Heppner gazette. [volume] (Heppner, Morrow County, Or.) 1892-1912, 1911-07-20
AN EXCITING
CONFEDERATION
Motion Picture Show Goes
up in Smoke.

A little after nine o'clock on Monday
evening, fire broke out in the motion
picture show conducted by the Hale
bows in the Chris Borchers building on
Main street, and in very few minutes
the entire fronts OF that building and
the bakery on the north and o. X. res
taurant on the sount were enveloped in
flames and it looked as though very
serious fire was in prospect. In factthe
entire block seemed to be endangered
because of the very rapid spread OF the
flames and the great start it had before
the water was turned on.
Just exactly how the fire got started
is not settled. The picture show was in
progress at the time, and julie Hale was
working the machine. There was not
verv large crowd in attendance, and
these all succeeded in getting out OF the
building by the front and rear doors and
no one was hurt, tho many were badly
frightened as they naturally would be
on discovering the entire front end OF
the building above the exit being in
flames.
The fire evidently started from the ex-
plosion OF pile of picture films that
were laying on the floor of the platform
where the machine was beng operated,
but how they became gnited is mys-
terry, as there was no fire near them; at
least so far as the machine operator was
aware, but It is possible that the films
may have been fred from spark from
the curtains that hung just below in the
entrance way, and these could have
been fred by someone throwing cigar
or cigarette stub against them as they
entered the building. OF course this is
only theory, but it seems to be the |
reasonable one, as Hale says he was
operating the machine and knows that
the Ere did not originate from 1t.
The fire started with an explosion,
and the films being made Of very in
flamable stuff it was only an instant till
the front Of the building was all mass
OF flames. There was about hundred
people in the building at the time wit
Messing the show, and on discovering
the fire, the most OF these instantly
rushed out at the front door, while some
made for the rear entrance, all escaping
in good shape, Had the building been
crowded the result might haye been
different.
The alarm spread at once, and it was
but very few minutes before the water
was turned on and the flames subdued.
The Borchers building is badly wrecked {
and is damaged some $1,000 or $500. The {
o. X. restaurant building, belonging to {
Geo. Swaggart, suffered damage to some I
extent by water, and will require an ex- (
pendlture of about $500 to put it in i
shape again. The bakery was damaged G
to some extent as the front is pretty q
badly scorched and windows broken, {
and the McAtee & Aiken saloon build Q
ing and Mobiles harness shop also re. '
ceived slight damage. All we're cover
ed by inslrace. \
There was no wind at the time of the
fire, and the heavy concrete walls of the
Borchers building kept it confined so
that there was nospreading of the flames
except from the front of the building,
A hard wind had been blowing all day
Monday, but died down in the evening
10 it was easy to quench the flames
when four streams of water under high
pressure WAS turned on from nearby
lydrants.
This is the second serious FIRE in this
block, and its quick subjugation proves
he efficiency of our water system. This e
ire was put out rapidly and effectively :,
ind the water in the high pressure reser- :,
1oir was lowered only three feet. tr
The damage to adjoining property bv b
water and the removal Of goods amount.
ID 10 nothing. While it sppesred for q
ine that the inside Of the bakery must al