The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-01-09

company, the banking house of
Kountz Brothers, the Mercantile Safe
Deposit company and the Hartman
lines. was destroyed early today by
fire. Three men lost their lives by
leaping from the roof and the prop
erty loss is estimated at about
10 to Is million dollars.
Millions of dollars in cash and Sc
curities are locked in the vaults of the
assurance society and the banking and
trust companies, but are not believed
to be affected by the flames
Wi Giblin, president OF the
Mercantile Safe Deposit company, was
imprisoned with three other employees
j. the vaults and was rescued after the
firemen had sawed through several
tWo-inch steel bars one man is be-
lieved to have lost his life in the vault.
Deputy Fire Chief Walsh was res
cued from the building after being i'm
pr1soned in the burning structure for
nearly two hours.
Business Is stopped.
\ The fire was in the heart of the fin
9ncial district and the flames were
fought mainly from the tons of tower
ing sHyscrapers. Business was
brought almost to a complete stand
still among banking and brokerage
houses, whose employees could not
reach the scene of their dailv activi-
to care for the firemen
Most of the vital records of the
Equitable Life We're kept in the branch
offices of the society in the Hazen
building, several blocks from the main
offices.
The heaviest loss besides that of the
building was caused by the destruc-
tiOn of insurance and railroad records
Within two hours after the fire broke
out at $50 the building was n mass
=
ing from the tops of skvscrapers and
from the streets below irving to rre-
vent the flames from spreadins. ro the
buildings on the opposite side of the
street.
The Equitable building occnnies the
block between Broadway and Nassau
street and Pine and Cedar streets The
fire was first discovered on the ground
floor IN a store room Of the Cafe Sa-
varin and carried by u draught Of air
shot upward through an elevator shaft
setting fire to the upper floors.
A general alarm was turne1 in and
when the fire department reached the
seen the flames We're bursting o,7+ Of
the windows in the southeast. corner of
the building. A gale sweeping thro1,sf
( the streets drove the flames rhro17eb
the building from end to end. Fire
men dragged their hose to the tow of
the Chase National bank on Pine and
the Fourth National bank on Naesa,,
street, While other lines of hOsa T,-s1.e
. run up on skyscraper opposite the
building on Broadway. from which
streams of water We're directed IN ~
flames.
Fire Tugs Called Out
Five alarms were turned in and fire
tugs from the North and East rivers
grouped themselves at a convenien4
dock and pumped volumes of water
into the building Three watcbner in
the building heroically remained 70
fight the flames with fire exrina11isb1
ers. but they were finally driven TO tI7a
roof Firemen made a heroic attemnt
run up.
Rescuers got as high as the fourth
floor when the watchman. their forms
outlined against the glare of the
and then. as the corner of the build-
ing on which they were standinp fsIl
they jumped to the street e--
The firemen on the scaling lad5a~s
had difficulty in making their wav
back to the streets.