The sun., 1896-09-28
C0NEY'S ELEPHANT GONE.
BURNED 10 THE GROUND INSIDE
OF HALF AN noun Last NIGHT

Fourteen Small BuildinEs Destroyed and
the Sea Beach Palace Slightly Harmed
For Ten Years the Elephant Was
Ceney Isiaud's Most Famous Landmark.
The big wooden elephant at Coney Island was
destroyed In less than half an hour last night
by fire which also wiped out fourteen other
buildings and part Of the sea Beach Palace
building. The are was discovered at 10,f
o'clock by Coney islander who was walking
along Surf avenue, directly In front of the big
elephant He saw thin line of flame running
around underneath the howdah ON the back Of
the elephant. The native yelled "Etrol" and .
policeman sent In an alarm.
Meanwhile the flames had spread with start
ling rapidity and IL looked as II there was going
to be another Coney Island conflagration. The
big elephant, baked dry as tinder by the suns
Of ten summers, was transformed into blazing
furnace inside. There were TWO dry wooden
floors, and the joists, orossbeams. and ribs
which kept the big elephant together furnished
excellent material for the flames.
Fire and smoke belched forth from the big
eyes. mouth. and trunk. and from the windows
in the aides and back of the big elephant. The
the elephant In less than fve minutes and then
broke out all over the building.
through the entire Interior of tho big building,
aud tho flames which scared out through the
top Of the elephent's head and back illumined
tho sky and shed glare over tho Bowery and
the ocean.
All the Concy Islanders were gathered around
the big building. bound to be in at the death.
The Fire Department lost no time in getting to
work. but the Chief saw there was no use trying
TO save the elephant and turned his attention TO
the surrounding buildings. The Coney Islanders
formed bucket brigadea and Joined the Fire
Department In preventing the spread OF the
After the are had bruned out the, interior of
the elephant the flames burst up through the
It was noticed that the sides were caving in;
sparks and huge torches OF flame dying around
in every direction the big elephant collapsed.
% the Ss"a runt e
There Was vas s' strong of-.hore brssie a.n and
Of OK the Sea- Beach spa Palace ' building @ which
buildings % at the Phiiadelphia centeunisl. In a
moment the tarred roof caught fire In the south
tss d The tne
tion OF which Is used as hotel. They succeeded
in checking tho advance of the flames after
Tho ise then ran around the big roller coaster
which wound around the elephant building:
creased. @ so % that there here wa was another display.
Then the flames began e run through the row
OF two story frame buildings In front OF the
elephant, facing on Surf avenue.
Most of these were used as stores and Raines
law hotels. and the owners lived in apartments
above. Fourteen of these small buildings were
destroyed before the flremen got around and
stopped the spread Of the fire on the avenue.
At one time the fire looked SO threatening
that all the hotel keepers on the Bowery, who
ago, got together ail their ready cash and were
ready to start fur Brooklyn and New York on
tho last train.
-, BY II o'clock the stumps of the legs were all
these were fast disappearing. while q, space
around the front OF It was mass Of glowing
embers.
Tho flames swallowed up q dozen or moro
peanut, popcorn, and frankfurter stands and
several smaller shenties In the grounds around
the elephant which were used by fortune tellers
and other fakirs during the summer.
At IN O'Clock the hremen had the fire under
control and the Coney Islanders were holding
wake over the elephant.
Messrs, Hall and Garrison, two enterprisinR
Philadelphians. and at the time OF its cunstruc-
ton was proclaimed as one Of the wonders of
America" 1t cost $Os.00o. and was first opened
In the language of an old Coney Islander who
saw tho structure burned up last night, It was
q frost from the start"
When the owners failed to make y go as Q
hotel they turned 1t into an office building, but
the scheme was not success.
For the past two years the building has been
as an attraction. Visitors paid an admission of
ten cents TO see the Elephant.
When the fire started there wasn't stick OF
known to have been IN 1t for several days. Fire
Marshal Bryman 10 of the opinion that the blaze
was tho work of an incendiary:
Of ali The many Brilliant blazes which have At
times devastated the Island. and the flames
could be seen as far south as Sandy Hook. The
Elephant was not insured.