The Moving Picture World (1907)

THE MOVING PICTURE WORLD. 707 Lyceum Theater, and was formerly used as a dance hall. The building was formerly the only theater Charlottetown boasted of until the Opera House was built, about twelve years ago. It is now owned by Mr. Michael Duffy, who has made many improvements on it. In fact, now one would not know it was the same building. / He has rented it to the Nickel and^ it is ; nder the management of Mr. Chas. J. Mitchell, who is making things hum. Their pictures are conceded by all to be the best in town. Mr. Howard Murley sings the illustrated songs and Mrs. F. McGuigan furnishes excellent music. Their programme changes three times a week. * * * Montreal, Que., December 18.—Last Sunday Archbishop Bru- cliesi issued a pastoral letter calling upon all proprietors of moving picture shows to keep their places closed upon Sundays, and upon all good Catholics to refrain from patronizing these places. The instructions produced no effect whatever. All of these places were open and all did a rushing business. It is now likely that a civic by-law will be introduced. That it will be bitterly fought appears likely inasmuch as these places have in- creased at a wonderful rate within the last few months, and there must to-day be nearly a hundred in operation, principally in the east end of the city. All are apparently making money. * * * "Closed on account of malicious mischief!" is the sign on the door of the Art Nickelodeon at 540 Haight street, San Fran- cisco, Cal. Monday afternoon mischievous youths of the neigh- borhood broke into the amusement house through an upper win- dow and completely wrecked the'place. Seats were broken, the piano was smasked and the slides and electric appliances were demolished. When the management came to open the place in the evening it was found that $300 damage had' been done. Eighteen of the boys concerned are known and warrants for their arrest were sworn to yesterday. The proprietors of the nickelodeon are Fred Sutro and Robert Shaw. * ■ * * ■ As the result of complaint filed at police headquarters, New Orleans, by John Bernadas, proprietor of a* moving picture show at 1117 Poydras street, detectives are now looking for* a man whose name is given as Williams and who, it is said, was em- ployed by Bernadas until a few nights ago. According to the story told by Bernadas, when he went to his place of business he found the front door open and all his mechanical appliance* for producing pictures gone. They were^ worth something like $350. Williams had charge of the machinery of the place. * * * Paris.—The lurid moving picture entitled "The Fall of a Horse and Carriage Down the Terrible Cliff Known as Hell- hole?' is something the public will not see. A Paris cine- matographist conceived the brilliant idea of making such a picture, and bought an old, worn-out horse and a dilapidated carriage for the purpose. These he took to the little island of Groix, or Groais, in the Department of Morbihan, west coast of France, where the terrible cliff is located. But when he ascended the cliff, intending to throw the outfit over the edge, while photographers took pictures of the descent, the islanders took a hand. They had meanwhile learned the ob- ject of the preparations on the top of the cliff, and were filled with righteous indignation at the plans of the wretched peo- ple from the "City of Light." Rushing upon the strangers, they threatened to hurl them into the sea if they persisted in "making their picture" as they had intended to do. The men fled, amid the howls of the.brave country-folk. SI-TOE MEW RHEOSTATIC INDUCTIONS f Save one-third yonr electrical bill in $&$ gwv/ ^ \—g Not having the capital to manufacture the above, I give you the benefit of the following offer: Will send you com- ~~ plete plans and specifications, so that you can construct —^ the NEW RHEOSTATIC INDUCTION, upon the receipt _ o f one dollar. Something every M. P. man ought to S^jknow and" cannot afford to be without. Address, H. A. MaeEle, 254 Main St. Btfaio, H. ¥. Correspondence. Gentlemen—Reading in your interesting paper about the opera- tors' association, I would only be too glad to belong to such a union if they will only make all operators pass an examination and to be over the age of ex. There are places over here where they employ boys about 14 years of age to operate, on account of the cheap labor. I was talking to one the other day, and he said to me: "I have quit the Job, but I have fixed the machine so that it will not run right." I thought at the time that any man employing such as he ought to be fixed. He was employed by