New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-07-09
FIGHT PICTURES ARRIVE
10000 Feet of Film Developed
in FIatbush Shop Last Night.
NEGATIVES PROVE. PERFECT
Pictures Barred in Six States
and in Foreign Lands, but
Owners Are Cheerful.

Owners Are Cheerful.
The thirty thousand feet of valuable films
which constitute one complete negative of
the moving picture of the Jeffries-Johnson
| fight reached here yesterday morning, IN
charge Of William T. Rock, president Of
| the Vitagraph Company of America. of
this city, after a record run of seventy
nine hours from Reno.
Four dusky porters, all wearing smiles
| like Johnson's own, bore the trunk con-
tanning the precious pictures with extrava-
| giant care from the Pennsylvania special,
| which arrived in Jersey City at 9:55 a. M.
and deposited their burden In gayly deco
rated automobile, in which they were taken
to the vitagraph company's factory in
Flatbush, where they were developed last
night.
/ On the trip to the factory the first delay
of the journey occurred, and it annoyed
! Mr.. Rock and his associates more than all
the Christian Endeavor Society mandates
which have issued from various parts of
the country opposing the exhibition OF the
| fight pictures
The vitagraph company's car was held up
| in Brooklyn for speeding. and the chauffeur
was arrested. The hearing before Magis-
| lrate Manner, IN the Myrtle avenue court,
caused a delay of two hours,
Reports from the vitagraph conpany's
factory last night said the negatives had
| proved to be of the best, and would be
dried and projected on a screen to-day, and
| be ready for exhibition purposes the first
| of the week.
To avoid accidents, two other sets of
pictures were made at the ringside and left
in Chicago for developing These mega
tives will be brought here Monday and
perfect negative assembled from all three
in case any one Of them should show de-
| fects
The vitagraph company will give a pri
vate exhibition of the pictures on Wednes-
day at some local theatre, to which news
paper men, representatives of the Police
Department, and perhaps the Mayor him
self, will be invited to pass upon their
merits.
Not Worried by Opposition.
The opposition to the pictures appears to
be of little concern to the men who control
the rights in them The J. & J. Com
pany, which was organized by the various
film manufacturers who are licensed under
the Edison patents and control the world
rights in the pictures. held a meeting at
the General Film Company's Office, at No.
| 10 Fifth avenue. yesterday afternoon, and
| afterward issued a statement. which read:
No effort will be made to show the
pictures in any town or city where adverse
action has been taken. It will not be neces-
sary TO get out injunctions, for this COM
| bine does not keep the privilege for itself"
| Johnson and Jeffries and their fight pro-
motors were at first members of the J. & j.
Company. but sold their picture rights to
the vitagraph people
/ II was explained that the privilege to
show the pictures would be sold for the
most part to the highest bidders for the
various states and foreign countries. The
Vitagraph Company of America would ad
vertise for bids. it was said, and would
! proba bly, reserve for itself New York and
Philadelphia
Mr. Rock said Yesterday that offers of
| $4,000 for the privilege In France, $4,000 in
Australia. and large offers for state priv
ileges had already been made. Mr.. Ham
merstefn had made an offer for $4,000 for
| the pictures for his THEATRE but yet
no contracts had been signed, he said.
| This fight against the pictures said
Mr.. Rock, affects US only indirectly, as in
most instances We will sell the privileges
outright. OF course, the bidders have to
political influence to help them out in some
| cases.
| Our company has gone a little out of
our line with the fight pictures, and we do
not expect that all our patrons will want
| them, especially those who run shows
simply for women and children. However
we do not anticipate any difficulty in dis
posing of the privileges and making some
money out of the proposition"
Another member of the ]. & J. Company
said after the meeting yesterday:
1T cost US ? round $4,000 to get the
pictures. If Jeffries had won they would
| be invaluable, but as johnson won their
value is problematical, as it depends to
a large extent on the attitude of the au-
thorities-''
Won't Permit Exhibition.
Governor Burke of North Dakota an
nounced yesterday that he would not al
low the fight pictures to be shown in the
state if there were any state law to pre-
vent it To date the Governors of five
other states have taken similar action
GINA and Arkansas
| The exhibition of the films was also pro-
hfbited in two foreign countries yesterday
African Union taking official action. The
| pictures had previously been barred in the
| Province of Ontario, Canada
The negative which the American Vita
graph Company made shows the fighters at
their camps. the prelminaries to the fight
| including the Introduction of all the IA
nous fighters. and the fight itself.
! Twelve machines were used in grinding
out the pictures The thirty rolls of a
| thousand feet each would almost fit into
the tray of an ordinary sized trunk. II
will be possible to exhibit only six thousand
| or seven thousand feet or him at one per-
| Torrance. as that would occupy about two
! hours. The negatives will be culed down
| to this length for exhibition purposes.
| There may be a private exhibition of tho
| fight pictures to-day in the plant of the
! Vitagraph Company of America, in East