FATAL FIRE.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XIII, Issue 4283, 24 November 1892, Page 2

FATAL FIRE.

The Residence of Mr 0,1 Musch Destroyed, A Child Burnt to Death. Shortly. after twelve o'clock last night .the Masterton firebells rang out a loud alarm, and it was Boon evident by tlw glare in tho sky that a conflagration of a most serious nature ma raging, Ae the first peal soundeyk resident living in Victoria strew looked through his window and saw the entire front of a tall building on the Lincoln Road ENVELOPED IN FI/AMEB. • It was evident from the first that the building was doomed, and that the flames had spread with marvellous rapidity. With commendable promptitude both brigades tamed out; the "Volunteers"' with their manual being a little in advance, but being raced by the Municipals with the Jubilee. Both Brigades went straight for tho Albertstreet water hole, which has recently been cleaned out by the Municipal authorities, and was in capital order, Dut the previous night" The Jubilee" held a "prophetic" praotice at this spot. On that occasion the Brigade had to break a padlock off

THE LOOKED FLOODGATE before tho latter could bo used, but on this it was found that the gate had been absolutely made fast with,a screw, and thero was a delay of wa minutes before the mischievous'obstructions could be remedied. Aa tho case was one where, every second was of value this check-was very disheartening, the fire having a strong hold before the alarm was given, and flames could be scon rushing through the upper and lower windows, and breaking out of the roof. Notwithstanding this difficulty every effort was strained'and a stretch of 2000 FEBTOFHOSB was ran out.by the Municipals, a second stream of wator being brought to bear by the Volunteers two minutes later, By this time a considerable crowd had collected on Lincoln Koad, where the burning building,

MB NATUSOB's nESIDENOE, was situated, (The inmates of the house, a newly-erected two storey composite building of concrete and wood, were Mr and Mrs C. T, Natußoh and six children, Miss Spencer, a sister of Mrs Natußob, and' Messrs Aubrey Wills and Wrtfit, two gentlemen who are in the eraploy of the owner of the house. MrWr/ght woka up and gave

THE FIKSI AIABM. With the assistance of Mr Wills all the children were removed excepting one Kathleen Natusch, a little girl 17 months old, who was sleeping with Miss Spencer, and who, in the excite<. ment of tho alarm, was momentarily forgotten. It was almost at onceknown that •• ;'■■-. - -• ALIFE WAS AT STAKE, and that a ohild was sleeping in the* burning building. Tbeflames spread so rapidly that communicationwith the room whore the poor childwas known to bo, was impossible, .The-; Firo Brigades direoted the full power,

of tho hose on to this spot with the faint hope of preserving at least the remains of the little girl. There was no ohanoe of saving the building itself, the only thing that could be done was to keep tho Annies irotn spreading and to guidually battle them out. INSPECTOR FEnRY, when the flames wero suhdued, re"i fused to allow the firemen to enter in search of the bo*dy as the wall leant inwards and tho risk of further loss of lifo would have beon im« minent. Ropes procured from Mr Darnell *ere attached to the walls, and tho- eastern one pulled down with a tremendous crash. Captain Pickering, Dr. Beard, Secretary Marsh, Foreman G. Smith and Mr F. 0, Mooro and others then searched the building and speedily DISCOVERED TUE BODY close to a room wall on the upper floor, partly covered by debris, tho upper part only beimr exposed, the extremitios alone being charred. By Dr Beard's instructions the remains wero at once carefully removed to tho morgue.

