The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-04-29
DESTROY
STREET FAIR TENTS
"GIOriana" and 'zora" Are a
Total Loss
ANIMALS PANIC STRICKEN
Smiths Greater Amusement Company
Suffers a Loss of $1,000 Without
lnsurance-Lee Sherman
Badly Burned.
ANIMALS PANIC STRICKEN

"Gloriana, a Gorgeous Display of Spen-
dor and Fora, the Masterpiece of Mys-
terry" two big features of Smiths Great
er Amusement companys street fair.
which has been showing for a week on
Second avenue, between Fourteenth and
Fifteenth streets, were totally destroyed
by fire yesterday afternoon about o'clock
Lee Sherman. the electrician. who was
operating the moving picture machine in
''Gloriana, was badly burned about the
hands and face. He was taken t. his
home. First avenue and Thirty-eighth
street, in Gauden & Co.'S ambulance.
Sherman stated that the fire was start
ed by some one dropping match after
lighting a cigarette. In few seconds
after the tent wall caught, the flames
had enveloped the whole canvass. and
spread to the adjoining exhibit of "Zora.'
which also went up in flash.
Barely Escaped.
Between the panic of the audience and
the futile efforts of the show people to
save some of the trappings of the COM
pany' the performers had barely time to
escape with their lives
Fora, the erstwnile Galatea. upon
whose marble statue the mythical sculp-
tor, Pygmalion. blew his breath and in
fused the glow of life. was caught in
the transformation
Mrs. Meredith, the wife of one of the
managers, takes the part of 'zora." and
notwithstanding the fact that she was
hampered with all the multitudinous folds
of her serpentine costume, saved hum
dred-pound trunk containing her personal
effects and escaped without injury.
Nothing else from these two exhibits ex
cept the films of some of the moving pic
lures, the "Moonshiners" and the "Whlte
cappers' was saved
Jesse James and His Band Holding Tn
Train were caught red-handed and
were lost in the flames on one side of
the "Gloriana' and 1.-THE Masterpiece of
Mystery" was the ry-go-round. and
on the other "The Animal Tent" Neither
were damaged.
In the Menagerie.
But there was great agony and travail
of spirit among the animals In the menae-
erie and well there might have been, for
the heat was intense in the cages, which
were too unwieldly to be moved out at
moments notice. Jim, the pet mon
key, jumped at the end of his chain as
he had never jumped before, and the
vari-colored parrots made hideous sounds.
The aligators lay inert, but took on large
heads of steam. The lions plunged into
their cage bars headfirst Tom Tom.
the wildcat performed many lightning
evolutons and the poor little deer was
paralyzed with fright
The management stated that the show
would be running full blast again by Mon
day, and for the entire week, new outfits
having been ordered at once to take the
place of those that were burned up. The
show is under the auspices of the Beav-
ers, local Dam No. l. and the proceeds
are for the benefit of the orphanage at
East Lake.
Fire Foretold.
According to show circles, this disaster
was predicted week ago by Queen
Celeste, the Celebrated Palmist and Life
Reader" whose booth is Just to the left
near the main entrance She says for a
week past her dreams have been haunted
by visions of fire. and she was not a bit
surprised when the realization of them
came yesterday
The fire department responded promptly
and prevented the spread of the flames.