Coney Island Aflame

Thomas, Web Applications

Coney Island's Biggest Fire Disaster, 1907 Coney Island's Biggest Fire Disaster, 1907, v1973.4.707; Postcard Collection, v1973.004; Brooklyn Historical Collection


This is the fifth in a series of posts on the records of Brooklyn’s Corporation Counsel, which are currently being processed with funding provided by a Council on Library and Information Resources (CLIR) “Hidden Collections” grant.

One of the greatest threats to public safety in 19th century Brooklyn was fire.  The vast majority of buildings were wood framed, and very few had fire escapes.  Coney Island, with its famous boardwalk and densely packed amusements, was especially vulnerable. The most famous fire in Coney Island’s history occurred in 1911 and completely destroyed the grandiose amusement park Dreamland. But through the years it was the unfortunate site of many other destructive fires. Today we will examine a blaze which causes hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of damage to Coney Island’s east end in 1895.

Details regarding the 1895 Coney Island fire can be found in several contemporary newspapers. The fire began near Surf Ave. and West 8th St., around the present-day site of the New York Aquarium.  The exact cause of the fire remains unknown, although the New York Times attributed the blaze to a group of tramps who had “made their headquarters in a small extension connected with Victor Leavitt’s photograph gallery.” The newspaper believed that the chemicals stored at the studio contributed to the destructive nature of the fire, which quickly spread to adjacent buildings, including numerous hotels, apartments, and businesses.[1]



The records of Brooklyn’s Corporation Counsel include several claims made against the city for damages incurred during the fire.  The Brooklyn Daily Eagle reported that “there are few hydrants in the neighborhood and only a sluggish stream of water could be procured.”[2]  The Town of Gravesend (which included Coney Island), had been recently annexed by the City of Brooklyn.  Various claims alleged that ever since annexation the Gravesend Fire Department had become “disorganized and worthless and its apparatus was not properly manned or provided for and … was not in condition for immediate use in case of fire.” Making matters even worse, the city had allegedly “cut and tap[ped] the main water supply of the Town of Gravesend” in order to bolster its own water main which ran along Ocean Parkway.  As a result, “a stream of water could not be procured from the said mains as was formerly the case.”[3]

Claim of Charles R. Myer, 1895. Claim of Charles R. Myer, 1895; Brooklyn, N.Y., Department of Law, Corporation Counsel records, 2013.015; Brooklyn Historical Society




The claims each provide small glimpses into life in Coney Island at the turn of the 20th century.  Among the claimants were several residents of the “McKane Flats.”  This is referring to housing owned by the dominant political figure of Coney Island at the time, John Y. McKane. McKane, who was eventually jailed for corruption, often feuded with another famous Coney Islander, George C. Tilyou.  Tilyou, who would go on to open Steeplechase Park, also lost a hotel in the blaze.[4] Other claimants included William Liomin, owner of a billiard and pool parlor, and Conrad Stubenbord, the proprietor of Stubenbord’s Hotel. Charles R. Myers made claims for lost amusements, including a Ferris Wheel and one Illusion, entitled “Trip to Chicago.” John R. Merritt appeared to have operated a beverage wholesale business. He made claims for numerous bottles, corks, fountains, boxes, soda, beer, wine, and liquors, along with cigars and a shot gun.



The Brooklyn Historical Society is home to a wealth of books, manuscripts, maps, photographs, and artifacts related to Coney Island. For more information please see our Guide to Coney Island and Gravesend Archival Materials at the Othmer Library.





[1] http://safa.brooklynhistory.org/platt-s13/2013/03/23/john-y-mckane/





[2] Brooklyn Daily Eagle. May 16, 1895. http://eagle.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/Repository/ml.asp?Ref=QkVHLzE4OTUvMDUvMTYjQXIwMDEwMA%3D%3D&Mode=Gif&Locale=english-skin-custom



[3] Claims of Cohen, Kennedy, Liomin, Merrit, Myers, Stubenbord, and Vischer, 1895-1896. Brooklyn, N.Y., Department of Law, Corporation Counsel records, 2013.015; Brooklyn Historical Society.





[4] New York Times. May 17, 1895. http://query.nytimes.com/mem/archive-free/pdf?res=FA0A16FD3C5811738DDDAE0994DD405B8585F0D3

 

This blog post reflects the opinions of the author and does not necessarily represent the views of Brooklyn Public Library.

 

Barbara E Lovitts

Greetings, I am annotating a relative's memoir (1897 - 1989). In it, he mentions hawking an Extra Edition of the New York Evening Journal about the 1907 Coney Island fire. I would love to include a image of that issue of the newspaper in the memoir. Do you have or know how I could obtain an image of that paper, or another NY newspaper with that front-page story, if copies of the NY Evening Journal not longer exist? Many thanks, Barbara
Sat, Jul 24 2021 2:50 am Permalink

Post a Comment

While BPL encourages an open forum, posts and comments are moderated by library staff. BPL reserves the right, within its sole discretion, not to post and to remove submissions or comments that are unlawful or violate this policy. While comments will not be edited by BPL personnel, a comment may be deleted if it violates our comment policy.

The content of this field is kept private and will not be shown publicly.
eNews Signup

Get the latest updates from BPL and be the first to know about new programs, author talks, exciting events and opportunities to support your local library.

Sign Up