The Washington times., 1918-02-10

mere IS Wnero PHILLIP w. NICK
OLSON, the FIRE marshal OF the Dis
trtct Of Columbia, gets what is com
ing to him. Modest Phil Nicholson,
who win not accept even q moving
picture theater pass, who never
asked a reporter to mention him In |
print, who has his mind on his Job |
seven days a week, and whose one |
purpose is to wofk out schemes |
to beat the next fire.
get this idea from TOM MOORE.
motion picture man.
There was a fire in one Of Toms
theaters a few days ago, and the
audience did not know a thing about |
It. Had it not been for Phil Nichol- |
son. and a small device he has
schemed out for just such emergen-
cies, Washington might have had
disaster.
The fire occurred as the result Of
q badly made piece Of film That II
traced back 20 New York. from
whence come millions Of feet Of hlm
q day. As the film passed over the
wheels OF the re-winding machine
It stuck, and In moment the intense
heat Of the light turned the film
from a strip Of celluloid to q ribbon |
Of fierce flame
Nothing burns like celluloid, un-
less it be gunpovder. Sometimes 1t
Is worse than powder, for 1t Is a |
snaky, vicious thing which uncoIls |
its letting fame in all directions, and
unlese devices like PHIL NICHOL-
SONS are used It can burn up an
audience.
TON MOORE tells me that a feiO
years ago, before Nicholson had be-
oltn to set his brain to IUorktRg out
devices to beat fires and sGve liUes fS
motion picture theGters, he had a
film fire which burned only eight
minutes, but cost 5000. FortI-
nately It 1CGs only property that
burned. No lives I1ere lost.
To get back to the fire of the past
week.
As soon as the film fiared up.
Phil Nicholson's automatic device
worked. Everything in the oper-
ator's fireproof booth slammed shut
Of its own accord. preventing the fire
from spreading. 1t was Phil Nichol-
sons brain, working for years to
beat the fire devil. that slammed the
booth shut.
They tell me R;chOlsoH's automatic
device has HeUer been patented, and
has been taken as common property
By motion picture men for their otOn
protection.
BOB BURCHARD, the man oper-
ating the movie machine. grabbed an
extinguisher and began pumping
some sort Of fire killer into the flame.
Meantime, the audience took the sud
den cessation Of the picture to be
mere wait one minute for change
of film" They had no idea that a
fire had started. because all the booth
windows had closed at the first burst
Of flame. The heat operates the de-
Vice.
Mr.. Moore went to the stage, an
nounced, an accident to the machine;
a few minutes later fire engines ar
rived, but by that time Bob Burchard
was operating a new picture and the
FIRE was out.
But Bob Burehard was burned bad
ly. Yet he stuck to his job. His
duty was to run that motion picture
machine; and run it he intended to {
do. burns or no burns. 1t was only !
when Tom Moore discovered the boy (
In bad shape that he left his post.
Rob will have a vacation. in a hos
pital with pay, and after that when I
he Is all we'll he is going to have
another vacation with pay. and all {
his doctors bills settled for him in
addition. / cannot help remarking /
that perhaps that motion picture !
booth heroism will some day be ,
to machine gun opposite
the Hindenburg line. Heaven help
the Kaiser!
But remember Phil Nicholson, IRE
marshal. For years he has been !
working to make fires in stores and
theaters less and less frequent and
less and less dangerous His devices (
have done more for Washington I
than anyone knows. He gives them
10 the world at large l trust Wash ]
ington will never forget him.
WILLIAM ]. BOYD, of PIT Fifth I
street northeast, is a good reporter.
Here is his version of a wild ride on 5
a w. r. & Z. Co. car On the eve {
ming OF January II:
81 reached the corner of Fifth and I
D streets northeast about I:20 to
board car to go as far as Ninth
street northwest. After a delay Of !
twelve minutes, during which time q
four cars passed Fifth and G streets I
northeast, going east, / decided to S
walk to Sixth street, but as there 5
was no car yet in sight, ! continued /
10 walk to Seventh street. After re-
at that corner Tor
a laundering noise mingled with q 1