Motion Picture News (Jul-Aug 1917)

650 MOTION PICTURE NEW S— Trade Annual Section Vol. 16, No. 4 come over angles of tee-irons, the cracks between the boards shall be covered by a strip of asbestos board at least one-eighth inch thick and two inches wide; said strips to be securelv fastened to both boards in such manner as to cover the exposed joints. The above-mentioned strips and all asbestos boards shall be secured in the proper place bv the means of proper bolts and nuts; said bolts and nuts to be spaced not more than six inches apart. Flooring: Floor shall be made of two parts, an upper and a lower floor. Lower floor shall be made of boards seven-eighth inches minimum thickness, supported on lower leg of horizontal angle-irons. Resting on this floor shall be a floor made of asbestos boards of three-eighth inch minimum thickness, or an equally good material. Windows; There shall not be more than two windows per machine in the — °"t for the °Perator and one f°r the machine. Window for machine shall not be more than six inches high and twelve inches long, and shall be located and cut after machine is set up. Operator's window shall not be more than four inches wide or more than twelve inches high. All windows shall be provided with gravity-doors, which, when closed, shall overlap the window opening at least one inch on all sides; said doors to be held open normally by use of a fine combustible cord in series with a fusible link, so arranged that the doors may easily be released by hand. Main Door: Outside ot door to be provided with a substantial spring, sufficient to keep door closed. Door to be provided with stop to prevent it from swinging into booth or injuring the hinges. Shelves : To be made up of slate slabs or board not less than seven eighth inches thick, not exceeding four feet in length or twelve inches in width. Said shelves, if of board, to be painted with at least three coats of asbestos paint, and supported by means of angle-iron. Upper shelf to be used for the rewinding and the repairing of films ; the lower shelf to be used for the storage of films. A separate metal case, made without solder, shall be provided for each film when the same is not in the magazine or in the process of winding; said films to be kept in these cases. Ventilation: Booths to be provided with an inlet in each of four sides; said inlets to be fitteen inches long, three inches high, the lower side of the same not be more than three inches above floor level. Said inlets to be covered on the inside by a wire net of not greater than one-eighth inch mesh netting, to be firmly secured to the asbestos boards by means of iron strips and screws. Near the center of the top of the booth shall be a circular opening of not less than ten inches in diameter; the upper side of said opening to be provided with an iron flange, which flange is to be securely fastened to the tee-irons supporting the roof. Securely fastened to this flange shall be a vent-pipe of not less than ten inches in diameter; said pipe leading to the outside of the building or to a special incombustible vent-flue. In this vent-pipe shall be placed a box containing a twelve-inch electric fan ; said box to be provided with a door of sufficient size to permit of the examination or removal of this fan ; this door to be made tight, and provided with proper tastenings. Box and vent-pipes to be made of galvanized iron or other non-combustible material ; fan to be so connected that it can be controlled from within the booth. Wiring: If house lights are controlled from within the booth, an additional emergency control must be provided near the main exit, and kept at all times in good condition. All electric wires to be brought in to the booth and carried to all machines, lights, et cetera, in conduits; one light will be allowed for each machine, and one for the rewinding-bench ; but all such lights shall be provided with wire guards. Rheostats : All rheostats to be mounted on slate insulator, properly supported; said supports to be made of iron, and securely fastened to the floor; rheostats to be securely fastened to slate insulator. Machine: Must be securely fastened to the floor to prevent accidental over-turning of the same : Provided, that this section shall not apply to cities of the first and second classes. Sect. 2. That it shall be unlawful for any person, firm, association, or corporation to erect, set up, construct, maintain, or use any portable booth or enclosure, for the purpose of operating therein moving-picture machines, unless they are built, erected and constructed as follows : Size : Portable booths or enclosures are to be at least six and one-half feet high and five feet square, and are permitted for the use of one picture machine only. Frame : The frame is to be made of standard pipe angle-iron, ventilator trap, and suitable fittings. The pipe frame and angle-iron trap are to conform strictly to specifications hereinafter set forth, and the fittings and details of construction must be approved by the Department of Factory Inspection of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Skeleton Frame : Four corner uprights, to be made of three-quarter inch standard pipe. Eight horizontal members, to be made of three-quarter inch standard pipe. Eight corner fittings, to be made of iron or bronze castings. Ventilator Trap : Ventilator trap, to be made of one inch by. one-eighth inch angle-iron, shall extend full width of the top and two inches beyond the front of the top pipe; shall be suitably hinged, not less than two feet from the edge of the front angle corners, and joints to be made with oneeighth inch steel plates, riveted or bolted to each angle-iron by the use of at least two three-sixteenths inch rivets or bolts. Covering of Booth : The side and top covering of the booth shall be made of an approved pure asbestos cloth, same as used for asbestos curtains, weighing not less than two pounds to the square yard. Seams and hems in the asbestos cloth shall lap at least one inch, and be stitched on each edge with asbestos sewing twine. The top covering shall be made separate from the side covering. It shall completely cover the top, and have the outside flap hang down all around the sides, not less than six inches deep. It shall be fastened tightly, and secured to the top pipes and ventilator trap by means of asbestos cords. The side covering shall be made in one Ciece, extending around all four sides, and overlapping at the rear of the ooth not less than eighteen inches, so as to form a flap doorway. The side covering shall extend from top pipes — to which it shall be suspended by approved metal hooks or rings, spaced not more than twelve inches apart — to the floor, with a flap of not