The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-01-11
HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS MOVED
 FROM THE FIRE
New York s Financial Dis trict Becomes An Armed
 Camp Today
Big Force of Men Enter Tot tering Building to Clear Path Towards Immense Vaults.
.lspecial from united Press.l

| Special from United Press.) New York, Jan. 11-New York's ! financial district became an armed camp. today. while more than hum dred million dollars was moved from the fire swept Equitable building dis trict to places of safety.
 Not since the establishment of In-
 spector Byrnes' famous 'dead line''
 have such elaborate precautions been
 taken to safeguard money in Wall street. The vaults Of the American Broadway, across the street from the Equitable, were emptied of their vast
 treasure so that the business of the institution might be resumed.
 The masses of money and securities
 were. placed in a steel barred express
 wagon in which 10 heavily armed pri-
 boeh sides and behind the wagon. as 1t moved through lower Broadway
 were 50 plainclothesmen. uniformed
 policemen and private detectives. In-
 mediate1y behind came a large auto mobile packed with armed employees of the bank. None would tell the value of the contents but financfefs
 said the banks vaults must have
 disgorged $60,OoO ,000.
 At 11:15. the vaults of the Mercals-
 tile branch of the Bankers Trust com
 pany were opened. Thirty plainclothes
 men, 20 uniformed and 35 private de-
 tectives gathered around as the offi-
 
 great wealth they contained. Under
 this guard, the $75,O0o. GOO in money
 and securities in the vaults was re-
 moved to waiting steel barred wag-
 on and carried to the main office
 of the Bankers Trust, at Wan
 street. The papers were not even
 scorched by the heat to which the
 vaults had been subjected giving fin-
 anciers great hope that the contents
 of all vaults would be found intacl
 Ry entering the second sub-cellar
 under the building ftremen, today, penetrated to the spot where William sheet of ice on the ground floor. They are ,f4oJT cutting their way upw ard. ] hoping to secure the body before the
 Two hundred and fifty men. warned 1 in advance that their lives would be i In constant danger. today, accepted l ed the skeleton of the Equitable Life | Building, in an effort to shore up the ] tottering walls and clear a path to- | ward the immense vaults that contain | s2 .ooO, ,O00. 900 in money and securities. It is admitted in Wall street that the i big fire had completely tied up, for | the first time in history, that greatest | hnaneia1 center in the world. { The vaults of William A. Read. ! banker at Cedar and Nassau streets, were opened. early today The con- tents were found to be intact and $15O, GOO OO0 in money and securities , were taken out and removed to safe quarters
 Vault experts declared. today. that. no matter if the quivering walls held firm and the wreckers managed to | clear away to the buried vaults. 1t would be safe to open them. because of the danger Of spontaneous conbuS- the Mercantile Safe Deposit Company, | the largest concern of it's kind in the world in which are believed to be se- curities to the value of S1 ,250 900 900 f1.o rrn 1fIfc rf ClT1rnf f1Nn Qrrf bankers containing many millions fns securities and money. The vaults of the August Belmont BanEing firm and the Equitable Trust company, may be opened sooner. because they were not subjected to the severe heat. The officials of these latter firms declared, today however. they would be as> sured by experts that all danger was past before they would open their vaults.
 There is. of course. the ever pres ent danger that the walls will topple over. burying the vaults under thou. sends of tons of debris. which could only be removed by weeks of labor.
 Early today. fire and police and building department officials were d's- cussing the advisability of calling off all workers and dyna miting the walls. tying up the mammoth fortunes. but So se guarding the lives of firemen, police and laborers.
 Police. today, still refused to per nit tenants of the tall American EX- change National Bank, across Cesar street from the ruins. to enter their offices. though the bank officials were permitted to clear their vaults of books and money so that business might be resumed in temporary of
 The walls on the Cedar street side of k the Equitable Building had bulged to five feet, today; and there was con stant danger that they would fall. burying the Mercantile vaults The falling of these walls, exeperts sad. would greatly endanger their contents rI7 nd in he ad ! would crack the big chimney vaults, permitting an thrush of the super heated air that would charr and burn the securities. While these securities could be duplicated. it would be after endless advertising and trouble. oc- cupying a year, during which time the stock exchange would be seriously 
 ing, today. did only after, each had been warned that his life was in con stant danger Despite this warning the -iluring wage offered drew an ances were summoned by the police and kept waiting. The workers are trying to clear passageway to the va ults and to find the body of Bat talion Chief William K. Walsh. which Is believed to be buried on the fourth floor.
 Books and records of the Equitable Trust Company. kept in safes have been salvaged hut no efforts will be nade to enter the VauILS or tnlS con sern until they cool off. Officials of -he Equitable Life declared. today. an examination had shown that the steel Sling case which contained q0 O0n pol cies on which the company had lna'-- d policy holders more than $7o, ,O00. GOO nod esca ped injury.
 Subway. officials expressed grave { ears. today. that if the Broadway l walls Of the burned building collapse. hey will crash through crust of l Broadway into the subway benea tn. Tho h41fl.ffYiO !