The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-01-09
EQUITABLE BURNS.
econtinuea from Page one.)

from the street and his legs were
pinned down by mass Of fixtures and
DEBRIS which had fallen from above
he was alive and held out his hand
70 the 'remen who made frantic. though
futile attempts to break through the
heavy steel doors. Father Mclean, of
the fire department, gave the last rites
TO the dying man. Commissioner john
son said he thought the imprisoned
man was the president OF the Mercantile
SaIe Deposit company who had arriv-
ed at the building after the fire was
under Roadway and attempted to save
some papers
Locked in Every Night.
Later it was said the man was
Waterman who was locked each night
IN the vaults of the company
Deputy Fire Chief William Walsh
and five hremen were caught when
section OF floor in an upper. story gave
way. The fremen managed to reach
window ledge from which they were
rescued by means o. a life line but when
they looked back Chief Walsh had dis
appeared In the smoking ruins. Efforts
We're 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 the man imprisoned in the
vault, the hremen dragging him away
Just as a shower of bricks and stones
fell on the spot where he had been
kneeling.
AS the hremen carried Father McGean
away the dying man turned to him and
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 injured and removed to hoSpi-
tai
The fire was finally confined to the
Equitable building though for time it
seemed as If the flames would sweep
across the street and set fire to the
American Exchange National bank at
Cedar street and Broadway on which |
the sparks were falling in a shower. |
This building was kept wet down by |
streams of water from the skyscrapers |
on all sides.
Walls CrumbIe.
The flames had the intensity OF a
blast furnace. The heavy floors of the |
building buekIed under the white heat
fire and fell in while the walls crum-
bled and dropped piecemeal into the
streets.
Part Of the Brooklyn fire depart
ment was sent to aid in preventing the
spread of flames
brought practically to a standstil.
Thousands of clerks in banking and
brokerage houses. railroad and other
corporations were held back by police
lines formed two blocks north of the
fire and traffic of every kind in the
streets near the burning building was
forbidden by the police.
After the flames had been checked
three men were reported to be alive IN
the vaults of the Mercantile Safe De-
post company, where one man had
already lost his life and the fremen
tried to batter down the steel doors.
The falling stone and brick and the
heat had blocked and warped the
doors so that they could not be IN
locked.
While the fremen were hammering
away a part of the coping fell and the
the stone had fallen the hremen made
renewed efforts to penetrate the doors.
Leap From Third Floor.
Three employees of the building
leaped from the third floor to the
street They were taken to the hos
pital seriously injured.
After the fire had been checked and
the fremen were able to get closer to
the building it was discovered the
Belm ont building on Nassau street.
which adjoins the burning building,
had been saved. though the offices of
August Belmont had been flooded with
failed to find VIM. Giblin, president ]
of the Mercantile Safe Deposit COM
pany, who was reported trapped in the
basement. F1remen said they believed J
he had lost his life. Later he was res {
cued from the vaults of his company '
after the firemen had sawed through {
several steel bars. He was believed to !
be MORALLY injured A few minutes {
later Fire Chief Walsh was rescued {
after being imprisoned in the building t
for nearly two hours
Fireman succeeded in battering in a
steel door and rescuing two watch !
men who were imprisoned in the vault. ]
Arabuiances from four hospitals we're
on the scene to take care of the in
with the exception of one insur- !
ance building the building of the {
Equitable Life Assurance society had a {
greater assessed valuation than any {
other building in the financial district, /
the figures being $4,000. 00O- (
other occupants of the Equitable
building besides the Hartman rail- t
roads were the executive offices Of the I
western Maryland railroad, together \
with the law offices of Herbert Satter- !
lee, soR-in-law of J. p Morgan, ana {
Alexander & Green. /
GfbIin Tells His Experience. I
After President Giblin was rescued
fron, the fire he was carried to the .
boiler room of the Trinity building.
Ambulance surgeons stripped off his :
clothing and wrapped him in heavy :
blankets. Stimulants were admins /.
tered. After a brief interval of rest Mr.. !
Giblin said: :
II was sitting up last night with my !
wife who had been very i'll. when an 7
employee of the hotel informed me that
che Equitable building was fire. +
When I arrived at the building there I
were no flames but plenty of smoke. :
hurried into one of the vaults to get
some valuable papers followed by one
Of the night watchmen. The vault has
a spring lock and I left my keys out
side.
when the man and 7 started to
leave the door swung shut and we were
both prisoners. The smoke was awful.
We screamed and shouted but il SEEM
ed we were doomed. The other man ,
was alive up to half an hour ago hut
lust before I was carried out he tainted