Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1912-01-09
S5,0O0,0QO FIRE
At NEW YORK
Immense Granite Structure of
Equitable Life Assurance
Co. Destroyed
MANY DEAD BODIES IN RUINS
The Greatest Holocaust Tba
Metropolis Has Had in
Some Months.

tBy Special leased Wire to New Mexican,
New York, N. Y, Jan. 9.-The great
marble nine-story building of the
Equitable Life Assurance Society at
l2O Broadway, the home of the Mer-
camille Trust Company, the Equitable
Trust Company, the banking House
of kountze Brothers, the Mercantile
Safe Deposit Company and the Har-
riman Lines. was destroyed early
today by fire.
Four men are known to be dead and
five injured in the fire; several per
sons are missing, including Battalion
Chief Walsh.
The fire was still burning in the
debris in the basement of the build
ing this afternoon. Conservative esti-
mates of the damage placed the loss
IN the neighborhood of $10,O0O,000
While others say the loss will run as
high as $15,O0O0O0.
According to an officer of the Euui-
table, the great safety deposit vaults
in the building contained last night
securities aggregating between $780,
100000 and $300,000,000. The vaults
are believed to be intact.
Imprisoned in Vaults.
William Giblin, president of the
Safe Deposit Company,
was imprisoned with three other en-
p]oyes in the vaults and was rescued
after the firemen had sawed through
several two-inch steel bars. One man
is believed to have lost his life in the
vaults.
Deputy Fire Chief Walsh was i'm
)risoned in the burning structure.
Fire Stops All Business.
The fire was in the heart of the fin !
incial district and the flames were !
ought mainly from the tops of tow |
ering sky-scrapers. Business was |
almost to complete stardstill |
among banking and brokerage houses, |
whose employees could not reach the !
scene of their daily activities. Finan-
3ial firms stopped business to care
or the firemen.
Most of the vital records Of the
Equitable Life Assurance Society,
we're kept in the branch offices in the !
'afes of the Hazen building, several
blocks from the main offices.
Fire Started in Cafe, |
The Equitable occupies the block !
between Broadway and Nassau streets
md Pine and Cedar streets. The fire |
vas first discovered on the ground I
loor in store room of the Cafe Sa-
'arin, and carried by a draught of !
-ir, shot upward through an elevator
haft, setting fire to the upper floor.
Gale Swept Streets.
A general alarm was turned in. A
;ale sweeping through the streets
lrove the flames through the building
rom end to end. Within two hours,
t was a mass Of flames and the fire
nen working to prevent the flames
rom spreading to surrounding build
ngs.
Pumped River Into Structure,
Five alarms were turned in, and
ire tugs from the North and East
ivers grouped themselves at a con-
enient dock and pumped volumes
# water in the building.
Three watchmen in the building
eroically remained to fight the
lanes with fire extinguishers, but
hey were finally driven to the roof.
'iremen made a heroic attempt to
ave them and scaling ladders were
I'm up.
Heroes kneeI and Pray.
Rescuers got as high as the fourth
loor when the watchmen, their forms
utlined against the glare of the
lanes, were seen to kneel and pray,
nd then, as the corner of the build
ng on which they were standing, fell
hey jumped to the street. The fire
nen on the scaling ladders had diff
ulty in making their way back to the
treets.
Fire Chief and Men Caught.
Deputy Fire Chief William Walsh
nd five firemen were caught when
section of floor in an upper story |,
ave way. The firemen managed to
each a window ledge from which
hey were rescued by means of life
me, but when they looked back, Chief
Walsh had disappeared in the smok-
1g ruins.
Rescued From Vault.
Fire Commissioner Johnson discov-
red William Giblin, president, in the
aults of the Mercantile Safe Deposit .
company, where he had gone, in an
tempt to save some valuable papers. |
'iblin was rescued after the firemen
ad sawed through several steel bars. |
With him was a Waterman. Mr.. Glib !
in was then taken to the Hudson |
treet hospital. He was very weak, |
ut in no immediate danger.
Heroic Priest Administrators Last
Rites.
A man, pinned under a mass of !
ebris, near the vaults, received the
asst rites from Father Mclean of the
ire Department. Father Mclean