The Montana plaindealer. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1906-1911, 1907-08-09

Loss WILL AMOUNT TO MORE
THAN 100000.
Lucky Shift of Wind Probably Saved
the Balance of Great Area-Destruo-
ton of Park a Great sight-Tonaues
of Flames Leaped High ~IQto the
Air-Luna Park Was seueG~>


was Visited by disastrous fire early
Sunday md Seven blocks IN the amuse-
Anent zehe were destroyed.
, The loss is estimated at more than
81, 900, 900. Tilyou's s~teeplechase
park and nearly a score of small
hotels were wiped out, and for a time
the flames threatened the destruction
Of Luna park and Dreamland, BTeFt
homes of summer amusement, and the
scores of smaller places which fringe
the waters edge for a mile. A lucky
shift of the wind to seward aided the
Bremen and probably saved the whole
picturesque area.
The destruction Of Steeplechase park
was a spectacular sight. Tongues of
flames leaped hither aud thiter, lick
ing up the scenic railway, the razzle
dazzle, the dancing pavilion and the
horse racing railway. The steeple-
chase and the hotel and nearly a o
of smaller wooden hotels which front
ed along the western side of the
park were soon blazing.
Fire Commissioner Lantry, seeing
that nothing could be saved in the
park, ordered that all efforts be con-
centrated on the east side of the
flaming blocks, to keep the fire from
getting into the flimsy buildings in the
Bowery, and thus making a fire trail
to Dreamland and Luna park. The
flremen were massed at the entrance
to the Bowery, and, although a Jap
anese skating rink, a small dance hall
and a restaurant were destroyed there
the fire was checked. The wind had
in the meantime switched to the south
and this favorable slant of the breeze
enabled the fire fighters to con1ne
the fire to seven blocks.
The alarm of Ire woke doing Coney
Island with a start, and in a few
minutes Surf avenue was jammed with
excited freaks and frolickers, chorus
girls, snake charmers, animal trainers,
performers, amusement employes-all
the miscellaneous population of the is
land, in fact.
Inside the burning park all was ex-
element and confusion among the two
|score employees who slept in a house
near the entrance. Carrying grips and
luggage, they scurried to the street,
and while the exodus was in progress,
a cry went up that Sandora, the arm
less and legless man, who eats a doz-
en- meals a day just to show hat he
can do 1t without the aid of arms and
legs, was missing. Selling baskets,
two employees hurried back and found
Sandora wriggling along the floor to-
ward the door. The wonder" was
piled into a basket and through the
flames and smoke threatened to en-
gulf his ~rescuers, he was carried to
a hotel, where he remarked that his
escape had been effected without the
loss of life or limb"
The hotels burned like finder and a
few minutes sufflced to wipe theRoout
clean.
One of the first to escape from his
lodging place was Francesca, fire eat
er. When things are calm and placid
francesca eats and breathes it
forth again, all for a livelihood. Some
times he is advertised to battle in
tongues of flames. But Sundays con-
flagration was too much even far
francesca and he wisely gave way
to the firemen.
Arthur Lee, manager of Steeplechase
park, speaking for Mr.. Tilyou, said
that the loss on the park, which was
completely destroyed, would reach ST.
000, 000, and there was no insurance.
The hotels destroyed were small
and the property loss on them will O
reach more than 500, 900.
The police report three injured by
the fire.
Estimates of the total loss by the
show people are somewhat in excess
of the figures set by the police and
fire departments, who say that $780,
900 would be a conservative estimate
of the damage.
- ~