The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-07-29
CONEY ISLEWS
 TIED BY FIRE Luna Park and Dream land Threatened. WIND SHIFT SAVES MILLIONS Burning Area Makes a Brilliant
 Scene. Aroused from Sleep Freaks and Frol- ickers Clothed in Excitement and
 Little Else, Watch Prog
 ress of Flames,
WIND SHIFT SAVES MILLIONS

New York, July 2s.-Coney Island, the playground of New Yorks millions was visited by disastrous fire early today and several blocks in the amuse- ment zone were completely destroyed. Tilyou's steeplechase park and nearly score of small hotels were wiped out and for time the flames threatened destruction to Luna Park and Dream- land, great homen of summer amuse- ment. lucky shift of wind to sea- ward aided the firemen and probably saved the whole picturesque area but not until $1,000,000 damage had been done. Three persons were injured, one of them, Gottfried Messerli. fire man. probably fatally.
 Early this morning George Frost, a watchman, spied a wavering trail of smoke collecting in the Cave of the Winds" one of tho many shows in the park. Scarcely had Frost bestirred himself to action when a flash of flames shot out of the mouth of the cave. The inf1ammable character-wood, staff and papier mache-of the constructive ma terial of the many attractions made fine food for the flames.
 The destruction of the steeplecnase park was peculiag sight. Tongues of flames leaped hither and thither. lick ing up the scenic railway, the razzle- dazzle. the dancing pavilion and the horse racing railway. The steeplechase hotel and nearly 2 score of smaller wooden hotels soon were blazing.
 Fire Commissioner Lantry, seeing that nothing could be saved, ordered that all efforts be concentrated on the flaming block 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 alarm of fire woke up dozing Coney Island with start, and in a few minutes Surf avenue was jammed with excited freaks and frolickers, chorus girls, snake charmers. animal trainers. performers. amusement em-. ployed-all the miscellaneous popula- tion of the island in fact. Clothed in state of terror and little else. thous- ands flocked through the streets while the roar of the flames could be heard from one end of the island to the other. It seemed as though nothing could save the island from destruction. and hundreds of inha bitants began to remove their house. old effects into the streets. The Steeplechase Park Hotel, one of the first to burn. housed a hun dred people. all of whom got safely out. but while the exodus was in progress. a cry went up that Sandora. the arm less and legless man who eats a dozen meals day just to show that he can do 1t without the aid of arms and legs. was missing. Seizing a bas- ket two employees hurried back and found Sanders wriggling along the floor towards the door.
 ''The wonder" was piled into the bas- ket and though the flames and smoke threatened to engulf his resources he was carried to a hotel where he re- marked that his escape had been effect ed without loss of life or limb" One of the first to escape from his
 lodging place was Francesca. the fire- eater. When things are calm and placid. Francesca eats fire and breathes | 1t forth again all for a livelihood. | Some times he is advertised to bathe | in tongues of flame. But today's con- | hagration was too much even for Fran | cesco and he freely gave way to the | fremen.
 | While the fire was at it's height, the | police heard loud vail from a Gypsy l fortune teller who foresees fires and | other calamities for a consideration. | His tent had been destroyed and he l was moaning the loss of $1,0O0. his | lifes savings which he said he had | hidden under the board walk. Under | police pressure his life-savings dwind- | led to $1O.
 Arthur Lee. manager of Steeplechase | Park, speaking for MT. Tilyou. said that the loss on the park. which was | completely destroyed, would roach s1,- r 900 and there was no insurance. The hotels destroyed were small and | the property loss on them will not reach much over S100,Q00.
 Estimates of the total loss made by | the show people are somewhat in ex- cess of the figures set up by the police | and the fire departments. The fire chief, who directed the fight, said later | that over S200,000 would be a conserv- alive estimate of the damage.