The Big Stone Gap post. [volume] (Big Stone Gap, Wise County, Va.) 1892-1928, 1893-11-09
THE EXPLOSION.
Further Particulars Of the Disas-
tor at Santander.
at Least Five hundred Lives Wore Lost
Hundred. In Santen1er Driven Insane
by the Dynamite Explosioa-Loss
TWO Millions and a Half.

MADRID, Nov. 6.-An eyewitness Of
the terrible disaster at Santander SAYS
that the dynamite on board the Cnbo
Machichaco was concealed under the
| iron which formed a portion OF her
cargo The fire, the eyewitness says,
is believed to have originated in
some packages of skins which were
crammcd into the steamers bunk
crs When the fire broke out tho
captain Of the transatlantic steamer
Alfonso XII. ordered his steam
launch TO he lowered and manned Uy
nearly eli his officers and crew, whom
he sent to he assistance OF the burning
steamer. The steam launch, With the
crew Of tt, Alfonso MI. On board, ar
rived alon side the 'Cnbo Mcchic:.aco
just a mo,Gcnt before the latter vessel
blew up, and consequently they wcro
blown to atoms with the GREY OF tho
dynamite steamer. Continuing, lie
says:
The explosion Vas like an earth
quake. A tnower OF burning fragments
fell upon chc houses which we're al
ready toto ing, crushing in the roofs,
while hcRvv pieces of iron were hurled
through IT, "nlis 81 houScs with all
the violence Of cannon shots Houses
were Immediately igritel hs- the
blazing tnaers which fell upon
them. and the people WHO wcrc not
killed rushed in terror into The streets.
where Il number OF them met dcath or
were scvc, ely crushed or wounded By
falling ho"ses Others ran il terror
from the scene, and hundreds vent
mad with fear, and. abandoning tao
city, ran into the fields. S!lrcil:i!s hy:,-
tcr;caily a1i tearing tho;c h,il' With
fury Mary Thought the end of tho
world had oaic. 4 number Of the most
ircr=icd p oric rar from SantanGcr
into The II yHrornE villages. spread
ing, III inc ,!lrrc1t vcr;s, the news of
tic disnstt :, refusing to return to tho
Inflated city. even when assured that
all danger vas over. Others. after re-
covering irom ;he shock, FASTENED to
the scene ri tie disaster in order to
search Tor .hc missing relatives whom
they hell, we'd to have met death
through til, explosion. Upon arriving
st the see lc OF wreck and carnage,
they found the place covered with dead
and wounded many OF the victims being
so horribly burned and ;nutilat"d that
their reccg ltion bj' rela tives was ut
terly impcA sic. The ground near tho
quay and promenade was strewn with
mutilated bodies, heads and severed
limbs Will. ali around were houses III
roaring fa,lcs, the air being thick with
smoke and pieces Of burning material.
The bodies of men, women and chill
drcn of al classes were found in horri-
BILE medley, blacAcned, burned and
torn in the most hcnrtrending manner.
"There were many mira u'ou. escapes
from death; for Instance, a men was
thrown great distance By the cxplo-
sion, and yet he was only slightly in
iurcd BY TIC shock sustained through
the fall Another lncn was thrown into
the sea By tie force Of the explosion,
and though the disaster occurred at
about f:30 >. IN. this man "'as rescued
from the wAtS: at 10 O'Clock the *arlo
night, bennmbed and stupctied but
alive. On Saturday morning following
the awful night Of fire and death
number OF PEOPLE who had becnshoc!lcd
into n stnre of imbecility Or madness
were found hiding beneath the ruins.
Crowds OF orphans Saturday gath
cred at the town nail bewai!ing their
lost mothers or fathers, and asking for
assistance in the search they had been
making among the ruins for the bodies
OF their lovad ores. For q long tino
to come the city OF Santandcr will need
assistance rom other cities in orsier 10
succor the homelcss ard wounded, 20
bury the dc I'd and TO repair as far as
possible the damage done by the awful
dynamite >.oarcl.
The pecnaiary loss 10y the fire at San
tan;lcr is estimated at -, 500, COO. Ac-
cording to Otiiciui kilograms the latest
accounting shows chat 800 persons were
killed an.: - wounicd.
The hurl in% debris set fire to the
railway station 1T *olaccs, thirteen
miles distant from Santandcr.