Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1912-01-09
FIERCE: FRI:
IN NEW YORK.
Equitable Life Insurance Building
Destroyed This Morning.
Loss S20,000,000.
SIX PERSONS DIE IN RUINS.
Flaming Brands are Hurled by Fierce
Northwest winds to Other Buildings.
Grave Apprehension fora Time.

New York, Jan. Six men are
! known 10 be dead and property var
lousy estimated al from $5.o00,0O0
ito S2O,00n,OO0 has been destroyed
/ in fire which. in three hours, today
totally destroyed the mammoth build
| ing OF the Equitable Life Assurance
! Society commonly known as 120
/ Broadway. but occupying nearly all
o. block bounded by Broadway.
Pine, Cedar and Nassau streets, in
the very heart OF the greatest tinan
| cial center Of the world.
! 1t was the most spectacular fire in
The history of New York.
The real property loss may not be
! known for weeks. or until the debris
| has sufficiently cooled TO permit an
examination OF the great vaults of
the Equitable Life Assurance Soci-
ETY.. the Mercantile Branch OF the
! Bankers Trust Company, the Offices
OF The Union Pacific and Southern
Pacific Railways. and other great fin
, anciaI institutions in the burned area.
! il is believed that all the valuables
were saved in the vaults of the
! Equitable Trust Company.
The fire was accompanied by Won
| dcrful rcscues and heroic work on the
part Of the firemcn. who worked IN
! a temperature below freezing with
cakes Of ice forming on their clothing.
so dangerous did the blaze become
/ that = five borough alarm was
sounded. moving every piece Of ap-i
paratus in New York city. at eight
O'Clock. by Fire Chief Kcnlon. the,
first time such an alarm was ever
runs in New York.
! For a tine ii was feared thai The
fire would extend across the narrow
/ jcaGTous and start atSkvsH"aper con-
fagration that wouii have been the
worst in history.
! The six known dead are four por
tiers. three of whom Jumped from
the fifth story window within twenty
minutes after the fire was discovered,
! each being crushed to death as he
landed in Broadway.
There was more than a billion dol
lars worth of property endangered by
! tn" flames at that hour. \ high wind
arose from the west picking up
great blocks OF burning wood and
hurting them i'll every direction. Fire
mcnt were scattered throughout The
entire field OF the financial district.
with the fire hose belonging to each
building. ready to quell from the
start any fire started by n flying fire.
brand.
More than 800 900 Office men are
icmpioyed in the buildings in the i'm
mediate vicinity OF the Equitable
building in the financial district.
When in the late morning the sub
way. surface and elevated lines be-!
gan disgorging this huge army in the
vicinity OF the fire, il became neccs-
sary 10 call out the police reserves
/ from all the down town districts and
Tighten the police lines to the point
OF military severity.
| The most thrilling rescue ever seen
! nj any fire was that Of William Giblin
president of the Mercantile Safe De-
! post Company. in the Equitable
| building Giblin, driven out of the
building twice by fremen. returned
! the third time TO rescue some OF the
priceless papers in his private desk.
! His egrcss was cut off by the flames.
With two companions, whose names
We're not learned up 10 9:15, he re-
| treated into an empty safe deposit
vault. closing the door. but calling
to the firemen through grating.
Though tons of debris were falling
about them, and great flames licking
about them. hundred volunteer fire
men answering 4 call for volunteers
for dangerous duty. seized axes and
crowbars and fought their way to the
vaults, smashing like madmen at
the grating 70 save the three men.
Their companions played water into
the vaults. sublncrging the imprison-
cd men and covering the reScuers
with sheets of ice 70 keep them from
burning TO death. For hours, cheered
by hundred thousand men from 4
safe distance, these heroes worked.
Finally the floors fell in and Giblin,
a little man physically, and badly
burned, dragged his unconscious or
dead companions OH 20 the main floor,