The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1900-03-16
Flames Break Out in a Veritable
Fire Trap in Newark, N. ].
FOURTEEN PERSONS REPORTED DEAD
Two Others Seriously Injured and Many
Others slightly Hurned-The Fire Be
ueved to Be IncendiRry-The stencil
9f Roasted Flesh sicssBing.

ct Roasted Flesh StcEsning.
Newark, N. j., Marcn 13.-Fourteen
persons lost their lives, two persons
were seriously injured and many 9TH
ers were slightly burned in fire in
an Italian tenement house in New
ark, n. j., yesterday morning. The
firemen, after the flames had been
subdued, took 10 bouies from the
ruins and while they were thus en-
gagged another victim of the fire died
in the city hospital. One family was
wiped out completely and of another
only the father lives and he is in the
city hospital, where it is believed he
will die. The building in which the
fire broke out was veritable fire
trap. 1t was old, of frame construction
and extended two stories above the
ground floor. Until three or four
years ago the structure had been used
as church, but it was converted into
"a tenement. The lower floor, fronting
on so, SO and 81 Fourteenth avenue,
was occupied by three stores and the
upper portion of the building was di-
vided into 20 living rooms. AS nearly
occupied by ten families, all Italians.
Two of the occupants, Vito Credanza
and one other family, kept boarders,
and though the total population of the
rookery could not be definitely ascer-
| tanned during the excitement attend
| ing the fire, there were said to be 40 or
! so persons of both sexes and all ages
in the builing when the fire started.
The police are confident that the
fire was of incendiary origin and
! they have arrested Vito CredanZa on
suspicion. There was disorderly
| card game in one of the rooms that
lasted well into the morning. Gre
denza was a participant and is said
to have made violent threats against
his fellow players. A few minutes
before five o'clock everyone in the
building was awakened by the flames.
they found them burning at the foot
of the stairs leading from the first
to the second stories. The hallway
and the stairs were burning, entirely
cutting off the only egress from the
upper floor on which six families
lived. 1t also cut Off the escape by
the door for those who lived in the
rear part of the first floor. Those
who could made for the windows
From these they leaped or dropped
There was fearful excitement about
the burning building. Men, women
and children who escaped from the
burning building rushed about almost
naked, looking for their relatives
For time il was thought there were
many more lost than the events later
proved, because several naked were
picked up by neighbors and carried il
doors. Thus fathers and mother:
missed their children and rushed
screaming about.
The fire lasted only n few minutes
The search for the dead began within
90 minutes after the alarm sounded
so quickly was the fire conquered
The stencil of roasted flesh coming
from the ruins was sickening. Tn,
first body found was that of Mrs
Boldi Close by her lay the charreo
remains of her seven-year-old daugh
ter. They were found in the hallwa,
of the first floor, not far from tn
front door.
Then followed discovery after dis
covery, until 10 bodies were found
Mrs. Castillo was found with her tNv,
children clasped i'm her arms. TIL
little boys face was buried in he
breast and the baby she had thrus
beneath her nightpown in a val
endeavor 10 save It from the flames.