Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-11-07
A THOUSAND VICTIMS
Latest Details of the Santander
Calamity.
SAD SCENES IN THE MOURNING CITY.
Subscriptions Started for the Re-
lief of Sufferers.
BURYING MANGLED REMAINS

| MADRID, Nov. THE latest details con-
| corning the terrible disaster at Santander
| on Friday last show that the number OF
dead, missing and wounded is fully 1000.
| The people have not yet recovered from
| the effects of the catastrophe and are en-
tirely apathetic. paying no attention to
! business, but standing about the streets
| discussing in low tones the awful calamity
| that has befallen the city. Men and women
| living near the water front who providen-
| TALLY escaped from the wrecking of their
| homes can be seen in numbers standing
near the huge masses of debris that fill
| the streets waiting to recover the bodies
of those that are known to be under the
ruins.
The scenes everywhere in the vicinity
| of where the destruction was wrought by
| the exploding dynamite are sad In the ex-
IRENE, and whenever a body crushed and
| mangled beyond recognition is removed
| from the ruins a heart-rending wall goes
| up from the women, who fear that the
| shapeless mass of flesh may be all that re-
mains of one of their loved ones. There
! is no doubt that many Of the dead will
| never be. identified.
Senior Gamazo, who at once proceeded
from Madrid to Santander when the extent
| of the calamity became known, is doing
everything in his power to awaken the
authorities to the fact that they must
arouse themselves and set about repairing
the damage the city has sustained. As
soon as he arrived he summoned the town
officials and expressed to them the sympa-
thy of the government.
He also assured them of the sympathy
of the queen regent, who. he said, had wept
| upon hearing of the calamity that had be-
fallen the thriving city.
senior GamaxO in Charge.
When Senior Gamazo saw how helpless
the authorities were in the crisis con-
fronting them he in a great measure took
the administration of affairs into his own
hands. He telegraphed at once to Nalla-
dolid ordering that medical stores, nurses
and other helpers be at once sent to San
lander,
Subscriptions for the relief of the suf-
ferers were started and 5000 on behalf OF
the government, through Seror Gamazo
was secured
Many of the dead were buried yesterday.
Among the bodies inferred was the headless
and mutiated remains OF the Marquis de
Pomba. The visitors were attended by
large crowds of people. Many distressing
scenes were witnessed Many of the frag-
ments of bodies found In the vicinity of the
quay were buried in common grave. Divers
who were employed to recover the bodies
in the bay have been so appalled, at the
number of the dead and gruesome appear
ance of the corpses that they have refused
to continue their work and have prayed
the officials not to insist upon their carry
ing out their engagements. The authori-
ties granted their petition and now men in
boats with graphing irons are employed
In searching for the dead who were blown
into the bay. Some of the bodies upon cur
sorry examination show that death was
caused by drowning and not by the shock
of the explosion.
1t IS surmised that number Of persons
We're rendered partially unconscious by the
explosion and their bodies thrown far out
into the harbor. They, OF course, were
drowned for in the terrible confusion no
one thought of attempting to save the lives
of those thrown into the water. In fact
those near the scene were thrown into a
wild panic and had no thought Of saving
any one but themselves.
Loriga, a Spanish naval officer. states
that when the fire broke out on the Cabo
Machicaco he, with a number of other
naval officers, went alongside the steamer
to lend their aid in extinguishing the flames.
The commander of the port finding that II
was impossible TO fight the fire with the
means at hand. gave orders that the steam
er be towed from the quay and scuttled.
The fire spread so rapidly, however that 1t
was impossible to get towing lines fast.
Then the commander of the port ordered
that the steamer be sunk alongside the
quay. Cocks were opened allowing water
to flow into her. but the water entered
slowly. The vessel began to sink by the
head, but in the meantime the fire con-
tinued to spread aft, burning fiercely. The
captain Of the Alfonso MI. seeing that it
would take considerable time for the vessel
to sink, entered q launch with number
Of his men, carrying tools to cut through
the plates of the Cabo Machicaco for the
purpose of giving freer access to the water
At this time Senior Loriga left the quay
for a few minutes. He pushed his way
through the crowd that had gathered to
witness the novel spectacle of a steamer
on fire. and when the explosion occurred.
he says he remembers hearing terrific
roar. and then he fell. half stunned under
a cart. He does not doubt that the vehicle
saved his life. for as he fell a shower of
rails, bars, joists and other wreckage passed
through the air, where he had been stand
ing, moving down the spectators like grass
The Cabo Machicaco for an instant was
lifted clean out of the water The forward
part of her null warped about and curved
toward the stern. and, falling back into the
bay. she sank. The craft lying in her vi
cinity heeled over with immense holes
blown in her sides and as she righted quick
ly filled and sank.
Senior Loriga adds that when he regained
full possession of his senses he found the
dead and dying lying around him in every
direction. Buildings along the water front
had been wrecked and he looked he saw
number of them lettering to their fall
as the frightened inmates with terror pic
tured on their faces, sought to make their
escape.
In some cases they had almost reached
places Of safety when hundreds Of tons Of
stone and bricks came toppling upon them
and their cries Of fear We're suddenly hush
ed beneath the debris. The air was mo-
mentarily darkened with clouds of dust and
then long tongues of flame assembled from
the wrecked buildings and in a few min
utes the whole water front in the vicinity
of the scene of the explosion was a mass
Of fire.
A Scene Beyond Description.
The scene that followed passes descrip-
ton. The houses that were left standing
had every window smashed. Roofs many
of them tiles, had disappeared. and little
but walls of the houses were left standing.
Men, women and children. frantic with fear
ran aimlessly to and fro, crying. scream
ing and wringing their hands helplessly
The panic, terrible in its intensity lasted
for hours, and when the people realized the
full extent of the disaster that had befallen
them they were paralyZed. During the
night the ghouls that infest every CITY,
sneaked about the ruins, stripping the dead
and wounded of their clothing and valu-
ables. The thieves entered the dismantled
houses and seized and carried off furni-
ture and everything else that they could
realize money upon. There are few families
in the city that escaped without furnishing
one victim.