The San Francisco call., 1908-07-04
FLAMES RAzF HOUSE
DEVOTED TO INFIRM
The Altenheim, East Oakland,
Burns and Inmates Are Res
cued With Difficulty

OAKLAND July Eighty-four age,
ana lnnrm persons, several Of then
pedrldden inValids. were made home
less by fire which razed the Alien
neim, German old peoples home, a
Hopkins and Haley streets. in Eas
oakland this evening, destroying prop
erty worth more than $125,00O anC
driving the occupants panic strickeI
and helpless into the open
Many Of the aged inmates. who haC
become as little children with decrepi
tude, were borne out Of the burning
structure after they had rushed wildly
back with the purpose OF saving per
sonal belongings. Others who wer,
oeofast, when the flames began theil
work We're carried out in arms anC
shelter was provided for them in the
homes Of nearby residents.
When the IRE broke out. near the
caves at the northeast corner of the
building. almost all the inmates were
al supper in the dining room There
We're more than - of them on the first
moor seated at table and when the cry
OF Fire resOunded some one rang the
nre bell and the matron, Mrs. Eva
Behnken began rushing the patients
out OF the building.
TAKE INVALIDs FROM BEDS
The fire then had been burning for
from the
corner where 1t started down TO and
over the entire third floor. The in
NaIlcs confined TO their beds were all
on the second floor and from there
were carried TO safety. Had any of
1nem been in beds on the third or top
moor 'lhere undoubtedly would have
oeen casualties among the old folk
ne IRE was first discovered by Fritz
Sandow, the janitOr. He walked out Of
the rear door while supper was being
served and saw smoke rising from the
rear OF the three story structure He
and Fritz Steuch. z waiter. ran
through the building crying FIRE" and
hastened up 10 the third floor. thinking
IheY would use eNtinguishers. on the
lhlrd noor they We're driven back by
names beating in their faces. While
Steuch ran 10 the first floor TO aid in
clearlng the building Sandow tele-
phoned TO the Fruitvale fire houses.
In a few minutes Fruitvale company
No. was at the Altenheim with hose
and an engine. At the gate is a new
hydrant recently placed there by the
city OF Oakland after a small blaze
which started in the same part Of the
roof as the disastrous fire Of this
evening
HNDRANT WITHOUT WATER
The Fruitvale firemen coupled TO the
hNorant- but found that the water gate
I'm the pipe had never been opened by
the water company. There was no
water for the engine TO throw. 1t was
found necessary 10 couple to another
hydrant some distance away
The new hydrant was not available
for use until after the arrival Of Chief
Ball Of the Oakland department His
force had been summoned by an alarm
and arrived a few minutes after the
Eruitvale company.
Much valuable time was lost in get
ting the defective hydrant TO operate
Meantime, the saving Of lives was go
ing on. In the second floor Mrs
Woertz, IS years old, was lying in her
bed, too i'll TO be at supper. Her hus-
band. Friedrich WOertz, neary so
years old, and also an inmate, was
reused by the cries OF fire and, climb
ing TO the room of his aged spouse,
helped her down the stairs just before
the fire reached the corridor.
There Were four others bedfast, all
OF whom had TO be carried out. Mrs.
Radamsky, occupying a front room on
the third floor, fought with Franz San
dow and Fritz Steuch while the fire
and smoke filled her room, and had TO
be rescued by force. She is 65 years
old.
REMOVED ON STRETCHERS
Carried out on mattresses used as
stretchers were Mrs. Schneider, so
years old, an inmate since her last
relative died year ago; Miss Luders,
20 years old, formerly Of San Fran
cisco and Miss Jourg, native Of Ger
many. who has seen 81 years pass.
The last Of the invalids to be car
Tied out Of the structure, and one who
was saved only q minute before it
would have been impossible to reach
him, was AdOlph Schraubstadter. IS
OF attendants, SandOW being among
them. and carried out Of the side door
on the first floor, TO which the fire
already had burned.
Mrs. Mary Peterson, the nurse in
charge Of the invalids, was dragged
from a mass OF blazing timbers when
the rear porch fell upon her She had
climbed to her room after helping in
the rescue work, to get her clothing,
and tried TO rush out Of the side door, /
through which few minutes pre-
viOUsly Schraubstadter had been car /
Red. This doorway. like the front one, 4
had taken fire, and as she stepped on
the porch the roof fell
RESCUED FROM DEATHS JAWS
The woman dropped to the floor and |
Immediately iremen from the Fruit |
vale company threw aside the burning |
boards and lifted Mrs. Peterson through |
a window 10 the outside Embers on
her garments they beat out Only her
hair was singed. Rescued from .the
very jaws Of death. she at once set
about aiding in the work Of caring for
the patients and others who required
aid.
Two invalids DIR. Haas. formerly a
prominent German physician of san
Francisco, and II. Dams, were taken
TO the home Of J. Vogt 732 East Thirty
Second street
The fire began at the top northeast
corner Of the structure where it is
thought there was defective fue The
flames followed the chimney down
ward and then spread through the
third story TO the front Of the building.
The brick walls made il impossible to
reach the fire.
Less than three months ago a fire
broke out IN the same corner and prob
ably from the same fue. At that time
The loss was slight. the Fruitvale fire
department conquering the flames
BUILDING COST sI25,OOO
The German old peoples home, or the
as il was better known, was
almost - years old. The cornerstone
was laid on August 90 1893, and the