Fisherman & farmer. [volume] (Edenton, N.C.) 1887-19??, 1893-11-17
A FRIGHTFUL CALAMITY,
AN EXPLOSION THAT SCAT
TERED DEATH AND FIRE

A Dynamite-Laden Ship Blows Up a.
the Wharf in Santander, SPAN
Scores and Scores of People
| ish-About 165 Bodies RecoNe'e'
Many Houses Wrecked.
A terrible explosion occurred few ntgh'S
| ago at santander, Spain. The ship Caoo
| Machicaco. with a cargo of dynamite was
| living at a quay. In some way sue Cd 5 -
| fire. A large crowd soon gatheret, ana tu0
| police. who were unaware Of the dangerous
| character of the ships cargo, mace NO a.,
! tempt to drive them away. suddenly M
was terrific explosion that shook the clty
| to ito foundations. An official despatch says
| that the bodies of 165 persons have peeh e
covered The search was still IN prog.e+9o On
Many persons were then missing. Aoou' ~ IL
persons were under treatment LOT ihJu.rII
received The damage to property amoun'0u
10 several million dollars. e
The vessel was discharging 1000 tons OF
iron and many barrels of petroleum ana Doui
and several wine casks. The captain ia"
declared only twenty cases OF dynalnIit -.
otherwise he would not have been aIlo"ed ~
dock. ~
The fire started at o'clock a. m. in the
cooi hnnkers The customs officers and
police hastened to remove the twenty cases
of dynamite, which were soon landed al
safe distance from the vessel. A tug was
then chartered to tow the Cabo Machicd'o
seaward.
Meantime desperate efforts had been made
TO 0uench tho flames. The Captain and crew
of the steamer Alfonso MI boarded the burn
ing vessel to help fight the flames Ihey
worked for an hour and half without sue,
cess At the end of that time the fire reacheu
the petroleum.
Then came series of awful explosions as
the flames went from barrel 10 barrel OF Pc
troleum until they reached the J0ntraOana
dynamite The tug had just been moored
alongside the vessel and many townspeoPle
had gone aboard either TO satisfy their Gu
riosity or to help extfnguish the fire. linen
came the explosion of the dynamite.
All on board the Cabo Machicaco, ana
many along the deck were blown to atoms.
The tug vanished The quay, with its enor-
nous crowd of spectators, rose in the ar.
The people were scattered inevery direction
into the sea and up on the land.
Firebrands fell in showers over sea anu
land for a radius of mile and half. Inc
Cabo MachicacOs anchor was hurled SUI
yards, and fell on the balcony of house,
which it completely wrecked. 1t then sank
deep in the pavement below.
The shock was felt in every part OF the
CITY. Houses rocked TO their foundations,
and more than 100 were set on fire by falling
frebrands. The destruction in the harbor
was equally appalling.
The launch of the steamer Alfonso MI,
which was lying alongside, and which con-
tanned all of the crew not aboard the CabO
NIichicaco vanished with the others. The
survivors ashore fed shrieking, leaving the
promenade adjoining the quay strewn with
dead and dying and mangled remnants OF
human bodies. Wherever the terrified fugl-
tives turned they met only frightful destruc-
ton.
Horror was added to horror in the wrecked
I,,r hI1i1 frND WI
piteous cries for help. Many of the fugItlves
were thrown down and trampled upon. Num-
bers are said to have lost their reason. The
people were too panic stricken to think of
anything but saving their own or relatives
lives, and ignored their burning property.
When night fell the sky luridly reflected
the fires burning f1ercely in various parts of
the city. Mendez Nunez street, running par
allel with the quay, was ablaze frOmob Is
end. In the binding light and heat t2e-
bands of rescuers worked to extricate tlfe
dead and wounded.
On every side were scenes of indescribable
confusion and overwhelming grief. The fire
burned unchecked throughout the night.
Block after block sank in ruins. Every street
near the water front was filled with the noise
of crashing buildings.
The people were terror stricken. Thou
sands abandoned their homes and fed to the
fields or outlying villages. Others remained
to search frsnticaIly among the heaps Of
ruins and half-burned bodies for their lost
friends or relatives. Children whose pa
rents were dead wandered weeping through
the streets, calling for help.
Santander Is a fine port in Spain, on the
Bay of Biscay. It contains 80 900 inhabi-
tants, and has unusually fine public build
ings for place of its size. 1t is busy and
thriving town, aud has derived much of its
Importance from its trade with the West In
dies and South America.