New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-09-21
ROCKAV4Y BEACH HOTELS BURNED. n

THE SUMNER RESORT ALMOST COMPLETELY
DEsTRoYED-oNE LIFE LOST AND
HEAVY DAMAGE DONE.
| The largest conhagraton which has ever oc-
| CURED on the Long Island coast destroyed over
| 90 frame buildings at Roclaway yesterday anu
! left about 1G0 acres mass Of ruins. Inc inaih
porton of the famous old summer resort has been
| completely wiped out. The burned district IN
cludes both sides Of Seasde-ave., from the Long
Island Railroad track and about n half-miie 10
the north from SeasdC-ave. The 'lre DroAc
out about IL :25 p. m. in the Seaside Museum on
Seasidc-ave, close to the beach. The first seen
of the flames was when they were bursting through
the lower 6oor of the museum building john
Cornish. the proprietor cf the museum, appears 10
have been the first one TO notice them.
| The building was large frame structure, Du'lV
many years ago, and was stocked with curiosltes'
Its floors, walls and partitions were dry as tinder
from age ard before Cornish realized the danger
| the flames had run along the floor and mp the
| sides of the building into the second story. Inc
| suddcnncss of the outburst dazed COrnlsh for
few minutes and then as the flames began TO roar
| over his head he remembered that woman VINO
| was emplcyed by him to clean the building was
al work on the floor above. lie started to run up
stairs but the flames and smoke deferred him, anG
he rushed into the street crying: "for uou
sake. save Mrs Phillips Ills cries were heard
| by John Barnes, the owner OF Il roller coasting
| slide and realizing the meaning OF ,or-
nishs cries he rushed into the building
and called her name. He got response, and ms
the flames were rapidly advancing upon him he was
obliged to turn and leave the woman to her fate
The high wind carried the flames across Seaside
ave-. where they communicated with Ncis'ncrs =
| IL: ~ -, t,,,.r or
and carousal Almost simultaneously Seanan's
Hotel caught fire. and within five minutes after the
flames broke through the roof of the Museum, the
fire spread 10 both sides of the avenue, aud famed
bv the wind began to cat its way in all directions
In quick succession the flames attacked the
| other hotels along the beach and on both sides
| Of Scasidc-ave Among the principal buildings
| which went were: Cons's Hotel. Murray *
| Datz's Grand Ocean Hotel, the Ncw-York Hotel,
| Peterson & Barrv's Hotel Meyers Hotel.
| pavilion and pier the Columbus Hotel. F. Roachs
Hotel. the annex of Wainwright n Smiths Hotel,
wainwright & Smiths bathing pavilion, BurcheTs IS
| grocery store. Il. Simpsons Hotel Krusc's Hotel.
| DR. Pulls druc store, PetcrsOn's pool room, ana
the Globe Hotel the fIe tower the electric light
station. Garrison's Hotel. and on the beach the
! Hotel Stuttgart, the Ocean House, the
/ Columbia. Scnubcrs Hotel Morrison's Hotel.
the Grand Republc Hotel. the Hotel Abcmarle
and the St mcs-on-thc-Boucvard.
| Beside these buildings. which are all of large
size host of smaller buildings, occupied drug.
| cigar. ice cream and canay stores, and shooting
| oo .lcr.ca we o dc>t,olcd Wit the ! w.1t merry
co-rounds, carousals, obogean slides, and the doz-
cus of similar devices always found al seaside -
torts The Rockaway Fire Department WIS never
| intended TO handle such "A blaze, and though tuey
/ fhgir etIoYts useless. IIeF
we're handicapped by scarcity Of water, AMI after
| oT thc hose of which the beach boa,tcd had been
attached 10 the hydrants the water did little more
than flow from the nozZlcs Seeing that thcr" was
no hope of qucnchng the flames with water, the
! fremcn adopted other means. keg ot powder
was obtained, and put into building ana s'' oh'
II was thought by this means 10 create break
over which the flames would not reach. Inc ell n
was fruitlcss, however as before the volunteers
could clear away the wrccllagc OF the fallen bulld-
| i,, tho flame. were upon them and had spannc |
the zap Hooks and axes were freely usrd' ana
buildings in all directions were torn down. nu' the
fire had gained hcadway and defeated the int''-
! tions of the workers by lcaping across UI' hP''-9
thus cleared.
Aid wos summoned by telegraph and telephone
from Far Rockaway Woodhaven' ozone ! ~ ~
I,vncucc Inwood Long Island City ana Jamaica
| Owing to the latcnc.s of the season tlcIe "'i'
vcrv few quests ai the hotels and the only inmates
| in most Instances were the piopr""r7' Va u
| families and a few Of tine help who were cieaS''
| IN nnttiup thc hotels in shape for the winter SIT
! son How the flames started j. unknown. Many
! Iclicvc that the lc tn WORK ol me ,hhlaii''
while others think that II resulted clAef rom
c,rccssu,s- or spontaneous combustion.
| Mrs Phillips was, far n In now KNOWN 'nc
only pcrson who lost her life III tine c'Glidgfatoh'
4 number Of men received sever" burns an" III
iuric, while ii2hting the flames, but with one cN-
| cnntinn only one man will be Il permanent looser
Inv thc fire This unfortunate Is James Peters,
| ,ybo will lose an eye by an accident which o'-
| currcd while lac was AT work Mrs. Philips wa
| Gfty years old. She leaves Il husband ana eleh'
| children. ri
| # is impossible now 10 even approximately e-tl-
mate the amount of the losses Inc estimates o'
| the total losses vary widely By some it is "stI'
mated at over s., ,0OO,O0o, while others do not
believe that the total will amount to one-quar'rf
| tLnt amount The only figures of Losses when
| could Inc obtained are follows: The 6rahti
| Ocean Hotel Murray a DatZ, Sll 1000; HlanI
Pepnblic Hotel 10000 BIchcIl- grocery store,
81 Q 900: the NcwYorlS Hotel, 81 1000; Mlssncr >
iIotcl. Sl2, 900: Tmuscr's Hotel, S',0Oo he IN
| surancc on these buildings Is c'nsldcfapi' "u'
| the amounts are unknown. The polirc-, now
ever will not amount to onc-hal of the total loss
nanies are particular about their risks. III" ron
| pier j. badly damaged, if not totally destroyed on
| the shore end The woodwork is gone, ana nu,h u
| of the ironwork warped and bent. II VIII ne
| impossbc TO ascertain the exact nature OF the
| damage to this structure until to-day.
| CU1PIES Feed DIES Suddenly ~ BED