The weekly herald. [volume] (Amarillo, Tex.) 1906-19??, 1907-04-04
FIRE
ON POLK ST.
Explosion Of CeIIuIOid Film
Causes Complete DeStruC-
ton Of DTGanIand Rink
lFrom wednesday,s nallrl

The explosion OF reel of cell
luliod film in a moving picture ma
chino mhilo the picture show was in
progress last night at Greenland
rink on POLK street caused furious
fire which for time endangered
the lives Of a number of people and
Which in a few minutes destroyed
the rink.
The accident occurred about S:45
shortly after the opening Of the
evening performance There we're
hundred or more spectators in the
rink at the time and the first in
timation Of trouble was break in
the picture that was being thrown
On the screen. The spectators waited
for the operator to adjust the diff
Guilty and then tho operator Of tho
cage from which the pictures arc
thrown, carrying n reel Of the blaz-
ing celuloid. He threw the reel out
the door and assured the spectators
that the fire could he easily extin-
gushed,
There was comparltyely slight ex-
citement because The remaining blaze
which had caught in the other films
from the first fire was inside the
elevated cage where the machine was
located
People began leaving the building
and in a few moments the assistants
had to give mp the fight on the inside
Of the little room and came down.
This room was covered with asbestos
paper and tho only opening from
which the fire could escape at first
was the hole through which the pie
lures were thrown Through this a !
tongue of flame shot out and caught
the shingle roof There was no cell
ing in the building and, once in the
roof, the blaze swept across it like
a sheet of paper
In the meantime the alarm had
been given and the spectators had |
escaped in safety. The two wagons
of the department with most of the
fire boys on hoard, made a magnifi-
cent run to the scene and set three |
strings of hose to the fire for Inn
mediate action,
But the fire had Travelled with 9p-
palling speed and the rink was al
ready roaring mass of flame which !
made the destruction of the pike
Stroud livery stable on the north |
and of the residences on the east
seem almost certain. without a
moments hesitation the men with the
hose went into the furnace between |
the rink and the livery stable and
steadily fought down the flames.
There was good pressure In the
mains and the we'll directed streams
got control of the fire so as to pro-
tect the surrounding buildings, The
Osgood e. Gordon marble works
which occupied the two small frame
houses beside the rink were badly
damaged but we're saved from COM
plete destruction.
Fortunate Escape From Big Disaster.
A short time previous to the fire,
a terrific gale was blowing from the
southwest and had the fire started
at that time It would have made
probable disaster the extent of
which can hardly be reCkOned, At
the time 1t occurred there was very
little wind and as fortunate cir
cumstance the members Of the fire
companies we're nearly all at the sta
ton so the department got into ac-
ton with full turn out Of the men.
Although there were several mar
row escapes from injury on the part
OF tho rink people and their assist
ants, all the spectators escaped safe
ly. The intensely combustble nat
ure Of the cellulod films was very
deceptive at first and the fire seem
ed of muth less consequence than it
really was.
The property was owned by the
Dreamland Amusement company of
which Gus Hollander is manager and
II. Joe Isaacs, a large stakeholder.
The loss on the building skates,
piano and equipment will reach near
ly $4,000 and the amount of insur-
ance Is small. The damage to the
osgood & Gordon Co. will reach sew
eral hundred dollars.