Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1910-04-09
KING ST. THEbTER
IS BURNED OUT
Fierce Fire Saturday Night Caus-
ed a $1,000 Loss.
STARTED IN DRESSING ROOM

c. r. Manspeaker's Loss Estimated
at $500 and $500 Loss on the Build
ing, Both Fully Covered by lnsur-
anee-Proprietor viii Open Up
New Theater in Same Place as Soon
as Possible After Insurance is Ad.
justed.
Fire broke out in the King Street
Theater shortly before 2 o'clock Sat.
' urday night and pretty nearly Quilted
the place. entailing a loss estimated
at $500 on the theater and 5000 on
the building, both fully covered by in.
surance.
The fire was first discovered about
: Las o'clock by Mr.. Thomas w. Kearns
and Mr.. s. V. Fiery, whose properties
adjoin each other east of the theater,
and Mr.. FELTON, Crawford. living across
the street. The alarm was sem In
and when the fremen arrived the
back part of the theater was all
ablaze. Mr.. C. f. Manspeaker, pro-
prietor of the moving picture and
vaudeville theater, was notified and
was soon OF the scene.
Ryneal Company stretched a line of
hose from the water plug at the Epis.
copal church, down College street
and thence across lots TO the rear OF
the theater where the fire was fierce
ly burning. Tuscarora and Hose Co.
No. 8 also responded and the former
ran out a line of hose and played on
the flames, which were fast eating
their way towards the front part of
the theater where the picture machine
is located. The firemen battled
one and hard TO quench, while the
heat was intense and the smoke stiff
ling. Working at a disadvantage, as
'they were, 1t was quite a while before
the fire was finally extinguished. The
flames did not spread, the fire being
confined to the theater Itself, but
when it was all over the theater was
pretty nearly a mass of ruins.
The fire started in the dressing
room in the southeast corne of the
theater and quickly spread from
there TO the stage, destroying the
whole back part of the theater in a
few minutes. Besides the stage and
dressing roonss and their furniture
and appointments, a new 300-dollar
piano and a violin valued at s35 were
consumed, together with a lot Of cleo.
trical fixtures and supplies under the
stage. There were ONE 275 chairs
in the theater and these were all
either burned up or so badly damaged
as to make them worthless. A compile
drums were also damaged. Whilst
the machine house in the front part
of the theater was pretty badly char
red Mr.. Manspeaker thinks the NOV
ing picture machine is not material.
ly damaged.
The damage 10 the building, which
is owned by the M%artinsburg Mfg.
Co, is considerable. While the stage.
dressing rooms and properties belong
ed to Mr.. ManspeaRer and the loss OF
them is his. a big hole was burned in
the floor under the stage, five win.
| dows broken out in the rear, the
plastering IN the side walls badly
damaged. the plastering on the cell
ing nearly all down and a hole burn
ed through the upper floor. The
back stairway was also consumed.
The origin OF the fire is unknown.
Mr.. Manspeaker says he left the thea
| 80 Cot,I~dov xsuhk 81 II NFa1naL
after, having first turned ont all the
electric lights. Mansfield, the chalk
artist, had occupied the dressing
room in which the fire is supposed to
have started and he may have drop
ped some matches there that could
have caused the blaze; but so far as
the proprietor knows everything was
all right about the place when he lock
ed up and started for home that night.
f, The theater was opened about two
months ago and has done a good pay
ing business.
Mr.. Manspeaker said today that as
soon as his fire loss is adjusted he
will go ahead and open up a new thea
ter in the same place as soon as pos
sible. His place was insured in the
j.. M. Small agency, this city. 1t was
reported yesterday hat the insurance
policy Of 81. 900 had expired, but that
is not the case as 1t was transferred
when Mr.. Manspeaker moved to his
new theater.
BUSY AS BEES.