The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1912-01-09
DEPUTY FIRE CHIEF Is A VICTIM
Thrilling Work Is Done by Fire
men Who Effect Rescues
One Man is Saved From vauIt--Three
Wstchmen Jump to Their Deaths
From the Roof When Flames
Threaten Them.

New York. Jan. 9.-The Equitable
Life Assurance society's Office building
at Broadway and Pine streets, was de-
stroyed by fire this morning. The loss
is conservatively estimated at ten mil
lion dollars. while others say II will
reach as high az fifteen millions
Eight persons are dead The building
was nine stories high and constructed
Of marble and granite. Business is
temporarily at n standstill among tho
banking and brokerage houses. the
financial firms stopping business to
care for the firemen.
At Z o'clock the roof fe,; i'm, and
the great granite structure occupying
full block. is a mass OF ruins.
Four bodies already have been taxi
en- out.
The fire started i'm a restaurant in
the basement and swept up the eIeva- :
tor shaft to the top floors. and within
half an hour the entire structure was
a mass of flames.
Valuable Records Destroyed.
Before s o'clock all the floor and
roof had fallen in, and granite walls
inclosed only the flcrcely burning de-
bris. 'rhe heut became So intense that
the wallis crumbIed and dropped piece
meal I'm the streets.
The building had not only the Equit-
able Life Assurance societys Offices but
also the Union and S5uthern Pacific
railroads. the banking house of Aug
ust Belmont & Co, the Mercantile
Trust and Mercantile Safe Deposit
Co, together with number of New
York financial firms
Millions upon millions of dollars
worth cf securities and cash are in
the vaults OF the building. but it is
not believed the frsat can penetrate the
safes snd that there will be no loss
from this source.
The heaviest loss. besides that Of the
building. was caused by the destruc-
ton of insurance and railroad records.
The building Is absolutely Quilted.
Heroic Attempt at Rescue.
Three watchmen In the building
heroically remained TO fight the flames
with fire extinguishers. but they were
driven finally to the roof The fire.
men made n heroic attempt To save
them, and ladders were run up. The
hremen got as far as the third floor
when the watchmen. their forms out
lined against the glare of the flames
we're seen to kneel and ny and then
as the corner Of the bull ng on which
they were standing fell, they jumped
to the street
The firemen on the scaling ladders
had difficulty I'M finding their way back
to the street.
Deputy Chief Among Victims.
Deputy Fire Chief WILLIAM Walsh
and five fircmen were caught when a
section of the floor In an upper story
gave way. The fircmen finally reach
Ell the window lead. 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. Efforts were madc
to reach the spot where he was buried
but the fremen could not find him. I'll
is believed he perished.
Father Mclean nearly lost his life
when Misunderstanding last rites to a
man imprisoned In a safe deposit
vault, the flremen digging him away
lust as II shower OF brick and stones
fell on the spot where he had been
knecling. AS the iremcn carried Nc
Gcan away the dying man. watch
man. turned to him and pitingly said
For Gods sake. father. take me
out OF here I'm dying. Can't you
get at me?"
II Is believed he died shortly after
that
Man Rescued From Vault.
Aftcr the flames we're checked. two
men were reported alive In the vaults
Of the Mercantile safe Deposit Co.
and the fremen tried to batter down
the steel doors. The intense heat
drove the hremen away but they re-
turned and succeeded In penetrating |
the steel doors and rescuing the men.
one OF the men was William Gliben,
president OF the Mercantile Safe De-
posit Co. His rescue was effected by
the flremen breaking through several
two-inch steel bars. Gliben was taxi
en- to hospital very weak. but In no
Immediate danger. After a brief rest
Gliben said:
was sitting up last night with
my wife. who has been very III, when