Evening star., 1893-11-07
sANTANDER's GREAT CALAMITY.
Dynamite That Wrecked the Town
Was Smuggled Into Port.


The vessel that was blown up at Santan-
der Spain. as described in the dispatches to
The Star at the time, was the Cabo Machi-
caco. She was discharging 1000 tons of
iron and many barrels of petroleum and
flour and several wine casks. The captain
had declared only twenty cases of dyna-
mite, otherwise he would not have been al
lowed to dock
The fire started at 3 o'clock on Friday af-
ternoon in the coal bunkers. The customs
officers and police FASTENED to remove the
twenty cases of dynamite, which were soon
landed at a safe distance from the vessel
A tug was then chartered to tow the Cabo
Machicaco seaward.
Meantime desperate efforts had been made
to quench the flames. The captain and
crew of the steamer Alfonso XII boarded
the burning vessel to help fight the flames.
They worked for an hour and half with
out success. At the end of that time the
fire reached the petroleum.
Then came a series of awful explosions
as the flames went from barrel to barrel
band dynamite The tug had just been
moored alongside the vessel and many
townspeople had gone aboard either to sat
1sfy their curiosity or to help extinguish
dynamite
All on board the Cabo Machicaco. and
many along the dock were blown to atoms
The tug vanished. The quay with its enor-
nous crowd of spectators rose in the air
Tne people were scattered in every direc-
tion. into the sea and upon the land.
Firebrands fell in showers over sea and
land for radius of a mile and half. The
Cabo Maehicaco's anchor was hurled 800
yards, and fell n the balcony of a house.
Geep %esh IN t the soap wSsSked 1t then sank
The shock was felt in every part of the
city Houses rocked to their foundations
and more than 100 were set on fire by fall
ing firebrands. The destruction in the har-
Dor was equally appalling
The launch of the steamer Alfonso XII
which was lying alongside. and which con-
tained all CT the crew not aboard the Cabo
Maehicaco. 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 fugf-
tives turned they met only frightful de-
struction.
Fugitives Trampled to Death.
Horror was added to horror In the wreck
ed and burning buildings. from which came
piteous cries fer help. Many of the fugi-
tives were thrown down and trampled upon
Numbers are said to have lost their reason
Ihe people were too panic stricken to think
or anything but saving their own or rela-
tives' lives, and ignored their burning prop
erty.
When at last a few persons with some
presence of mind collected, it was at once
resolved to telegraph an appeal for help
TO the government and to the municipal
authorities Of other cities. Every available
surgeon was summoned to the scene, and
such supplies of medicine. stimulants. ban
dages. &C.. as could be hurriedly collected
were distributed where they would do most
good
When night fell the sky luridly reflected
the fires burning fercely in various parts
or the city. Mendez Nunez street, running
parallel with the quay. was ablaze from end
to end In the binding light and heat the
bands of rescuers worked to extzcate the
dead and wounded.
On every side were scenes of indescribable
confusion and overwhelming grief. The
fire burned VI checked throughout the night
Block after block sank in ruins. Eve y
street near the water front was filled with
the noise of crashing buildings.
The people were terror stricken. Thou
sands abandoned their homes and fled to
the fields or outlying villages. Others re-
mained to search frantically among the
heaps OF ruins and half burned bodies for
their lost friends relatives Children
whose parents were dead wandered weep
Ing through the streets. calling for help.
During Saturday morning as many of
them as possible were collected at the town
hall, and were fed and clothed In the af-
ternoon many injured persons. insane from
terror or pain, were found crouching in
alleyways and outhouSeS far from the scene
OF the fire.
A City of Mourning.
Santander today has been like city OF
the dead and dying. All shops have re-
mained closed. The streets have been de-
serted. except by few mourners still look
ing for their dead in the ruins. Most of
the houses left standing are as empty as
II plague-stricken.
The occupants who fed on the night of
the fire have been afraid to return to the
scene Of the horrors which they then wit
messed.
Many remarkable escapes have been re-
ported. One man in the crowd on the quay
was thrown high in the air, came down
upon load of vegetables and was able to
scramble TO his feet and run away.
Another man in the crowd was hurled
INTO the sea. grasped piece of floating
timber. and swan back to land at some
distance from the spot where the explosion
occurred He was too weak to climb the
sea wall and remained benumbed and half
unconscious in the water for five hours be-
fore he was rescued.
The sea was tossed as If by an earth
quake. Tremendous waves broke up over
the water front, and large vessels were
tossed like shells against the docks
The contrabani dynamite was concealed
beneath lot Of iron and rawhides in the
hold Of the Cabo Macbicaco, adjoining the
bunker where the fire started
Queen Regent Christina has written to
Premier Sagasta: Il am in CONSERVATION
since receiving the unfortunate news from
Santander- Give me all details of the catas-
trophe, and tell me what you require to al
ieVlate the misfortune as far as possible"
To the mayor of Santander she tele-
graphed; Il am deeply afflicted by the
terrible catastrophe that has overthrown
your city. / participate in the grief of ALL
and desire all the news obtainable."
Digging for Bodies.
Fernandez Sanz. captain of the steam
ship Cabo Machicaeo. which was blown up
at Santander, arrived at San Sebastian yes
terday- He says that the explosion sent
the steamers engines fifty yards into the
air. Sixty-five houses were wrecked from
roof to cellar by the shock The divers
have been busy since Sunday noon exarnin-
ing the harbor's bottom near the quay
where the explosion occurred. They have
found piles Of mangled bodies among the
ruins OF the sunken vessels. In one pile
the remnants Of fifteen bodies were found; /;
IN another, the severed limbs and trunks
of twenty-five more. The work of collecting
the bodies proceeds slowly, Capt Sanz saws
because the bodies under water can be ex-
tricated only with the greatest difficulty
from the wreckage in which they have been
wedged and half buried.
The military are clearing away the ruins
on land. The suffering among the people
or Santander Is extreme The shops did
not begin opening until yesterday after
ROOM The bakers have made no bread and
the markets are empty. The minister of
hnance Is experimenting the work of re-
lief.