The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1906-10-25
MANAGER OF THE
OPERA HOUSE
GUILTY
Was Decision of Judge La
ney and Fine of $50
Was Imposed.

recorder Chas. H. Laney yester-
DAY rendered his decision in the case
of Manager J. NJ. Coe, of the Pen
sacola opera house who some weeks.
since was arrested upon the charge
OF not placing the house in proper
condition. The opera house manager
was declared guilty, and q sentence
of $50 imposed, but collection sus-
pended. The opinion of Judge La
ney, as delivered yesterday, is as
follows:
THE defendant in this case is
charged with a violation of sections
219 and 22O of the city code, and the
particular way in which said sections
are alleged to have been violated are
fully set out in the affidavit on file.
The evidence in the case shows
that the defendant was. on the 21st
day of September, the president and
manager of the Pensacola opera
house, and if there was any violation
of the ordinance of the city respect
ing the management Of said place for
amusement, was responsible therefor.
The Pensacola opera house is not
modern building, and at the time of
its construction the safety of the pub
lie was not especially provided for
and most of the arrangement looking
to the rapid exit of its patrons seem
to have been added largely out of re-
spect to public sentiment and modern
exigencies
The. construction of the modern
play house was revolutionized soon
after the burning of the Iroquois
theatre, and no theatre anti-dating
that period seemed to meet the re,
.quirements of a changed public SEN
timent resulting from that calamity.
A new architecture was not only
born, but new laws were made, and
as a result most people can now at
tend an opera without trepidation and
return to their homes in safety.
AT the request of the defendant In
this case, the court, after the evil
dence was lin, made a personal in
spection of the premises. and many
of the conclusions reached herein
necessarily come from personal OBJ
servation The obstruction consist
ing of rail in the balcony was re-
moved about the time or soon after
the arrest in this case. Section 220
requires the owner or manager of any
theatre concert hall, music hall or
any other building used for public
- 6vit IF inf.
ficient number and size to permit
the easy passage from said building
within three minutes of all persons
that could be within said building.
The testimony differs upon this point.
The evidence Of Mr. Smith is that it
could. Mr.. Schad, the marshal, timed
the exit of a very large audience, and
said that it took four minutes. The
opinion of the expert, Mr.. F. M.
Biount, is that it would require a
longer time to empty the first gal
lery. These opinions all relate to the
normal conditions of the opera house,
what time it would take during a
panic incident to fire, no witness
expressed opinion. The court is Of
the opinion that if all the means of
egress including fire escapes would
be sufficient to empty the house with
in the three minutes required by the
statute. then the law is compiled
with The ordinance means this, and
nothing else. The court found, upon
personal inspection that the fire es-
capes from the two galleries were in
securely fastened and liable to fall
at any time they were put to test.
besides they were small and not con-
veniently arranged so as to be APP
proacbed with safety from within.
Besides this the exit from the peanut
gdlery through the Progress Club
should be lighted so as TO indicate
the direction of the stairway. The
statute in this case is arbitrary and
In the opinion OF the court, under the
evidence. has not been complied with.
"Tn view Of the fact that the de-
PENDANT has heretofore Welded to the
suggestions made by the Board Of
Safety, the sentence imposed in this
case will be suspended subject to an
inspection mede BY said board. and q
renort mon fro same to the proper
authorities. TIE renaltv imposed in
thss ease 10 sEnna. dependent upon
tbe above r.,~S't'ops .