WE ORIGIN OF THE FIRE is so far a mystery. It broke out a fow minutes past twelve, and started iu tho lower part of tho front of the building. It was a full hour before the flames were mastered,

Further Particulars,

Upon intorviowing Mr 8. C, Wright this morning, our representative learnt tho following additional particulars regarding the unfortunate calamity:— The houso was a ten«roonicd ono, the total insurance on the building is £6OO in the National Insurance Company. Tho down-stairs rooms wero the dining-room and office in the front, and the kitchen and tho drawing-room at the back, a bath-room and the hall, with side entrance, intersecting. Acoording to Mr Wright's impresBion, it was in this drawing-room at the back of the building, that the fire originated, The apartment adjoins the kitchen, and it being not yet furnished, a temporary bed had been made up in it for him, mr Wright's narrative is as follows:

, , Tkeioccupantßof the house were Mr Si and Mrs Natusch, their six children, " Alick, Ronnie, Norah, Stanley, Kathleen, and the baby, and a maid ser. vant. Thero wore also sleeping in the house last night Miss Spenoer, of Wellington, Mr A. Wills, who is studying architecture with Mr Natusch, and myself. I was slopping with Mr Natusch only during a short visit Irom Pahiatua, where I have been living, and where I acted as his agoot, The family retired botwoen 10.80 and 11 o'clock. I, having a . headache, remained in the dining room dozing on the couch instead of retiring to the drawing room (where I Mrs Natusch had prepared a ',' shuke- ' down" bed) intending to go to that room later on. At about half past ' oleven o'clock, Mr Natusoh, who is very careful in the matter of precautions against fire, and frequently looks round tho house when tho others have retired, oaine into the dining room und awakenod mo with tho words : " Aren't you

Wing to bed, Wright 1" I then fffent into the kitchen and took jff my boots. But I yet did not settle down for the night, and still feeling unwell I removed my coat, vest, and tie and took to the dining-room oouch again, I did not use a oandle as there is gas throughout the house, nor did I smoke, I quickly dropped off into light slumber again, and knew of no oconrrence until I was aroused by a crackling noise. I immediately recognised that something must be on tire, and rushing out could see that it was iu the drawing-room, I opened the door and saw the whole corner next to the kitchen, where the double fireplace is, all ablaze. I also in the ; momentary glanoa noticed that the gaß in the chandelier was burning, it having been so left by whoever prepared the shake-down forme. I had not previously been in the room that evening,. I oould see there was no cbanoe of my extinguishing the flames, so I went upstairs and alarmed overyone. At that stage I thought that there was time for overyl ODe to get out without danger; but \W '»' was surprising how quickly the smoke pervaded everything and how rapidly the flames spread, I first aroused Wills and told him to help with the children. Next I awakoned 'Mr Natusch. Miss Spencer apparently heard the alarm, but in the case of the servant I had to mako considerable noise, as she slept soundly, Within two minutss the whole plaoe was in a suffocating condition with smoke, Bnd it was also impossible to see a yard in any direction, I now had to run downstairs and close the front door which had been left open by someone going out, and waa > causing a draft, and so was helping the fire. I tried to get upstairs again, but it was almost impassible, and as I • met Mr Wills coming down with a child and there were also others on the staircase, I assumed that everyone had responded to the alarm I had giyon, and were escaping in safety. ' Someone, too, told me to go . off and ring the bell, so that we <L could get outside help. Everybody ' * was fearfully excited, and it was very .hard, indeed, to comprehend the exact position of things and what was best .to be done; I responded to the instruction given to me, and ran off and got tho firebell rung. This is practically all I know of the incidents at tho time of the outbreak, Tbo last time the kitchen fire was used was at supper-time, lam positive the fire started in the drawing-room. MR WILIS' EXPERIENCE, In response to'our enquiry, Mr A, Wills next gave us an account of his experience at the fire. Ho said : When called by Mr, Wright I at once went out on to the landing. ( I next got a child down the stairs, Norah it was, and took her out to the front of the house.: I saw, several of tho children already there and remember noticing AHck and Eennie.- Tho older one may havo. got out himself; while Mr Natusoh probably helped the others, I next noticed ; Mrs iNatusch on the roof of tho verandah, %nd she called out to me to catch the baby ob flhe passed it down. I did so, and then helped her. The floraes were still internal, but the Bmoke was overpowering in density, and to enter the building at all meant 'suffocation. None of us except Mr Wright had anything but our night-clothing on when wo escaped. The crackling noiso was fearful and tho heat was intense, as, thofire got under weigh, Mrs Natusch and the children were taken into Mr Coraack'B: house, which is only thirty paces away. At first we had no idea that there was a child left in tho burning building, and it was horrifying lb learn that little Kathleen had been left behind. We all slept upstair* except Mr 'Wright. Mr and

