The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1922-06-16
NEW YORK CITY
SUBURB IS HARD
HIT BY BIG FIRE
5000 Homeless ss BIare Laps Up 10
Blocks OF Arverne: Damage VIII
Run over $1,000. 900, States
Estimate.
SUMMER HOMES LAPPED
UP BY SWEEPING BLAZE
Rich New Workers. Flee from Man.
slons: Bungalow Colony Wiped
Out; Jewish orphans' Home
Totally Destroyed.

1900 persons homeless, and six
teen blocks Of Arverne In smoking
ruins. police today were searching
for the cause of the conflagratlon
which swept 400 buildings In this
New York City suburb last night,
causIn loss OF s2.0OO.OOO.
The fire started near the Hotel
Nautilus with sound like an ex-
ploslon. II spread with startling
rapidity. leaplng from one block TO
another. and devouring hotels, hand.
some summer residences, railway
station and an orphanage, and many
other buildings so quickly the oceu'
pants barely had time to escape.
Ruins were being combed today
for possible victims. An ambulance
surgeon said he saw one man buried
beneath falling wall, while a
blind man is declared by spectators
to have been seen. hemmed in by
flames. frantically dashing about In
all directions seeking escape. He Is
btfltNth w HiNt
Scenes Like Wartime.
Scenes during the spread of the
flames from jamaica bay to the
ocean across half mile strip were
reminiscent of an exodus from vii
lages of war zone Hundreds of
homeless and others who feared
they would he trapped by the far.
flung advancing line of fire, clogged
the roads leading from Arverne and
Edgemore.
Dashing In the other direction
came fire apparatus from all parts
of Long Island, including Brooklyn,
whirling through little seaside vii,
lagos with showers OF sparks and a
roar that aroused inhabitants and
sent many hurrying to watch the
fire.
The resulting confusion turned
roads in the Arverne section OF
Long Island into a mill race of ex-
cited humanity and hundreds of po'
lice reserves were called out. Many
of the homeless were unfamiliar with
the district, having come to Arverne
for the summer and homes had to
be found for these for the night
Long Island residents near the scene
of the disaster threw open their
houses.
Many babies, rescued from the
Jewish orphanage, which was burned
to the ground were carried miles to
safety. A bungalow colony on the
bay was wiped out of existence.
Sixty or more firemen and police
men were hurt fighting the flames.
For a time 1t seemed as If nothing
could stop the advancing wall OF
fire. Dynamite was used and the
conflagration was checked
Warns Of Coney Island.
Smoky Joe" Martin, famous fire
chief, fought the flames at one point
single handed and was severely
scorched by the terrific heat. He
refused to go to the rear, although
his men pleaded with him. When
he had won out against the advanc-
ing wall of fire, Smoky joe
stumbled back and declared to news
paper men:
Some day this is going to happen
at Coney Island. New York's great
Measure beach, Then we'll have
the worst loss of life ever known.
Until we get fire walls that's always
a danger"
Many handsome summer resi-
dences of wealthy New Workers went
down in crumblng ruins before the
sweep of the fire. Until late at
night firemen were engaged in wet
ting down the ruins of dozen man
sions caught in the conflagration
and swallowed up in few minutes.
Those guarding the destroyed houses
had orders to shoot to kill If any
looters were seen preying upon the
ruins.
At one point the flames cut off
communications by crossing rail-
road bringing down telephone wires
and stopping Long Island train SER
vice to Arverne. The Straiton Ave-
nue. railroad station was destroyed.
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