The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-11-06

with a conhegration which threatened to
destroy large steamship.
The fire from the ships bunkers spread
quickly and ignited the petroleum, which
formed part of the cargo and which the
authorities had, for some reason or other,
failed to remove when the twenty cases
OF dynamite were taken ashore.
TWO EXPLOSIONS.
At about 4:30 p. m. a detonation on
board the steamer showed, as it turned
out, that the boilers had burst, and soon
after another terrible detonation was
heard. The steamer seemed to open in
half, sending blaze of fire skyward, over
which crown of smoke rested for several
minutes, a report of such awful intensity
was heard that it shook the earth for
miles around, causing houses to totter,
smashed every window within the radius
OF rifle shot, and filed the air with an
immense mass of flying iron, burning
wood, blackened timbers and scorched
beams, which soon after fell death-deal-
ing hail upon the neighboring houses,
scattering death and destruction wher
ever it crushed downward.
THE SCENE INDEsCRIBABLE.
The scene is almost indescribable, and
the effect of the explosion of these 4S0
cases of dynamite will hardly be believed.
The power of the explosion shot tons of
iron IN the air, where it mingled with the
burning fragments of the steamship tug
and wooden quay, as well as with the
mangled bodies of hundreds of the unfOr-
tunate people who wereihurled upward at
the same time, and the falling of this horri-
BILE mass can better be imagined than de-
Scrlbed Over the adjoining buildings,
tOttering with wreckage, fell a shower of
iron, followed by huge pieces of wood and
the remains of human bodies, and above
all dropping flaming splinters, which set
fire to hundreds of buildings, causing a
scene of panic similar, one would imagine,
to the one which would have succeeded
the bursting forth of a volcano at the
waters edge.
A HUNDRED SMALL CRAFT SUNK.
The force of the exploding dynamite
caused such a concussion that, in addition
to shaking hundreds of buildings off their
foundations, it actually sank a hundred
small crafts in the harbor, in addition to
setting fire to a large number Of other
vessels and starting confaErations upon
several of the larger ships, including the
Alfonso XII, which vessel as already
cabled to the Associated Press, caught
fire so suddenly and burned so fiercelv
that forty of her crew lost their lives on
board of her.
Nothing is reported here yet respecting
the damage done to foreign shipping but
the loss is said to be very great.
STUNNED WITH HORROR.
The effect of the explosion upon the in
habitants of Santander was bewildering
in its intensity For some time after the
disaster people were positively stunned
with dismay and horror, and then fol-
lowed the panic, during which a hundred
people are reported to have gone stark
mad, while the vast majority was so par
alyzed with fear and shock that they
were incapable of moving to the assist
ance of the dying or making any efforts to
eXtinguish the flames, which sprang up
from the mass of buildings, and which
began to spread with the most threaten
ing rapidity .-.-.--
CORPsEs PILED IN HEAPS.
The quay and promenade close to the
scene of the explosion presented one OF
the most sickening sights ever beheld.
Mangled corpses were scattered here and
there, others piled up in heaps, and others
wounded and dying, whose fearful
shrieks of agony filed the air and struck
terror into the hearts of those who, after
a time, summoned sufficient courage to
venture near the carnage ground.
Over a hundred people are said to have
been precipitated into the sea by the ex-
plosiOn, and there beneath the hail of
bIOOu, WOOu anu lIOu bDt-y uGb uedJn W1Ln
the crew of the vessel. On board the tug
boat were many citizens of Santander,
who were taking part in the work of res
cue. All Of them have disappeared for
ever.
A TRAIN WRECKED.
A train from the province, which was just
arriving at the railroad station when the
Babo Machichaco blew up, experience
the fury of the explosion, was wrecked
and set fire to, and the majority of it's
passengers were burned to death before
any assistance could be furnished them.
Soon after the explosion whole blocks
upon Mendez Nunez street, parallel with
the quay, We're blazing and other portions
of the city were in flames. No one
dared or cared to make an attempt TO
stay the spread of the confagration, and
those who preserved enough presence of
mind to do so, ran wildly about the town,
crying in Mortified accents the news of
the disaster to those who had rushed
from their houses into the streets in
alarm, fancying that the end of the
world had come.
APPEALS FOR AID.
In the midst of this scene Of horrible
panic, when men and women tore their
hair and cursed or prayed a few brave
men retained presence of mind enough to
to jump on horseback and ride to the
nearest railroad stations, where they
caused kilograms to be sent to the gov
ernment and to the authorities of other
cities, imploring succor for the wounded
and asking that fire engines be promptly
dispatched to the scene. as a failure to do
so Immediately would result in
the utter destruction of Santander
The cities of Valladolid, Burgess, Bilbao,
and Barcelona were quickly aroused by
the appeals for assistance, and took all
possible steps to aid the stricken city.
Fire engines, physicians, medicine and
food were soon sent from the cities men
toned, and nothing was left undone to re
lieve the distress. Large forces of troops
were also dispatched to Santander, the
soldiers rendering most valuable assis-
tance in the work of salvage and res
cue
THE LOSS BEYOND PRESENT CALCULATION.
The loss sustained by property owners
and by poor people who have lost their all
through the explosion and fire, is i'm
mense.
The loss of life is not yet determined,
but some hundreds of dead bodies have
already been identified, while others will
never be identified from the mass of
blackened trunks, heads, and limbs,
which have been gathered together in
heaps around the fatal spot. Many Of
in addition, are unknown,
and there seems to be no way of telling
how many met their death in the water.
The shower Of iron from the dynamite
laden steamer thrown into the air by the