less than three inches all around resting on the floor. The metal hooks or rings, for suspending the side covering, shall be attached to the hem of the cloth by means of a metal strap and two rivets. The side covering shall be drawn down tight and secured to the bottom pipe frame by means of asbestos tie cords. The cloth covering for top and sides must at all times, be kept free from rents or holes, and be maintained in good condition. The side covering shall overlap eighteen inches in the rear of the booth. This overlap shall extend from top to bottom, and shall be so arranged as to form a means of entrance and egress. Flooring: The frame shall be placed on a mat or carpet made of approved asbestos cloth, not less than seven feet square. This mat must be spread out smoothly on a substantial floor or platform, so that it shall extend one loot from the frame on all sides. Ventilation: The top of the frame shall be, fitted at the rear with a hinged ventilator trap, as described in foregoing section of frame. The asbestos cloth top covering shall be so arranged, and so attached to the frame, that, when the hinged trap is raised, the asbestos covering shall be raised also in the rear. Windows : The look-out window for the operator shall be not more than four inches wide and twelve inches high. The windows for the machine shall not be more than six inches high and twelve inches long. All windows shall be located and cut after machine is set up. The openings shall be cut in the cloth with care, and the edges reinforced by stitched hems of asbestos cloth ; they shall be provided with asbestos flaps, securely stitched at the top of the openings. These flaps, when closed, shall overlap the window opening at least two inches on the bottom and sides, and shall be weighted across the bottom edge by a piece of three-eighth inch pipe, or equal weight of metal, securely sewed in the pocket in the cloth. Window Shutters and Ventilator Trap : The window flaps or shutters are to be held open normally, by the use of a fine combustible cord. The hinged ventilator trap is to be raised, for ventilation, not more than six inches at the rear, and shall be held open by a collapsible prop sustained by fine combustible cord. The cord trom the window shutters and the ventilator prop shall be in series with a fusible link and also approved tension-clip, so arranged that the automatic opening of the link, or release ot the tension-clip by the operator, will insure the immediate closing of all openings by the dropping of the flaps and the ventilator trap. This fusible link and tension clip shall be arranged in a position directly over the machine, within reach of the operator. Provided, however, that portable booths or enclosures shall not be permitted to be used in any theatre or public hall in which permanent booths or enclosures have been installed; it being the intention of this section that portable booths or enclosures shall be used only for temporary exhibitions of moving-pictures in places of assemblage — such as schools, churches, association halls, lodge-rooms, theatres — without permanent booths : Provided, That this section shall not apply to cities of the first and second classes. Sec. 3. It shall be the duty of the Department of Factory Inspection, by and through its Chief Factory Inspector, his deputy or deputies, to take such means as it may deem necessary to enforce the provisions of this statute. It shall be the duty ot said Chief Factory Inspector, his deputy or deputies, within a reasonable time after the approval of this act, to inspect all booths or enclosures in which moving-pictures are now being operated. Any such person or persons, who shall fail to comply with the said order of abatement or discontinuance, so issued as aforesaid, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and, on conviction, shall be punished by a fine of not less than twenty-five dollars and not more than five hundred dollars, or an imprisonment in the county jail for a term of not less than ten days nor more than ninety days, within the discretion of the court, for each and every such violation. Sect. 4. Any person or persons who violate or ignore any of the provisions of sections one and two of this act shall be deemed guilty of misdemeanor, and on conviction thereof shall be punished by a fine of not less than fifty dollars and not more than five hundred dollars, or an imprisonment in the county jail for a term of not less than ten days nor more than ninety days, for each and every violation. piuiiiiuiiiiuiiiiuiiiiiiiuiuiuiiuiiuiiiiniiiiiu Pertinent Decisions (New York) | Sunday motion pictures were made legally pos | | sible in Schenectady, N. Y., December 27, 1916, | I when the theatre owners outgeneraled the police j | authorities and secured a temporary injunction | | from Justice V. Borst, of the Supreme Court, re | | straining Mayor George R. Lunn and Commis j | sioner of Public Safety Cole from interference j | with Sunday exhibitors. j In the Federal District Court (U. S.) The Federal District Court in a decision handed j | down September 1, 1916, in the case of Ponto | | mimie vs. Collector of the Port of New York, held | | that Congress had the power to prohibit the bring | | ing in of photographic films designed for public | | exllibition and sustained the constitutionality of | 1 the Film Exclusion act. The case was brought to j | restrain the Collector of the Port of New York | | from seizing the film of the Johnson — Willard | | prize fight held in Cuba. inpiiiiimpm^^ Rhode Island (Chapter 447 of the Public Laws passed bv the General Assembly of the State of Rhode Island May 7 1909.) (Extracts from an Act Relative to the Use of the Cinematograph, Moving Picture Machine, or Other Similar Apparatus Involving the Use of a Combustible Film.) NO moving-picture machine, or other apparatus involving the use of a combustible film more than ten inches in length, shall, in any city or town in this state, be kept or exhibited on the premises of a public building, place of public assemblage, or place used for entertainment, whether such premises are licensed or not licensed for entertainments, unless the fire department have inspected and approvd such cinematograph, movingpicture machine, or other similar apparatus, and have marked such cinematograph, moving-picture machine, or similar apparatus, as by them inspected and approved, nor until such precautions against fire as the fire department may specify have been taken bv the owner, user, or exhibitor of such cinematograph, moving-picture machine or other similar apparatus. The board of fire commissioners, fire engineers, or fire wardens as the designation in each respective city may be, shall provide for the inspection