Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1912-01-09
New, York Home Of the
Equitable Life is De-
stroyed.
RECORDS NOT ALL LOST
Fortunes in Money and Secur-
tiles in Vaults of Building
Believed Safe.

Life Assurance society's office build
ing at Broadway and Pine streets was
destroyed by fire this morning. The
loss may exceed s1O,OoO,OOO. Eight per
sons are dead.
At Z O'Clock the roof fell in, and the
great granite structure, occupying
full block, was a mass of ruins. -Four
bodies already have been taken out,
and there is little doubt that several
men, both dead and alive, are caught
in the ruins.
STARTS IN RESTAURANT.
The fire started in a restaurant In
the basement and swept up an elevator
shaft to the top floors, and within half
an hour the entire structure was
seething mass of flames.
Before o'clock all floors and the
roof had fallen in, and the granite
walls enclosed only fiercely burning de-
bris. The heat became so intense that
the giant walls crumbled and dropped
piecemeal into the streets.
VAULTS BELIEVED SAFE.
The building was the home not only
of the Equitable Life Assurance So
ciety, but also of the Union and South
ern Pacific railroads, the banking
house of August Belmont & Co, the
Mercantile Trust company, the Mer-
camille Safe Deposit company, togeth-
er with a number of New York finan-
cial firms. Millions upon millions of
dollars in securities and cash were car
ed for in the vaults of the building, but
it is not believed the heat can pene-
trate the safes and that there will be
any loss from this source.
RECORDS ARE DESTROYED.
The heaviest loss besides that of the
building was caused by the destruction
of insurance and railroad records
The building was absolutely gutted.
WATCHMEN ARE HEROES.
Three watchmen in the building
heroically remained to fight the
flames with fire extinguishers, but
they were driven finally to the roof
Firemen made an heroic attempt tt
, save them and scaling ladders were
run up. The rescuers got as far a.
the fourth floor when the watchmen
their forms outlined against tn,
glare of the flames, were seen t
kneel and pray, and then, as a cor
ner of the building on which the!
were standing fell, they jumped tt
the street. The firemen on the seal
ing ladders had difficulty in maxim;
Cheir way back to the streets.
CAUGHT BY FALLING FLOORS.
Deputy Fire Chief William Walsl
and five firemen were caught wheI
, section of a floor in an upper stor.
, gave way. The firemen managed :,
reach a window ledge, from whici
they were rescued by means of lif
line thrown to them, but when the,
looked back Chief Walsh had disap
peared in the smoking ruins. Eff
forts were made to reach the spo
where he was buried, but the fire
men could not find him.
PRIEST NEAR DEATH.
y Father Mclean nearly lost hi
g life when administering the las
v rites to a man imprisoned in a saf
q deposit vault, firemen dragging hin
V away just as a shower of bricks an
n stone fell on the spot where he ha
G been kneeling. AS the firemen car
: ried Father Mclean away the dyin
O man turned to him and pityingl
v said: For Gods sake, father, TAX
i me out of here. I'm dying. Can
:. you get at me?
n MERCANTILE HEAD IN VAULT.
s After the flames were checked, tw
men were reported alive in the vault
of the Mercantile Safe Deposit com
pany, where one man had alread
: lost his life, and firemen tried to bal
q ter down the steel doors. The in
/ tense heat drove the firemen away
but they returned and succeeded /
penetrating the steel doors and res
cuing the men. One of the men wa
William GibIin. president of the Me-
camille Safe Deposit company. Hi
rescue was effected by the fireme
saving through several two-inc
steel bars. Giblin was taken to
hospital very weak, but in no in
T mediate danger.
q GOES AFTER PAPERS.
After a brief rest, Giblin said: .
, was sitting up last night with m
p wife. who has been very i'll, when a