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Old Dreamland Bell Discovered Underwater
By
Jen Carlson
Published Sep 2, 2009
Modified Sep 2, 2009
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Sep 2, 2009
Modified Sep 2, 2009
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Back on May 27, 1911 Coney Island was doing worse off than it is today, with Dreamland Park in flames for a full 18 hours, burning to the ground and never again being rebuilt as it was. But a piece of the glory days was just found underwater; the NY Post reports that local divers are bringing up a piece of the past: a massive 500-lb bell that sunk to the ocean floor with the rest of the pier. Diver Gene Ritter told the paper, "I knew the bell existed, but I never dreamed I would find it. I thought it would be buried in mud. I was stunned, especially over the incredible shape the bell is in."
Ritter found it back in November, but it was 18 years before that when he first came upon the remnants of Dreamland in the ocean. Back in 1999 the NY Times reported that he had found "turn-of-the-century Coke and beer bottles, cutlery and Victorian light fixtures" so far. As for the bell, it's 3-feet-high and inscribed with "James Gregory, NY, 1885," a trapeze artist and founding member of the Gregory Brothers Circus.
No reports yet on where (or if) the bell will ring once it's fully restored. More photos from the fire can be seen courtesy of the Library of Congress.
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1911
bell
coney island
Dreamland
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Gene Ritter
water
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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