The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-07-29
n 81, 100000 FIRE
DEVOLLRS aCONEl Il
Seven Blocks Of Amusement Edi-a
fees Consumed insEarly 4.
Morning Fire
ss,s
SHIFT OF WIND SAVED ISLAND
Scene Was PicturesqueFir
Eater Fled from the &.
Flames. 5s

,
NEW YORK. July --ConeyE Island,
the playground OF New York's mil
lions, was visited by a disastrous fire
early to.d day, and seven blocks in the
amusement zone was completely de-
.troyed Tilyous Steeplechase Park
and nearly a score OF small hotels
were wiped out, and for time the
flames threatened destruction to Luna
Park and Dreamland, great homes Of
summer amusement, and the scores O.
smaller places w hich fringe the
waters edge for mile. A. lucky
shift Of the wind to seaward5 aided
the firemen and proba bly, saved the.
whole picturesque area, but not unit
a million dollars damage had been
done.
Three persons were injured, one OF.
them Gottifried Messerlia, fireman,
probably fatally.
Only the advance guard Of 100000
people, who flocked to Coney Island
to-day, saw the fire, but thrilling tales
OF the fearless rescue Of San Dora,
the armless and legless man, and the
flight OF Francesca, the fre-eater,
when the alarm was sounded, were
told and retold along noisy Surf Ave
nue. and in the less particular Bowery..
Coney Island has had four big fires
In the last ten years, the last pre-.
yious one In ] 9O3, THE Steeplechase"
on that occasion being swept out, as
1t was to-day.
Story Of the Fire. @
"The Island" as New Workers fa-
miliarly called 1t, was turning in for
its early morning nap-the only sleep
nd tha la at thin 1inn
of Saturday night merry makers were
swinging gaily. II somewhat uncer-
tainly up Surf Avenue, when George
Frost, a watchman at Steeplechase
Park. spied a wavering trail of smoke
coming from the "Cave Of the Winds"
one OF the many shows in the park.
Scarcely had Frost bestirred himself
to action when n flash of flame shot
out OF the nav Of the cave and lighted
up the place In a weird glare. -Four
alarms We're sounded, bringing scores
Of engines and hose carts to fight the
flames now being swept along under
the smart west wind. The inflamma-
BILE character-wood, staff and papiere
mache-the constructive material of
the many attractions, made fine food
for the flames and Notwithstanding the
many streams Of water poured on
them the conflagration seemed to defy
beach toward the Bowery, and to the
countless amusement places along Surf
Avenue.
Spectacular Sight.
The destruction Of Steeplechase Park
was a spectacular sight. Tongues Of
flames leapcd hither and thither, lick
ing UP the scenic railway, the razzlc-
dazzle, the dancing pavilion and the
horse -ra cling railway. The little wood
en- horses standing on steel tracks
high In the air looked like the tlam-
ing steeds Of the Valkyries as they
shroke into blaze.
The great bell tower famed bril-
lantly up like great bright beacon
seen by incoming ships as they crept
up the harbor In the early dawn, The
Steeplechasc Hotel and nearly a score
of smaller wooden hotels, which front
cd along the western side OF the park
soon were blazing.
Fire Commissioner l.antry, seeing
that nothing could be saved in the
park, ordered that all efforts be con-
centratad on the east side OF the fiam-
ing blocks to keep the fire from get,
ting into the tiimsy buildings In the
Bowery. and thus making fire trail
to Dreamland and Luna Park. The
'tiremen We're massed at the entrance
to the Bowery. and, although aGJapan-
e>se skating rink, a small dance hall
and a restaurant We're destroyed there,
the fire was checked. The wind had,
in the meantime, switched into the
south, and this favorable sEslant df
breeze aided the FIRE ighters In contin-
1uE the IRE to seven blocks.