New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-11-02
VICTIMS OF ELEVENTH-AVE TENEMENT HOUSE
BLAZE, 25-DEAD BLOCKED FIRE ESCAPES.
Fourteen Square Blocks and 700 Buildings Wiped the Island Re-
Sort-Propety Loss. s1OOOOO0
says HE SAW FIRE SET.
Witness Declares Prisoners Used
OIL and Rags.

westerly end OF the BOvery. at Steeplechass
Walk. easterly to Jones's Walk. and from Surf
ave. straight away to the beach. and over two
hundred and fifty buildings were destroyed By
the flames. causing damage estimated IN ths
neighborhood Of 100000.
Henderson's concert hau. az Hendersonfs
Walk. extending a block along the Bowe-y.
with the pleasure pavilion opposite was de-
stroyed. The loss was estimated at 500 000.
Stauch's dancing pavilion, at the southwest
corner Of Henderson's Walk and the Bowery
directly opposite. quickly reduced 70 a
shell by the flames. The loss is placed at abous
S225.000. The majority Of the smaller buildings
were dance halls and Raines Law hotels. with
saloons the ground floor About a dozen
persons were injured by fire or flying glass
The fire brozs out ABOUT 3:45 2. N. in the Iaun.
dry OF the Albatross Hotel. az Tuyou's Walk,
Steeplechase and the Bowery II was discov-
cred by some one in the building. and Rounds
man Kennedy sent in an alarm from surf-avs
and Schwickert's Walk. I'd 70 o'clock Iass
evening the fire supposed TO have been
caused by overheated stove. but at that hour
Detectives Reynolds and Masterson arrested
Frank Connolly, age twenty-seven hanzer-oa
Of the A1batross Hotel. and Peter Kelly, twenty
five years old, frequenter Of Coney Island re-
sorts. on suspicion Of causing the fire The
police were looking also last night FOR Charles
Connolly The men were arrested on inforna-
ton furnished by Barney Wolf. twenty-six years
old. who has resort at Bushman's Walk AMI
the Bowery. He said he saw the men starting
fire with oil and rags. The prisoners woul1
not make any statement.
On the first alarm Battalion Chief Kirkpat~
rick. with Engine Companies Nos. IA and 145.
arrived At that time all the buildings near ths
AIbatross Hotel were catching fire. From ons
frame structure to another the flames Ieaped
swiftly, until il seemed as il the whole western
end Of the island would be devoured- Engins
No 145 soon had to sop from lack Of water Re-
membering the disastrous fire in the spring &C
1896. Chief Kirkpatrick. who had predicted that
some day there would be worse one. turned
in second and third alarms. They brought thu
engine companies from Sheepshead Bay. Ben
sonhurst. Fort Hamilton and F1atbUsh, and q
fourth alarm summonsy the company at Six
tieth-st. and New-Utrecht-ave.
The flames were soon being played on from
the most advantageous points by fourteen en-
gtnes, directed by ten battalion chiefs. But the
fire sru gained headway, and four more engines
were called
The reserves from the South Brooklyn sta
tons and far away as Adams-st- were called
out and fire lines were formed, under command
Of Inspector Druhan, to keep back the great
crowds. About one hundred and fifty police.
men in all were duty.
The freboats David a Body and Seth Low
on their arrival had tie up at the pier. but
as the fire did not extend so far az first it was
some time before they could render service.
Deputy Fire Commissioner Laimbeer directed
the work Of the hIemen and Deputy POLES
Commissioner Ebstein watched their work and
the strenuous efforts Of the police to keep tho
curious crowds within the line OF safety.
Deputy Police Commissioner Piper drove over
from Fort Hamilton with his wife and chill
dren. but when he saw the extent Of the fro
he sent them hack home and remained to sea
the spectacle.
It is estimated that there were about fftv
thousand visitors to the Island. a great part
of them drawn there by the fire. which could
be seen at great distance. All the lines Lead
ing to Coney Island were crowded for hours
with sightseers
The fire on spreading from Henderson's con-
cert hall and Stauch's dancing pavilion licked
up after another Of the smaller buildings.
dance halls and Raines law hotels. Most oe
them had tenants who lived on the island the
year round. and about i've hundred people wers
turned out Of their homes. Whenever posslb1s
they carried their household goods with them.
but they were compelled by the police to pils
them up the north side OF surf-ave.. there tn
remain until to-day. when they may be Claimed
This was done 10 prevent repetition OF the
wholesale robbery which took place at the last
Coney Island fire, when a great quantity oc
household goods. valued at many thousands %
dollars. were claimed and carried or by others
than their rightful owners.
Henderson's concert hall was of brick thras
stories high. and owned by F. B. Henderson
& Co II was erected after the big FIRE OF 1S96.
stauch's dancing pavilion had on the roof a
tank containing three thousand gallons oe
water.
The water turned on from the tank, bus
did not render the service that was expected oe
IL. At Henderson's concert hall there was
plunge in the rear OF the building. four feet
deep. II was originally proposed. IN case %
fire. to I'll IT with water from the ocean. and
have the fremen draw upon T. But when thu
emergency arose yesterday the scheme was not
found TO be practicable.
Henderson's loss covers the entire block be-
tween HendersOn's Walk and the BOwery and
Henderson's Walk and the beach. with the con-
cert hall across the way. His loss was estimate
ed at about $4,000. stauch's pavilion. the Big
gest dance hall on the island represented loss
of about $4,000
The loss on Nathan Blanks pavilion. IN ths
Eowery. amounted to $4,000 and there was tho
same amount Of loss on the Metropolis Hotel.
owned by Frank GriHen. az HendersOn's Walk
and the Bowery 1t the ocean end OF Charles
Feltnan's pavilion the loss was about $1,000.
ard the damage on Junau's Casino amounted tn
$1,000 Thompson & Dudley were running
show on the Bowery called Darkness ard
Dawn and sustained a loss Of about S10OoO
There was a loss Of $1,000 on the TrOcadero
Music Han, at Bushman's Walk and the Bow
erv. and a loss Of $4,000 On the City Club
Hotel az surf-ave. and STATIONS Walk The
Murray House. at Surf-ave. and Schweickerts
Walk represented loss of $4,000 and Perry's
Hotel at STATIONS Walk and the Bowery. a