Hello--

I've been working my way though Philip Carlo's "Gaspipe" with a skeptical and curious eye both, due both to the source and the author...

One HUGE question that sticks out is who the hell is Salvatore "Sally" Callinbrano? That's how Carlo spells it C-a-l-l-i-n-b-r-a-n-o.

I know what Casso/Carlo say-- Genovese capo, Casso's 'godfather' into LCN culture, an alleged power in the ILA Local 1814 after Anastasia gets killed... Carlo even has a picture of himself in front of Sally's old club on Flatbush Extension and mentions he later moved to Monte's Bar & Restaurant, which-- though it closed for a few years-- still exists on Carroll Street.

Also, I've done a fair amount of reading about the ILA and Local 1814 and never seen the name Callinbrano...

... IN FACT I've never heard nor seen the surname Callinbrano, nor does it seem to exist elsewhere.

GUESS: Carlo and/or his assistant(s) phonetically misspelled another name.

EVIDENCE: on page 18, there's reference to youth gang contemporary with Casso's "South Brooklyn Boys"-- the "Day Hill Road Gremlins."

As Brooklyn native who knows the streets here very very well I read that three times like wtf?!!

Then I realized oh, he means the DAHILL ROAD Gremlins, which gang I didn't know but Dahill Road in Flatbush/Kensington/Borough Park... of course!

I've started skimming Italian/Sicilian surname lists but so far nothing seems that close. While I do think Casso is telling the truth about his family relationship with "Callinbrano" (because it's so obscure there's no reason to lie), that name can't be right.

Thanks for any thoughts or suggestions. If anyone has their own odd questions about Brooklyn history I'd be happy to help.

"Callinbrano" references in "Gaspipe"

I understand what you mean. For a while it drove me nuts! But I found out that Callinbrano is misspelled in the book. It should be Celambrino. "Little Sal", or sometimes "Skinny" Sal Celambrino was listed as a Genovese captain by FBI in the 1960s. Joseph Valachi originally mentions him as "Celembrano", a Mike Miranda crew member. So his name was misspelled a lot.
Salvatore Celambrino passed away in 1971.

Valachi was barely literate, and in Peter Maas's defense, he had little to work with back in the '60s. Philip Carlo had no such excuse. Poor research to go along with poor writing.

Yeah.

Salvatore Celambrino: Social Security Death Index (SSDI) Death Record

Name: Salvatore Celambrino
State of Issue: New York
Date of Birth: Sunday August 02, 1903
Date of Death: April 1971
Est. Age at Death:
67 years, 8 months

Thanks much, HK!! That was simple enough... Up until a few years ago btw, the sign was still up for the Anthony Anastasio Longshoremen's Medical Center, at the corner of Court & Union Streets. Previously, it'd been HQ for Local 1814 of the ILA. Unfortunately, the building was torn down and some fairly hideous 'luxury condos' are going up...

re: Carlo the writer, he's a piece of work alright; "Gaspipe" is much better than the Tommy Karate book tho' I think-- Casso a better source and Carlo somewhat less ridiculous with his fake 'literary' touches. (I've refused to read the Ice Man since a friend told me about it years ago; as soon as he said Kuklinkski claimed to have been on the Galante hit-- among his innumerable other lies-- I said forget it...)

I do a lot of microfilm work here in Brooklyn btw so if there's ever a story you're looking for and don't have access to, I'd be happy to look for it on the ground as it were.

Sounds great!