Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1912-01-10
Immense Marble and Granite
Home of Equitable Life As
surance Society in New York
Ruined By Flames,
LOSS ESTIMATED AT OVER
SIX MILLION DOLLARS
Securities and Records Valued
at Nearly Billion Dollars in
Vaults of Burned Structure
Believed Safe.

! IBy Morning journal Special Leased Wire.1
New York, Jan. 9. - The immense
marble and gral e home of the Equit-
able Life Assurance Society, covering
q block in lower Broadway. an historic
landmark of New York's early period
of sky-scraper buildings and one of
, the city's important finanaial centers,
was destroyed by fire today with loss
! of six lives and probably $1,000, 600
! in property. A dozen persons were
/ injured.
! The fire started in the kitchen of a
restaurant in the basement of the
building.
/ Valuable recoros, including the bio
graphy of L. II. Hartman and two
priceless Libraries which cannot be re-
placed, went up in flames, and the fate
/ of hundreds of millions of dollars
worth of securitiec. stored in safe de-
posit vaults was in question tonight,
although it was believed that the fire
proof construction of the vaults would
save them from damage.
The great structure, which. besides
containing the main offices of the
, Equitable Life Assurance Society,
was the home of the Mercantile
Trust company, the banking house
! of Kountz Brothers, August Belmont
and company, the Hartman railroad
! lines, the Mercantile Safe Deposit
COMPANY the Lawyers club and many
of the city's most prominent law
firms, stands tonight shell of ice
covered granite.
Intense cold caused thick ice
coating to form on the facades of
the sky-scrappers adjacent and on
the pavcments for blocks around. The
bulwark of modern fire-proof struc-
lures nearby, according to Fire Com
missioner johnson protected the en-
tire financial district. The damage
except by water was confined to the
Equitable structure.
OF those who lost their lives, three
employees in the building were killed
by jumping from the roof to which
they were driven by flames.
battalion Chief William J. Walsh
disappeared in a whirl of smoke and
flame when a cave-in occurred on the
third floor. TWO other men. William
Campion, captain of the watchmen in
the Mercantile Safe Deposit vaults.
and Franl, ]. Neider a special Off
Ger whose bodies have not been re-
covered. complete the list of dead. SO
far as known.
Several persons, watchmen and
Others who were In the structure
where the fire broke ont, have not
been accounted for but are believed
to have escaped. The death total
iO' i,oNeNei' ni"S lot 'e - - =,
.'l, np,4., ,,o ,i 49, t'ia .,i,,ir,1shaa Ia, and
~ -,
Wv '''''
Among the injured is President
MIliiam d. "lDih oi the MercahtiIe
S"ie DeposH company whose rescue
rom the basement vaults, Where ne
""9 ~" piiS"heu' al'er t"o hours ""ih
ny hrenleh' was one OF the most SEN
s'tlohai ePisoues OF the hre-
ne nau gone INTO a vault TO save
secui i'les ana accidentally lockeo
himSei IN WIN an employe who ac-
com nlIan'eu h'ih' lnelr cries were
ne"iu ny WI" hau 10 saw
throuAh the s,eei pars ol a uoor leau
lhs 10 t'e suv.' peiore theY couIu
rescue 'ltli, MI Iipiih was taken
10 h"spi'a' SUFFERING from eNhaus-
tlon ana smoke
one man III "hother vault OF the
Mercahtile Sale Depost cohnpahy'
peHeNeu To ne '"''pi"n 'ouiu ~
seen from the street. W'th ms legs
pinned down 10y mass oi DEBRIS but
could not be rescued because steel
doors barred the way. Ihroush the
smashed windows ol the doors ne was