New-York tribune., 1922-03-18
500 Coaxed to
Leave Blazing
Screen Theater
Two Patrolmen Avert Panic
!. in Eighth Ave. House by
Telling Audience Fire Is
Menacing Neighborhood
New Traffic Plan Tried
Broadway Kept Open While
Sioreroom Burns; Seven
Overcome in. Brooklyn

The cool iudgmeu. OF patrolmen 10
,.,b NeKay and Daniel Breen, of the
West Thirtieth Street police station
,.s. tight, when fire started on tha
:s.r.b aocr OF the loft buildiuc at
sss-s2e Eighth Avenue. in which is the
c.m Tneater, a motion picture house
,,nb.bly sverted panic and loss OF
H. Five hundred spectators were
wstehing The Sheik' when the out
break occurred.
II was during a showing of THE
sse;k- at the Rialto Thester, New
Haven. Coma. on November 81 last that
Ar precipitated q panic in which nine
,ersons were Killed and more than afty
Injured.
s.renth Street and Eighth Avenue. a
Mock away, when they saw flames
shooting from fourth floor window
a,rectlv above the Gem main entrance.
Tbey ran 10 the theater. and advanc-
;ny slowly down the center aisle to 3
,n.itjon near the screen informed the
audience that there was fire in the
,e}ehborhood and il would be neces-
ssry to ask that the house be emptico.
areen added that there need be no
,,r begin filing out slowly. Within a
few minutes the house had been cleared.
Those who departed by the main en-
trance were showered with broken
riass from windows on the fourth and
Attn floors There were no casualties.
High Wind Encourages Flames
Deputy Fire Chief John King. who
responded to the first alarm, sent in
second and third alarms on observing
that flames already had involved the
fourth and fifth floors of the struc-
tuyc and were creeping to the roof
through an air shaft. A strong east
Wind famed the fire into a furnace
from which pillows of dense smoke
rolled westward, creating an impression
that nearby buildings were ablaze
A crowd of more than 5000 congre-
gated in Eighth Avenue and blocked
traffic more than an hour. Reserves
Street an West Forty-seventh Street
police stations found themselves with
out commanding officer. Efforts to
locate Captain Joseph Howard of the
West Thirtieth Street district failed
A hurry call for Captain Donohue of
the West Forty-seventh Street pre-
cinct also was resultless and command
finally was assumed by Captain George
Z. Haerle Of East Fifty-first Street sta
non. No difficulty was experienced in
Keeping back the crowd despite alb
senee of directing official through
most of the fire, serGeants handling
the work efficiently.
After the third alarm had been sent
in Chief Kenlon arrived and took per
ionat charge. Although the blaze was
one of the most stubborn encountered
IN some time, it was under complete
control within twenty minutes OF the
irst alarm.
The fire started in the Fantinc mil
hnery mandatory, which occupies
part of the fourth floor. and spread to
the Longacre Press, which occupies the
rear of the floor. Damage is estimated
at $4,000.
New Traffic Plan Successful
A new plan for keeping open traffic
vas tried when Deputy Fire Chief
Helm ordered all hydrants on the eas,
side of Broadway for a distance of
two and half blocks to be used last
night in fighting blaze in the old
astor Place Building, 7d6 to $50 Broad
way, block below Wanamaker's store.
AS result, Broadway remained open
curing operations against q stubborn
basement cotton storcroom fire on the
premises of S. Silvcrstcin & Co, i'm
porters aud manufacturers of cotton
sooos. The tire was kept to the base
ment
., Two alarms were sent in. because
he Eighth Avenue blaze was in prog
less at the same time. and one alarm
would not have brought sufficient an
psratus.
~ spectacular rescues were effected by
nook and Ladder Company 1OS from
sne three story house at 253 Boerunl
etreet williamsburg, which was dam
aged by fire late yesterday afternoon.
one young woman jumped from Il roof
several persons were taken down lad
eers and seven were carried over roofs
anconscious before the blaze was con-
troled.
The fire started in d cellar under a
grocery on the main floor and spread
70 e, the stairway, cutting off three FAM
liies occupying the upper part of the
structure. Patrolmen Oteito and Nc
sofdo, of the Stagg Street station.
,sled to reach the imprisoned residents
but were prevented by the blazing
staircase, and rescue work was delayed
Two Families Overcome
Joseph pemetra, forty years old: his
VIE, Mr.. and Mrs. Morris Fetner and
snree chilean of the two families we're
.axen out insensible by Firemen Wal
sver tavanaugh, Peter Leigh and George
zimmerman. They were revived by
ambulance surgeons from st. Cathe-
fne's, Beth Moses and williamsburg
hospitals.
6. On the floor above live Antonio
s1eiiia, his wife, Lena, and their three
children. They made their way to the
roof and were cut off until fire ladders
were erected. Before the apparatus
reached them Antoinette Stellc, sixteen
Years old, jumped eighteen feet 20 an
ssdloining roof suffering injuries to
both ankles. All the others were res
cued unhurt Thn fire damare WAS