Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1910-12-08

BLAZE AT
THE ORPHEUM
DANGEROUS FIRE. NO ONE
HURT

A fire broke out in the basement
at the Orpheum theatre during
the first performance Monday even
ing, but although the play house was
we'll filled the audience marched out
in fairly good order and no one was
hurt. The fire was confined to the
rear of of the basement and on the
north side Of the stage, and there
was also loss caused by smoke and
water.
The fire was discovered Just at
nine o'clock when Katherine Moore.
the singer, was presenting her act.
She noticed smoke coming from the
front of the stage floor and slowly
backed away unalarmed at first, but
the pufs of smoke became heavier
and more frequent and were discov-
cred by the audience, some one in
the rear shouting fire" There was
a quick rush for the exits, but sew
eral cool-headed men held the crowd
back, telling them to sit down and
that there was no danger. Order
was soon regained and the audience
passed out quickly through the main
exits at the front and the emerpen-
cy side door. The building was emp
tied in less than three minutes and
no one was injured, although sever
al Of the theatre patrons were badly
panic stricken and two ladies tainted.
In the meantime the blaze had
swept up the stage and destroyed
the scenery and curtain which had
been dropped. The actors and stage
help made their escape from the rear
door but lost nearly all of their ap-
paratus and clothing.
The fire department was on the
scene quickly after the alarm was
turned in and soon had the blaze
under control, although the smoke
poured out from ssss4e building for a
long time afterwards. The fire is
supposed to have started in the fur
mace room from all overheated flue,
the blaze spreading quickly up the
north wall of the stage and into the
scenery. Today close examination
was made and it was found impossi-
BILE to determine with certainty the
cause of the fire, but the hottest blaze
seems to have been under the stage,
away from the furnace room. Mr..
Churchill, the owner, attributes the
cause of the fire to either defective
electric wiring, or perhaps lighted
cigar stub.
ire proper, the apparatus and
clothing of the actors was practically
all destroyed and the vaudevillians
escaped only with their stage cos
tunes The trained birds of Madame
Marzella were also kept in the base
ment of the Orpheum, and these val
but the apparatus was an entire loss.
Smoke also damaged the dwelling
dwelling rooms in the second story
of the building.
The owner, Mr.. Churchill will COM
mence ut once remodeling the thea
ire and the proprietor, w. W.
Browne of Bemidji, and local man
ager, James spaulding, state that
the Orpheum will be re-opened about
January End. Mr.. Browne had as
sul1cd c"ne, slip OF the theatre but
last Thursday, while Mr.. Churchill
had returned from Michigan but
Saturday. He was in the building
when the fire broke out.
The theatre was emptied with re-
.markable speed and but little confu-
sion, altho the auditorium was fill
ed with with smoke when the last
person came out of the door. Sew
eral left their wraps, but all were
regained this morning. The piano
was almost a total loss. Katherine
Moore, the singer saved her trunk Of
clothes, which was lifted through
the window, at the rear. Dave
Warne, the Australian comedian,
lost all of his clothes and escaped in
his acting costume. The Crystal
Brothers lost their dancing mat and
their stage costumes. Seeera: we're
affected by the dense smoke when
they returned to save parts OF the
apparatus and Carl Adams. the ticket,
taker, tainted upon reaching the open
air.
The fire boys found the source of
the conflagration at once and con-
trolled the fire Immediately and Lo-
cal Manager Spauldfng rewarded
their hard work in the cold by
supper to thirty Of the volunteer fire.
men at local restaurant after the
blaze had been extinguished.