The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-08-18
OLD CONEY ISLAND CREEK
WHEN IT WENT CONEY ISL IND
CEASED TO BE Az ISL Lawn.


the creek as n Was and ~ n Is-IIow Csv
Jim stIrIweII Once Rsopened u IN >a,t.
xatioa-A Brief Period when ,,n.v
Island Vas Two sea Parted islanos.
When Coney Island was an island ton.v
Island Creek was a creek. Even now the
creek is more a creek than the islnnd ~ an
island. BY the ssme process whereby
Gowsnps Creek became the Gowanus Canal
Coney Island Creek has become a sor, OF
Coney Island canal.
A writer called attention in The Sry
hot long ago 20 the accepted meaning Of
the word creek in the English tongue. Ths
gist Of this writer's definition was that A
creek 10 a small and crooked waterway
extending inland from a larger body Of
water.
Uoney Island Creek used TO DO . cr-.s
within the accepted English meaning of
the word. It extended from the head Of
Gravesend Bay 10 the head OF SheepshesJ
Bay. Through these bays we're the creek
channels leading up TO the creek.
In these channels the water was consider
ably deeper than in the bays. and this dent,
held good nearly all through the creek.
| At low water the creek was a narrow
/ CIOOkcu WHtcTW WY wiCu IL Tue was uD
the water brimmed over the banks and
formed outlying lagoons in the grassy
meadows.
The tides running up Gravesend and
Sh~eepshead bays met somewhere back OF
J Coney Island. and after a period Of slack
thigh water ran out. In those days Coney
Island Creek was clean salt water.
On Its banks were flshermen's resorts
where boats could be hired and meals Of
sea food bought and liquid Refreshments
obtained. Ccney Island Creek was in
some degree a highway OF commerce.
The sloops of the Gravesenders and III,
Sheepsheaders made use Of it continuously.
That IL Is no longer a navigable waterway
is due to the growth OF Coney Island in
importance. The trolley bridges closed
the creek to navigation.
According to GIavesend authorities. a.
most the last stand against the railway
interests was made by Capt. Jamcs Still
we'll OF the sloop Lauretta s. One day
when Capt. Jim was sailing from Gravessnd
Bay b S~heepshead Bay by the creek pas-
sage he found that the railroad mon had
butt the abutments of a new bridge N
close together that the Lauretta s. could
n vi csss through.
Capt. Jim tied UP there and obtained
legal advice. On the following day he
appeared with a a OF men. They cut
away the o~bstructing spiles n the Lau.
retta y. sailed through into Sheepshead
Bay. The width he had required for his
sloo . was not narrowed by the railroad
men, ana for some time the creek remained
navieable for craft Of her beam.
BY the way. the Lauretta 8. was not a
new vesse ! in those days. but she is still
in comm ission anu fairly sound. Once
she was sunk. and after remaining under
water for some time was raised. There
after. aid the friends OF Capt. Jim, hs
dated all events, backward or forward.
from the yea when, In his quaint way
Of putting II. he -riz the Laurett."
When the sloop masters OF Gravesend
and Sheepshead ceased their strenuous
opposition it didn't take long for Coney
Island to become a ~peninsula. Trolley
bridges were thrown across the creek, the
Ocean Parkway was built to the sea and
the creek back Of Brighton Beach vas filled
In with refuse from Brooklyn brought dow
In big cans IN trolley nat cars.
Coney Island Creek out Of Sheepshead
the trolley bridge back OF Brighton Beach.
At the other end IL has become for most OF
the distance more a canal n a creek. IL 10
bulkheaded from Gravesend Bay to a point
Just back OF Luna Park.
A little way up, the creek Is a sort Of basin
which is called by some Vermicelli Cove
II is a tying up place for some Of the italian
fishing boats.
Further up 10 the Harway avenue lht
bridge. There are GOAL docks, brick docks
and Zoe docks, and then comes the bend,
where the Coney Island garbage scows take
on their odorous cargoee.
Still further up, near Luna Park, 10 the
plant where the Coney Island sewage d
taken care of. What goes into the creek
after the purifying process 10 not very foul.
bridge crossed by the West End trains and
single cars. A now lift bridge has been
put there this summer
A few rods above Luna Park is another
new bridge. Beyond this every crossing
10 . bar to navigation.
A little way above two creeks come to-
gether. One 10 the remnant OF the Graves
end Bay end Of Coney Island Creek and
the other affords some notion OF what
Coney island Creek used to be. IL winds
through the salt meadows almost back 10
small launches can follow its windipgs
until they are nearly opposite Ulmer PART.
Near the place where the creeks separate
the original Coney Island Creek is crossed
by a stationary footbridge. Then comes
a little stretch OF water that 10 rather pict-
uresque.
A few neat cottages on the Coney Island
side have pretty gardens running down
TO the water, with basins or floats for row
boats. The water up there 10 fairly clean.
Then comes the low archway Of the brosd
Park way bridge. Beyond the creek is
like a little lagoon until IL stops at the
Brighton Beach dumps. "
Before the filing in back Of Brighton
Beach mail boats used to 20 through the
creek from Gravesend Bay to Sheepshesd.
To get under the Parkway bridge with
a small launch 1t wa necessary to make
the passage at about half tide. Then
there WAS water enough so that the bost
would not ground on tho water pipes at
the bottom Of the creek. and not enough
water 70 prevent passage under the hca
Of the bridge.
The USUAL way Of getting a launch through
was to shut on power, squat down in the
cockpit and, with hands or feet upon
the bridge door run or kick the boat
through.
Everybody living thereabouts perceivs
that 1t would have been better to let Coney
Island stay an island. with clean salt watts
coursing from bay to bay. There has been
talk OF compelling a ~reopening Of the creek.
but nobody has seemed to have any
definite idea OF low that could be done.
II Ia said hat within comparatively recent
years Coney Island Waa for n short time two