The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1900-03-16
Fifteen Persons, Many of Whom
Were Children, Burned to
Death in a Tenement.
THIRTEEN BODIES TAKEN FROM RUINS
Fire is Believed to Have Been of In
cendiary Origin, and an Ar
rest Was Made.
Several Persons Were Injured by
Jumping From Upper Story Win
dOws-BOdies Pinned Down by
Heavy Timbers.

Newark, NJ. March 13.-Fifteen per-
sons, a majority of whom were chill
dren, were burned to death at ten
ement house at Morris and Four
teenth avenues about o'clock Mon
day morning. Thirteen bodies have
been recovered from the ruins within
three hours after the flames had been
eXtinguished. The building was a
three-story frame structure, former
y used as a church, but transformed
into a tenement house with small
rooms, scarcely eight by ten feet in
dimensions, opening into a narrow
hallway on both the second and third
floors, making veritable fire trap.
This is right in the heart of the
Italian district and the greatest ex-
citement prevailed.
This feeling has been greatly in
tensified since o'clock when it first
became known that the fire was of
incendiary origin, and within IS min
utes' time when this report was first
circulated, men and women, we'll nigh
crazed by grief, ran tearing around
the streets, looking for the man who
was responsible for the frightful
tragedy and threatening all sorts of
dire vengeance.
Three or four minutes after 5
o'clock Monday morning the fire was
discovered, but long before the fire
IIS ha Ia
terror of the burning tenement was
peopled with wild Italians, running
hither and thither, unable to lind
means of escape.
Every room emptied it's occupants
into these narrow little halls, and
there was no escape for the frighten-
ed tenants because of the Jam, and
they could not get out. There were
at least II families in the place, 60
persons in all, of whom perhaps so
were children, unable to care for
themselves.
Four men jumped from front
window. Several were hurt.
The flames spread with frightful
rapidity, and the wind sent the sparks
southeast, threatening all the frame
tenements in that direction. The
place was like roaring caldron
when the firemen reached the place
The ladders were quickly put in po-
sition and then began the work OF
rescue.
One after another the women and
then the men were taken down, while
other firemen devoted their atten-
ton to drowning out the flames. This
they succeeded in doing in less than
an hour, but during that hour a
| frightful sacrifice had been offered
Nearly every room in the house con-
tanned it's victim. Few were really
burned to death. Most Of them were
smothered. The bodies were carried
out by the fremen.
In different places in the ruins, hui
man bodies may be seen pinned down
by heavy timbers. The rescuers are
clearing away the debris in the hope
that some may yet be rescued alive
but there is little chance of any one
now in the ruins being alive. Two
victims have been taken to the hos
pital. One of them is severely burn
ed. The other was injured by jump
ing from the second story of the
burned tenement.
Vito Credavo is locked up on sus
picion of having set fire to the build
ing. Credavo, with his wife and two
children, occupied the rear portion
of one of the upper stories. He was
arrested on a statement made by
Virginia Di Prula, who was boardel
in the house. Di Prula told Capt. Ed
wards that when he was awakened by
the smoke he found Credavo and hi:
family fully dressed and ready tC
leave the burning building. Wher
Credavo was taken to the station
house he became much excited, bur
denied that he had set fire to tn,
building or had any knowledge as t.
the origin of the fire.
international BOwlers' Tournament
Dayton, o., March 13.-Teams anC
individual bowlers in the west ar,
interested in the International Bowl