 The
Whitewright Sun
Thursday, April 16, 1925 pg. 1 SMALL BLAZE AT ODEON THEATRE During the progress of the screen entertainment at the Odeon Theatre Tuesday night, the highly inflammable picture film caught on fire in the projecting booth at the rear of the theatre. The sudden flare up frightened the audience and came near causing a tragedy in the threatened and impending rush for the exits. The fire was quickly conquered and the reassuring counsel of some of the guests caused the crowd to settle back in their seats in safety. The incident was all over in the fraction of a minute and bears no news of importance, except that which is reflected in the possibility of what might have happened if the audience had made the disastrous rush for the doors that is usually made when people sense a fire danger in a crowded room. It puts emphasis on the importance of remaining cool and deliberate in emergiences. It was, as is true in nearly all similar circumstances, an instance wherein there was no danger of injury by fire, but with death waiting to reap a rich harvest from a useless stampede. The projecting booth is outside of the brick walls of the building. It could be deliberately set on fire and it would take a while to find its way through the small openings into the auditorium. The theatre could be packed to its full seating capacity and yet every person would have ample time to walk leisurely out of the structure. On the other hand, this inconsequential blaze should impress upon the show owners the necessity for ample exits, wide unobstructed aisles and other precautions set out in the prescribed regulations for the operation of picture shows. Whitewright History Susan Hawkins © 2024 If you find any of Grayson County TXGenWeb links inoperable, please send me a message. |