Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-08-02
MOVIES HAVE PRIVATE
DYNAMITE EXPLOSIONS
Fox Variety Wrecks Old Mansion
and Almost Equals NUM-
tion Noise
By the PhOtOplay Editor

Hundreds Of persons In Long Island City
rubbed their eyes increduiously one night
last week as they passed an historic site
near Jackson avenue, and for much the
same, reason that set the inhabitants OF
New York and Jersey City rubbing their
ears last Sunday--dynamite. In the morn
ing the old Thomas homestead, which has
stood on the street for nearly n hundred
years. had been there. In the evening
nothing remained but blackened ruins and
scorched ground
Under the supervision Of Director Kenean
Buei, of the William Fox forces, the wreck
Of the house had been accomplished In the
Interim for a scene in virginia Pearson's
latest picture.
A battalion chief Of the fre department,
two police captains and officials of the
Bureau of CombustIbles and crowd Of
more than 5000 other spectators were pres
ent when the electric battery connecting
with the dynamite charge Of 25 pounds
was touched.
The explosion which followed, hs the
landmark was shattered, could be heard
alpost 10 miles away. The entire three
STORY frame dwelling, surmounted by its
century-old cupola, fell with crash. The
dust clouds which arose instantly were
swallowed in the burst of flames roaring
through the center of the house.
Spectators watched the blaze silently.
For a half-hour they stood without word
as four camera men ground out foot after
1OOt OF MIN III the neat. Inc names were
so intense that trees In the neighborhood
were badly scorched.
The scene which was screened rep
resented the dynamiting of munitions
Btorehouse few seconds after Miss Pearson
saves a srippled little girl In the building
She had hardly got through the doorway,
with the girl in her arms, when the explosion
took place.
In the days OF tho old-fnshion racetrack
of 80 years ago, the Thomas Homestead
W~,II L., fSr NI,.u, t,N.,
people of Long Island. In Its spacious
drawing room, so couples could dance at
one time Several months since, the Fox
Film Company purchased the property, and
for the last fortnight the troupe of actors
and actresses have been waiting for
suitable weather to remove the landmark
because the exigencies OF the movies de-
manded the spectacle.
On Friday there was only a slight wind
blowing, and preparations were carried out.
Several hundred feet from the house a
plstform was erected for operators to stand
on, with their machines.
One of the interested spectators was the
man who had occupied the building for
10 years.
Once more William Desmond is playing
the role of a minister in Triangle-Ince
play Upon his association with the Thomas
II. Ince forces, little less than n year ago. |
he was cast to wear the frock In WAITS"
In which Jane Grey was presented. Then
he was cast to appear as the 'neenister,"
In support OF Billie Burke, in Peggy"
And now he is enacting the role OF young |
missionary worker In the desert-isla |
story by Monte Katterjohn and Lanier |
Bartlett. in which he is appearing as CO.
star with Dorothy Dalton, under Walter
Edwardss direction.
Tom Mix. Selig cowboy star. Is soon to |
appear In big western drama to be re- |
leased through the v. L. s. E.
About 200 cubic feet of Wisconsin was |
moved Into Illinois when Essanay trans |
ferred the stone and shrubs of an entire |
scene taken In the Dells to It's studio yards /
In Chicago. huge snake and several i
cranes were required in the ,scene which i
was for THE Return of Eve" Edna Mayo's |
next feature, but the serpent taken to the
Dells escaped and another could not be
quickly obtained. Therefore, the whole
spot, taken at the edge of the river, was
moved to Chicago and the snake and water
FOWL scenes taken. Several photographs
We're taken of the location OF the Dells so
1t could be duplicated exactly. A water
tank was built in the foreground and the
scene constructed behind II. Just as Il ap-
peared alongside the Wisconsin River
anton the Terrible Is being produced |
by the Lasky Feature Play Company for
the Paramount program, with Theodore
Roberts and Thomas Meighan as co-stars.