The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1911-09-25
IA $4,000 FIRE AT ROCKAWAY
SEASIDE SECTION BaRELI
SAVED ~ FIREMEN.
Nineteen Years TO Day From tho
~ 600 900 Blaze-Tnree Men and q
Family Overcome by smoke Castle
Allen Cnsinged ny Its Fourth Blaze

Fu"uy vNtTcOWe ny SUNVNV
Allen Insinged by Its Fourth Biakc
The Seaside section of Rockaway Beach,
where folks ride on merry-go-rounds, eat
indigestible picnic foods and fall over
roller -skated feet i'm the summer time,
and which lies desolate waste the minute
| the season closes on Labor Day, had fire
Yesterday that came mighty near being a
replica of that million dollar fire. nine
teen years ago to day. that wiped the
place out completely and that old inhabi-
tants still tell about with undated breath.
| If the fremen hadn't kept the flames away
from the New York Hotel on the Boule-
ward there wouldn't have been any Sea-
side worth talking about this morning.
| I'm all about $40. 900 worth of infammable
stuff went up in smoke that could be seen
as far at Lawrence. Il. |.
A mlkman ran into the house of Engine
| 1877 on the Boulevard and>told the firemen
that he saw smoke oozing out OF the barn
| like Seaside Skating Rink at 10 Remsen
place. A fireman went around with a
hand grenade, but he found that WASH t
| Of much use The whole back OF the
place WAS ablaze.
After the season ends there are lot OF
walters and hangers on of the various
resorts who find that the money they have
made in hurry has gone just as fast and
who decide to loaf around the park for "A
few weeks until there is some chance in
the CITY. 1t il believed that some of
these. sleeping on pile of papers in the
rear of the rink. threw cigarettes that
started action. The lone fireman sent in
still alarm and the apparatus started
| out.
| Once fire gets going in such a place ii
moves in great big jumps and as the en-
gine rounded the corner Acting Battalion
Chief Michael McGinnis. who has been
fighting fires for thirty-one years. saw
that he had big job on his hands. The
fire was marching along and had eaten
out Taubenfelds s Hotel at S Remsen
avenue and popcorn place next door
No one but the proprietor was left in the
hotel, a one story affair. and he got out
unscathed and unclothed
When the flames hit Chubbuck's drug
store at the corner of Rcmsen avenue
and the Boulevard they found stuff to theil
liking and commenced to Feed on every
thing in the shop. Across the street from
the drug store was the New York Hotel
and the fremen knew that IL they lost
here and the flames got across the street
they might as well go home.
1t was so hot on the Boulevard in front
Of the flaming drug store that tho firemci
had to sprawl out on the street with theii
hose beneath them and tgh, the fire
blindly.
Firemen Gerard. Orpheous and Witt
Mich were badly burned about the face
and hands. but were fixed ur by doctor
and went back.
| The fire was stopped from crossing tn,
street but IL went on down the block
wiped up fruit'stand and Il little restau
rant and Just as the wind was changinl
struck the Sycamore Hotel at 100 Bouc
ward Behind the hotel was u house occu
pied by Charles Heer. his wife and tw,
children.
The proprietor of the hotel. climbing
into his clothes yelled to Heer To- get out
hut by the time the latter was up he foun,
that he couldn't get out by way oi thu
walk that led past the burning Sagamore
So with "A provident axe he cut dowl
"A fence that went out into Henry stree
and led his family out that way. NeN
=, Heer remembered him when he had wrg
gled through the fence and went bacl
to get his neighbor.
He found that Davis, his wife his tw
= boys and an eighteen-months-ol bah,
r were all overcome by the smoke. Hee
=, and some firemen got them out and the
came to after a while.
D The fire stopped at the Sagamore.
= When they came to look over the hurne
4 district standing in the very middle of j
, the firemen saw Castle Allen and tho
smiled. There was not "A smudge on tn
= castle. which had just gone through II
= fourth fire.
= Before the big blaze nineteen year
i ago Norman Allen, the original owne
4 Of the Castle, a three story cottage wit
y tower had shea thed his home with
paper sheathing. When the neighhor
I asked about il he told them II was a sur
n fireproof solution that was on that pape
h and wait and see.
: They saw that it stood up through IN
fire and three that followed it, and no'
II they think that maybe Norman Ale
n had real secret of fireproohng wit
him when he died. for he has been dea
=, some years. and his son, who lives in tn
: castle. doesn't know what his father pu
u on that paper