Barriers Burned Away on AllMovie

This "all star" romance picture uses the Chicago fire of 1871 as its backdrop. Wayne Morgan (Frank Mayo) finds out from his mother that a valuable painting belonging to them has been stolen. To locate it, he gets a job as a porter for an art shop owned by Mark Randolph (Eric Mayne). He finds a copy of the painting there and declares it a fake. The thief, Howard Mellon (Harry T. Morey), is exposed and sent to prison. Christine Randolph (Mabel Ballin), who made the copy, explains the machinations behind the plot and she and Morgan begin a romance. The great Chicago fire breaks out when Mrs. O'Leary's cow kicks over a lantern and the whole city catches fire. Morgan saves Christine from the flames and the couple are united. This film was based on a novel about the fire by Reverend E.P. Roe. Roe's book did not serve as the inspiration for the far more successful 1938 film about the fire, In Old Chicago.