316 



THE WORLD'S ADVANCE 



splendor. A battalion of marines, to- 

 gether with cavalry and artillery, was 

 used in making this picture, and the sol- 

 diers keenly enjoyed the charging back 

 and forth, the volleys of "blanks," and 

 the novelty of being ordered around by 

 a movie man instead of their usual of- 

 ficers. 



DYNAMITING A HOUSE TO MAKE 

 A PICTURE 



Out in Santa Barbara, California, the 

 general public was invited recently to 

 view the filming of a thrilling scene de- 

 signed for inclusion in the four part 

 Mutual Masterpicture, "The House of a 

 Thousand Scandals." The production is 

 being superintended for the American 

 company by Director Thomas Ricketts, 

 and plenty of action preceded the chief 

 incident, the blowing up by dynamite of 

 a specially constructed house. A large 

 crowd assembled to see the explosion, and 

 a crowd of four hundred "extras," 

 whom Mr. Ricketts had been rehearsing 

 for over a week, added to the pictur- 

 esqueness and realism of the scene. 



A MANSION BUILT TO ORDER 

 FOR PHOTOPLAY 



Plans for staging the great $20,000 

 All-American prize photoplay are pro- 

 ceeding merrily. In the hills back of 

 Santa Barbara workmen from the 

 American-Mutual studios are construct- 

 ing an old fashioned colonial mansion 

 and doing it under difficulties. All the 

 building materials have to be trans- 

 ported on burros. In addition to the 

 house, winding drives, walks, arbors and 

 outbuildings have to be constructed. 

 This prize winning scenario writer evi- 

 dently had little sympathy with the 

 troubles of the property man and chief 

 carpenter. 



According to Director Jacques Jac- 

 card, who is producing the big serial 

 for the North American Film Company, 

 the location must have been sighted from 

 an aeroplane. Mr. Jaccard, however, 

 has to climb there, and every one con- 

 cerned has to climb to keep him com- 

 pany. When completed the mansion will 

 be like the home of some great duke or 

 millionaire. 



NEW YORK CITY'S ELEVATED GAS PIPES 



IN many of the streets of New York 

 where the new subways are being 

 built, the mains of the gas companies 

 are laid. One of the chemical properties 

 of illuminating gas is that when mixed 

 with an equal amount of air it forms an 

 explosive mixture which ignites at the 

 slightest spark, and according to the vol- 

 ume causes an explosion of more or less 

 intensity. Excavations for the subways in 

 streets carrying gas mains cannot be con- 

 ducted without the danger of breaking 

 or loosening the joints of mains, thereby 

 allowing the gas to escape. A chance 

 spark from one of the many under- 

 ground electric wires or from the street 

 railway would ignite such an explosive 



mixture, and result in. serious damage. 

 Consequently, the gas pipes, wherever 

 the subway work is being carried on, are 

 led above the level of the streets along 

 structures resembling trestles or suspen- 

 sion bridges in miniature. This method 

 is very similar to that used in conducting 

 conduits along mountainsides in the west 

 for irrigation, mining and hydro-electric 

 purposes. 



The New York "elevated pipes" are 

 carried above the streets at- a height 

 sufficient to clear all vehicles, the aver- 

 age height being about twenty feet. 



The neglect of other cities in divert- 

 ing the gas pipes during underground 

 work has led to serious consequences. 



