New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1913-01-14
So GIRLS LEAP FOR LIFE
IN S15O,OOO FILM FIRE
TharhauSer'S New Rochelle
Moving Picture Plant Reduced
to Ashes by Fierce Blaze.
LEADING LADY A HEROINE
MargaretSnow Dashes Through
Smoke and Chops Hole in
Roof for Tiny Actress
and Two Men.

Five minutes after spark set fire 10
reel Of film Yesterday in the perforating
section Of the dark room the entire $50
co0 plant Of the Thanhauser Film Corpo-
ration. I'm New Rochelle. was a roaring
furnace In fifty minutes it was fiat
mass of ashes.
Fifty girls employed in the various
mechanical departments and the entire
home company. which was playing an
ADAPTATION Of Sherlock Holmes" escaped
bv leaning through the windows. Many
Of the volunteer fremen were burned and
cut by glass.
Two houses adjoining the factory, which
was large wooden building. built for
skating rink, were burned down, and sew
eral houses in Crescent and Grove ave-
nues. opposite the factory, caught fire
from the heat. The total loss. including
factory. its contents and the dwellings, is
placed at 10000 No one had time TO
save any personal property in the cloak
and dressing rooms
Miss Margaret Snow. the leading
woman, PLAYED the part Of real heroine
when she rescued Helen Badgley, the
"Thanhauser kidlet," aged four; Miss
Grace EIine and two men who were in
the projecting room, on the second story.
When the fire broke out and the flames
shot around the south side OF the build
ing with friehtful raplditv there was
wild scramble for the stars. The people
were cut off from the exits by the flames,
and, smashing the windows with chairs
they leaned fifteen feet 10 the ground.
Miss Snow. who was on the stage, re-
membered that Miss Eline and the child
were upstairs in the projecting room
with Lawrence Williams and Frank Capa-
relH, who were operating machine, try
ing out a film, and. realizing that they
were trapped, she grabbed an axe from
the wall and dashed mp the stairs through
a dense cloud of smoke from the celluloid.
The four in the projecting room were
about overcome by smoke and heat Miss
Snow cut n hole in the roof with the TX
and helped them through it. They lei
themselves down ny n water pipe just ne
the flames shot through tho roof
Another exhibition Of feminine hcrosm
was given by Mrs Hattie McCroskery'
who was employed I'm the Journey room.
At tho first shout Of Fire" she ran int.
the storcroom. where tho negative films
were kept. and began handing them out
10 men. who threw them out Of tho win
dows As the flames came nearer the
storcroom the men called to her 10 save
herself
Il will when I have to-" she called
back and went back into the storeroorr
She joked with the men to keep them ~
work until the room filed with smoke
and she had 10 gropc her way ont. She
tainted. and was lifted through n Win
dow. She had saved every reel Of mega
tive film.
Fire Commissioner Frederick r. Winter
was one OF tho FIRST OF tho nremen 10 ar
rive. lie entered tho building by tho
main door as the men and women were
jumping from tho windows He started
UP the stairs to see II Il was safe for tho
firemen 70 enter. As he reached the tor
OF tho stairs there Was an explosion and
he was hurled down into tine street. He
was slightly burned.
Charles J. IIite. president Of the Than
hauser company; Bert Adler, tine general
representative, and John Desmond, a boy,
went back into the office, and after throw
ing out bundles OF checks and money,
books and business papers slammed tho
safe and jumped from a second story
window. As the walls fell can OF chemI-
calls exploded near Grove avenue, throw
ing cindcrs and debris into the air. which
descended I'm group Of fremen. Several
Of them were burned.
Fifty families were driven from their
homes within a radius Of two blocks OF
the Thanhauser factory Charles J. Hlte
said last night he intended 10 resume
work this morning as several Of the New
York film companies had offered the use
OF their studios and factories. The mer-
chants of New Rochelle are helping I'm
the search for temporary quarters to be
used until a freproof building is erected
there