The Detroit times., 1912-01-09
SEVEN DEAD IN BIG
. FIRE IN NEW YORK
FINANCIAL SECTION !
Mammoth Building of Equita-
BILE Life Assurance Society
Is Totally Destroyed.
MONETARY LOSS WILL
BE $15,OOO,OOO OR MORE.
Many Daring Rescues Mark
Spectacular Confagration in
Lower Broadway.
THE REPORTED DEAD:

BATTALION FIRE CHIEF VIII
LIAM X. WALSH.
man
GIUSEPPE CONT. porter.
JOHN SAVZI, porter.
JOHN CAMPEON, captain of
vaults.
Unidentified porter.
Unidentified citizen.
NEW YORK, Jan. e.--Actina on
reports from persons who reached
the Equitable building shortly AFT
or the fire started this morning,
Chief kenIon at 2:45 thls AFTER
noon ordered rescuing parties into
the waverIng walls Of the building
TO search for bodies. AZ that time
the chief was Informed, there were
10 firenen and employees Of the
building missing.
NEW YORK, Jan. s.-Seyen. and
possibly ten, men lost their lives To-
day In q spectacular fire which total
ly destroyed the home OF the EQuit-
able Life Assurance Society, at 120
broadway, paralyzed the financial dis
trict and entailed q property loss vari-
ousiy estimated at from $16,000,00o to
$50, 100000.
The fire started at $50 and was
under control In four hours. During
its progress, every single piece OF
fire apparatus In New York was sum-
moned, the first time In history that
such an alarm has been sounded!
Buildings valued at hundreds OF mill
lions OF dollars were menaced.
II will be weeks before the prop
erty loss can be accurately determin-
ed. Before the insurance Investigate
ing committee, II was sworn that the
Equitable building, now total loss.
cost S1S,781 $40 and had a book value
Of $15,510,0 900. The loss to the ten
ants OF the building will be immense,
but until the various vaults can be
opened. II viii not be possible TO tell
whether any of the valuable contents
have been destroyed.
Wall-st, cut or by the fire lines,
was paralyzed today, the business in
the financial center being reduced
practically to nothing.
Fire Battalion Chief William X.
Walsh II missing and believed to- have
been killed and four men are report
ed killed by jumping from upper win
dows, while two others died In the
first floor OF the building. How many
others died, II Is impossible to learn
at this time.
The fire was marked by wonderful
rescues and heroic work by fremen
who worked In a temperature below
freezing with cakes of ice forming on
their clothing. So dangerous did the
blaze become that a "Five borough,
alarm, calling every piece of fire ap-
paratus In New York city, was sound
ed at s o'clock by Fire Chief Kenlon,
the first time such an alarm ever was
rung In New York. For q time 1t was
feared the ire would extend across
the narrow canyons and start SKY
scraper confagration.
! The suffering OF the fremen, ac-
cording to Kenlon, was the greatest
he had ever seen. Men came from
the blazing building literally caked
in ice. which formed on their cloth
ing as the mist from the streams
poured about them. Dozens were over
come, their faces cut by falling Ice:
According to President Day, or the
Equitable Life, many OF the records
of that company had recently been
moved TO the Hazen building. and
therefore are saved. Only the execu-
/ tive and financial Offices OF the COM
pany remained in the home once
| building.
At 1O:30 w. C. Pullion. one OF the
Continued ON rage Tive.