The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1900-09-14


more steam. The beasts are nearing.
Davy glares around distractedly. Mer-
ciful hevingsl He has burned up the
door bar for fuell The prop man
howls at the top OF his voice. Davy
dashes up his sleeve. He springs To
the door, rams his bare arm through
the empty staples, and two stuffed
wolves heads are poked suddenly
through n hole at the bottom! Then
the curtain drops, there is more tremo-
10. and II rises again TO discover Davy
fainting mt the portal with n couple OF
strcaks OF red paint around his good
right arm 10 show where the staples
pinchcd. That scene would excite de-
rision today, but it kept the wolf from
Mayo's own door for many n long year.
Incidentally IL was responsible for
some ludlcrous mishaps.
"On one occasion. while touring
through Iowa, the special scenery was
delayed 10y railroad wreck and local
stage carpenter undertook 10 fake up
the cabin Interior by some mistake
he made the staples several inches too
small, and when Mayo. who was
rather portly, rushed To- the rescue he
was horrined TO discover that he could
not get his arm through the irons. lie
pushed aud squlrmcd and sweat blood,
but IL was no 20, and as the wolves
were supposed 20 be advancing on a
dead lope the situation was decidedly
critical. IL 80 happened that tho
actress who played the heroine thatn
season was very splrituelle. not TO say
scrawny, and while poor Dayy was
still wrlggling at the door some gallery |
god suddenly piped out: Break awav. |
fatty, and let dc lady tryv The audi.
cncc roared and Mayo signaled for n
quick curtain.
"Tire effects are regarded with dis
favor nowadays" continued the man.
ager. because II too realistic they are
apt TO create panic In a crowded thea
ter. but In the old mclodramas there
was no danger OF mistaklng them for
the real thing. and they were great
drawing cards. Back In the early
seventies Joe Murphy, tho Irish come
dian, toured the country In play
called Help which contained a fire
scene that was regarded as the most
remarkable ever produced on the road
"The curtain rose on barnlike In
terror, supposed 10 represent an opium
den In San Francisco. Presently
Chinaman passed an open door I'm the
bnck, carrying lamp, and a moment
later crash was heard, indicating that
he had dropped II. A red glow immc-
| diately came through the chinks In tho
rear wall and grew rapidly brighter
and brighter. while there was n sound
OF excited footsteps, indlstinct shouting
and furniture being dragged across tho
floor. All that, occurring out OF sight,
worked the audience TO a high pitch OF
nervous tension. Then smoke began
10 oozc through the cracks, the red
glow continued TO Increase, and all Of
a sudden the entire back wall tottered
and sank forward on the stage, dis
closing n dim perspective, with flames
shooting up here and there and flremen
rushing pellmell In every direction.
"Thnt spectacle created tremendous
sensation wherever II was put on, yet
the entire effect was produced by IA
few shoyelfuls Of red fire burned I'm
the wings and little lycopodium pow
der, which flashes into big, harmless
blaze and was concealed In tin boxes
attached 10 different parts OF the set
ting. The back wall was let down on
a couple OF plano wires, which used TO
get stuck occasionally and suspend 1t
I'm mIdair. There was celebrated fire
scene I'm Chanfrau's play Of 'Mosc,' but
IL was admitted 10 be inferior TO the
one / have described, and the crudities
OF both are very laughable when COM
pared 10 modern attempts along the
same line.
"The last thing Of that kind saw was
In London q few years ago. II repre-
Bented the burning OF a tenement
Smoke and flames poured out OF the
easements; immense beams crashed
down, scattering showers Of sparks;
walls crumbled. people leaped from the :
windows and were caught In nets, and
fremen sent streams OF real water In
20 the blazing ruins. AS | watched tho
mimic conGagration my mind reverted |
10 the days OF Chanfrau and Murphy. !
and smole several smiles yard wide
and all teeth."-New Orleans Times
Democrat.