The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1911-12-12
Big FIRE SCARE IN LUNA PARK
IT LOOKED BAD. BIT HiGH
PRESSURE DDISED 1T.
Burning Of sccner, for New Plays Helps
Bring Loss tpto Maybe SIO0.0O0
Quick Auto Trips to the Island When
Attn Alarm Came others Omitted.

Quick Auto Trips to the Island when
4th Alarm Came others omitted.
SO brisk fire ate into the side OF Luna
Park yesterday afternoon that II seemed
for while that Coney leland, when lost
n good part Of itself et the Dreamlahd
fire last spring. was done Tor. Bu' this
time the high pressure service dld us
full duty and Luna Park got on with
bad scorching
Fred Thompson. head OF the Luna
Park company. put the loss at sioop"'
He placed the estimate ~ high because
the scenery for five plays. three OF which
were due for production in the next te"
weeks was burned up He proiliseu
that the park itself would recover from
the injury that the fire wrought,
As far as Luna Park itself was concerned
the worst damage was done on the east
aide Of the main walk about half way
down from the entrance The big res
taurant was DESTROYED Checkers, one
Of those eccentric slides which unknll
ones joints. was wrecked. and the "Pneu-
matte Tube a subway which one TOOK
for the fun of it, was flooded and lost lts
top Sparks and flames few eastward
but metal sheathing and general Decem-
Der damp slowed the progress OF the hre
80 that the fremen had a chance 10 stop II
The winter force of Luna Park numbers
about fifty men. Henry Relhl, the super
intendent, lives in an apartment WITHIN
stones throw of the restaurant, ana
most of his men have rooms near by.
Reihl climbed the stairs Of his apartment
az about ten minutes before O'Clock
Yesterday afternoon Ia get his overcoat.
Before he went in he glanced across the
roofs and nothing seemed TO be afnss.
He came ont again fe" minutes Ia''r
and saw a spiral of smoke rising from
gap between the wall of the restaurant
kitchen and some painted mountains back
of the Pneumatic Tube.
Raihl knew that the kitchen was
boarded up and nobody was supposed 10
enter the restaurant except "atchman
or Refill himself He ran az top speed 10
the park Office. whore a nnErapher was
on duty. and told her ~ send IN tre
alarm from u private hoN. lh"n Il" ran
10 the curb of Surf avenue and had police
man pull an alarm box.
The superiut"ndou' went tn tho con-
triS aucc which opens n" water mains oi
Luna Park ~ IA" Concv Island nigh pres
sure service. lie crd,h"d II and then ran
back tn the "uuylml'ir tub" \ few
men had com" running IN and Roihl sent
N" Of them tp In" ur"a, bell in the main
tower and had hiu send in III" six stroke
tire signal All ,ifty If the winter attend
ants came from quarters and trundled
udr the park : own fir" hose reels, coupled
up with IN" hydraurs and got T." ""r" at
tn" hgm",.
Battalion Chief Eug"r-, whose quarters
are on Eighth street. about thre" block"
away from the fire, got 10 Luna PARK wnIle
the bell Vas s'Ill ringing. he took one
! look down the main walk end got 10 surf
avenue as luicklv w a. IA" could and sounded
fourth alarm, sn1IplnG the second and
third According to the record AZ flr"
/ heaiJudrters III Manhattan tn" fourth
alarm came IN "A shade more than minute
after tHr llr-t.
Deputy Commissioned Olvdny, who
I looks after the Fire Department IN Brook
! lvn but VINO happened To- be at the Man
! haitian headquarters on East sixty
seventh street. picked up Battalion Chief
John How. of the Fire Prevention Bureau.
VINO has a rowing commission, and started
! for Con-y Island. They mad" the fifteen
/ miles in thirty minutes.
rr"u Thompson heard the report that
/ Luna wds burning almost a. soon as
| Chief RgrrH -cut in his fourth alarm,
! Nj. Thompson was IN mis- rooms at the
Algonquin On No-t tortyfourth street.
| RoDart Drpurt, the actor, and Ih"udpr"
! Hammu. treasurer of the Lana Park
] COMPANY. cam" into Mr.. Thompson :
rooms JtIst a. he was coming tp after
getting tn" gl-j Of IA" t"iepnon" mes
| sage.
~Duu't YOU want 10 take a ride said
! Mr.. THOMPSON. -Ih" park l. burning
| up.
| publicity agent for Ns. thompson, they
! went downstairs ana climbed into the
! Thompson AUTOMOBILES Percy MaCkay,
who il not playwright but chauffeur,
got oriarS T. forget the law. pu the
! way down IN" auto winged wagon
and lost mudgrard 1t drew into Luna
| Park Oh "a hat tire IN thirty-iive minutes
! from III" Algonquin
Tho fourth alarm brought all N" iir"
engines south of Prospect Park. but the
ste trnrr- had nothing To- do. They stood
! silently IN surf avenue and let N" high
| uressrIr" ,.y>tam do the work. Deputy
! Chief LillY found the main walk 50 hot
when ho got there that IA" buildings On
! the west -ii" away from tho trr w"r"
! beginning T. blister. But within few
minutes IN" nrrmen Corner"d IN" flames
| in ~. section occupied 10y tn" restaurant,
! "Checher- and tn" PNEUMATIC Tube. "
| The worst ot it was near the middle. whore
! the scenery WAS stored and where the
| scene painters had their studios.
| The Luna Park Company had no in
surance on its property. After the
Dreamand fire last May the companies