Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1912-01-10
Equitable Assurance Building Destroyed By Fine and Financial World Temper arily Crippled as Result More Than Billion Dollars n Cash and
 Securities in the Vaults
FIRE CH|tf WALSH DIES IN RUINS
u, of tbe Niiam GibIiu Accidentally Locked Himself to Their Fighting Mlchiner, Ii
 n at

won by the entire fighting fire maen- inery of this great metropolis uni;l nightfall
 The heart of (he great financial world was pierced For hours big busin ss was demoralized And when darkness fell upon the lower city. men remained appalled, at th tsem~ endous property loss. fae uncertain ty of still greater misfortunes will re main until the great ruins are suttiz ciently cooled to permit exploration of the vast vaults.
 Three great thrilling features stand out distinctly in tAe record of the day of remarkable heroisn They con- cern the tragic deaths of Chief Wll- liam ]. Walsh, the fearful tw0 aopf battle to rescue William Giblin pres. dent of the Mercantile Safe De posit Vault Company. and one of th vault Watchman, which succeeded. tue heroic deed of Engineer Davis, wau prevented tbe explosion of the huge boilers by several hours of unaided tJil, in which time ae drew all the fire while the great building WIS consumed over his head
 Men worked all day to bring some wis bic rearrangeme nit out of this a"- fu confusion i'll financial circles. They hope to have matters placed 'n some temporary order tomorrow, So that affairs of the Clea ing House ana the Stock Exchange may proceed with order. Four hundred policemen and detectives and dozens ot private watc nen and special police guard ed the great district tonight, protect ing the masses of valuable records books and papers winch had been carted out of the fire range into make shift places while great firms ol sterday will endeavor to transact their business and collect theIr seal
 
 tered thoughts tomorrow Offlcers 6f the New York Stock Exchange, Who | would not permit tie use of their names told the International News Service tonight that there was pos sibility that the safes would not he opened tomorrow because ot the pos sible confusion that may result lron' the great list Of active securities taat arc locked up in the vaults of Ii" Eouitable Building. They added tna' the question would be settled at s'h o.r1v bour tomorrow morning, rn time to give due notice to everybody 'h'' ested
 Facing weatle. conditions, @hlcsl are frightful, with q wind that was l almost a gale. urging the Ire tlefo on the city fire fighters worked uh. asr direction of Chief kenlon uhel tbfv froze to their posts. ana as ea'i' fireman benumbed and was draesea from his post, another relay ie"pe' into the ice breaches and hee' "p the work.
 Evfrv resource was brought l"'o n,av to control tie fire ana prevent it's spread 70 the grove of 'owe''ns s, v scraners on every hand. The DEC h,.op was doomed practically ITO" :, moment that Chief Kenion aff.V- o, end ne knew it. He saw thai 'i'e nrossure at hand would not cary aso;nst the powerful wind to the up aor. reaches of the great buiio'hs' n,o,,ino off the subordinate cohlinano ars as fast as they arrived, the ohiel aon+ thfm m with their men to the ,oo'' os tne great adjoining office ouliaiass . From these points of vantage ''i0us proadway. Pine and Cedar s'f'sss' thev noured nearly hundred s'lea.is down into the furnace oi tue
 am]e ruins. , ustam had
 IT was just after this system ,.sat aat
 oot into good working oraer .s.ao sna
 rh,ef r Walsh lost his life. "l'h 'Ais ise contentious he managed 10 feaon