Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-01-11

New York. Jan. 9Th" immense
marble and granite home of the Equit-
able Life Assurance society. covering
whole block on lower l5roadway. an his
torc landmark of New iorkS carly
period of skyscrapcr buildings and one
of the ciLy's important financial ccntors.
was to-day destroyed by fire with a loss
of six lives and probably sd~Q,~" in
property. A dozen persons were injured.
Valuable records. including the bog-
raphy of u. II. Hartman and two
priceless law libraries which cannot he
replaced. went up in flames, and the
fate of hundreds of millions Of dollars
worth of securities. stored In safe de-
post vaults. was Tonight in question,
although it was believed that irCproof
construction would save them from dam
age
Fought in tho heart OF the financial
district. the fire upset the financial ma
chinery of Wall street and business was
practically suspended throughout the
day.
The great structure. which besides
containing the main offices of the
Equitable Life assurance society was
the home of the Mercantile Trust com
rany, the Equitable Trust company. the
banking house of Kountze Brothers
August Belmont Il Co, the Hartman
railroad lines, the Mercantile Safe De
rost company. he Lawyers club ana
many of the citvs most prominent law
firms, stands tonight n shell OF ic"-
coated granite. with its once magnificent
Interior completely Quilted.
MANY NARROWING INCIDENTS.
The fire was one of the most spectacular
in "a IoNnfOWn Scrtpn.
its progress was roplete with narrowing
incidents. The intense cold acted almost
instantancously upon the huge volume #
water poured upon the flames and Il thick
&c coating was quickly formed on the
'acadcs of towering skyscrapers adjacent
and upon the surface of streets for blocks
around. The buiwark of these modern
freproof structures, according to Fire
Commissioner johnson tonight. was in
valuable as protection to the entire
financial district. As it was the damage,
except by water. was confined entirely
to the Equitable structure.
OF those VINO lost their lives. three men
were killed by jumping from a coping rf
the roof Of the Structur" to which they
were driven hy the flames. They We're
employees in the building
Battalion Chier Wm j, Walsh dis
appeared in whr of flame early i'll the
progress If the conhagration when n
,ave-in occurred on the bird floor where
ne was lighting the fire. No trace Of his
BODY had been found tonight.
Two other mon, William Campion
captain Of the Natchmen in the MGR
camille Safe Deposit vaults in the base
incnt Of the burned structure. ard Frank
J. Neider. II special officer. whose bodies
have not been recovered. complete the
list Of dead 50 far as known
Several persons. watchmen and Others
who We're in the doomed structure whe,
the fire broke out have not been positively
accounted for hut are believed to have
escaped. Tho death total. however. may
not he definitely fixed until the flames
which were stlll burning tonight, hay,
been extnguisLed and the ruins cooled.
GIBLIN'S NARROW ESCAPE.
The list of injured Includes President
William j. Gibn Of the Mercantile SAFE
Deposit company whose rescue from thu
basement vaults of the company. where
ne was imprisoned, after two hours work
by the firomen. was one OF the sensa
tional episodes of the fire. Mr.. Gihlin has
gone into one of the vaults 70 save secur
ties and accidentally locked himself ii
with one or MS enlp'oy's' VINO a'oonlPan
led him. Their cries for help were hear
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