Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-01-09
the burned building on Broadway. from
which streams Of water were directed
on the flames.
Five Alarms Turned In.

Five Alarms Turned In.
| Five alarms were turned in, and fire
/ tugs from the North and East rivers
! grouped themselves at convenient dock
and pumped volumes of water in the
building. Three watchmen in the building
| heroically remained to fight the flames
with fire extinguishers, but they were
| finally driven to the roof. Ffremen made
a heroic attempt to save them and seal
ing ladders were run up. ReScuers got
! as far as the fourth floor, when the
three watchmen, their forms outlined
against the glare of the flames were seen
to kneel and pray, and then, as the corner
of the building on which they were stand
ing fell. they jumped to the street
The firemen on the scaling ladders had
difficulty in making their way back to
the street.
Fire Commissioner Johnson discovered
man imprisoned in the vaults of the
Mercantile Safe Deposit Company, at the
corner of Cedar street and Broadway.
The man could be seen from the street
and his legs We're pinned down by a
mass of fixtures and debris which had
fallen from above.
1t was believed for time that he
would have to be abandoned to his fate,
but after many. failures he was rescued
by saving through the bars He proved
TO be William Giflin. president of the
Mercantile Safe Deposit Company
Deputy rITc SEl0I William walsh ana
five f1remen were caught when a section
of floor in an upper story gave way. The
firemen managed to reach window
ledge. from which they were rescued by
means of life line thrown to them. but
when they looked back Chief Walsh had
disappeared in the smoking ruins Eff
forts were made to reach the spot where
he was buried, but the fremen could not
find him. Father Mclean nearly lost his
life when administering the last rites to
in, f6n fo
vault. the firemen dragging him away
just as shower of bricks and stones fe'+
on the spot where he had been kneeling.
Begged to Be 1.escued.
AS the firemen carried Father Mclean
away the dying man turned to him and
pleadingly said: For Gods sake, father,
take me out of here. I am dying. Can't
you get at me?'
Two porters in the safe deposit COM
pany were rescued from the basement of
the building when the sidewalk in front
of the structure caved in. They were in
jured and removed to a hospital. The
fire was finally confined to the Equitable
building. though for time 1t seemed as
though the flames would sweep across the
street and set fire to the American Ex-
change National Bank, at Cedar street
and Broadway, on which the sparks Were
falling in a perfect shower. This build
ing was kept wet down by streams of
water from the skyscrapers.
Walls Crumbled Under Heat.
The heat of the flames had the intensity
Of a blast furnace The heavy floors OF
the building buckled under the white-hot
fire and fell in, while the giant walls
crumbled under the heat and dropped
I,,1ilA A{r1p
was absolutely gutted.
Part of the Brooklyn fire department
was dispatched to the scene to aid in
preventing the spread of the flames.
Business in the financial section of the
city was, brought practically to a stand
still by the fire. Thousands of clerks in
banking and brokerage houses, railroad
and industrial corporations were held
back by police lines formed two blocks
north of the fire, and traffic of every
kind in the streets nearby the burning
building was forbidden by the police.
Three Saved by Jumping.
Three employees of the building saved
themselves from death by leaping from
the third floor of the building to thel
street below. They were taken to the
hospital seriously injured.
After the fire had been checked and
the f1remen were able to get closer to the
building 1t was discovered that the Bel
mont building, on Nassau street, which
adjoins the burning building, had been
saved, though the Offices of August Bel
mont Co. had been flooded with water.
FireY1en at last succeeded in batlering
in q steel door and rescuing President Glib
lin and two watchmen who were inn
prisOned in the vault. Ambulances from
four hospitals were on the scene to take
care Of the injured
With tae exception of one insurance
building. the building of the Equitable
Life Assurance Society had greater
assessed valuation than any other build
ing in the financial district, its assessed
valuation being $12. 100000
Tells Of Experience.
After President Giblin was rescued from
the fire he was carried to the boiler room
of the Trinity building. Ambulance sur
geons stripped off his clothing and wrap
ped him In heavy blankets. Stimulants
were administered. After a brief inter-
val of rest. Mr.. Giblin said:
II was sitting up last night with my
wife, who has been very i'll. when an
employe Of the hotel informed me that
the Equitable building was on fire.
When / arrived at the building there
were no flames, but plenty of smoke
hurried into one of the vaults to get
out some valuable PAPERS, followed by
one Of the night watchmen. whose
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