen soon were encased IN Ice
Their suffering was frghtful.
Beginning at $50, the fire was beyonC
control at o'clock. Fire Chief KenloT
called out all available apparatus from
| downtown Manhattan. At O'Clock
fire apparatus was hastily summoned
from BrooiSlyn. while at 8 O'Clock Ken
Ion, for the first time in the history q
New York. sounded a "five borough
alarm" calling to the scene every piec'
of fire apparatus in the five borough
comprising New York city.
At $50 1t was discovered that Fir,
| Chief William X. Walsh, In commant
| of the second battalion. who was las
seen OH the fourth floor OF the burnin,
building, was missing. Chief KenIol
ordered an immediate search for him
| Buildings In the immediate vicinit,
and adjoining the Equitable amonj
others, are: The two Trinity buildings
the Mutual Life, the New York Clear
Ing House. and the Chase Nationa
Bank.
The Equitable building was only eigh
stories high on the Broadway side an
| twelve on the Nassau street side bu
II covered an entire block. II grew fron
the smaller structure first planned b
Henry Baldwin Hyde when he ORGANIC
ed the company into the great financia
tnure sheltered business representa-
81, 600, OGO, 600
Famous Building.
There was not another building Xix
the Equitable Socicty's In the world
There was a Lawyers Club on one foo
and an Insurance Mems on another;
free library and dining room on an
other. The famous Lawyers Club gre,
into a membership of 1000 shortly afte
the building was opened.
For many years It was one OF tn