Christina Emma Scharlau

Winona Republican-Herald Thursday, March 31, 1932
Page: 1 Section: Front page

VICTIMS FIRST OVERCOME BY SMOKE, BELIEF
THREE PERISH IN FIRE AT ARCADIA HOME
Bodies of Fred Scharlau, Daughter- in- Law and Daughter Taken From Burning House
Lamp Explosion or Overheated Stove Believed Cause of Tragedy.
Arcadia — (Special to The Republican-Herald) — Three members of one of Arcadia's pioneer families burned to death or were suffocated here early this morning; at the home of Frederick Scharlau, 86 yeara old. They are believed to have been nearly overcome by smoke before they awoke, trapped by smoke and flames, and too weak to escape.
The dead are Frederick Scharlau, Mrs. Anton Scharlau, 53, his daughter-in-law, and Miss Ricka Scharlau, 55, his daughter.
Discovered shortly before 6:30 a.m., the fire was quickly extinguished, but dense clouds of smoke prevented firemen from getting into the house until they donned gas masks.
They managed to drag the charred and blazing body of the aged man through his bedroom window. His head was on fire and the rest of his body charred and crisped. He had wrapped bed clothing tightly around his head to protect it from flames, firemen believed.
Mr. Scharlau's bedroom was on the lower floor of the two-story frame house. His daughter-in-law, Mrs. Scharlau, had slept on a cot in the living-room, and is believed to have been suffocated by smoke before she awoke and could go the few feet to the front door of the house. Firemen broke in the locked door, and found her body on the floor about ten feet from her cot, on the way to the door. Her body, the flesh blackened by smoke and charred by flames, was the first to be found.
Origin of Fire Unknown.
The daughter 's body was crosswise on her bed upstairs, indicating she also had been aroused from sleep and had attempted and failed to made her way out of the heat and smoke. Not much fire had penetrated to the upstairs rooms, and she is believed to have died from suffocation. Suffocation also probably caused the death of Mrs. Scharlau, according to Dr. J. A. Palmer, who with Dr. F. W. Weber was called to the scene of the fire in an attempt to save the three who were known to be in the house.
The origin of the fire has not been definitely established, but it Is believed the fire started from an explosion of a lamp, or from overheated stove pipes. It was the habit of Mrs. Scharlau, said neighbors, to get up about 5:30 in the morning to light the kitchen stove and put on water to boll . She would light a kerosene lamp and then lie down on her cot for a time to nap until breakfast time, they said. Mrs. Scharlau was partly dressed when her body was taken out of the house.
Others, who believe the fatal fire started from overheated pipes, said it was the custom of Mr. Scharlau to get up during the night to fill the stove with wood.
No Inquest
Coroner J. E. Rhode , Whitehall, said it Is not likely that an inquest will be called, as there does not seem much question that the deaths were accidental . Sheriff Clinton B. Immell and District Attorney John A. Markham concurred in his opinion.
Howard Handy, section foreman, living a block away from the Scharlau house, discovered the fire at 6:30 while he was eating breakfast, He saw dense clouds of smoke rollIng from the house. The next-door neighbors, Archie Foster on the east side of the Scharlau house and Mrs. John Vogel on the west side, had not noticed the fire. They were roused by Handy and the fire department called out. The shriek of the village fire slren brought scores of residents rushing to the scene of the fire, but the smoke In the house was so thick that nothing could be done until firemen arrived with gas masks. Two streams of water were played for a time into the house before the work of getting out the bodies was attempted.
Rescue Attempted.
Foster and Handy had already fought their way into the kitchen, but could go no farther, and rushed out of the house nearly overcome by smoke fumes. There was little fire in the kitchen, and scarcely any on the upper floor. When the flames were extinguished, the outside of the house gave little indication of the tragedy which had occurred within. Only in one place, at the front window on the second floor, had flames penetrated through the wall. Inside, the front part of the house on the lower floor was badly burned. The flre and smoke damage will not exceed $1,500. There was insurance of $1,100 on the home. Much of the dense and acrid smoke which filled the house Is believed to have come from burning bedding, especially from feather pillows. The flre lasted less than an hour after the first alarm was given, but by 7:30 practically the entire population of Arcadia and many living outside of town surrounded the house.
Hushed Crowd.
It was a hushed crowd that milled about the house as firemen at first vainly attempted to penetrate the smoke for rescue attempts. Foster and Handy, first to get into the kitchen, came out and said those in the house were probably overcome. "I guess they're all In there," said Handy.
After some water had been thrown on the flames in the front part of the house, and the front door had been broken open, firemen made a quick dash into the front room and , stumbling over Mrs. Scharlau 's body, dragged her out the front door. It was many minutes after that before the second body, that of the aged man, was discovered, seen dimly in a corner of his big bed, as if he had shrunk as far as possible from the smoke and flames.
John Kaiser, fireman equipped with a mask, was the first to reach him. He pulled him by the feet to the window of the bedroom, and with the help of hands reached through from the outside got the charred and still burning body out of the house. Among the first into the house was Flre Chief Ottmer Schroeder and Fireman Frank Hewitt.
Miss Scharlau's body was the last to be reached. Her body was quite badly scorched , but was not burned as badly as that of the other two. Her body was brought out through the kitchen by Fire man Kaiser and John Keller, a volunteer.
Funeral Sunday.
The bodies, laid out on blankets near the house as they were brought out, presented a gruesome sight, and the stench of burned flesh filled the air. As soon as possible, the bodies were taken to the Ray Fettlng undertaking parlors.
Mr. Scharlau was a retired farmer, having left his farm near here ten years ago when his health failed.
His wife died since then. Mrs. Anton Scharlau, wife of his son, had come to his home In Arcadia several weeks ago with his daughter to take care of the aged man. Anton Scharlau Is a well-to-do farmer living ten miles from Arcadia in the town of Montana.
Mrs. Scharlau has several relatives in or near Arcadia, among them two sisters , Mrs. Archie Foster and Mrs. Carl Schultz of Glencoe, and two brothers, Casper Doenler and Anton Doenler. Another sister lives in Chicago, and another brother, Arnold Beck, in Arcadia.
The flre at the Scharlau home was the second within a few hours to call out Arcadia 's fire fighting force of 25 men. The firemen had been in bed only a few hours after fighting a flre which broke out in the Ben Klndschy home about 1:30 a. m. Flre of unknown origin had a good start in the rear part of the Kindschy home, but was extinguished with a loss of $1,000. Someone passing the house noticed smoke and gave the alarm.
No incendiarism Is suspected. The Scharlau house is in the west end of Arcadia , near the brewery building on the road to Independence.
Funeral services are to be held Sunday at 1:30 p.m. from St. John 's Christ Lutheran church, with the Rev. G.S. Muedeklng officiating. Burial will be made in the Glencoe Lutheran cemetery.
This morning's tragic death of three members of the Scharlau family was the second fatal accident to occur to members of the family within tho last two years.
A year and a half ago Mrs. Michael Marugg, a sister of Mrs. Anton Scharlau, was killed with her husband in a railroad crossing accident in Spokane, Wash.
Surviving Frederick Scharlau is his only son, Anton. Mrs. Anton Scharlau is survived by three children. Mrs. Orin Thompson and Clifford Scharlau of Arcadia and Edwin Scharlau of Waumandee.