New-York tribune., 1908-01-15
uOVING PICTURE DANGER.
Many Cheap Shoes Here Are a
Constant Fire Menace.

The Pboadss Opera House FIRE in Boyerstown
Penn on Monday night. which started as inoN-
ine picture machine was being adjusted are" tiis
attention OF city officials yesterday TO the fact tal
scores of moving picture theatres which are scat
tered Throughout the East Side are in danger "l
a similar accident. Many of these places are -
arranged that they barely comply with the puliulhs
Hy7d fire laws while others have only one entrance
.,6 exf, which is under the film ma chine platform
fn the front Of store rooms. used as auditorlun1S
The rooms seat from hundred TO one hunoreo
and fifty persons, and are usually hled
While 2 pretence is made al hreprooffng the
euerator's box. il said by Chief Croker tha'
so many small fires had recently called ms a''en
tion to the moving picture places that ne "ouiu
begin an investigation Of the places whlch were
not complying with the regulations OF any piiNH
os the city departments The fact that IL "oulu pe
rnost impossible escape n case OF an explosion
,s no ,,sed 70 drive large number OF the theatres
out of business as reports are made TO the
Fire Commissioner
Eight hundred moving picture theatres. Whlch
charge 10 and cents admission. are registered
with the bureau of buildings These places dc
so-ding TO Superintendent Murphy, are operated IN
compliance with the rules of his department. a4i
have two exits. While the exits are supposed 10
fe of g. required width. many places are so pulit
that only an is possible. and the partitioh
separating the store which is used as an auol-
,o4u-, IS considered frail enough TO be torn down
in case Of accident
The possibility of number OF lives oeihe ioSt
gn csse of an explosion admitted by Chleh
croker who said that many of the moving picture
theatres on the East Side, well as in other parts
~ .ha city as operated. were menace. Inferior
machines are used and inexperienced operators
ere often employed, while the freproohng arrange
rnents are not enough to prevent a spreao OF lhe
rlightest fire. The partitions around the MIN ma
chine are nothing more than a curtained shieid
with sheet Of tin nailed to the ceiling. AS the
-ic1rres are thrown on a sheet in front of the
audience thu machine is placed that 1t is o1-
1ecfly IN the way OF the only exit In places
where two exits provided they are so Close
that they would be Of use in an emergency.
There is 10 danger Of fire resulting from the
,,,ox,,nr rictlre machines in the larger theatres
which Of course include the places in Broadway
rut vre are apprehensive about the cheap store
shows which springng up all over the CITY
said Chief Croker when he was told that only
few Of The vaudeville shows in storerooms were
really complying with the fire laws We nave
had q large number of fires hut were fortu-
nate enough 10 get 10 the places before any
serious damage was done. and at these times me
audiences were out Of the building before the
expiosion."
ADDED 10 the danger 10 the audience in case OF a
Gre IN the store shows is the peril to the occupants
IF the buildings. Some of the theatres on the
F3overy the ground floor OF ciosely Ilieo
lodging houses and are among the old bulidlnes
of that section The popularity of the moving
7s~4ures has increased much in the last year
-4gt- eroy, ono TO two places now on every
street or The East Side They are mostly conouc'ed
lv small investors, who build and operate 'ie
41aoes themselves In one OF the moving picture
tresfres a fif1een-year-old boy was operating 1he
-ln, machine several days ago His presence was
-rla med by the statement that the regular opera
tor was sick
The first panic which drew the attention OF the
F-ira Ferartment TO the danger of moving picture
shows occurred at Coney Island, where several per
sons were injured in a rush TO get out OF place
ia the Fowerv after the ignited films had eXpooeo-
Several fires caused similar accidents last season
,,t The picture machines were incased in a steel
hox and a ireproofing process was applled 10 the
ffros A. present the danger Of exploding MINIS Is
xIil, when compared with the danger OF defectlVe
,.trfne on the machines they are operated Win
elecricty instead of the preparations USED IN cou-
~ theatres where no electricity can be had.
With the exception Of the small places Vh1ch
a-e heine made to comply with the law before tney
ore given a license, Il said by superintendent
Murphy that there is no danger OF serious acci-
dent in anv of the city theatres at present An
,,snectton of the playhouses has been made WITHIN
,be last few weeks, and all are reported sale.