The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-05-27
A MILLION DOLLAR FIRE
The Heart of Coney Island
Wiped Out by Flames.
OF INCENDIARY ORIGIN
Twenty Acres, Including tho Notorious
Bowery, Reduced to Ashes-Two
Hundred Buildings Were
Burned.

New York, May 26.-Coney Island
property to the value of nearly $1,000, 900
was destroyed by fire early this morn
ing, 20 acres in the heart of the sum-
mer resort the district known as the
"Bowery" being reduced to ashes.
The 200 buildings burned were located
between the Bowery and the ocean, Til
yus walk on the west and the old iron
pier on the east These buildings
ranged in size and Importance from a
wabbly bath pavilion" to the hand
some five-story Hygea hotel, including
theaters, concert halls, dancing pavil-
ions, stores of various kinds, restau
rants and hotels of every grade So
far as known only four persons were
injured or burned and all will recover.
Deputy Battalion Chief Kirkpatrick
| says he is convinced that the fire is of
| incendiary origin.
Reports received by the Evening
| World from Coney Island are to the eff
| feet that two fires broke out simultan-
| eously on both ends of THE Bowery'
| about five squares apart and close to
the beach. The places where the two
| fires originated were both almost mac
| the fires broke out simultaneously and
at places so difficult of access on the
part oil the firemen is taken as an in
dication that the fires were OF ncen-
diary origin
The police board of Greater New York
which has jurisdiction over Coney ISL
and, located as it is in the borough of
Brooklyn, recently issued sweeping or
ders insisting upon rigid enforcement
of the law so far as Sunday saloons and
concert halls are concerned. Some think
that certain residents of Coney Island
may have preferred to collect insurance
money rather than suffer the financial
loss which would have resulted from
the carrying into effect of these orders
from the city authorities.
The fire swept along two of the board
walks close to the beach, a veritable
cyclone of flames, destroying concert
halls, summer gardens, saloons small
houses and stores. These buildings
We're all constructed of frame material
and there seemed to be nothing to check
the progress of the flames.
The fire quickly found it's way into
| the Bowery proper. There was only q
| light breeze, but the infamma BILE nature
| of the materials used in the construc-
| ton of the buildings on the island made
the fighting of the fire extremely hard
work. Coney Island has only two small
fire engines and aid was summoned
from all other sections of Brooklyn. So
far as known by the police up to the
present time, all of the residents of the
island succeeded in making their es-
cape. One estimate of the value of the
property already destroyed is $15O,0o0.
The fire started early to-dayin Busch
| mans pavilion, Coney Island. and
spread rapidly until seven blocks of
frame buildings had been destroyed. A
conservative estimate of the loss is
placed at s750000. The police believe the
fire was of incendiary origin. Deputy
Kirkpatrick of the fire department says
he found traces of kerosene on the
board walk in front of one of the burn
ed buildings.
wondered at considering the character
of the buildings. In one hour after
the first puff of smoke gave the first
warning a large square filled with
buildings of all sizes and character,
utilized for such purposes as photo
graph galleries, saloons, dining rooms,
dance halls, theaters and the like, were
in ruins
When it dawned upon the firemen
that they had a serious blaze on their
hands fire alarms were sounded All
reserve engines came from Flatbush,
Fort Hamilton. Bath Beach. Sleeps
head Bay and IA companies responded
from Brooklyn. The police department
hurried down the reserves from six pre-
cinets, On arriving they at once set
to fighting the fire systematically.
The heaviest losses fell on Mann's
concert garden, loss $4,000; Hender-
and concert halls, 100000; Ezra Mer-
rill's roller coasting plant, $4,000;
Stauche's dancing pavilion and hotel
sS5,000