Albuquerque evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1911-1914, 1912-01-09
FOUR KNOWN TO Be DEAD, SEVERAL MISSING;
MONETARY LOSS APPROXIMATELY $l5OOOOOO

(Ry Evening" Hernid \. =. LeRaed Wtrel
New York, y. Y, Jan. 9.-The great
marble nine-story building 81 the
Equitable Life Assurance society az
i20 broadway. the home Of the Mer-
camille Trust company. the Equitable
Trust company the banking House Of
Kountze Bros. the Mercantile Safe
Deposit company and the Hartman
lines was destroyed early today by
fire.
Four men are known to be dead and
FIVE injured In the fre and several
persons are missing, Including Batal-
lion Chief Walsh. The fire was still
burning In the debris IN the basement
OF the building this afternoon Con-
servative estimates OF the damage
placed the loss in the neighborhood
of Si9.O0O.0e0 while others sa} the
loss will run as high ms sl5.000000
According to an officer Of the Eqult-
able, the great safety deposl. vaults
In the building contained last night
securities aggregating between S250.-
100000 and $500. .O00,0 900 The vaults
are believed TO be intact
William Glblln, president OF the
Mercantile Safe Deposit company.
was imprisoned with three other en-
ploycg In The vaults and wHs rescued
after the firsmen had sawed though
several twO.lnch steel bars Ono nan
is believed to have losi hts lie IN the
vaults
Deputy Fire Chief Walsh was im-
prisoned In the burning structure. The
Gre was In the heart of the financial
district and the flames were fought
mainly from the tops of towering sky
scrapers Business was brought al
most TO a complete standstill among
banking and brokerage houses, whose
employees could not reach the scene
OF their daily activities Financial
firms stopped business to care for the
iiremen.
Most OF the vital records Of the
Equitable life Assurance society were
kept In the branch Offices OF the
society IN the Hazen building, several
blocks from the main office.
The Equitable building occupies
the block between Broadway and Mas
sau street and Pine and Cedar streets
The FIRE was first discovered on the
ground ilOOr In a storeroom of the
Cafe Sayarin and carried By a drnught
OF air. shot upward through an ele-
vator shaft, setting fire TO the upper
floor
a general alarm was turned in.
a gale sweeping through the
streets drove the flames through the
building from end 20 end Wnhin
two hours Il was "a mass of flames
aud the firemcn were working 90
prevent the flames from spreading TO
surrounding bIildings
Five alarms were turned In and
fire tugs from the North and East
rivers grouped themselves at con-
venicnt dock and pumped volumes Of
water into the building Three watch
men IN the building hcroicaly re-
mained 90 fight the flames with fire
cxtinguishers, but they were finally
driven 60 the roof Fircmon made q
heroic attempt TO save them aud
scaling ladders were run mp.
The rescuers got as high as the
fourth flnor when the Wntchmen.
their forms outlined against the glare
of the flames, were seen TO kneel
and pray, and then, as the corner ~
the building on which they were
standing fell, they jumped to the
street
The firomen ON the scaling ladders
had difficulty In making their way
back 90 the streets
Deputy Fire Chief William Walsh
and five firemen were caught when
section of floor In an upper story
gave way. The firemcn managed 20
reach window ledge, from which
they were rescued hy means of life
line, but when they looked back Chief