The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1903-11-18
CONEY ISLAND F|RE-SWEPT
fourteen Blocks and 400 Buildings
Destroyed al Famous Recort.
NOTORIOUS BOWERY WIPED OUT

Fivo Hundred Persons Homeless and
Loss Estimated at S1,ooo,0oo - Scar
city of Water Gives FREQ Sway to De-
struction - Many Famous Resorts Go
Up In the Flames.
New York City.--Coney Island was
swept by fire which in few hours
destroyed property to the value of
about $l,O0O,O0O, made 500 people
homeless and entirely wiped out the
acres Of dives, cheap shows, restau-
rants, dance halls and various other
characteristic Coney Island resorts
which lined the Bowery for about nine
blocks and extended as far south as
the surf line Of the sea.
The region destroyed was practically
the same as that which was burned in
1896, except that this time the area
left in ashes is much larger than it was
at the former fire.
Five persons were injured-only one
mortally. He was Albert RUBEN. pro-
prietor Of the Silver Dollar Pavilion.
The fire started in vacant building.
known as the Hippodrome. adjoining
Tice's Albatross Hotel. 1t spread so
swiftly that soon not only the Hippo
drome, but Tice's hotel was blazing
flercely.
Both of these buildings are on Til
you's walk and close to the large struc-
lures of Steeplechase Park. There was
q light wind blowing at the time al
most directly from the west. and the
sparks and flames were carried along
in line parallel with Surf avenue and
seemed to threaten the destruction of
the mile or more of buildings in front
of them.
The buildings at Steeplechase Park
were scorched by the heat, and several
times burst into flames, which. how
ever, were quickly subdued by the fire
apparatus which is part Of the parks
equipment.
From Tilyou's walk and the Bowery
the fire worked its way diagonally in q
northeasterly direction toward Surf
avenue, which it reached at Schreick-
ert's walk. From there it went east
ward along the south side Of Surf ave-
nue. to Stratton's walk, Henderson's
walk, and finally to ThompsQn's walk.
where it was held in check by the
heavy brick wall of Hendersons dane
ing pavilion.
Explosions followed one another at
short intervals, increasing the danger
as we'll as the difficulty Of fighting the
fire. They were caused by the bursting
of branch gas mains, gasoline tanks,
siphons for charging beer kegs and
kindred devices. Small stocks OF car
tridges in rifle galleries went of, the
slugs darting in all directions.
Stauch's and Henderson's were the
only brick buildings in the burned
zone Henderson's Theatre. on the
north side Of the Bowery. and his pa
yilion on the south side. with the baths
at the rear. were said to be valued at
S125,000. Stauch's plant on a conser-
vative estimate, was valued at 10000.
There was heavy handicap at the
start. Coney Island gets its supply of
water from pumping station at
Days lane, behind Sheepshead Bay,
where there are many sunken wells.
When Coney Island became part Of
New York some Of this water was d.
verted to Flatbush and elsewhere,
leaving supply utterly inadequate.
1t is estimated that besides these
larger buildings there were on each of
the fourteen blocks, eighteen smaller
buildings. making 252 buildings in all
that were destroyed. The average
value of the smaller buildings was
about $4,000. This would bring the
total loss on the smaller buildings a
little over S500000.