The Washington times., 1912-01-09
EQUITABLE LIFE
SOC|[TYS HOME
OFFICE LEVELED
Early Morning Blaze Battles
Firemen, Some Of Whom
i Meet Death.
fcontinued from First Page

Y high explosives.
The fire was discovered in the base
BENT, near the engine rooms of the
bllding, at the corner OF Nassau and
tne streets. Sucked UP through huge
trshafts, the flames spread like light
ing, and before the first fireman ar
wed, from six blocks away, the entire
building was burning fierceiy, every
tor being on fire, with flames shoot
tg from hundreds of windows on all
eur sides Of the mammoth structure.
Most Spectacular Fire.
Then began the task Of fighting the
post spectacular and destructive fire
Jew York has ever witnessed. Three
tlcs Of the building were bounded BY
preets that elsewhere would be called
ticys. Rising on all sides were Inn
pense skyscrapers. forming great
enycrs with walls of granite and
tarble. Even IL they stood with the
fcks against the buildings on the op-
Psite sides of the streets, the firemen
ed to approach within thirty feet of
re inferno that ragged about them.
harm followed alarm, until 5000 fire.
ZEN were fghtlng-and suffering.
"A sudden drop I'm the temperature
eused the water to freeze as II left
pc hose.
Fifty-Mile Gale.
The hfty-mile-an-hour gale caused the
fist to fall upon firemen and freeze.
treat pieces of marble and granite,
tslodged by heat and the force of the
nigh pressure" water, fell about them
, the narrow streets. Flames rose
tnd beloved hundreds of feet in the
pr, outlining surrounding skyscrapers
, frame of red. 1t seemed a living
bferno-the burst Of volcano in the
epths Of some great chasm that was
babe by man instead of by nature.
Firenien suffered from heat and cold;
eeat from the blazing structure, and
Pld from the bitter water that froze
lbout them. But It is to the credit
tavered. They stood to their tasks and
Hnered, fighting back the maelstrom
flames that. once out of their pow
r, would have swept through the heart
New York like thing possessed.
Ind though they suffered they won.
they fought fire and water, and cold
tnd pain. and never gave back a foot.
Wind Carried Sparks.
Tho wind, which Appropriated a gale,
pine sweeping through from the west
tucked into the narrow fiues caused by
te great, towering buildings above the
hrrow streets. high firetrands were
Rrried blocks away. Some flew nearly
p tho East river and landed on build-
tgs: Telephone girls. hastily apprised,
kotihed night watchmen In ell the
twntown and Brooklyn districts. In
frucdng them to stand by With fire
fOse ready to extinguish any blazs
taued by flying spark.
AS the morning progressed hundreds
thousands of men and women, EN-
poyed in the hives of the financial dis
tict began disgorging from subway,
levated, and surface lines. With curios-
~ gone mad they tried to force their
tay through the fire lines. though
Plumbing walls were falling about
penn and great masses of granite AMI
parble were crashing to the street.
More than a thousand policemen with
RE lines drawn taut fought the people
lack.
Scores OF buildings in the immediate
fcinity of the fire were ordered closed
housands of men and women denied
ccess to their places of business. ran tc
NE scene Of the fire. Again and agair
eounted policemen were compelled tC
harge through the crowds and drive
nom back.
Giblins' Rescue.
The rescue Of William Giblin, presi.
lent Of the Mercantile Safe Deposi,
Company. with offices In the semi-base.
hent at the northwest corner OF the
building. was startlingly spectacular
Notified at his home Of the fire, Giblir
pushed to the scene to superintend the
6onoval of valuable securities worth
tnany millions of dollars. Three times
be was driven from the building By
bremen, but each time he returned tc
kave the papers Of his customers. The
fourth time he failed to reappear. and
Tor an hour was given up for dead.
Then firemen, lodging through the
Iallen debris along Broadway, saw Glib.
bn's face pressed against the barred
Window of the vaults, which rises two
feet above the level of the sidewalk
William Sheehan, a special policeman
kaptain of the night watchmen, who
bad entered with Giblin to assist ir
baving the securities. Fallinedoors hac
hut of their egress from the rear and
khey We're penned in the vault, .stee
BARS between them and the sidewalk.
There was only one way the mer
night be saved-through the great
tteel bars that kept burglars away
from the basement windows which
lighted the vaults.
Fire Commissioner Joseph johnson
Jumped forward. Regardless of person
ii danger. he bent over the grated win
low and saw the agonized face of Glib
in between the bars.
Shouts Encouragement.
''Well get you out" he shouted, ant
hen turned to order steel cutting saw
Fireman James Dunn, rushed up will
The implement. Before he could begil
work In the inferno, Father Mclean
khaplain of the department. went to TIN
tindow. over his head a dozen streams
f icy water played against the seethinI
walls. Showers of stone fell about tn
toung priest; chips struck and cut him
prenched to the skin. as the ice formet
lbout him, Father Mclean stood calml,
h the fact of that death until he ha'
administered the last rites to the dying
fhen he was dragged away and Dun
bet to his work of saving through
massive steel bars while the hea
bcorched his face, and the water froz
bn his back
A hand saw was never made to saw
through two-inch steel barrs under sucl
ktress. AS Dun worked on, the saw bi
through the steel. For half an hour h
worked like mailman. Then his com
tades dragged him away and sent hin
10 n hospital, while Fireman Brown, o
Truck No. l, took his place with tn
little saw at the bars. AS he worke'
knd froze, Brown shouted words of en-
enlargement to Giblin. Then Brown
after half an hour, gave up the task
Ia ~ .,l,a ataI hoi