The billboard (June 1911)

m G AMUSEMENT WEEKIY Vol. No. 22. cmcimrATi—NEW yore—Chicago June 3,1911it CONEY ISLAND HOLOCAUST Dreamland Enclosure Entirely That Spread to Other Conces Surf Avenue—Luna Park of Bravery Among New York. iUr SB (Special to The BUlboanl). —Staartly after two o'clock tbU mofnlss. one of tb« wateluneD at Dreamland, Cone; Island. wliUe maUnc bla roimd*. dlacOTercd a blaxe In the ride known aa Bell Gate. Immediately be MDt In an alarm, then nuhed thraacb the re- MTt, aroiulDc about two boodred and orty helper., animal trslaers asd other, employed at the park, who were faat aaleep. A few mlsntes after tbe Brat alarm bad been aonnded. Capuln KoMn a an arrtwd with tbe ensine company from West Etgbtb street, baldly > block away. He aaw at once tbal bla amall force would be totally madeqoate to cope with the Oamea aad tamed Is two more alarma, one after another, and a few minotes later aent a fonrth. wbicb bronsbt apparatot from aa far away as the Ptoapect Park dUtrlct. Ttw flte swept all four aides of the resort, spread along Surf aTenue, sweeping: everytblns In Its path. The Bremen encountered many dlf- llcnltles, tbelr actlTitles being restrained beeaose Of lack of water, the flgbt against wild beasts, and Interfered with by a crowd of orer ooe • hundred thousand people. : Fbr a time, after th« llrst outbreak of the 'Barnes, the whole tsland seemed doomed. A atfnl shifting wind drore tbe ttre first one way and 4hen the other. Lack of water presrare necessitated tbe scattering of the Bre flEhtlog force wbere tbe blazes were liveliest, and the constant abiftlng of engines and bow lines to meet new polnta of the Bame's attack, made concentration of ellort Impassible. After four boars of tbe hardeat kind of work by practically all tbe flre-flgbtlng apparatus witb- la striking dIsUnce of the tslsnd. assisted by tbe prlTste departmenu of Luna Park and Oresm- land, which bare been kept organised since they fare the Fire and Flames Show, they finally got the flames under eootiol. Dreamland bad been closed to the public about two bonis, when James Ullla. a nlgbt watch- nan. discoTered the blaae In Bell Gate, a boat ride, which is ^ost inside tbe rntraoco of Iho park OQ the rl^t. Quickly the fire enrdoped i the aurroaBdlng buildings, which. Just coated i with a freidi paint, burned like ■ train of , powder. i Tie firemen led tbelr hose thrangh the only : two entrnnces from tbe front Into Dreamland. ' One entrance Is tbrougb tbe spectacle Crestlon ', on tbe north, and the other between Steuben- ; bord's iiml Strattoo's hotela on the south. So rapidly did tbe fiamos shoot around, that I the Srenien were driTen out of what later be- I came a real circle of fire. Tbey bad to content j themseires wltb working from tbe oDtslde. To i offset the; disadrsntage of their not being able i to get to tbe beacta -.front of Dreamland or any of tbe other threatened places wiwre the three fire- boiti, Zophar Min». Kew Xorker and Seth lAW, wblcb ateamed up at top speed on a telephone alarm from Captain Boblnson. neae, imaltected by the low water pres- sure, as they pumped the water right out of ttie ocean, saved part of the chutes and pier, and also Booded other buildings on tbe water front. Even their high - powered Wiped Out Ly Early Morning Blaze sions Along the South Side of Threatened—Many Instances Showmen are Recorded The tower at Dreamland as it appeared before the fire. nuabfo to do much toward ehecMng the flames further In- shore, -When Doeamland'had been nearly buined out a hilsk wind spiang up suddenly from tbe northeast, driving the sparica. along tbe av- enue, and in a few moments, htmdreds of small fires had started and soon expanded. Proprietors and em- ployees of threatened buildings fought vali- antly to save their property. In the meantime, tbe ftfilm.iq Id the old ^ntb side of Surf avenue; showing region covered by the llames. Bostock arena, now owned by Colonel Fenrl, were howling In terror. Some of the smaller and less dangerooa .nlm.!. wer« driven Into- small traveling cages or roped and boond and wero carried to nearby barrooms, hotels of erea private booses back of tbe Imperiled district. Captain Bonavlta having been Inatmmental In cescnlng muiy of -the cat animals, attempted to- save the life of a yotmg pet elephant, wblcb.. knelt with Its head in a comer aad refused to^ move. Captain Bonavlta was so intent opoa bis vTOck of rescue that he had to be peisnaded.': to leave the bnmlnj; building. Bonavlta armed hlmaelf with a long stalt and went into the lion's cage and drove it out Into-: a smaller cage wfaltib bad been placed on rt^ers. Tbe Uon vrent quietly enatigh nntU It caught sight of the fire. Then it dnsbed back Into tha cage and refused -to be coaxed or forced out^ Only after bla' own life .was endangered did Bonavlta leave and regretfully consented that his pet be shot. A group of policemen and helpers had in this interval killed two big tigers and six otlier Hons. One lion, caned Sultan, escaped from tbe men and dashed down Stnf Avenue, throwtnr the Ioofcers-<m Into a panlic ' After gallo^ag along the aventie for aboot two blocks. Siutwi crawled into &o tower of the Bocky Boad to-- Dublin ride, policemen following the beast and ,: riddling bim with bulleta. Then one of the men. ' seelne that the beast was taelpleas. got a flrc' axe and drove the sharpened end Into Sultan's - sknll. One of tbe pc^cemen who was keeping' back the crowds bad drawn his gun when Stxltan dashed by. He still had It In his hand: when a big spotted leopard leaped out of n- blasUur window and landed right at hlB feet. One alMic from Ms gun pierced the animal's bmln and It . died Instantly. While the animals were escaping, a bear eob - was released from the animal show and ran out into Surf Avenue, heading toward the crowd. A young man who had an auto standing near the jrate of Lona Park grabbed it and poshed it Into tbe tonnean and rode off. One of the many bnildings destroyed was the incubator show. In which were confined 6 babies. A policemaa and a fireman dashed throngh tha - names and smoke and rescued'three of the in- fants, the other three-were suffocated. At a few minutes past^'three the great Dream- land tower wrhliai had'homed briskly fell wltb a crash. - .... - ■ Added to th»«rackling of timbers, the crash of falling stroetures, the roars and crtea of mad- dened- beasts, tbe hoarse shouts of :-fbe flie- • (Contbined on page 5S.) View looking west on Surf sveuue. Kulna of tbe Whlrlwlml Ride at left. . ■ The east limit of the Are. Capt. I«nil Sorcbo's Deep Sea Diver's Show at the left,'