New-York tribune., 1907-08-19
TTIa5r'e !Stecp.eckase Island .Ssccpt
Ly Rdpid BIaSG.
.,,nssEs RESORT FlaEs IN = MONTH
ny relenhone TO The Tribune. !

safrT N-'NAAa
-, the sunday his park at Coney Island was
- his big Steeplechase pavilion on
-,,s.l,ase Island WAS burned to an ash also
=. summer home Of Robert Weber formerly
IN clerk OF Bridgeport. which adjoined the
e.ae-,ec,.ase pavilion. Tilyou's loss was placed
: go o0n and AIr Weber said his loss would
total S1a.e2e ...
7,,s wind was blowing off shore. otherwise
- 1,,Iilding on the island would have been
r..ort away Joseph r. Boynton, son Of Paul
.,a,,o-, manager Of the park. was badly in
49, ty falling tirnbers and WAS removed 70 the
bridgeport Hospital A six-year-old niece "t
- Weber was rescued from the flames by
Mrs Weber
A1-ha,ch to all appearances the fire was
r.,,se5 either by The spontaneous combustion
- r,,l,hish in a corner Of the baseball inoiosure
~ tv a match cigarette stub careiesSF
a-oyred on she rubbish. there is feeling among
.,,e officials Of the concern here that It had an
,-.,liar, origin. and Black Hand work is freely
i-ti,oa-ed as it when Steepiechase faFh
,ros consumed Whatever the cause, it resulted
IN one Of the most spectacular and shortest IFcS
Ts-idgeuor+ has seen in some years
Scq-ra7v half an hour elapsed from the time
.re fire started until # died away in the ruins
os tire big amusement palace and the tne sum
nor home cf Mr.. Weber, and while the smoke
iron, the ruins was still drifting over the har-
'bor th, Chicago Nationals and the Bridgeport
,og-, came on TO the baseball field and treated
thousands Of baseball enthusiasts 70 hVeiE
rame. in which the Chicago Nationals whipped
,ha bridgeport team the score being ) 10 J.
This was z peculiar incident of the fire, Tor IL
vas within the baseball Enclosure that it started
There were 10000 men. women and children
.+h.-s5 II, the incfosure and on the bieacheTs
- sec the game between the Chicago Nationals
and the Bridgeport team. II was exactly $40
,,cfocB The teams were marching into the
5els when q cry OF Fire" came from me
,asache~z The next minute a thousand baseball
enthusiasts had turned to fight the IRE IN 'he
fape Of preventing II from spreading fheF 'ore
;.vav 2 third Of The bleachevs but the flames be
cane more stubborn every minute. and IN NE
minutes The 10000 men, women and chlloren
we're cushing rradiy from the inclosure-
There are no regular police on the island 20
Reep order. but the big crowd jammed its way
through the gates without an accident 81
,bougf the fire was at its very heels. The paSe-
tsH rclos1Ire adioined the big pavilion. IN fact.
1be rear fencing Of the pavilion served TO 1oT-i-
-a-- of the iucIcsure- Before the last OF the
crowd had got through the gates the mann
structure of the SteepIechase pavilion was IN
flames
The fre brigade Of the island worked hard.
ru, +, vain. The structure was Of wood. and
burned Ike pitch. Electric tower af1er electro
,o,,ar went up in smoke Paul Boyton' the
manager, helped 10 stay the progress q the .l'F
b. dynamite. and ordered several Of the sn7alie:
structures to be blown UP, but the flames a'd Os
work quicker than the explosives
F-orn tfe main building the flames swept on
n the trail" q section Of the paviioo gwen
10 70 side attractions Of the midway oroer anu
2 variety of stands. Sparks from the fire Ilghted
on the roof of Robert Weber's summer home 4
stones throw from the centre Of the paNlh'h-
Five minutes later it was a heap OF ruins
Asleep in a bed the second floor was ~ hl41''
Kutscber. six years old. Mr.. Weber's niece The
Hungarian nurse was in the parlor- Inc mo
1nent the house caught fire she became excited
snd ran here and there shrieking for Mrs
Weber Mr. and Mrs Weber Were in the pa
1ilicn. and az soon as they saw the hre
Spreading hurried 20 their home
The house was in flames when they reached
81 Mrs Weber pushed her foot against a SIDE
door. It yielded. She ran upstairs. ana a mo
.nent later pulled herself and the child through
window She was slightly burned but re-
fused 20 talk Of her brave deed
While the Weber home was blazing the flames
had spread 20 the bathing pavilion, which was
burned 10 tbe waters edge. The wind was
blowing steadily of shore. sweeping the flames
over tlaae section of the islands amusements
bordering the waterfront Had the wind been
blowing in an opposite direction not a structure
on the island could have escaped. With the oe-
s-ruction Of the bathing house the fire hae spent
ftself- There was nothing else 20 burn
During the fire the bathing paVillon WAS
looted but no arrests were made, as the looterS
got away before the police arrived
The entire steeplechase pavilion was con-
euned sa less than thirty minutes. FIFTY ieel
srora the Steeolechase inclosure are big dancits
pawsions. skating rinks, restaurants ana notes.
TIE ,ronrietors Of which were in constant feaf
shst their properties would be swept away also'
but as the wind did not change confidence was
Restored The entire remaining property Oh 'le
as.snd Is valued 81 $Io,eOo,00O
Joseph j. Boy.on. who was helping MS
FATHER blow ND some OF the structures, was
felle6 ay a piece OF timber and badly injured
about tho face and head. He was taken 10 the
Bridgeport Hospital His injuries however are
r., s.rsoas At the last moment the Bridge
y1rt IRE department dispatched hfe ehsiie'
but i. reached the island too late 70 be OF any
service and IL doubtful IL in any case IL couiu
nave checked the destruction or :ne pis aiAu99
nent palace The facilities on the lsiaho Ior
fighting such fire proved hopelessiy H4@"e
uuate Tc begin With, not one piece OF hose VAS
strong enough 20 stand the pressure required TO
srake any headway Then the fire plugs were
found TO DO so sight that many OF them could
.ot be loosened and ali OF them were pracu-
cally useless ar far as dispensing water was
concerned.
The island lies well out IN the harbor, ana IN
fne event Of a really alarming fire the thousands
gathered there would seem 10 have little chance
es escape The fire OF to-day has taught the
Authorities lesson. it is thought. and II is moi
nr'sselY that an investigation will be made INTO
Toe means provided for getting the people OIL