"HELL-GATE" IN FLAMES.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIV, Issue 23, 21 July 1911, Page 7

"HELL-GATE" IN FLAMES.

£1,000,000 LOSS AT CONEY ISLAND FIRE. "Dreamland," Coney Island's open-air amusement city, which covered 15 acres, was destroyed by fire early on May 27. The loss is £1,000,000, one-tenth of which is covered by insurance. A terrible combat among a number ef wild animals which were released simultaneously owing to the panic of the attendants furnished one of the most remarkable scenes possible to imagine. The arena in which the animals performed was filled with maddened beasts, which attacked each other savagely, regardless of the flames which encircled the building. The fire started soon after midnight on a scenic railway known as "Hell Gate," and is supposed to have been due, to defective electric insulation which | ignited the hot tar used by workmen in j painting the structure. The newly-in-' stalled high-pressure mains were out of order, and the firemen could only secure 15 per cent, of the normal pressure, otherwise the fire would have been extinguished quickly. MADDENED ANIMALS.

Soon aftef the flumes were discovered the trained animals, more than MO in number, and comprising the largest collection of the kind in America," befcame frantic with fear. They were ifr 'charge of a trainer called BoWvila:, who ordered their release, one at a time,' from their permanent boxes into the arena, for the purpose of putting them into wheeled cages and removing tjiem from danger.

After twenty, animals had been; thus carted away the attendants lost 'their heads, and released all the remaining animals sinultaneoußlv. They began fighting in the arena, and soon were entirely unmanageable. Lions, tigers, bears, pumas, leopards and other animals engaged in terrific combats among themselves, howling and screaming with pain. They pai/ no attention to the attendants, who finally made their escape. Bonavila. whose left hand was recently hit off by a lion, grasped a revolver in his right hand and entered the arena, which was in semi-darkness.

When lie saw that hope of saving the animals was gone, he shot as many as he could to save them from a 'more powerful death by fire, lie fired pointblank wherever ho saw gleaming eyes, and managed to kill ten animals before the flames drove him away.

Seven lions, three pumas, two tigers, two leopards, two beads, a kangaroo, a number of monkeys, antelopes, deer and a baby trick animal called Little Hip—which was very popular with the children—were burned to death. Little Hip was to have been sent to London as a. Coronation season attraction at one of the places of amusement.

KILLED BY A POLICEMAN. A magnificent lion called Black Prince leaped out. of the arena with his fur ablaze, and ran through the streets giving agonised screams. People ran for safety, but the lion did not pay any attention to them. Policemen fired repeatedly with their revolvers, but without effect, The lion finally took refuge on (.lie "Rock Road to Dublin" scenic railway, where a policeman killed it with an axe.

A leopard, whose fur was also on fire, escaped in a similar manner, but was quickly killed. One striking feature of the disaster was the rescue of five babies, whose ages varied from two weeks to eight hours, from incubators in the nursery exhibition. The. babies were being fed when the fire broke out, but they were wrapped in blanket, and taken to a house near by, when all of them were put in one bed and the feeding continued. None of them suffered in the least from the sudden transfer.

The passengers on the incoming French liner La Lorraine, which anchored at the quarantine station for the night, had an excellent view of the fire, which they say was a magnificent spectacle. Captain Mauras, of the Lorraine, declares that the fall of the famous "Dreamland" wooden tower, which was 300 ft high, and a veritable pillar of fire when it collapsed, was the finest sight he ever witnessed.

Twenty-five hundred people were throivn out of work by the disaster.