Bisbee daily review., 1915-11-21
LONELLFIRE NOW BELIEVED. ID HAVE BEEN INCENDIARy;
 AMPLE EVIDENCE IS FOUND
Discovery of Exploded Gasoline or Kerosene Can, Immediately Below Where Fire Started, Gives Rise to Questions
DEFECTIVE WIRING AND
 STEAM THEORIES EXPLODED
Reason for Possible lnCendiariSm Unknown By the Sufferers or Others: Lowell Theatre 0b- feet of First Attack.


 That an incendiary was respon- sible for the sixty thousand dollar fire which devastated the south side Of the Main street Of Lowell, Friday morning. is the sense of the combined opinion of those who have investigated .he origin and the facts connected with the fire, as a whole
 The first sign of the fire was known when a muhled explosion was heard by the proprietor of the confectionery store, located in front of what was the Lowell theatre. According to the prop rietor. the explosion resembled blast of powder at a considerable distance.
 The confectionery man immedi- atcly broke in the front door of the theatre and found the north east portion of the floor or the building in flames This portion was in and about the location of the toilet and layatory of the amusement house Those who entered the burning theatre a few moments later declare that the fire, at that time, was practically, confined to the floor of the struc- ture.
 With the testimony in mind w. n. Evans. one of the managers of the Progressive Amusement com pany. the owner of the Lowell theatre. began investigating. Pat Stevenson, advance man for feature motion picture and a friend of Evans. suggested that the place of the supposed origin of the fire be investigated
 Accordingly. yesterday morning, Evans and Stevenson went to the scene of the fire and looked among the debris, near the spot where the ure IS known Go have originated.
 Under am elbow of the steam pipe, within a few feet Of the Iavatory, and at considerable distance from the steam heater, and entirely divorced from any wiring or electrical contact, mashed ia from the falling pipes, was found a five gallon gasoline or kerosene can with one end blown out
 Win Jackson, house manager of the Lowell, was questioned regard ing the presence in the house Of either gasoline or kerosene. Moth ing in the business of the amuse meat company uecessitates tho presence of either liquid When interrogated in regard to the pos sible presence of an oil can under the floor. and in the spot where the can was found yesterday Jackson said that he had been ia the location within the past week searching for a piece of window glass with which to repair somt of the theatre's windows and had seen no semblanco of combUstibl' materials at that time.
 The character of the evidence surrounding the discovery of tho blaze. the fact that there was n, smoke immediately proceeding the sound of the explosion, th succeeding and encompassinl fire. spreading with such terrih rapidity suggests only kerosen or gasoline. The only question in the whole matter. lies in th manner iuwhich the supposed cal of gasoline of coal oil was igniteC In the Warren District wher there is SO much fuse used, how ever. makes this question easy c solution.
 The theory that defective vii ing caused the blaze is secuted b those who are familiar with th electrical connections of the built ing. where there were, absolutel, no wires of any character pr cludes the possibility of tse bla7 issuing from this source. On tt other hand the possibility that tf fire could have originated with tf steam pipes is also dismissed the coals had died down the prev ous night
 The theory that the fire was incendiary origin is held tena'
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