The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1911-08-03
Picture Theatre on Market
st. Quilted by Fire Just
Before Midnight Sunday
CROWD HAS FORTUNATE ESCAPE
Flames are Supposed to Have Re-
suited from Crossed Electric Wires
and Plans had Been Made to Make
Changes Today.

The Orpheum Theatre on Market
street near Exchange street, was gut
ted by fire just after eleven O'Clock
Sunday night and before the fire had
been extinguished by the department
the owners of the building estimated
that loss Of $4,000 had been sustain
ed. The fire started on the stage of
the theatre within fifteen minutes af-
ter it had been closed for the evening
and it spread with great rapidity to
other portions of the building.
Half an hour before the theatre had
been crowded with people and the last
show closed only a short time before
the smoke from the burning began blow
ing into the Hotel Fischer adjoining.
In a short time the hotel rooms began
to fill with smoke and the department
was called, When the departmer
reached the theatre the entire bsck
part of the building was mass of
flames. The fire had spread from the
stage through the wings and had climb
ed to the roof of the building and in
under the ceiling. Tt was a mean fire.
fer the fremen to fight, but within an
hour they had it extinguished.
The building which was built less
than a year ago, was owned by Plous
Brothers, owners Of the Union Dye
Works. It was leased to George Rugg
and F. NJ. Brown and they had been
operating the theatre. Mr.. Rugg was
in Chicago at the time of the fire and
Brown had been in charge of the house.
He had locked up the theatre just after
the close of the last show and had gone
over to the bathing beach with a num-
Der of friends. At the time the house
was locked up there was no sign Of
fire anywhere.
Chief Isermann made an investiga-
tion after the fire and his best opinion
was that the fire came as result Of
crossed electric wires. There is a mass
of wires on the stage of the little thea
tire and fearing fire from crossed wires
the management had called in an cleo
trical expert on Saturday and it was
planned to make some changes in the
wires today. 1t is declared that the
feed wires for the picture machine were
not large enough to carry the current
required and at times it is said that
these wires were heated red hot by the
current. It is thought very probable
that these wires might have been cross
ed with some other wires and started
the fire. The approaches to the stage
were all of light wood and it would
have burned easily.
People in the hotel reported to the
chief of the fire department that noise
like an explosion was heard just be-
fore the hotel rooms began to fill with
smoke and it is thought possible that
the fire was caused in this manner. The
managers of the theatre, however, de-
clared that they had nothing of an ex-
plosive nature on the stage at the
theatre and if there was an explosion
it must have been on the outside of the
building.
The fire adjusters are expected to come
to Kenosha Tuesday to adjust the loss.
Plous Brothers carried insurance of a
thousand dollars on the building and
it is understood that the managers of
the theatre had insurance on the CON
tents. 1t is announced that the build
ing will be rebuilt at once and it will
probably be reopened as theatre
within a few weeks.
The fire is regarded as a very fortu-
nate one as had it came an hour earlier
it would certainly have resulted in a
panic and possibly in loss of life.