The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1912-01-19
DETAILS Of
THE BURNING
Continued from page nine.)
tered the last rites to the man.


section of floor in an upper story gave
way The firemen managed to reach
window ledge, from which they were
/ rescued by means of a life line, but
when they looked back Chief Walsh
had disappeared in the smoking ruins.
Efforts We're made to reach the spot
where he was buried, but the firemen
could not find him.
Father Mclean nearly lost his life
when administering the last rites to
the man imprisoned, the firemen drag
ging him away just as a shower of
bricks and stones fell on the spot
where he had been kneeling.
As the firemen carried Father Nc
Gean away, the dying man turned to
him pityingly and said:
For Gods sake, father, take me out
of here, ! am dying. Can't you get at
me?"
Two Porters Rescued.
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 a hos
pital.
The fire was finally confined to the
Equitable building, though for a 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.
The flames had the intensity of a
blast furnace. The heavy floors of the
building bucllled under the white heat
fire and fell in, while the walls crum-
bled and dropped into the streets.
Part of the Brooklyn fire department
was sent to aid in preventing the
spread of flames.
Business in the financial section was
brought practically to a standstill
Thousands of clerks in banking and
brokerage houses, railroad and indus
trial 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. -r
Rescuers Nearly Killed.
| After the flames had been checked
three men were reported to be alive
in the vaults of the Mercantile Safe
Deposit Company, where one man had
already lost his life, and the firemen
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 unlocked.
While the firemen were hammering
away part of the coping fell and the
| rescuers had a narrow escape. After
the stone had fallen the firemen made
renewed efforts to penetrate the doors
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 firemen were able to get closer to
the building it was discovered that the
Belmont building, on Nassau street
which adioins the burning building,
had been saved, though the offices of
August Belmont & Co. had been
flooded with water.
Giblin Is Rescued
Shortly after 8 o'clock search was
made for William Giblin, president of
the Mercantile Safe Deposit Company.
He was found in the company's vaults
and was rescued after firemen had
battered down a steel door. With him
was night Waterman.
Ambulance from four hospitals were
on the scene to take care of the in
tured
With the exception of one insurance
building, the building of the Equitable
Life Assurance Society mad a greater
assessed valuation than any other
building in the financial district, the
figures being $12,1OO,OOO.
Other occupants of the Equitable
building besides the Hartman rail
roads were the executive offices of the
Western Maryland railroad, together
with the offices oF Herbert Satterlee,
son-in-law of J. p. Morgan, and Alex
ander & Green.
After President Giblin was rescued
he was carried to the boiler room of
the Trinity building. Surgeons strip
ped off his clothing and wrapped him
in heavy blankets. Stimulants were
MOn.,o3oe ~