Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1900-03-14
CITY HORROR.
Fifteen Persons, Mostly Children,
Are Cremated.
CAUGHTINv. RIIABLE DEATH TRAP

Panic-stricken People aud They Are
Unable to Escape to the Street.-The
Said 40 lie Of lnccndiary Origin and One
Arrest has Been Nade-Itallans Are
Willy Excited.
y, Newark N. j., March FIFTEEN
persons, a majority Of whom were
children, were burned to death In a
tenement house at Morris and Four
teenth avenues about 5 O'clock in the
morning. Thirteen bodies were recOv.
cred from the ruins within three hours
after the flames had been extinguished.
The building was three-story frame
structure. formerly used as church,
but transformed into tenement house
with small rooms. scar cely eight by
ten feet In dimensions, opening into
Z narrow hallway on both the second
and third floors, forming a veritable
ire trap. E Wts
or Incendiary Origin.
This is right in the heart of the Ital-
Ian district and the greatest excite
ment prevailed This feeling has been
greatly intensified since Z when 1t first
became known that the fire was of in
eendiary origin and within fifteen min
utes of the 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 o'clock
In the morning the fire was discovered,
but long before the fire apparatus
reached the scene. the interior of the
burning tenement was peopled with
Italians, running hither and thither,
unable to find escape.
damned in the Railways.
Every room emptied it's occupants
into these narrow little halls, and there
was no escape for the frightened ten
ants because Of the jam and they
could not get out. There were at least
twelve families in the place, sixty per-
sons in all, of whom perhaps fifty were
children, untable to care for them.
selves. Four men jumped from a
front window. Several were hurt. The
flames spread with frightful rapidity
and the wind sent the sparks south
east, threatening all the frame tene-
ments in that direction. The place was
like roaring caldron when the fire.
men reached the place. The ladders
were quickly put in position and then
began the work of rescue.
Frightful Sacrifice of Life.
One after another the women and
then the men were taken down, while
other firemen devoted their attention
to drowning out the flames. This they
succeeded i'm doing in less than an
hour, but during that hour fright
full sacrifice had been offered. Nearly
every room in the house contained Its
victim. Few were really burned to
death. Most of them were smothered
to death. The bodies were carried out
by the firemen. The following Is a
partial list of the dead:
Tony -Palmisono, 80 years, laborer;
Mrs. Palmisono, his wife, and two
children; Mrs. Eugene Castillo and four
children; Mrs. Nunciata Bald, 80
years old, and her child 9 years old;
Mrs. Gaetani Palmisono.
One Arrest Made.
Vito Credavo Is locked up on suspi-
cion Of having set fire to the building.
Credavo, with his wife and two chill
dren. occupied the rear portion of one
Of the upper stories. He was arrested
on a statement made by Virginia oil
Prula, who was boarder In the house.
Di Prula told Captain Edwards that
when he was awakened by the smoke
he found Credavo and his family full
ly dressed and ready to leave the burn
ing building. When Credavo was taken
to the station house he became much
excited. but denied that he had set
fire to the building or had any knOwl-
edge as to the origin Of the fire.
Boston Fireman Killed.
BOSTON, March Zone fireman
was killed, another probably fatally
and three others seriously injured at
a fire in the Massachusetts Macaroni
company's building on North street