Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1900-03-15
AWFUL WORK OF INCENDIARY
Destruction of a Tenement In
Newark, New Jersey.
WAS THRONGED WITH ITALIANS
Fifteen Persons, Mostly Chill
dren, Perished.
Vito Crsdavo Has Been Arrested on sus-
picion-The italians Are Threateniug TO
be Revenged-The Burned Building Was
Formerly Used as q Church.

Newark, N. j., March 12.-Fifteen
persons, majority of whom were chill
dren, were burned to death in tene-
ment fire at Morris and Fourteenth
avenues about o'clock this morning. +
Thirteen bodies were recovered from
the ruins within three hours after the
flames had besn extinguished.
The building was three-story frame
structure, formerly used as church,
but transformed into tenement, with
small rooms, scarcely 8x10 feet in d.
mensions, opening into a narrow hallway
on both the second and third floors,
forming a veritable fire trap. This is
right in tine heart of the italian district,
and the greatest excitement prevailed
This feeling has besn greatly intensified
since 7 o'clock, when it first became
known that the fire was of incendiary
origin: and within 10 minutes of the
time when this report was first circu-
by grief, ran tearing around the streets,
looking for the man who was RESPONSE
lbe for the frightful tragedy, and
threatening all sorts of dire vengeance.
Three or four minutes after 8 O'Clock,
smoke was seen pouring out of one of
| the second-story front rooms. Some one
on the street saw this evidence Of fire.,
| and hurried to an alarm box Y but long
| before the fire apparatus REACHED the
scene, the interior of the burning tene-
ment was peopled with wild Italians
| running hither and thither, unable to
find means of escape. Every room
emptied its occupants into those narrow
| little halls, and there was no escape
for the frightened tenants, because Of
the jam, and they could not get, out.
There we're least 12 families in the
place, 60 persons in all, of whom per
haps so were children. unable to care
| for themselves, especially in time of
such great excitement. Four men ran
| to front window. There, they jumped
to the street Several were hurt, and,
after crawling to places of temporary
safety, they waited patiently until help
came, and then were sent to hospitals.
The flames spread from room to room,
and from floor to floor, with frightful
| rapidly, and the keen March wind
sent spar ks to the southeast, and threat
ened all the frame tenements In that
direction. The place was like roaring
furnace when the firemen arrived.
Ladders were quickly put in position,
and then began the work of rescue.
One after another the women and then
men were taken down, while other fire.
men devoted their attention to grown
ing the flames This they succeeded In
doing in less than hour, but during
that hour frightful sacrifice had been
offered. Nearly every room in the
house contained its victim. Few per-
sops were really burned to death. Most
of them were smothered.
: In different places in the ruins,
human bodies are 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. Eugene
Castillo, husband of one of the dead
women, jumped from a third-story
window. and was seriously injured.
An unknown man, who jumped out OF
an upper-story window, died in a
hospital. Salutor Bald, husband OF
one Of the dead women, managed to
escape with an infant in his arms.
He lost trace of his wife in the smoke
and flame, and staggered down the
stars with the chIld in his arms; and
on reaching the ground floor, fell
nearly suffocated. The child was nearly
; overcome by tine smoke.
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 nude by
Virginia Di Pruas who was a buarder
in the house. Di Prula told Capt.
Edwards that when he was awakened
: by the smoke he found Credayc and
his family fully dressed and ready to
leave the burning building.