St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-11-06
Graphic Description Of the
Disaster at Santander.
c0NTRABAND GIANT POWDER
Causes One Of the Greatest
Catastrophes in Years.
HUMAN LIVES sNUfFED OUT
And Buildings Burned With
Appalling Rapidity.
HUNDRED SMALL CRAFT SUNK.

HUNDRED SMALL CRAFT SUNK
copyright, 1893, by the Associated Press
MADRID. Nov. 5.-The terrible dis
aster which has wrecked the port of
Santander and destroyed hundreds of
lives has sent thrill of horror through
out Spain. Telegraphic communication
with the death and fire-stricken locality
has not yet been reopened. The par
ticulars concerning the horrible calam-
ity reach here in driblets, and by a
roundabout way, such as dispatches
from outlying towns. The Associated
Press, however, is enabled to furnish
what is regarded in this capital as
known. Every piece of news which
reaches Madrid not only confirms the
most sensational reports, but pictures
the disaster in more vivid colors than
hitherto portrayed. The story of this
great disaster in brief. as gathered for
the Associated Press, is as fol-
lows: The Cabo Machichaco,
Spanish steamship belonging to
Bilbao, caught fire at about O'Clock
Friday afternoon while the steamer was
alongside the quay discharging part OF
her cargo, which comprised nearly 1000
tons OF merchandise, though the main
part of this cargo was iron ore and a
number of sacks of flour, barrels of
wine, many cases of petroleum and over
500 CASES OF DYNAMITE,
of which only twenty cases were de-
clared on the steamers manifest. The
remaining $50 cases of dynamite were
contraband, and, to the shame of the
shippers Of this contraband dynamite,
it has caused immense loss of life and
vast damage to property. The fire was
first discovered In the coal bunkerS, and
is said to have been due either to spon-
taneous combustion or to some careless
ness upon the part of the engineers or
firemen. In any case, flames broke out
from the bunkers at about the hour
mentioned, and soon ragged so fercely
as to be beyond the control of
the ships crew, though the latter
promptly took steps to smother
the fire. Finally, seeing that the fire
was spreading in the bunkers, and that
the smoke was driving the crew from
below, the local authorities were noti-
fed, the fire department and detach
ment of civic guards being sent to the
scene. Leading municipal authorities
headed the firemen and guards in the
effort made to save the steamer. The
provincial governor, who was one of the
first to reach the spot, displayed the
greatest activity in directing the opera
tons. and upon learning that the ships
manifest showed that there were twenty
cases Of dynamite on board. the firemen
were directed to assist the crew in
bringing this quantity of explosive ma
terial ashore. This was done in safety.
1t was believed that no more dynamite
remained on board, and tug which had
been hastily summoned to the spot was
ordered to tow the burning vessel out
into the bay in order that the flames
might not communicate to the wharf
and TO adjoining property, which was
Of
DECIDEDLY COMBUSTIBLE
nature, many of the buildings consist
sparks might set on fire. In the mean
time. thousands of people had crowded
down to the quay and thronged the
promenadeS contiguous to it, attracted
by the fire on board the steamer, for the
blaze from the bunkers soon acted as
beacon, which guided large numbers of
the inhabitants towards the waters
edge, anxious to see this novel sight.
1t was soon spread through the town
that the civic guard and tiremen were
engaged in struggle on the quay with
conflagration which threatened to de-
stroy large steamship. The fire from
the ships bunkers spread quickly, and
ignited the petroleum which formed
part of the cargo, which the authorities
had for some reason CT other failed to
remove when the twenty cases of dyna-
mite were taken ashore. At about
4:30 p. m. defamation On board
showed, as it afterwards turned
out, that the boilers had burst,
and soon after there was another terri
BILE defamation heard. The steamer
seemed to open in half, sending blaze
of fire skyward over which a crown of
smoke rested for several minutes. A
report of such awful intensity was
heard that it shook the earth for miles
around, caused houses to totter, smashed
every window within the radius of a
shot, filed the air with mass of flying
iron, burning wood, blackened timbers
and scorched beams, which soon after
fell
DEATH-DEALING HAIL
upon the neighboring houses, scatter
ing death and destruction wherever it
crushed downward. The scene follow
ing the blowing up of the steamer is
almost indescribable, and the effect of
the explosion of these 4s0 cases of dyna-
mite will hardly be believed. The
powerful explosive shot tons of iron
into the air, where it mingled with the
burning fragments of the steamship,
tug aud wooden quay, as we'll as
with the mangled bodies of hun
dreds of the unfortunate people who
were hurled upward at the same timet
and the falling of this horrible mass can
be better imagined than described.
Over the adjoining buildings, tottering
with wreckage, fell shower of iron,
followed by huge pieces of wood and
the remains of human bodies, and above
all dropped flaming splinters, which set
fire to hundreds Of buildings. causing a
scene of panic similar, one would i'm
| agine, to the one which would have sue
| ceeded the bursting forth of a volcano
at the waters edge. The force of the
exploding dynamite caused such con-
cussion that in addition TO shaking
hundreds of buildings off their founda-