The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-01
SAN ANTONIO TURNS . OUT CANNED DRAMA' Moving Picture Films Made
 By the Wholesale
USE OF ALAMO BARRED
Use of the Historic Building and Plaza in the Heart of the
 Business Section

San Antonio, Tex, December a.-(Spe- cial.) )-"Canned drama" by the wholesale is being made in San Antonio. In the pc can forest along the San Antonio river, near the three ancient missions, blood curdling fights between Indians and cow boys are taking place one day, while the next sees comedy of romantice love affair. Advantage is being taken of the summer weather prevailing here through out the winter and hundreds of thousands of feet of film are being made for moving pictures by large troupe of actors, who, correctly costumed take the greenwood or the gray and crumbling missions as the stage.
 Gaston Melies, at the head of one of the largest picture manufacturing plants of it's kind in the world, factory that sup plies many hundreds of moving picture shows day by day, has sent one of his best companies here to produce the ma terial Constant rehearsals are in prog ress at the Star Film Ranch," the name given the ground where these actor folk rchearse. When picture drama is ready u DS SlFoil, II IS llkc d SCcilt liOill Itdi life in front of the cameras of the pho- tographers. Sometimes as many as 200 persons are engaged at one time, the ex- tra number being made up of the 'supes" hired in town. Most of the dramas de- picted hinge on western life of the pio- neer days. Villages have been made to burn after the stealthy assault of hideously painted savages; United States troops, their horses covered with the white alkali dust of the plains, have pur- sued the fighting Indians at break-neck speed, and again, the story of the Spanish occupation of San Antonio has been told with the picturesquely garber young hi- dalgo in a flower covered canoe serenad- ing from the river the coQuettish senori- ta. The setting represents very closely the old Spanish adobe houses with their iron barred windows and rose-trelised walls. Then, there have been long pro- sessions representing the Franciscan friars on some ancient fiesta day, with the inevitable romance, usually on the Carmen order, thrown in.
 Permission was sought from the city to use Alamo Plaza for a picture of the fall of the Alamo, but this was denied, since the plaza, one of the busiest sections of the city, would have to be roped in and all traffic excluded while the battle was
 in progress. It was proposed to use about 300 men, representing Santa Anna's Mex jean cavalry and infantry. giving the three assaults upon the historic chapel and convent building. The defenders, with a small cannon, were to be sta-. toned on the wall and everything was planned to be as historically accurate as possible The city authorities held that 800 musgets with the volleying of cannon would start too many runaways and dis organize business to such an extent that the fall of the Alamo, although intensely spectacular, would be unprofitable. The moving picture people had gone so far as to ask permission to use the United States troops stationed at Fort Sam Hous- ton. The men uttered an indignant pro- test against wearing the Mexican uni form of Santa Anna's day, and it Is not probable that even had the city consented that the department of Texas commander would have permitted the troops to par ticipate.
 Big State Game Preserve
 The Texas game commissioners depart ment will recommend to the legislature, at its session in January, that 50,0OO or 100000 acres of arid land owned by the state in west Texas be set aside for the purpose of establishing a state game and bird preserve, and for the propagation tetv@ ..,ty1 ~xxtII e.. It is held that such a refuge, with plenty of fresh water, enclosed with a 10-foor wolf proof fence, under the charge of game keeper to feed and care for the wild life could be maintained out of reve- nue collected from the sale of hunters licenses, etc, provided all hunters were taxed 50 cents per annum.
 The game commissioner points out that there are now thousands of deer in cap tivity in public parks in Texas that the owners would be glad to turn over to state game preserve on account of their being rather expensive pets. Bob White. blue quail English ring-neck and Chinese pheasants could be raised in great num- bers and shipped into territories over the sstate where birds of this kind have be- come almost extinct for restocking pur- poses. The surplus of wild deer could be turned loose on the range to furnish hunt ing for the public each year. It is claimed by those who have experimented that prairie chickens and pheasants can oe raised with no more trouble or loss than trukeys. When methods have been per- fected so that some certainty will attend such efforts, the members of the farmers S family may find in this branch of game protection a new and profitable source of income.
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