Coney Island Bell Retrieved, Ringing

The old 500-lb brass bell that was lost in the ocean during a massive Dreamland Park fire in 1911, just got a new lease on life. As previously mentioned, the bell was discovered underwater by diver Gene Ritter, who brought it back to land yesterday. The NY Post reports that "the divers used netting and inflatable 'lift bags' to lift the bell, which was later towed about four miles east to the Gateway Marina on Flatbush Avenue, where it was lifted ashore by a massive forklift as a crowd of about 100 people gathering to watch the historic moment cheered on." (ABC News has video.) The bell still sounds good, according to Ritter; it used to be rung when passengers would arrive by steamboat to the iron pier, and it will now be temporarily on display at the Coney Island History Project museum before finding a permanent home in the neighborhood. Ritter added, "We could easily put this on eBay and make $100,000, but our goal is to preserve history."