Midway Fire of 1911
On July 16, 1911, a fire destroyed five (or seven[1]) attractions along the Midway at Olentangy Park, including the Ye Old Mill, Johnstown Flood, the Temple of Mirth, the Penny Arcade, Coney Island, and Wonderland. Park management and the fire department believed the fire was intentionally caused, and incendiaries were used. The loss was estimated to be $15,000 to $50,000$507,576 to $1.7 million in 2025 dollars. Two other fires were also found and extinguished the same evening.[2]
Two men, J. Andrews, 87, and Earnest Parsons, 19, were slightly burned that night when a fire broke out around 9:15 p.m. in the Old Mill attraction. The fire was believed to have been ignited from a discarded cigarette or incendiary. They were on the second floor of the building when they panicked and jumped, landing on the steps below, which were already burning. They were taken to the Protestant hospital. Andrews could walk home after treatment, but Parsons's injuries were worse. Although rumors were spread that several people were injured and died, manager Dusenbury and the fire department believed they were the only injuries, and no one died.[3] However, some other publications reported seven people were injured and at least 1,000 people fled in panic.[1]
It was possibly arson due to other fires around the park that night. A band member discovered one of the other fires in one of the theater boxes at 6:30 p.m. and extinguished it with a chemical. However, State Fire Marshal Zuber investigated the fire and didn't think it was arson due to there being a large crowd on a Sunday night.[4] Some reports said the fire was believed to have been caused by faulty wiring.[5]
The destroyed buildings were frame structures, and most of them were lined with burlap. The firefighters arrived too late to save the five buildings but were able to save the Dancing Pavilion, which was only partially burned. Its survival is partially attributed to its steel frame. The water damaged the dance floor. Manager Dusenbury said the buildings were not insured. Events for the week were not canceled.[3]
The debris of the destroyed buildings was cleaned up by July 22.[6]
Buildings Destroyed
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Fire Causes Panic." Oakland Tribune (Oakland, California). July 17, 1911. Page 5. Accessed through Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/oakland-tribune-1911-07-17/page/n3/mode/2up?q=%22Olentangy+Park%22
- ↑ Photographs. The Columbus Evening Dispatch. July 17, 1911. Page 1.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Suspect Arson in Destructive Fire at Olentangy Park." The Columbus Evening Dispatch. July 17, 1911. Page 1.
- ↑ "Olentangy Park Fire Not Work of Arsonist." The Columbus Evening Dispatch. July 18, 1911. Page 3.
- ↑ "Fire Panic in Park Resort." The New York Times. July 17, 1911. Page 18.
- ↑ "Olentangy Park." The Columbus Evening Dispatch. July 22, 1911. Page 10.