Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-10-10
FIRE AND Loss OF LIFE.
Residence Burned-Two Children Perish
in the Flames.

4~~oS
night the second alarm Of FIRE for the night
was given. Flames were discovered issuing
from the upper window of the two-story and
basement modern structure, situated in the
rear of 422 K street, owned and occupied by
Frank Ruhstsller, who keeps e saloon on
K street, immediately in frontof theresidence
and opposite the Metropolitan Theater.
The building was of very light and inham-
mable character, and took the spreading
flames like finder It could only be APP
preached by the Ere department, directly,
| through the alley running from Fourth to
Fifth streets. though some lines Of hose were
led through from other directions. The de-
partment was promptly on the spot after the
alarm was given, and succeeded in saving the
lower portion of the structure.
THE BASEMENT
Is uninjured, except by water, and the main
story was not only partially burned out, but
above the upper floor the house almost en-
tirely destroyed. It was tie universal judg-
inent OF the vast crowd that witnessed the
confagration that more daring and brave
conduct with fire was never seen in this city.
| When the department reached the scene OF
the conh8gration word was passed that two
little children were in the upper story, and
that their retreat by way OF the stairs was
cut off by the flames. Immediately the men
Of the department
RUSHED TO THE RESCUE.
Il was a terrible and awful struggle Some
of the men fought their way into the building
under the shelter of the hose streams time
after time, only to be driven back by the
storm of flame and the vast clouds of sitting
smoke that poured from every opening. They
Id
| front, and sheiteriug their faces as best they
could, contested space inch by inch with the
| flames, until at last the FIRE was SO subdued
| as to permit them TO Chamber in as the sill
burning upper windows-a three story hight.
From that time the victory was on their side.
and in fifteen minutes they had the fire
entirely subdued. It was a gallant action,
| heroic in every respect, and drew plaudits from
the spectators. A fireman would grasp the
| hose.pips and back into the fire in the direc-
ton OF the children's room, while others
would play stream upon him as best they
could, and he would continue the struggle
until, his clothing on fire and smoking on his
back, and his flesh scorched, he would stagger
| from the doorway, only to be replaced by an
other and another brave fellow. Meanwhile
burning planks and timbsrs were falling upon
the men, and the crowd kept calling out to
| them to come away, for the heavy cornice
face of the building. 1t did fall, but not
until the flames were nearly queIched. In
| its descent it struck one of the men olinging
to one of the ladders, and Injured him TO
such an extent that he had to retreat and was
taken from the ground When Chief Engi-
neer Sullivan and Assistant O'Meara and
their brave men reached the room where the
children were said to be, on the upper floor
ION the east side the room nearest to the alley),
they found
MINNIE AND OTTO RUHsTALLER,
Aged six and three years respectively, dead,
blackened by smoke and SCOT, but their little
bodies not SO severely burned by the flames
as was feared. Ore of the little ones had
evidently been suffocated in the bed, the
other. Minnie, had left her couch. and was
stretched upon the charred and still burning
| floor. The Coroner was notified at once, and
the bodies removed At this writing, in the
| midst of the overwhelming grief of the father.
the distraction of the heart broken mother,
and the excitement of the attaches
of the household, il can only
bs learned that MIR. and Mrs.
Ruhstaller had their rooms on the main
their children slept. On the upper floor was
the nursery, or room for Minnie and Otto.
On the same floor slept young man, mem
Der Of the family, and employed by MIR.
Ruhstaller. This young man was awakened
by cries from below. He rushed to the head
of the stairs, and eaw that the front of the
upper story and the chiidren's room were IN
flames Mr.. Ruhstaller from below cried
out to him, he could not make out what. At
the same time he heard Minnie, as he sup
poses, call out Mamma ! mammal" He
believed the voice to come from below, and
| thought the children had escaped but
the flames already enveloped the rooms,
and he had barely time to save
himself by fight. From his broken story,
given under a state of great excitement these
were the facts obtained. The entire family
had only time to rush from their beds, and
saved nothing beyond few bits Of clothing
thrown over their persons. The flames, says
the young man referred to, shot after him
down the stairway, and he thinks must have
had
ENTIRE POSSESSION
OF the upper story within few seconds after
| ha was awakened. Such was the effect of
this terrible disaster upon Mr.. Ruhstaller,
that when he disappeared once, anxiousfriends
feared frenzy had seized upon him, hut he
was soon after found doing all be could to
soothe and comfort the mother of his chill.
dren, whose piteous cries for her babes brought
tears to the eyes Of the stoutest hearted. So
far as can now be ascertained, the building
is believed to bs damaged TO the extent of
about $500. The furniture and other per-
sonal property of the family is a total loss
either by FIRE or water, and was worth about
! So, 600 Both the house and furniture were
covered by insurance. How the fire began
cannot now be stated, as all statements in
reference to its origin are as yet merely con-
| jecturaL Il is believed to have originated in
the upper story, and near the roof and the
southern front Had the new or Hayes ex-
tension truck been in service the fire depart
ment could have worked to much better
advantage, as its powerful and very tall,
jointed ladders could have been made to
overtop the building, and streams could have
been sooner brought to play upen the upper
story An inquest will be held to-day by
Coroner Vermilya upon the bodies of the
poor sufocated little ones who persisted last
night.
| INCIDENTS.
It is stated by the fremen and others that
| this was the worst fire as to intensity of heat
that has occurred in this city since the burn
| ing of the Western Hotel. Several of the
| fremen were more or less injured in their
almost supsrhuman efforts to rescue the
two helpless little children that were
shut up in the flames and smoke. The
| building was of light wood and finished
with cloth aud paper ceilings, which
rendered it almost as quick to ignite as
powder. Had the Burning building not stood
entirely by itself, as it did, and detached
! from other structures, a very much greater
loss of property would have been inevitable.
| The heat was go intense that soma of the fire.
mems hats were melted upon their heads, and
in their efforts to reach the children, they
fought go into the flames that the ladders
upon which they assembled against the side of
the burning mass. took FIRE. and flames
leaped up the sides and the rounds were on
FIRE as they fought their wayup to the windows
and endeavored to effect an entrance.
/ Several of the firemen were more or less
burned about the face and hands Thomas
Rowe was quite seriously burned upon the
hands P. Mcdowell was injured by falling
timbers, and P Nash was severely cut by be-
ing struck with ladder.
After the excitement was somewhat
past, when the FIRE had been ex-
tinguished and the bodies recovered, it
was stated that when the fire was first dis
covered, and before the department reached
it, little Minnie was seen several times at
window. to which she ran and screamed for
her mother, aud then disappeared in flames
and smoke. TWAS most heartrending sight,
| even to strangers.
OUTRAGEOUS CoNDUcT.-0n Saturday, as a
gentleman and lady were driving in q