The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-03-13
BLAZING HOME A
FUNERAL PYRE. Z:
Fourteen Persons Lose.
LiiVeslll TenementFlre.
INcENDIARY's WORK.
Whole Family Wiped Out and Only
One Of Another Survives.
FACE TO FACE With DEATH.
Panic Stricken Inmates Finding
Egress Cut or Plunge From Win
dows to Escape Fierce Flames.
One ofthe Tenants Arrested
on Suspicion and is
Locked Up.
FACE TO FACE With DEATH.

NEWARK, N. J., March IA frame
dwelling in the heart of the Italian sec.
tion. AT Fourteenth and Morris Streets,
proved the funeral pyre of fourteen per-
sons. The firenen, after the flames had
been subdued, took thirteen bodies 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 Nves, and he is in the City Hos
p:tal where it is believed he will de-:
Most of the victims were cnlldren. MANY
others were injured.
The Dohce are confident that the fire
was OF incendiary origin. There was a
disorderly card game in one of the rooms
that tasted we'll into the morning. Vito
Credanza was a participant, and is said
ITO have made violent DhreatS against
igs fellow players. He Is locked up on
suspicion of having set fire to the build.
ing. CreNanZa, with his wife and two
children, occupied the rear portion Of
one Oh the upper stories. He was arrested,
ON a statement made by Virg1nd DE Pru!a,' !
who told Capt. Edwards that when he was
awakened by the smoke he found Gre
danZa and his family fully dressed and
When Credanza was taken to the station
house he became much excited, and pre-:
tended Snat he could not speak English,
but through an interpreter he denied.
that he had set fire to the building or
had any knowledge as to the origin Of
the fire.
STARED DEATH IN THE FACE.
A few minutes before o'clock every.
one i'll the building was awakened by
the flames. They found them burning
at the foot Of the stairs leading from
the first to the second story The hall
way and the stairs were burning fiercely.
cutting off the only egress from the up
per floor on which six families lived.
It also cut off the escape by the door
for those who lived in the rear part
of the first floor. From the burning
building CAME agonizing screams and
calls for help. From the basement and
ground floor the inmates of the building
poured naked, or almost so. From tht,
upper story men and women leaped to
the sidewalk By the time the tiremen
reached the scene the building was wrap!
ped in flames, and those who had not.
escaped were dead or doomed. They
must have died within a few minutes,
for the fire rushed through every room
in the frail building within ten minutes.
WAS A DEATH TRAP.
The building was a three-story frame.
structure. fc rmerly used as church.
but transformed into a tenement house
with small rooms.S scarcely eight by ten
feet in dimensions, opening into q mar
1cM hallway on both the second and
third floors. forming veritable fire.
trap!
This is right in the heart OF the italian
district, and the greatest excitement pre-
vailed.
This feeling has been greatly intensified
since o'clock, when it first became
known that the fire was of incendiary
origin, and within fifteen minutes of the
time when this report was first circulated
men and women, well-nigh crazed By
grief, ran tearing around the streets.
looking for the man who was responsible
for the frightful tragedy. and threaten
ing all sorts of dire vengeance.
There were at least twelve families in
the place, sixty persons in all, of whom
perhaps fifty were children, unable to.
care for themselves.
The flames spread with frishtful ra-2
pidity, and the wind sent the sparks to
the southeast. and threatened all the.
frame tenements in that direction.
one after another the women and the
men were taken down. while other fire.
men devoted thci- attention to drowning
out the flames. Ih1S they Sncceeueu III
doing in less. than an hour. but during
that hour frightful sacrifice had been
fered.
Nearly every room in the house con-
tained5 its victim. Few We're really burn
ed to death. Most of them were smother
ed to death The bodies were carried
out by the firemen.
Eugene Castillo, whose wife was lost I
Jumped from third story window and
was seriously injured. An unknown man
who Jumped from an upper story window,
died in a hospital. Salvador Barto, hus-5
band of one Of the dead Women, man
aged to escape with a child in his arms.
but lost trace Of his wife in the smoke,
and flame. The fire sted only a few
minutes. The search for the dead be-
.sra ! twenty minutes after the alarm was
sounded.
A8phMD OE# R0RRERC