The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-01-10


leAped into the acre breaches ana
kept up the work.
Ssrrry source was brought iate play
to control the fire and prevent Its
spread to the ~rovc or towering SKY
sscrapers on every hand. The one
block was doomed practically from
the moment that the chief arrived.
He knew that lie also saw that the
pressure ut hand ~e4iia net carry
against the powerful, wind to the up
per reaches Of this building,
Fight from Roofs.
Telling OF the se ordinate COM
mAa .e > as fas, as they arrived the
veteran sent them SV....s.ls with their
men to the roofs of the r~eat adIoin-
Ing eiiiee buildings From. these points
of vantage along Broadway. Pine,
Nassau and Cedar streets they poureu
nearly a hundred streams down into
the seething furnace of the Equitable
ruins. -a-..--.
---f 1t was Just after this system had
got into good working order that
Walsh lost his life. With three com
panions he managed 10 reach the
fourth floor Of the doomedAstructure
from the Nassau street side. Great
blocks OF stone We're cracking with the
heat and hurting to the street as
he dashed up the ladders and nrsias
his men to follow fought his way with
n nozzle toward an opening into the
h,gn dnomea center Of the Enufta Bile
S,,aden,v those working at his side
x,,x /. ,,,euher nj the marty fall over
COVE with sunke Then a great crash
reso,,oaea .s the huge dome crashed
through. the binding.
Chief Walsh Killed.
Every man for himself, run run.
shouted Walsh. The nremcn scram-
hied To the windows and yelled for aid
and ten men sprang TO draw them
out. but they came without Walsh
lust as the third man of the party
was lifted from the window the en-
tire floor caved in and Walsh was
seen no more. All night members OF
three truck companies tunnelied
through the debris of what had been
the Nassau street entrance 10 the
BaHita bic araeade tn search of Walsh s
body
AT TINS time on the broadway sac
OF tne building another thrililng act
OF rescue vas being performed. WIZ
liam Gielin. president OF the Mer-
camille SAFE Dfposh vaults COMPANY
had nsef summoned from ms nome
aud insisted upon entering the vaults
TO safeguard valuable papers j" ms
great haste he seit the Keys inserted
IN the lock. the hugo door swung
shut and the snap lock held II. Slh-
I'm was imprisoned with every WIN
dow barred with great steel UPS aho
the hre raging above him. lie had
with him three porters.
Gozen hrefnen win axes ostterea
at the great door In supreme eHorts
10 release the imprisoned men. hut
ten minutes desperate WORK maze no
impression. The keys were lost ana
falling stone soon blocked the way
TO the door.
IL
At last Gihlin attracted the at'en-
ton ef ether HFemen In broadway as
he waved handkefcsllet from
grated sidewalk WINDOW Two oFA"hS
f1remen armed with steel saws See
TO work on these bafs. OF ,"o
hours theS sawed away, Win ''H'i
ilremen kept PLAYING streams upon
the imprisoned banker ana ms
porters. When, AT iaSt, TWO hafe iiao
been sawed through scores 90
men grasped long rope, when hta
been attached TO these bars ana thes
pulled FAR enough apart 10 ilotrhts
the men. ''tfoiln @as -afassSa
through, then came TWO pofters. ~.
the names mace anotner sWoop oo"h-
ward Just rs fathef Mcdrah, we
chaplain OF the department was ao-
ministering the last rites 10 the I'M
perilled men, and the hreheh were
ulINSu away
The remaining man, dohn ta'hpioii'
was caught in the swift OF name.
second later TWO hands ciaspeo 'he
broken bars from WHhin ana "n
agonizing lace peered close against
Them. But the rope had snapped,
huge granite block Ten dlrectly pc
rore The wfndow' anu the lihprisone"
man gave one shrlek ana eApiiea,
For hours the nremen ana spec
tators gazed at the tightiy chhcheo
fingers that encircIed the bars OF the |
window. Finally a bright sheet OF
lame revealed the TACT that the hous
had disappeared but still the hands
remained. ciaspeo aoout me "iAN
bars. Ii was one OF the most nor
rible sights of the lire.
Engineer Is Modest Hero.
The heroic act OF Night Engineer
Davis was not revealed until AFTER
noon when he staggered into the Al
hans street offices of his employers
10 tell how he had drawn the fires
from beneath the seven huge boilers.
No one knew until that moment
that the brave engineer had been
alone at work in the underground
with the huge fire raging above MN.
saving New YORK IRON EXPLOSIONS
which may have destroyed many
downtown structures In an instant.
Davis made light of his heroic act.