New-York tribune., 1911-12-12
Luna Park Fire Would Have
Swept All Before 1t Had Wind
Blown with Any Force.
SAVED BY HIGH PRESSURE
Battalion Chief Rogers Turns in
Fourth Alarm Immediately
After First, When He
Sees Serious Peril.


terday afternoon. and for almost an
hour it seemed as if the fire was going
10 repeat the performance o. last spring
1T Dreamland. Good. swift work nv
the firemcn. however. together with fine
aid from the high pressure service, got
the blaze under control by about /
o'clock, with damage which Fred
Thompson, the owner. figured at some
thing i'm the neighborhood of $150OOO
and which the police called $4,000. a
representative of the park said last
night that it would he open to-day for
one day only TO show that no serious
harm had been done to the resort.
The first alarm rang in at 2:55 y. m.
That was an automatic from the res
taurant building, in which the fire
started. The box on Surf avenue in
front Of the park, was pulled a minute
later, and Battalion Chief Rogers, TAX
ing no chances when he saw flames
shooting up for forty feet above the
minarets of the big amusement ground,
sent in the fourth alarm immediate
ly. Second and third alarms were
skipped, and Rogers's fourth call
brought almost all the apparatus in
South Brooklyn. together with Deputy
Chiefs Martin and Lally.
In the kitchen of the restaurant, at
the centre Of the east end Of the park,
where the fire was first noted, Thomp-
sons employees could not imagine what
could have been responsible for the out
break of The blaze The kitchen and
restaurant are used only for feeding the
park force during the season and were
all boarded up for the winter.
Fifty men, two elephants and a half
dozen burros were the only living things
I'm Luna Park YESTERDAY. That force
comprises the winter equipment.
Thompson in Record Auto Trip.
Fred Thompson was at the Algonquin
Hotel. in Manhattan. when he got news
Of the fire. and his chauffeur took him
to Luna Park in thirty-five minutes, the
last mile on a fat tire
When it was all over and the losses
were found to be confined TO the res
taurant. the Pneumatic Tube. the Old
Mil and Checkers" three of the
amusement devices. and scenery stor-
age house. Mr.. Thompson said:
I consider that I was mighty lucky
The city Fire Department did fine work
and I'll have all that replaced long De-
fore the next season opens"
Deputy Chief Lally opined that the fire
had been held to such a small compass
because Of four things-the good work
Of the fremen, the prompt response or
the high pressure system 10 all calls
made upon il. the fat that there was
ur.ctically no wind blowing AZ the time
o. the fire, and the fact that the struct-
ures were all damp from the recent
snow. Looking II It from the main en-
trance the big park showed no damage
from the fire whatever. as all the burned
structures we're far over on the opposite
.jde
Sea Beach Palace, the dance hall and
roller skating rink which adJoin Luna
Park on the east side. seemed likely TO
he caught by the flames soon after they
were discovered, but the fremen held
III, blaze away from that building. which
they feared would have given 1t roar
ing impetus to travel further. Sea Beach
Palace is an old structure, largely of
wood. and the 1remen were afraid that
if il caught they would have great trou-
bic in stopping the further spread of the
flames. It was scorched up a little but
not enough TO do IT any damage.
Henry Riehl, the superintendent of the
carpenters at Luna Park. vas the first
man TO see he blaze when II ate its way
through the roof and walls Of the res
taurant kitchen. About the same time
Jesse Sherwood. Of Feltman's, discov-
cred il. and when they had pulled the
street box these two men handled the
independent hose lines in Luna Park and
Feltman's, and got two streams going
before the city department got there.
Deputv Chief Lally cut them off when
he came on the scene and played only
the regular department lines on 10 the
blaze.
Chief Loss in Scenery.
L Il fof