The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1916-04-10

began to file into the theater
while the new booth was being
erected.
If the management of the Grand
theater shows the picture of the Bat
tie Cry of Peace" this afternoon it will
do so with the full knowledge that it
is running the risk of sacrificing
large number of patrons to the hor-
rible risk of death by fire or being
crushed in case the flimsy booth
should take fire. The mana cement of
the Grand has been warned both by
state and city officials that the risk
assumed this afternoon is strictly
up to them and that the
to them and that the hands of all
officials. who inspected the arrange
ment this morning and condemned it
outright, washed their hands of all
blame for any disaster that might
happend. The Iris fire Saturday has
awakened interest in movie prorection-
City Fire Chief Hanlon said regard
ing the matter: with the state fire
marshal and state factory inspector, I
made an inspection of the booth at
the Grand this moTning and 1 con-
demned it as soon as | saw it, for it
is unsafe and a show should not be
given until another is put in its place,
for this one, placed as it is, should
not be there and 1 told Roy Crawford
so. It's up to the state factory in
spector if they show this afternoon
for we have done all we could do
Over in the state house Fire Mar
shall Hussey and State Factory In
spector Mcbride acknowledged they
had just come from a conference with
Crawford and they. too. said that they
had given Crawford to understand
that he would give the show at his
own risk this afternoon.
HE promised to put big gang OF
a Tn
other booth to take the place of the
one he now has there, but we pointed
out to him the danger of even giving
show as things are now arranged"
Blame on Crawford.
Did he promise not to give a show
this afternoon?'' he was asked
mo, he did not and the impression
that l have is that he intends to go
ahead and give a show but knows that
he and he alone will be to blame if
anything happens and people are
either killed or hurt
State Fire Marshal Mcbride who
was also at the conference said I'VE
tried to impress on Crawford the dan
ger that he is running and ordered
him to make changes at once to pro-
tect the public and we told him if he
gave a show and anything happened
he could blame no one but himself"
Over at the Grand an inspection of
the arrangement showed that big
booth squarely blocked the center exit
in the rear.
After talking OVER the matter with
Mcbride State Fire Marshal Hussey
decided to hold another conference
with Crawford to see if he could not
be induced to forego this afternoons
performance for he said 1.-THE show
should never have been given yester-
day with the arrangements as they
were for it's too dangerous. Now is
the time to complain and place the
responsibility, not after we have long
lines of hearses filled with the cold
forms of our women and little children
filing slowly down our streets, and
intend to place that blame so if there
is an accident people can not say that
the state officials did not do their
duty
Is State Helpless?
Mcbride expressed himself strongly
to the effect that Topeka did not want
another Iroquois fire with its horrors
and he would do all he could to pre-
vent the show this afternoon but, he
said. I'VE are practically helpless for
about all we can do if he gives the
show. is to arrest him afterwards and
the fine can only be $1,000 and what
is $40 to a long list of killed and in
jured citizens? We ought to have
more stringent laws governing the
movies and protecting the public
Raise Toledo Street Car Fares.
n