a manager of one of the Pittsburg film renting firms. I, for one, think that something should be done to protect the experi- enced operators. I gave up my position on account of the wages paid in the town, and if something is not done, before long it will be the same all over the country. Hoping this meets with your approval, I remain, Yours respectfully, James Pearson. TRY VAUDEVILLE with yonr pictures. They are losing without vaudeville—that is what all the managers say. We are bookinsr vaude- ville acts for over ICO pictuae shows. Get a siaele act for $38 or doable act for £35 pa week, that will change on Thursday and give from four to sis performances CiilF. No fee. SOTJTHXSRH V<&^J2S£VSE,IL,E ASSES! CTT.PodticoEa, Ky. Madison, Ind., December 19, 1907. Mr. Alfred H. Saunders, Editor Moving Picture World, New York City. Dear Sir—In your 14th inst. issue, note your editorial, "Some Careless Operators." Quote following from same: "His explana- tion of the fire was that the friction caused by the rapid passage • of the film over the take-up sprocket made the spark which set the film afire." Want to say there is plenty of room for. a fact in this state- ment, which, it seems, many of us have not considered. Do not use tobacco nor liquor myself.,and previous to becoming a mov- ing picture operator was employed by Electric Light and Power Company, and have had some experience with wiring buildings. Salary induced me to make a change. Am somewhat acquainted with National Code and know that absolute insulation is required in all cases. In regard to picture machines, there is, it does seem, one thing the- National Fire Underwriters have failed to note, so far as I am informed. It may seem trifling, but it sometimes reaches enormous proportions. With the up-to-date, "fireproof (?), "hermetically sealed," iron-bound "Leyden jars" the Board would put us fellows into, it has made no provision for the'safe dis- posal of static electricity, caused by the friction of the celluloid film in passing through the machine. Now, don't get it into your head that I'm making excuses for the tobacco man. In all probability he doesn't know what static is. Knowing the high inflammability of film, any sane man ought to know better than smoke near it I abhor cigarette fiends and booze-fighters. However, it must be remembered that static elec- tricity, if not properly disposed of, plays havoc sometimes in rather unexpected quarters. Take, for instance, the unexplain- able breaking of big belts in some of our factories. Many times the cause is traced to the action of static electricity and its results r 1. e., electrolisis wherever there is moisture. And fire is seen, and smoke issues from such breaks, and they always look burnt Now, don't judge me a spellbinder, but, with these "improved" metal magazines, where the film is entirely enclosed, should the spindle holding the reel become insulated from the reel and suffi- cient static electricity had accumulated in the film to cause a spark to jump from the film to the metal case, there is great probability a terrific explosion would follow, owing to the inabil- * lty of the accumulating gas to escape. If you don't believe it, just put your nose close to a newly unpacked film from your exchange and note the stifling gas arising. Now put some film in a sealed tomato can and arrange a discharge from a Leyden jar through the end of the can to the film, which is also insulated from the can, and stand back. You may have to experiment a little to gain results, which goes to show that accidents happen from a well-grounded cause. Unaccountable always. True enough, there is no one so responsible for one's condition as one's self if we only knew it. Numerous times, while re-winding film, I have received severe shocks right off the reel. Looked for wires grounded, but there were none but what were enclosed in fleac^ duct. Investigation proved the head of the machine to be abso- lutely isolated so far as electrical connection was concerned. Must confess that I stumbled onto the cause. One night I was re-winding film when my lamp (for illuminating booth) burned out Continued to wind in the dark, when I noticed a little blue flame traveling from the film to the reel. The film had piled up on the wooden center of the reel and had not touched the sides. Touched the reel, which is mounted on insulated reel-hanger (Edison Ex. model), and "saw a spark and received a shock. Saw through it all at once. Since then have had a collector convenient to 'my reels and have experienced no further incon- venience. You may use this as you like, Mr. Editor. Yours truly, Raymond Kahn.