The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1912-01-18
Startsti An Storcroom.

: Startssd I'm StOrcrOOm.
IRE originated IN "A StOrerOOu
NuJolning the Cafe Savarin. that IA
nous restaurant and store opened b,
/ James Hazea HYDE when he had !
.olce In the doings OF the Equitabl,
oOclety- The stOrerOom adjoining tn,
men 5 restaurant and barrOOm OF tn,
oaVarin. In the building at the tim,
we're ABOUT twenty men. consisting o.
ChleI Engineer Davis. his assistants
men window cleaners and watchers.
"A hose attached TO a standpipe was
or"ught into play. while two men go
chemlcal eXJinguishers. The water
that was directed at the store room
seemed only to add 10 the intensity. OF
the hre. Failure to turn in the alarm
gave the fire a good start. Policeman
Eoley thus described his experience
there:
Alarm Was Delayed.
L ran up to the building and 1 saw
the fire. L ratified on the door for
the men inside to let me in, but they
wouldn't. They didn't seem to want
10 have an alarm turned in. Then L
got mad. l kicked on the door and
threatened to arrest them. Then
someone opened the door,
AT S;15 a borough alarm, which
prought fire apparatus from Brook
yn, was turned in by Chief Kenton
Ior the first time in the history of the
nre department.
Building a finder Box.
Enough the Equitable was supposed
10 De completely freprOof when COM
pleted in 1887, it proved a regular
Under box when put to the test OF
modern fire.
The original building of the block
destroyed today was opened for bust
ness on May 10, 1870. From time to
SlIne additional ground was taken and
quit upon until in 1887 the entire
structure YVES enlarged and remodel
ed. 1t was considered the most val
liable plot of real estate owned and
| occupied by single owner in the city
NWhen the passenger elevators were
installed in 1870 they were the first
the city.
The building was planned by the
trustees of the Equitable Life Assur-
ance Society, led by the father of
James Hazen Hyde. In the rotunda,
located over the center of the building
and at the foot of an elaborate stair
way, there was erected a statue of the
founder Of the society.
August Belmont occupied a private
office on the second moor on the Pine
street side OF the building, and of
| later years the greater part of the
place has been given over to corpora
| ton attorneys and those Interested
in railroad legal matters.
| The Hartman interests had ex-
pensively equipped offices, occupying
Il
| William A. Reid. the millionaire
also had offices in the upper part 81
| the building.
On the second floor the Lawyers
| Club was located, and the furnish
| tngs of this association were consid-
| cred very valuable and it was de-
| strOyed.
Among the finest-equipped offices
! in the building were the rooms for
| merly occupied by James Hazen Hyde
| testified a no ~, cffr-s, MOO.
| hearings that the son of the founder
| Of the Life Assurance Society haG
| spent $4,000 on his suite alone, anU
that the money had been charged TO
| the society.
Fought from Roofs
The firemen fought the fire from
the roofs of adjoining building, and
soon after the blaze started were sent
to the roof Of Jhe building at the
southwest corner Of Cedar and Mas
sau Streets to put out a slight blaze
The American Surety Building, on
the south OF the burning building.
and the American Exchange Bank.
on the north, were in imminent dan
ger Of attack by the flames.
The window panes broke rapidly
and the fremen did everything in
| their power to prevent inflammable
| material on the inside from taking
fire.
Didn't Realize Danger.
One of the pathetic features Of the
fire was that those who worked in
side did not realize the danger from
its quick spread and so. tried to fight
the flames. They remained too long
and suffered death.
The exciting incidents of the fire
occurred when a part of the north
side walls Of the building fell. crash
ing down upon hook and ladder
and an engine. Firemen were bare
ly able to escape in time to save their
lives. The horses were saved, as they
had been early taken from the shafts
\ large part of the wall remained
standing. however, and tongues of
flame leaped from every part of it,
Chief Kenton became alarmed lest
the thirty-story National Auditing
Company building, at Cedar Street and
Broadway, catch fire when this re-
naming wall should fall. as il was
plainly evident ii must within a brief
time.
Lines OF hose were run about it to
be handy TO extinguish any burning
parts of the Equitable wall that might
crash through the windows with its
fall.
All Coated With Ice.
Firemen, policemen and reporters
became covered with ice and waded
through water in chilling gale.
In the frantic effort TO save adjoin-
ing buildings and rescue those firemen
and others imperilled by the flames.
the dead bodies of two men lay on
-he sidewalk at Broadway and Cedar
Street uncovered and uncared for.
At S:45 o'clock friends telephoned
to the home of Mr.. Giblin that he had
been killed in the fire. Mrs. Giblin was
in a dying condition from illness and !
relatives at the residence said that |
they would not break the news to her |
for fear the shock would kill her.
Chief Kenton and party of twenty /
firemen narrowly escaped death from |
falling portion OF the Broadway |
wall when they heroically endeaVored |
to rescue other firemen who were in |
imminent danger. All OF the hremen |
available responded. Kenton select |
ed twenty of the sturdiest, and, with |
them, dived toward the basement of /
the structure. Through smoke, past /
flames and with torrents of icy water |
falling on them, they fought their way
to a basement window. /
Rescued Imprisoned Comrades.
Three of them, with Kenton, broke |
through the window and climbed in !
side. At this moment there was |
dull rumble and the upper part of the |
wall tumbled down upon them from |
the sixth story. The men on the out |
side had warning to escape in time.
KentOn and the three f1remen how !