LAST OF THE INCA.

Press, Volume LXIII, Issue 18893, 7 January 1927, Page 12

LAST OF THE INCA.

BLOWN UP AND BURNED FOR SCENE IN PICTURE. While Sydney slept through the early hours of the morning of December '22 nd, a soled party had an exciting time tltrco miles outside the Heads, where tho old schooner Inca, saturated with 1000 gallons of crude oil, and carrying two tons of old films, and 251b—the limit allowed—of dynamite, was blown up and burned to tho waterline. . Somo time next vear the million sleepers in Sydney, and millions more all over the world, will see the same scenes re-enacted in tho picturo version of "For the Term of His Natural Life." As time fuses have an inconvenient habit of going off a little before or Rfter the appointed time, six cincmatographers were taken out to make sure that what was a very costly scene for tho producers would not by any chance be missed. A minute before the allotted time the first photographer began working. That he got nothing at all did pat matter. The explosion occurred on time, and four out of the six cameras caught it.

There was an exciting moment before the explosion, when the Inca was set on flro by two of tho staff. Immediately it burst into raging flames, and the launch with the operating party, which was on the lee side, was enveloped in smoke. No one knew for a few moments what had happened to the two men, but the whole party soon got round on the right side of the burning vessel. The main party returned to the city about midday, but a tug had to stand by the Inca to the end, until what was left of the hull disappeared under the sea. The scene enacted occurs early in tho book, although the actual filming of the picture is nearly finished. The convict ship, carrying Rufus Dawes to years of suffering, sights a burning vessel, and sends over a boat, which discovers her to be a powder ship, Hydaspos. So tho Inca played its last role. The "stars" did not take part in the film adventure. Where necessary, they were doubled by less expensive people. This was quite safe because of the nature of the scenes and the distane at which they wero "shot."