River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1907-08-01
GREAT FIRE RACES
ON COMFY ISLAND
SEVEN BLOCKS OF NEW YORRS
PLAYGROUND DESTROYED.
LOSS ABOUT $1,000, 900
Luna Park and Dreamland Are Saved
ARMIES and LegIess Won
der Rescued In
Basket.

New York, July 29.-Coney Island,
the playground of New York's millions,
was visited by a disastrous fire early
Sunday and seven blocks in the amuse-
menU zone were completely destroyed.
Tilyou's Steeplechase park, and
nearly score of small hotels were
wiped out, and for a time the flames
threatened destruction to Luna park
and Dreamland, great homes of sum-
mer amusement, and the scores of
smaller places which fringe the
waters edge for mile. A lucky shift
of the wind to seward aided the fire.
men and probably saved the whole pic
turesque area, but not until million
dollars damage had been done. Three
persons were injured, one of them,
Gottfried Messerli, fireman, probably
fatally.
The Fire Eater Fled.
Only the advance guard of the 300,-
900 people who f1ocked to Coney Is
land Sunday saw the fire, but the
thrilling tales of the fearless rescue
of San Dora, the armless and legless
man, and the flight of francesca, the
fire eater, when the alarm was sound
ed, were told and retold along noisy
Surf avenue, and in the less particular
bowery.
Coney Island has had four big fires
in the last ten years, the last pre-
vious one in 1903, "The Steeplechase,' .
on that occasion being swept out as it
was Sunday.
Frightened Throng of Performers.
The alarm of fire woke up doing
Coney Island with start, and in a
few minutes Surf avenue was damned
with excited freaks and frollickers,
chorus girls, snake charmers, animal
trainers, performers, amusement en-
ployes-all the miscellaneous popula-
ton of the island, in fact. Clothed in
a state of terror and little else, thou
sands fled through the streets. 1t
seemed as though nothing could save
the island from destruction and hun
dreds of the inhabitants began to
move their household effects into the
streets. The police order to clear the
score of hotels near the Steeplechase
park was quite unnecessary, for the
patrons of these places had tumbled
out of bed with the first alarm and fed
to places of safety. The Steeplechase
Park hotel, one of the first to burn,
housed hundred people, all of whom
got safely out
Rescue of San Dora.
Inside the burning park all was ex-
element and confusion among the two
score employees who slept in 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 San Dora, the arm
less and legless man, who eats a dozen
meals day just to show that he can
do it without the aid of arms and legs,
was missing. Selling a basket, two
employees hurried back and found San
Dora wiggling along the floor toward
the door. ''The wonder" was piled
into the basket and though the flames
and smoke threatened to engulf his
rescuers, he was carried to a hotel,
where he remarked that his escape
has been effected without the loss of
life or limb"
Estimates of the total loss made
by the show people are somewhat in
excess of the figures set by the police
and fire departments. The fire chief
who directed the fight said later that
over 100000 would be a conservative
estimate of the damage.