Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1899-06-01
BLAZE At COMFY ISLAND
Twenty Acres of Frame Buildings
at the Popular Seaside Re
sort In Ashes.
THE TOTAL LOSS WILL REACH $4,000
The Fire Believed TO Have Been of
Incendiary Original Policeman,
n Fireman and Two Boys Badly
Hurned-The Buildings Burned
Like finder.

New York, May 27.-Coney Island
property to the value of half million
dollars was destroyed by fire early
yesterday morning, 20 acres in the
heart of the summer restort section,
the district known as the Bowery, be-
ing reduced to ashes.
Boundaries of the Fire.
The 200 buildings burned were To-
Gated between the Bowery and the
ocean, Tilyou's Walk on the west and
the old iron pier on the east. These
buildings ranged in size and import
ance from a wabbly bathing ''pavil-
ion" to the handsome five-story Hygeia
hotel, including theaters, concert halls,
dancing pavilion, stores of various
kinds, restaurants and hotels of every
grade.
Thousands Made SheIterIess.
The fire made shelteriess. for time,
native and transient population of
about $500, including 500 men and
women classed as comedians and SOU
brettes, employed in the district, and
silenced no less than 100 pianos, which
have for years assisted in merry max.
ing at Coney Island.
The Second Fire Discovered.
1t was nearly three o'clock when
policeman discovered blaze in q cot
tage near the iron pier. n prompt re-
Spouse of the fire department in an
swer to an alarm had this trouble dis
posed of before g.: so a. M, and the en-
gines were about going a way when
the same policeman discovered another
fire in Scheffles' Palm pavilion, at the
Tilyou's Walk end of the~district.
This Was the Big Fire.
This was the start of the big fire,
and it spread in northeasterly zig
gag line toward the Fatime theater, on
the Bowery, at a frightful rate. ADJ
ditional alarms followed in quick sue
cession until 20 engines, some from as
far away as South Brooklyn, were
called.
Rushed Ont I'm Their Night Dresses.
In ten minutes after the second fire
started, the whole Bowery district
was in wild alarm. The thousands inn
mediately threatened rushed out at
tired as they slept. They were quick
ly joined by the entire native and over
night population of the island, some
10000, whose eager interest haInpered
the firemen.
Thieves Get In Their Work.
1t was seen that the firemen had de-
termined to make the Bowery the
fighting line, and then the last hope
of those south of the Bowery that
many of their houses might be saved
being gone, pell NELL rush for sal
wage or plumber took place.
Scores of thieves broke through the
fire lines and entered the district from
the ocean side, and their work of loot
ing was wholesale. A crowd carrying
off piano was one sight which taught
the police what kind of crooks they
had to deal with.
The Fire of Incendinry Origin.
Deputy Battalion Chief Kirkpatrick
says he is convinced that the fire was
of incendiary origin. He arrives at
this conclusion owing to the fact that
the flames broke out in two different
parts of the island at about the same
time. both being difficult of access
so far as the fire engines are
concerned, and from the fact that
upon his arrival he found traces OF
kerosene oil along the board walks
and around both houses where the
fires originated.