New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-02-09
EQUITABLE FIRE HERO
GETS BENNETT MEDAL
Seneca Larke RiSked Life Saw
ing Iron Bars in Stone Shower
to Save Bank President.
HONOR FOR BOSS RESCUER
j. G. Brown Receives Bonner
Token for Carrying Uncon-
scious Captain to Safety
Through Flames.

Seneca Larke's great courage in risking
his own life to save William Gibln at the
Equitable fire has won for him the James
Gordon Bennett medal, the most cher
ished trophy Of the Fire Department
Three other fircmen who did valiant work
AT the same fire received medals from the
eleven awarded yesterday by the board Of
merit for bravery and merit.
Larke ran the searchlight engine on
steamer No. 2 He found Mr.. Giblin, the
president of the Mercantile Safe Deposit
Company. imprisoned behind { heavily
barred window on the Broadway side Of
the building. Near the banker another
man had been frozen 10 death and in
water from the hose struck the walls.
Heavy stones and debris were falling all
about Nothing daunted. Larke got
hacksaw and. with the indomitable spirit
Of his Indian strain, worked away until
he had cut the bars and lifted out Gibin,
by that time unconscious through strain
and exposure. He then ran back and res
cued man named Sheehan. who had
shared Giblin's peril.
- VI biONii, Vi HUM anu 'blH-
pany No. |. was awarded the Bonner
medal for the rescue of Captain Charles
s Bass on the third floor OF the building.
The captain was near Battalion Chief
Walsh when Walsh was buried under
mountain of stone and iron. Brown was
injured, too. in the avalanche Of building
material. and almost suffocated by the
smoke and flame, but he found Captain
Bass unconscious from fractured skull.
Brown caught Captain Bass shoulders
and dragged the senseless man over heaps
of debris to a safer place. in the north
east corner OF the building Some of the
men Of Browns company ran up ladders
to the window and took the two men
down Captain Bass did not survive his
injuries. He died on November is.
The Crimmins medal was awarded To
Lieutenant Charles W Rankin. of Engine
Company No. g. and the Trevor medal
To James 4. Malloy, of Engine Company
No 50 These two frenen attempted TO
save the lives of three men who took ref
uge on the root of the Equitable Build
INK when the fire first broke out, and
later. forced by the flames lcaped TO the
street and were killed.
The Werthcim medal goes to James j.
Mooney of Hook and Ladder 40. T. FOR
assisting AT rescucs at No. 20 West ftn
street. January t.. The Strong medal
was awarded to Thomas Kilbride. Of Hook
and Ladder Company No J. He took four
persons down the scaling ladder at the
bennett restaurant fire in Park Row last
October For taking Fanny Simon from
q burning room Of the third floor OF No.
$50 Metropolitan avenue, Brooklyn. last
April. Charles IIelhlotz. OF Engine Com
pany No. 232 was awarded the Hurley
medal. Arthur Ioylan, of Engine Com
pany No. T. received the Agnew medal for
skill and bravery. lie rescued two women
with a scaling ladder. at a fire AZ No. III
West 18th street on March lG.
The Brooklyn citizen" medal went to
Captain John j. Walsh. Of Engine Com
pany No 26S. \ boom had knocked Fire
men Bove and Teddy from burning
building into the Gowanus canal. and
Walsh rescued the men, who were hurt
and would have drowned but for him.
The Stephenson and College medals were
awarded to Captain John j. Kelly, OF
Hook and Ladder Company No 100. the
first for the best disciplined company in
The department and the second for the
best percentage IN the Fire College.
All the medals. except the Hurley,
"Brooklyn Citizen, Stephenson and Col
lcce. are hrst class medals and carry with
them the award of the department
medal