The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1917-01-05
MOVIE ACTORS
in REAL PERIL
DURING BLAzE
Olga Petrova and Company
Rushed to Street After
Film Explosion.

New York, Jan. Awhile Olga Pc
trova and a large cast of the Popular
Plays and Players Company were pre-
pairing to film the second reel of a mo-
ton picture drama on the second floor
Of the brick structure rented by the
company at 226 West Thirty-fifth st.
yesterday, there was an explosion in
the film room, followed an instant la
ter by puff of fame and dense
clouds Of smoke which enveloped the
actors and caused them to grope
blindly for the exits. Many of them
being unacquainted with the interior
Of the structure lost their sense OF
direction in the suffocating pail, and
were in an exhausted condition when
they finally reached the street.
Windham Standing, one of three
members Of the company who were
injured, had smashed one of the win
dows with his fist and was on the
point Of jumping from the second
floor when another actor who knew
the way to the stairs piloted him
to safety. The other two who were
injured were Mrs. May Siebel,
twenty mine years old, Of 2.374 Seventh
Avenue, and her sister, Mrs. Lillian
guish the flames were painfully burn
ed. Both were able to go to their
homes after being cared for at St
Vincent's Hospital
Nine. Petrova reported to the po-
lice later that she had lost articles
Of clothing and jewels worth $4,000
the total damage through loss OF cos
tunes and reels Of film being $780,
E000 aocnrdin0 RI pnhort Month :,
ager of the company.
About thirty members of the com
pany were in the building when the
fire started. The film cutting room
was on the third floor, and the cast
was about to start the second act Of
the drama when there was a soune
| like that following the opening of &
furnace door, and then screams OF
Mrs. Siebel and her sister The two
women were within a few feet Of the
door of the cutting room, and without
considering the dangerously imam
able nature Of the films hanging or
large spools, tried to smother the
flames with some rags. The fire
which spread with lightning speed
ignited their clothes and they rar
screaming down the stairs and int
the arms of others who smothered thu
fire in their dresses.
Meanwhile Nine. Petrova clad in
an extremely thin Panama suit hat
+, fastened down the stairs with tho
panic-stricken actors. She had stop.
ped on the way long enough te
snatch UP some articles of jewelry
in her room, but the progress of the
flames and the smoke which became
blindingly dense did not give her time
enough to save valuable furs and cos.
tunes used by her in her various
parts in the play. She was gaspin 9
for breath when she finally reache
the street.
Mr.. Standing. who is a member OF
well known family Of actors ano
one of the principals in the drama
| which was being filmed yesterday, be-
came separated from the others and
the smoke becoming heavier, was no,
able to find the stairs. He had only
been in the building twice before. anc
as the others fed he instinctivel,
turned to window opening on a bach
yard as offering the best means of es-
cape. Shattering the panes with his
hand, he was making preparations &c
crawl out on the sill when Mahlor
Hamilton, another of the principals
found him and led him to the stairs
and into the street.
Mr.. Standing cut his right hand ir
| smashing the window, and was bleed
ing profusely from it when he reach
ed the open. His wound was dress
ed by a surgeon from ST. Vincent:
Hospital, after which the actor stood
in convenient hallway until his wife
brought him some rainy weather
clothes from their hotel
Several Of the other actors, also