露娜公园的大火。

露娜公园的大火。

That the fire at Coney Island which was referred to in this journal last week did not do more destruction was due to the excellent high pressure water system and the multitude of firemen who responded to the four alarms. The fire authorities estimated the damage at $40,000. or $50,000. But Fred Thompson, owner of the park, said he stored in the restaurant bidding where the fire started, a lot of scenery and properties for four or five of his theatrical productions, and that altogether he would lose about $150,000. There was no insurance to cover this, either, he said. After the Dreamland fire last May the insurance companies raised the annual premium from 6 per cent to 8 per cent, and Thompson let his polices laspe. In his happiness over the preservation of the park proper however, he didn’t seem to mind the loss of the two amusement places. A force of about a dozen men are kept around Luna Park in winter, headed by superintendent Henry Riehl. He saw smoke about o'clock on Monday in the boarded up restaurant building and blew his whistle, which gathered the dozen. While he ran to the office to tell a telephone girl to sound an alarm, his men manned hoses and plugs and did their best. But the blaze was very soon too big for them. When the Coney Island engines arrived their-commanders sent in a second alarm; then Deputy Chief Daily, coining from Brooklyn in his motor a few minutes later, sent two more simultaneously, which called the apparatus south of Prospect Park. The burning buildings were low, so pumping had to be done. The firemen simply hooked up with the city’s high-pressure lines, For a time the light stucco-work of the places burned furiously, and so did their wooden interior. But there was not a breath of wind to swing the flames to surrounding structures, and within an hour the cataract of water from the high-pressure lines had swamped the blaze. Because of the lack of wind there was an enormous volume of smoke, which hung over the entire fsand and made the inhabitants fear that not only the amusement place but all their homes and stores were going up. Hundreds carted out their valuables and furniture to the sidewalks and prepared to move to the mainland. When reports reached Manhattan that Luna was completely consumed and that two blocks on Surf avenue were ablaze. Fred Thompson and a couple of friends rushed down in his motor. The trip from Forty-fourth street to the island was made in thirty-five minutes. A car from fire headquarters carrying Battalion Chief Howe, made a still longer run in thirty-two minutes! Both ruined places will be restored before next season, the proprietor said. The accompanying illustration was taken for this journal. A high-pressure stream is here shown.

That the fire at Coney Island which was referred to in this journal last week did not do more destruction was due to the excellent high pressure water system and the multitude of firemen who responded to the four alarms. The fire authorities estimated the damage at $40,000. or $50,000. But Fred Thompson, owner of the park, said he stored in the restaurant bidding where the fire started, a lot of scenery and properties for four or five of his theatrical productions, and that altogether he would lose about $150,000. There was no insurance to cover this, either, he said. After the Dreamland fire last May the insurance companies raised the annual premium from 6 per cent to 8 per cent, and Thompson let his polices laspe. In his happiness over the preservation of the park proper however, he didn’t seem to mind the loss of the two amusement places. A force of about a dozen men are kept around Luna Park in winter, headed by superintendent Henry Riehl. He saw smoke about o'clock on Monday in the boarded up restaurant building and blew his whistle, which gathered the dozen. While he ran to the office to tell a telephone girl to sound an alarm, his men manned hoses and plugs and did their best. But the blaze was very soon too big for them. When the Coney Island engines arrived their-commanders sent in a second alarm; then Deputy Chief Daily, coining from Brooklyn in his motor a few minutes later, sent two more simultaneously, which called the apparatus south of Prospect Park. The burning buildings were low, so pumping had to be done. The firemen simply hooked up with the city’s high-pressure lines, For a time the light stucco-work of the places burned furiously, and so did their wooden interior. But there was not a breath of wind to swing the flames to surrounding structures, and within an hour the cataract of water from the high-pressure lines had swamped the blaze. Because of the lack of wind there was an enormous volume of smoke, which hung over the entire fsand and made the inhabitants fear that not only the amusement place but all their homes and stores were going up. Hundreds carted out their valuables and furniture to the sidewalks and prepared to move to the mainland. When reports reached Manhattan that Luna was completely consumed and that two blocks on Surf avenue were ablaze. Fred Thompson and a couple of friends rushed down in his motor. The trip from Forty-fourth street to the island was made in thirty-five minutes. A car from fire headquarters carrying Battalion Chief Howe, made a still longer run in thirty-two minutes! Both ruined places will be restored before next season, the proprietor said. The accompanying illustration was taken for this journal. A high-pressure stream is here shown.