The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1893-11-06
SANTANDER'S Woe.
The Terrible Visitation to q
Prosperous Spanish City.
HUNDREDS WERE KILLED.
Fearful Explosion Of Dynamite,
Followed by Many Fires.
DIRECT .oR1M1NALIrY CHARGED.

The Explosive Was Illegally on Board
Vessel Discharging Her Cargo, but Not
One of the Crew Escaped - Mangled
Bodies and Burning Timbers Sent Fly
ing Through the Air-Many Inhabitants
Driven Insane Through Terror.
MADRID, Nov. 6-The terrible disaster
which has wrecked the port of Santander
and destroyed hundreds of lives has sent q
thrill of horror throughout Spain.
Telegraphic communication with the
stricken locality has not been resumed.
The particulars concerning the terrible
calamity reach here in a round about way,
such as dispatches from outlying towns
The Associated Press, however, Is en-
abled to furnish what is regarded In the
capital as complete story of the disaster
20 Far as known. Every piece of news
which reaches Madrid not only confirms
the most sensational reports received, but
pictures the disaster in more vivid colors
than hitherto portrayed.
The story of this great disaster, in brief,
Is as follows:
The Cabo Machichaco,a a Spanish steamer
belonging to Bilbao, caught fire while the
steamer was at the quay side discharging
part of her cargo, which comprised 1000
tons of merchandise, though the main
part of the cargo was iron ore and num-
beT of sacks of -four, barrels of twine,
many cases of petroleum and over 800
cases of dynamite, of which only twenty
eases were declared on the steamers man
ifest The remaining 4s0 cases Of dynamite
were contraband.
Discovery of the Fire.
The fire was first discovered in the coal
bunkers, and is said TO have been due
either to spontaneous combustion or to
csrelessness ON the part of the engineers.
In any ease flames broke out from the
bunkers, and soon ragged SO iercely 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 rising, the local authori
tics were notified, the fire department and
n detachment of the civic guard being
sent to the scene.
The provincial governor, who was one
of the first to reach the spot, displayed the
greatest activity in directing the opera
tions, and upon learning that the ships
manifest showed that there was dyna-
mite on board the firemen were directed to
assist the crew in bringing this explosive
matter ashore. This was done i'll safety,
Il being believed that no more dynamite
was on board, and tug which had been
hastily summoned to the spot was Or
dfred to tow the burning vessel out into
the bay. In the meantime crowds Of peo-
pie had gathered.
The fire from the ships bunkers spread
quickly and lgnited the petroleum which
formed part of the cargo, and which the
authorities had for some reason failed to
move when the twenty cases of dynamite
was taken ashore.
Terrific Explosion.
About 4:30 p IN. IA detonation on board
the steamer showed, as it afterwards
turned out, that the boilers had burst, and
soon after there was another terrible de
tonation heard The steamer seemed to
open in half, sending blaze of fire sky.
ward over which II crown of smoke rested
for several minutes. A report of such in
tsnsity was heard that it shook the earth
for miles around, caused houses to totter
smashed every window within a radius OF
rifle shot, filed the air with an immense
mass of flying iron, burning wood, black
ened timhcrs md scorched beams, which
SOON after fell upon the ghborinl
houses, scattering death and destruction
wherever they crushed downward.
The scene following the blowing up Of
the steamer is almost indescribable, and
the effect of the explosion of 4SO cases oi
dynamite will hardly be believed Th,
power of the explosion shot tons of iror
Into the air, where it mingled with tn,
burning fragments of the steamer, tuI
and wooden quay, as we'll as with til,
mangled bodies of hundreds of unfor
tunate people who were hurled upward Al
the same time and the falling of this hor
rible mass can be better imagined thar
described.
Over the adjoining buildings, totterine
with wreckage, fell shower of iron, fol
lowed by huge pieces of wood and the re
mains of human bodies, and above al
dropped flaming splinters, which set fire
10 hundreds of buildings, causing "A seen,
Of panic similar, one would imagine, tt
cne which would have succeeded the burst
Ing forth of volcano at the waters edge
The force of the exploding dynamit,
caused such a conclusion that In addition
TO shaking hundreds OF buildings off thci
foundations it sank n hundred small Graf
In the harbor, in addition to setting fire Il
large number of other vessels, including
the Alfonso XII, which vessel caught fir
so suddenly and burned so ilercely tha
forty OF her crew lost their lives on boart
Of her
Driven Insane by Fright.
Nothing is yet reported of her concern
ting the damage done to foreign shipping
but the loss Is said to be very great.
The effect of the explosion upon the in
habitants of Santander was bewilderins
In the intensity, For some time after thu
disaster the people were stunned with dis
may, and then followed a panic, during
which hundred people are reported t,
have gone stark mad, while the vast ma
tority were so paralyzed with fear ant
nhock that they were incapable of moving
to the assistance of the dying or making
any effort to extinguish the flames whicl
sprang up from a mass of buildings, AM
which began to spread with Lhe mos
threatening rspidity.
The quay and promenade close to tn
scene of the explosion was one Of the mos
Bickening sights ever witnessed. Mangle
and blackened corpses were scattered her
and there, or were in heaps, in many cases
eSon the wounded and dying, whose feai
full shrieks of agony filled the air an
struck terror into the hearts of those VIII
htter time summoned sufficient courag
10 venture near the carnage ground.
Over hundred people are said to hav,
been precipitnted into the sea by the ex
plosien and there beneath this hail o
blood, wood and iron they met death will
the crews of the unfortunate steamer AM
the tugboat which was about to tow he
into the bay On board the tugboat wer
many citizens of Santander, who wer
taking part In the work of the rescue. Al
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