Mrs Natuecb and their baby were in one room, Misa Spencer and Kathleen, the child who has linen burnt, were in another, Stanley and Norah in a third room, while Alick and Ronnie, both of whom escaped, slept right abovowhore the fire is supposed to bnvo started, The ser vant also had her room upstairs. My own room, too, was near the top of the stair-ease. We all did what we oould to save each other, but everyono was so oxcited and tboro was so little time to think, thiit it oun. easily be understood that misc'iiceptions arose. GENERAL. Tim littlo child Kathleen, who was in Miss Spencer's room, redly was the furthest away from the ou'brenlf, and it seems incomprehensible how she could havo been overlooked. But it is almost impossible to keep one's pres-.nco of mind under such trying circumstances as those of last night, and omissions mid ■ ovorsights are more e,uily made than averted.

In each instance in order to rcscuo anyono from a bedroom, it was necea sary to push through blinding and suffocating Btuoko, aud, groping round in the density, seize the first person the hands came into contact with, In this maimer Mr Natusch entered Miss Spencor's room. She appealed to him to save Iter, and was so unnerved and terrified that she was perfectly helpless and unconscious of what she was doinu. She was, in fact, in a &m& condition. Mr Natusch, responding to her appeals, supportod and carried Mies Spencer downstairs, and pro! ably but for this aid ulie would not have escaped. A a she left tiie room she grasped the cot where the child was lying, and Mr Natusch was under the impression that he was rescuing both Miss Spencer aud his child. This was the last chanco of savirjg liltln Kathleen's life, and although when the first-couien, Messrs W. W. Smith, li, Eton, and others arrived on tho scene flames wore breaking through most of the wiudows, there was still just ut bare chance of olimbing tho verandah and so of entering Miss Spencer's bedroom which was just above it and in front of the houso, had not flurry, uncertainty, and direotion rendered brave effort futile, Shortly afterwards it was known that a life had been sacrificed unwittingly to tho flames, Death must have beon painless, though, it is consoling to think, for suffocation would ensuo long before the devouring element approached the littlo one's chamber, and she would pass away unconscious to her last rest above.

Mr Cornitck, who litcs next door, was awakened by a dog barking while the fire waa still in an incipiont condition. He has the impression that there was an outbreak iu the front of the house at an early stage, but that opinion is net confirmed by others, and the general testimony is that it originated in the back drawing room as stated by Mr Wright. The fire bell did not ring for some minutes after the alarm was given in tho house,

Everything in the house was burnt, find Miss Spencer, Messrs Wright and Wills each lose the whole of their luggage, •Mr Ramsay, who has a brother in the Lower Valley and who was formerly visiting Mr Natusch, also loses all his effeota, they having been left in tho house temporarily, Each of Mr Natudi's family and bis visitors were, of course, completely destitute of wearing apparel this morning, and wero unable to go out at all until tho kindness of friends and visits paid to shops on their behalf had provided at least sufficient for present use. ' Tho fire spread with surprising and stupifying rapidity last night, and at its climax the flames roared with consuming energy. The danger of having more than a ground floor in timber houses was alarmingly and grievously illustrated last night, and Mr Natusoh's residenoa, with its composite part of cement, was even more solid than such houses generally are. Very much sympathy is felt for Mr and Mrs Natusch, whose loss is an almost heartrending one, and which, as regards tho sad death of their child and destruction of their home is irreparable.

The details of insuranco we have just learnt are as follows:—House, £SBO, outbuildings £2O, in the National ; furniture £2OO in the Northern, The exact figure of Mr Natusch's loss would not be vory oasy to estimate, but if tho total value ot tho buildings and furniture be taken at £1250, which will not be far out, he would lose about £450 after the insurance

is paid. This, however, is mere conjecture from a general knowledge, and should not be regarded as more than approximate.