New-York tribune., 1900-03-13
FOURTEEN DIE IN A FIRE.
AWFUL RESULT OF A BLAZE IN A NEW
ARK TENEMENT HOUSE THAT
HAD NO FIRE ESCAPE

Fourteen lives lost in a fire in Italian
tenement house in Newark after 5 a. yester-
day. and Vito Credanzo. who occupied a
the second floor with his wife and children
s under arrest suspicion Of having set fire
to the building. The dead
sALDI Mrs Nunciaa, forty-fve years cd burned.
BALDI, Theresa years cid smothered
CASTILLO, Antonio, years old. burned.
CASTILLO, Mrs Angelo. twenty-five years old.
CASTILLO. Benvenuto, five years old. burned
CASTILLO. Carmano old, smothered.
CASTILLO, Frank years old
burned. ~ ~
PALMIsANO Mrs sabastiana tbirtv-eigbt years old
wife Of Antonio Palnsano. burned
PALMlSANO, Mrs Gaetano thiry-nve years old. burned
FAhMlSANo' Giuseppe, seven Old burned
PALAIsANo, Nuncata. year Old surocated.
ROsSO Angelo, twenty-five years Iaborer died the
City Hospital from burns and fracture OF the skull
Child unidentified. about four years old
Salvatore Baldi and Uggenico castillo were injured
by jumping from the building
The building, the framework of which is almost
intact stands at the southeast corner of Morris
and Fourteenth 1t was originally built for an
Italian Roman Catholic Church. and was known as
St- Rocco's Church. II frame building
cheaply put together Four years ago it was
abandoned as church. and was leased TO James
Mata, who built it over into three story tene-
ment house. The two upper floors di-
Vlded INTO ten apartments by 10 feet each The
only exit from the building the entrance in
Morris-ave. A central stairway leading to the
upper floors made so narrow that there was
hardly room for two men to pass It. There
were five apartments each side Of the stairway
There was no fire escape
Eleven families of which seven were on the top
floor were in the building when the fire broke out.
All were sleeping except the family of Vito Gre
danzo whose wife and two children were dressed
ana ready for escape when the alarm given.
The ground floor occupied by three stores.
The alarm Of fire was given by Vito Credanzo.
VINO occupied room on the second Eoor. On sun
day night there was a game of cards the second
moor OF the house, at which there was much drink
ing and quarreng. Credanzo of the party
Hlrgnlus de Pruia, a tenant, told the police yester
day that he was awakened a O'Clock by Credanzo
rushing through the hail the second floor shouting
an alarm OF fire in Italian. The hallway quickly
nlled with smoke ana flame. and escape by the stair
way was cut off mprisontnS the persons who failed
10 respond immediately to the alarm Those who
ran to the hall and found the fire there sought the
WIN WINDOWS VS. A man on the street pulled fire alarm arm
tlremen reached the place IN few minutes but
house was an Italian colony The streets were soon
crowded with persons attracted by the shrieks
from the burning building. Two men jumped from
the fire Bat:aiion Chief Joseph E Sloane ordered
ladders to he put up the Fourteenth-st side of
body. The hremen were driven back by the flames
Was 10 pour water into the upper windows ana on
the roof; through which the fire had eaten its way
The police had difficulty in preventing the fren-
rushing into the burning house. Tive ambulances
were called. but only two persons were taken TO
on either side of the tenement house are buildings
with heavy brick walls. which kept the fire from
names snbdued ana We're enabled to enter the build
ing The first body found that of Mrs. Nan
zata Bald the second floor The Bald family
Credanzo The father seized his ten-year-old son
Angelo. and the mother took charge Of Teresa. the
seven-year-old daughter The father and
capped by crawling their hands and knees. When
the mother became conscious that she was doomed
she placed her daughter under her heavy skirt.
The mother was burned but the child was un-
In the Morgue Yesterday was row of fourteen
bodies. II was 100 o'clock when the hrst body was
boxes had been sent from the Morgue. Mrs. An
gelO Castillo found with her little Frank
nightdress. In almost every room the top floor
victim was found. As the bodies were brought f
boxes for removal 10 the Morgue, profound hush
kept up the search until the building had been
throughly explored.
All duy yesterday, after tie dead had been taken
away. crowds of curious people filed the street
gazing upon the wrecked tenement house The
the roof was burned of Most of the effects of the
tenants on the top floor were destroyed. ..,
Before the fire put out the police began
making Inquiries about its cause Gredanzo was
inmate and Joseph Frenrg. who pointed Gre
danZO d who knew something about the
rest as witnesses. The police then learned about
the card game and Iuarrelling few hours before
of the card players had made this threat in italian.
III send the whole lot Of you TO he'll if you're not
Chief Kiersted. Of the Fire Department, made
an examination Of the tenement after the fire and
said il was the worst death trap he had ever seen
The stairway between the floors forty-two
inches wide On each floor the doors OF ten apart
| open the corridor The partitions be-
tween the apartments were of boards and about
half inch in thickness. In the apartments the
mattresses Of the beds We're filled with corn husks
and other infammable stun. and the furniture was
MIR CasaIe sent out call for meeting of Ital-
ave. tonight to raise funds for the decent burial
of victims and for aid TO survivors.