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

strive FrantIcany to Save Their Poor
BeionElngs- wlnd blows seawsrd and
There D. Plenty NJ High Pressure water
That Why lama Park and Dream
land Are sa,ed-I.ess Is Very Large.
Happy go lucky. careless Coney Island
frolicked and made sport, gay as ever.
last night. forgettinc in the exoitensent
Of harvesting a Sundays silver the panic
and danger Of The early morning
As a chorus girl pirouetting at the foot
lights tries to hide a great. ugly rent in
her skirt. Coney tried to hide the big black
ened patch Of burned over ground along
the ocean front from Steeplechase Park to
Henderson's walk. twenty-five acres Of
frail, fiimsy hotels and amusement places
wiped out by the third disastrous fire in
eight years.
All that saved the city OF odds and end from
the Ocean boulevard to West Seventeenth
street yesterday morning. when they had
ia pull the hoodoo firebox once more, was
a fortunate of shore wind blowing mildly
and steadily from the northwest to the
Atlantic and the new system Of high pres
sure salt water fire mains II there had
been the usual sharp ser wind or a direct
western breeze such as Coney il used to
there would have been no gayety there
last night and. as men said who had. been
through two had fires before. nobody knows
how many lives would have been lost or
what the loss would ave footed up in
dollars and cents II the fire fighters had
had to depend on the a~ntiquated system Of
water mains instead of having salt water
at enormous pressure TO drown out the
flames there certainly would rave been
another story TO tell
Therefore Coney. happy in her good luck.
made light of the fire last night, even though
il may cost the ives of three men and per-
haps 81. 900. 600. The FIRE swept tract could
not he seen from Surf avenue, where the big
crowds surged as on every Sunday. and the
casual visitor. lost in the usual racket and
roar. might never have known that Conveys
very existence had bcen'sharply imperilled.
Only on the ocean side could the sweep Of
the fire and the ruin it left behind be sssn
broadly. and it was characteristic OF Coney
that the big and little showmen who were
wiped out cheerfully made the most OF their
misfortune by selling tickets at 10 cents =
head to those who wanted to get a look ct
the waste.
THE FIRST THIN FLAME.
Az Z O'Clock yesterday morning, even
Coney-the worst stly-out-ali-night in these
parts~was sleeping and dreaming. maybe.
of the cash which comes of a bright Sunday.
Few people were about except the police
men. the night ~watchmen and the unlucky
souls who hadn't the price OF a bed. The
Island was dark rs a cellar except for a big
Kght or two flashing from high towers In
Luna Park and Dreamland and the few
electrics along the thofoughfares. Three
policemen. Shea. Burns and Lynch. Of Capt.
~Iangan's force OF night workers. were ct
the Bowery and Oceanic walk. lazily chat
ting, when Arthur Lee. the manager OF
George G. Tilyou's Steeplechase Park. came
along, heading for the park and bed
Il guess business will be bad tomorrow.
eh2" said Lee, ~and perhaps We won't take
in the coin at Steeplechase This was the
best Saturday night we ever had and III
lay fiftee to one that the books will show
tomorrow as the latest Sunday ever
Anybody want to tet?"
Not l. said Lynch. you've probably
got the right dope-what the devil is that!'
There was a scream OF pain coming from
somewhere away TO the west in Steepis-
chase Park, a few moments OF silence and
then a brilliant fash Of reddish hight shooting
I'D swiftly from the corner OF Steeplechsss
at Surf avenue. IL was just a red hash
Jumping high into the blackness OF the
night at first, but as the four men ran IL
spread with incredible swiftness until there
was an arc OF fire 100 feet long over tbs
front OF Steeplechase Park, clearly lighting
up Surf avenue n the Bowery and sill
houetting the fantastic lines OF the little
show places in a curious crimson light.
Shea and Burns. with Manager Lee.
spirited hard for the back entrance Of
Steeplechase, while Lynch ran TO the fire.
box at the Bowery and Kensington walk
and turned in an alarm. IL was box 2. 1858.
and all Coney knows 10 as Hoodoo Boz. the
iron case out Of which more trouble has
come for Coney than even naughty sprites
from Pandora's chest. In May. 1909. when
the Island was freswept for the hrst time
the first big fire. that is-the Hoodoo Boz
and Tom Lynch were on the job together.
When the next blaze popped out. in Novem-
Der. 1908. it was the same cop. Tom Lynch.
and the same old Hoodoo Box: Ass. thAs
were on the job. letting Brooklyn fire head
quarters know that there were many things
unpleasant about to happen In cheerful
Coney Isle. no please hurry up.
In the short time that IL tool Tom Lynch
TO wind up the irebox and get old Hoodoo
buzzing the flames had got q running star1