The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-07-29

OF the hurry burly, and even the scared
inhabitants Of the tire area had TO stop for
a moment or two to watch their passing.
Later McUill went to the police with q
queer story. He said he had hidden so, ON
In a wooden box under Tilyou's Walk neal
his camp on Saturday night. In the rush
and confusion OF breaking amp and the
fire scare he had forgotten II, blu when
after moving he went back TO get IL money
n box were gone.
There was much poking and scrapinp
and turning over Of no ashes yesterday
afternoon when the burned out hotel keepers
n showmen hunted for money they haC
left in safes and boxes. George G.. Tilyou
owner OF Steeplechase Park. found his
safe all right, but IL WAS too hot yesterday
70 open. He hoped that Saturdays re-
ceipts, something like 10000. he said
them.
Mike Ferris, who runs a little hotel near
tho bowery. was still looking for his safe
yesterday afternoon. Mike acted a. banker
for a dozen little showmen in the n%eighbor.
late Saturday night. lie thought he had
about SIS 900 in the box il IL hadn't been
stolen. A chamois bag containing si2h
which belonged to Bill Webber, a little
Snowman, . up In smoke.
There we're many such hard luck stories
around the Island yesterday and perhaps
many a little fsker will eat dog witches
to-day instead Of dining at Henderson,.
now THE FIRE WAS CONQUERED.
The real work Of fire fighting started Al
AIS o'clock, when Deputy Chiefs Binns and
Lally arrived In their automobiles almost
simultane ously. Lally's hair raising dash
from Brooklyn fire headquarters was bet
tered even by Binns. who spun over to
Broadway in about eighteen minutes:
Deputy Chief Murray and Battalion Chief
Rogers we're there also. They sent in four
alarms by AIS o'clock which brought event =
ually forty-six fire engines from Brooklyn.
bilt avenue Altogether when Lally and
Binns got down to business they had more
than a hundred smoke eaters busy, INC
there were $50 policemen under Inspector
Harkins INC Capt. Langan OF the Coney
Island station 20 handle the crowd;
Deputy Police COMMISSIONER O'Keeffe
and Hanson superintended the policing Of
Coney. O'Keeffe was at Rockaway Beach
when he got n fash Of the fire. but he hired
a little steamer and hustled over and tele-
phoned to Hanson. BY the time they st
out Of the rough work their faces wsre
black and their clothing sadly rumpled.
The main work Of the police was in .shsp-
herding the big, frightened crowd and
getting IL out OF the way OF the hremen.
It was done in a way that earned h praise
of Conveys showmen.
The Are started in the Cave Of the Winds
show at the north Of Steeplechsse Park.
The packing around a motor became over
heated and spread fire to the finrsy walls
Of the building before the young watch
a Morris Frost. could stop it. He was
burned severely. From Inc a OF the
Winds the flames jumped to Steeplechase
Pavilion, the ballroom and the skating
rink. then to the Coney Island post Office.
eating up several little restaurants along
Surf avenue. and then. following the direc-
ton OF the wind, ran rapidly southeast,
hfIrnin0 fha human rOaiIQffa WhRpl tha
satin theatre. dozens Of ohowder stands
and eating booths; crossed Tilyou's Walk.
running eastward and burned q block Of
shacks between there and Kensington
cleaned up the block west Of Oceanic Walk.
kept right on going faster and finally ran
up against the frewall Of Louis Stauch's
big restaurant and dance hall at the Bowery
and Seaside Walk.
There the firemen had time to make their
battle count and there they practically
ended the fires course although 1t swerved
back Of Stauch's a little way. burning the
picnic pavilion. the baths and a few small
frame buildings up to Uncle Sans Canno
Ride. leaving the enormous black cannon
somew what scorched and tilted.
Lally and Binns were able for the first
time TO show what the new high pressure
fire mains could do. There was a big main
in every little street in the burned district
served by six IL inch pipes, which in turn
WtIe. leu Nv u 8Ttht IL lnCh IMAM running
on Surf avenue from West Fifth street to
West Seventeenth street. The pumping
station in West Twelfth street, Just back
Of Luna Park, produced terrific pressure
and furnished 40 much water that the fire
chiefs found IL necessary to Use only a few
Of the big flock Of engines that had hurried
down from Brooklyn.
They fought the fire at every Jump, wet
ting down It's roar. with Niagaras Of salt
water and moving swiftly ahead as the fire
advanced. II the wind had beer blowing
fire might have got the best Of. them. but
the wind stayed faithful until the Are was
out at a little past Q O'Clock; then. curiously
enough. it shifted around TO the southeast.
While the fight was on hardest. about s
Gle which could be seen for many miles
around. There was a time, at about s
O'Clock. when IL seemed as II una Park and
Dreamland were sure to catch it. FREQ
Thompson. owner Of Luna Park, had 100
OF his employees at fire quarters from the
start, ready with fifty ines Of hose and
Luna's W fire apparatus to get busy II
the flames headed that way.
II was the same at Dreamland. and at
Henderson's restaurant. directly east of
Henderson's. like Stauch's. is a big sub
stantial brick and iron building with heavy
Prevails. but there was no telling what
would happen il the wind veered.
A dozen firemen were overcome by smoke
and cut or burned slightly in the hard
struggle. but one is dying in the Reception
Hospital. Fred Messeter Of Engine Com
pany las. He was handling a hose from the
top Of a tower in Steeplechase Park when
he was hit and knocked senseiess by a flying
beam. His skull was fractured. collar bone
broken and right arm broken. He lives at
Emmons avenue and East Tventy-third
street. S~heepshead Bay. and il married.
Frank Francis. an old peanut seller and
lemonade man Of the Island. was so badly
burned while rescuing three children from
the Oriole Hotel that he hasn't much chance
to recover. Sylvester Meade. a twelve
year-old boy OF os5 President street. Brook
lvn, was fatally burned in Stceplechase
Park. Sergt. Matt Kennedy, who pulled
him out OF a pile Of burning wood in which
he had fallen, was burned about the hands
and face.
Others injured seriously were Charles
Fitzsimmons of ss2 Clifford street, Roches,
ter. ". y. a Snowman: Mary Hoch. daughter
Of the proprietor OF Hoch's Arcade; Al
Byrne, a fireman; Clayton Sheehan Of
the Hotel Majestic and Morris Frost and
Joseph Michael. Steeplechase watchmen
John Flynn. also q Waterman at Steeple-
chase. was missing last night and IL was
he might have been caught IN
the first rush Of flames and destroyed
NOT MUCR INSURANCE.
III