The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1912-01-10
GREAT EQUITABLE BUILDING IN
LOWER BROADWAY, NEW
YORK, is DESTROYED.
SEVERAL MEET DEATH
Number Of Persons Killed Is Unknown
Estimate Is Six-Priceiess Records
and Law Library Go Up in Smoke
Millions in Securities, Locked in
Vaults, Thought to Be Safe.

New York, Jan. 6.--The immense
marble and granite home Of the
Equitable Life Assurance society, COW
,ering n block In lower Broadway, an
historic landmark of New York's early
period of skyscraper buildings and one
OF the citys important financial CEN
ters, was destroyed by fire today with
n loss of six lives and probably 49,
10000 In property. A dozen persons
were injured.
Valuable records. including the BIZ
ography OF Il. Fl. Hartman and two
priceless libraries which cannot be re-
placed, went up In flames, and the
fate of hundreds of millions of dol
lars worth of securities. stored in
vaults was in question tonight al
though II was believed that fireproof
construction saved them from damage.
Only Shell Remains.
The great structure. which. besides
containing the main offices of the
Equitable Life Assurance society, was
the home of tho Mercantile Trust
company. the Equitable Trust COM
pany. the banking house Of Kountze
Brothers. August Belmont e Co. the
Hartman railroad lines, the Mercan-
tile Safe Deposit company, tho Law
yers' club. and many of the eity's most
prominent law firms, stands tonight
a shell of e-coated granite.
The intense cold caused n thick ice
coating to form on the facades of sky
scrapers adjacent and on tho pave
rnents for blocks around The bull
wark OF modern fireproof structures
nearby. according to Fire Commission
er Johnson. protected the entire fl
naneial district The damage except
by water was confined to the Equitable
structure. Three employees in the
building were killed by jumping from
the roof. to which they were driven
by the flames.
Battalion Chief william J. Walsh
disappeared In a whrl Of smoke and
flame when a caveln occurred on the
third floor. TWO other men, William
Campon, captain Of the watchmen in
the Mercantile Safe Deposit company
vaults. and Frank J. Neder, n spe-
cial officer. whose bodies have not
been recovered, complete the list OF
dead, so far as known.
Several persons, watchmen and 9TH
ers, who were in the structure when
the fire broke out, have not been ac-
counted for but are believed to have
escaped. The death toll, however may
not be fixed until the fire, which still
was burning tonight. has been ex-
tlnguished. and the ruins cooled.
Sensational Rescue.
Among the injured Is President VIII
liam J. Giblin Of the Mercantile Safe
Deposit company, whose rescue from
the basement valuts, where he was Inn
prisoned after two hours work by
firemen, was one OF the most sensa-
tional episodes Of the fire lie had
gone into The vault to save securities
and accidentally locked himself in with
an employe who had accompanied him
Their cries were heard by the fire.
men, who had to saw through the stee
bars of door leading to the street
before they could rescue the impris-
oned men. Mr. Giblin was taken to &
hospital suffering from the effects o.
smoke.
One man in another vault Of thu
Mercantile Safe Deposit company be.
lieved to be campion, could be seer
from the street with his legs pinned
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