Norwich bulletin. [volume] (Norwich, Conn.) 1895-2011, 1912-01-10

New York, Jan. s.-The immense
niarbie and granite home Of the
Equitable Life Assurance society. Gov
cling whole block in lower Broad
way, an historic LANDMARK Of New
orh carry period CT s,0yscrape1
HcIidlnsS and oae Of the eity's i'm
POI lant financial centers, was DESTROY
ed Sy nfe To-Day with & LOGS OF six lives
4 ma probably I $500 09G in property.
= 0ezen persons we're injured
Valuable Records Destroyed,
valuable records, including the bios-
tapny OF the, late 4. H. Hartman ana
l"o priceless Law lbrsrieg which can
Lol pc repI0ced, went up in flames, and
tHe tate OF hundreds OF millions Of dol
iaIs worth oil securities stored in safe
eeposlt vadllts WAS tonight In question
although it was believed that freproof
construction Of the vaults would save
them from damage
.Fought IN the neart Of tbs financial
oisIret, the fire upset the machinery
ot wan street and business was prae-
ilcaliy suspended throughout the day
Many Offices in Building.
The great structure, which besides
containing the main Offices Of the
Equlta9le Life Assurance society. was
lhe home Of the Mercantile Trust com.
pany the Equitable Trust colripauv,
ms banEing house Of Kountze Broth
rs, August Belmont & company, the
Hartman lines, he Mercantile Ssfs
Deposit company the LAWYERS eluf
slsos many Of the c,ty's most prominent
law firms. stands tonight an ce-coated
smell Its once magnificent interior is
ruined
Wss Fought Under Difficulties.
Besides involving heavy financial
I less and serious disturbance to big
business interests. the fire, starting on
| cna of the coolest and windiest morn
| inss of the winter. was ore of the
most spectacular ever Witnessed in the
| far downtown section It's progress
vas replete with narrowing incidents.
narrow esc&Bes and brave reseues; the
! men who f0asft II siid 70 under condi-
! tIcns that taxed both skin and endur
azee
Water Froze on Building.
! The intense cold almost instantanc-
Iously froze the hrga volume Of waite,
| perred upon the building and a thicf
/ Ice coating speedily formed on tn =
IacRdes or the towering skyscrapers
/ adjacent ard upon the surface OF
streets for blocks around. The hulwsrk
| OF these modern freproOf structures
according to Fire Commissioner John
son, was Invaluable as a protection to
the entire financial district. As # was
| tb? damage. except by water. was c5n-
hned entirely to the Equitable strac-
tUre.
Three Employees Jump to Death.
OF those who lost their lives in the
Fd,saster three men were killed bG
humping from a coping Of the roof Ia
witch they vera 0rlyen BY the flames
1hey we're employees ia the building
| Battalion Chief Missing.
! Battalion CHIEF William J. Walsh
/ sappesred ia Il whirl of smoke and
| heme early in TIE progress Of the if-
wren cave-in occurred On the third
hoor where he WIS Sighting the flames
No trace Of his BODY ha1 been 6ouns
Itonigtt.
| Two Others Missing.
Two other men William ~amrtJn
ceptaln Cf The NafcAmen in the M5r-
camille Safe DepCSit vaults in th
basement Of the burned structure, AMI
Frank ]. Neider, a special officer
/ whose bodies have not been recovered
complete the list Of dead so fer ,!
known.
Flames Still Burning.
Several persons, watchmen and 9th
crs. who were IN lhe doomed strgctUT,
when the fire broks out st an early
hour. have not bsea positively account
&c for, but are believed so have escaped
The death total, however, may not b.
definitely fixed until the flames, whlol
are still burning tonight, have bosI
sxtinsuished and the natcooled.
Two Men Locked In Vsuk.
\ The list Of injured Includes Prssi
dent William ]. Gibbn OF The MeScan
tile Safe Deposit company whose res
cue from ths basement vaults Uf tn
company, where he was imprisoned
after two hours work by 1fTenlsn, wa
one Of the most Sensational episodes 0
the FIRE Mr.. Giblin had gone Into on
Of the vaults TO save securities an,
u accidentally locked hlmsslf in Will
| one Of his employees who s,ccoLn anie'
l him Their cries for help were hear
\ BY the frenen, ,Whs axs& aSraaw throNgl
the steel bars Sf 3. 6cor beading to III
street before They could rescue the I'm
tafsuped 1Isefl, Mr.. Gftlin was re
moved t. hospital suffering irena ax
/ tsustion and Pactisl aSpRyxlabe0 .!
smoke.
| Man Seen But covIS Not BassRSae@ssG
One man in another vGult ot th
Nercap tile Safe Deposit conpanysTbe
leved to be Car1rion, could be see
from tha street with his legs ptuna'
! 6oYn by q mass Of debris. but eoln'
4 not be rescued because cf the hessy,
| steel doors which bsrred the way. .
the f7remen. Through the snlashe'
>v@ndows OF the door hsewas given IN
last rites bv Chaplain McGean OF tn
IRE depRrtment tust Rs he was gwal
tDwed from view by the denseasIrok
and not seeu again.
Others Said TO Have Disappeared
Spectators of tins flGs from the win
0sws Of slcyscCapsrs towering ahov
the building on all sides told OF rSeeini
Others disappear in the flames uhel
the roof caved in, but the aa1thoSihe
believe the list of casualties alread,
: repost is hardly likely to be length
ened.
Conservative Estimate Places Loss a
s6,oJo0o0.
Some estimates OF tho loss run a
high as SIS, ,60o.0ee. but moro eonserva
|, tive authorities thought tonight tina
. the damage would not run over $4,000,
, GNO The property was assessed b
the city at $12.fG0, 900. a larger sun
with one exception, than on any othe
building in the hSancial district, bu
bg far the greatest part Is based upo
the value of the ground upon whic
, |, TIC Equitable building stood.
EquirabIe's Loss viii Be $4,000.
II An officer Of the Equitable said th
ksccisty's own loss would probably nc
t.s-.ssx. 4coA a8A