Evening star., 1924-11-30
BY JOHN KENLOS.


81 years in the New York Fire
Department no experience stands
- out more clearly than that deal
ing with the great fire which
consumed the Equitable Life Assurance
Building on January Q, 1912
In other fires there have been greater
losses of life and property. but few have
surpassed this In magnitude, and fewer
still in the difficulties presented and the
perils involved For had the flames
spread to adjoining structures they
might have swept the financial district
and resulted in one OF the worlds great
est conf1agrations.
For many years the Equitable Build
ing, eight stories high. had occupied an
entire block, bounded on the north by
Cedar street, on the south by Pine
street, on the east by Nassau street and
on the west by Broadway The first
three mentioned thoroughfares were
extremely narrow, and contained build
tngs of considerable height, though some
OF them We're OF antique construction
and doubtful fire resistance.
1t was at S SO o'clock In the morning
that second alarm was sounded from
Nassau and Pine streets. In two min
utes l had covered a distance Of about
1i2 miles between my quarters and the
scene of the fire. On entering the build
ing from Pine street l ascended the
main stairway to the fourth floor,
whence looking UP l could see that a
considerable area OF the stories above
was involved.
I Immediately directed my first aide.
Lieut.. Rankin. to send out third alarm,
and then proceeded to the fifth floor.
where I met Acting Deputy Chief De-
vanny. the officer in command before
my arrival. Subordinate to him. and di-
recting the companies, were Battalion
Chiefs w. ]. Walsh and George Kuss.
One glance at the situation was enough
to warn me of the great battle ahead.
and at once ordered a fourth alarm
with special call for water tower No. 2.
Water tower No. l, which had re-
sponded on the first alarm, was al
ready raised on the Pine street side
OF the building. I returned to the
street with full grasp Of the con-
ditions to be met. A siXty-mile gale
was blowing. with the thermometer
near zero. The direction OF the wind
was west-southwest, and I foresaw
that it would drive the fire toward
Nassau street, where several old
buildings. such as the Mutual Life
and the Fourth National Bank, lay di-
rectly in its path.
At this point Nassau street Is only
Al feet wide, and should the flames
have swept the buildings to the east,
under existing weather conditions. an
uncomfortable confiagration would
have resulted. To protect this point,
therefore, was the first nlaneuver and
the reason for acquiring an additional
water tower.
x :: :: <
THE second alarm assignment re-
ported to me at Pine street and
Broadway, and Acting Chief Kelly of
the Sd Battalion was Immediately or
dered to take command in Nassau
street. Engine companies were as
signed to him and ordered to take
their lines to the roof of the Fourth
National Bank to drive the fire back
when it broke through the eastern
wall of the building, as was plainly
evident would soon occur.
Capt. Henry, supervising engineer,
was directed to meet water tower No.
. on it's arrival and have 1t placed in
Nassau street directly in line with
rhe center of the Equitable, connect
ing it with the high-pressure hy-
drants in Maiden lane, and to order
the high-pressure pumps started at
the pressure of 200 pounds. This was
of the Fourth National Bank.
1t may seem to the layman that the
transmitting of the alarms, the as
signment of companies and the hum
dreds of orders consequent thereon
would take an appreciable length of
time. Yet, from the moment the gong
struck in my room until all arrange
ments had been perfected, exactly six