Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1893-11-09
CONTRABAND DYNAMITE.
1t Causes Terrible Calamity at q
Spanish Port.
Attempt of Citizens to Save a Burning Ves-
sci Attended with Great Loss OF
Life-Hundreds Blown
tc Eternity.
Awful EXPLOSION.

MADRID, Nov. 6.-The terrible dis
aster which has wrecked the port of
Santander and destroyed hundreds of
lives has sent thrill of horror through
out Spain. The story of this great dis
aster in brief is as follows:
The Cabo Machichaco, a Spanish
steamship belonging to Bilbao, caught
fire about o'clock Friday afternoon
while the steamer was alongside the
quay discharging part OF her cargo,
which comprised nearly 1900 tons of
| merchandise. Though the main part
| of this cargo was iron ore, there were
| a number of sacks of -four, barrels of
| wine, many cases of petroleum and
| over 500 cases of dynamite, of which
| only twenty cases were declared on the
steamers list. The remaining $50 cases
of dynamite were contraband, land, to
| the shame of the shippers of this con-
traband dynamite, it has caused i'm
| mense loss of life and vast damage to
property.
| The fire was first discovered in the
| coal bunlzers, and is said to have been
| due either to spontaneous combustion
| or to some carelessness 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 con-
| troll of the ships crew, though the lat
| ter promptly took steps to smother the
| fire. Finally, seeing the fire was spread
| ing in the bunkers. and that the smoke
| was driving the crew from below, the
| local authorities were notified and the
| fire department and detachment of
| the civic guards being sent to the scene.
| Leading municipal authorities headed
| the fremen and guards in the effort
made to save the steamer The pro-
vincial governor, who was one of the.
first to reach the spot, displayed the
greatest activity in directing the oper-
ations, and upon learning that the
ships manifest showed that there were
| twenty cases of dynamite on board, the
fremen were directed to assist the
crew in bringing this quantity of ex-
plosive material ashore. This was done
| in safety and it was believed no
more dynamite remained on board, and
a tug which had been hastily sum-
moned to the spot was ordered to tow
| the burning vessel out into the bay in
order that the flames might not COM
| municate to the wharf and to djoin-
| ing property, which was of a decidedly
| conbustible nature, many of the build
| ings consisting of ric1ety old houses
which few sparks might set on ire.
| At about 4:30 p. m. a detonation on
| board showed, as it afterward turned
out, that the boilers had burst, and
soon after there was another terrible
detonation heard. The steamer seemed
| to open in half, sending a blaze of fire
| skyward over which crown of smoke
rested for several minutes. Then re-
port of such awful intensity was heard
that it shook the earth for miles
around, caused houses to totter,
smashed every window pane within
| the radius of a rife 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, scattering death and destruc-
ton wherever it crushed downward.
The scene that followed the blowing
up of the steamer is almost indescriba-
BILE, and the effect of the explosion of
the forty-eight cases of dynamite will
hardly be believed. The power of the
explosion shot tons of iron into the air,
where it mingled with the burning
fragments of the steamship, tug and
wooden quay as well as with the
mangled bodies of hundreds of the un-
fortunate people who were hurled up
ward at the same time, and the falling
of this horrible mass can be better i'm
agined than described.
The effect of the explosion upon the
inhab abitants of Santander was bewilder-
ing in its intensity. For some time
after the disaster the people were pos
itively stunned with dismay and hor-
ror, and then followed panic, during
. which hundred people are reported
to have gone stark mad. while the vast
ma ajority was so paralyzed with fear
and the shock that they were incapa bic
of moving to the assistance of the dy-
ing, or of making any effort to extin-
. guish the flames which sprang up from
a mass of buildings, and which began
to spread with the most threatening
rapidity.
The quay and promenade close to the
scene of the explosion presented the
, most siclzening sight ever witnessed.
Mangled and blackened corpses were
scattered here and there, or were in
heaps in many cases upon the wounded
and dying, whose fearful shrieks OF
agony filed the air and struck terror
into the hearts OF those who. after a
time, summoned sufficient courage to
venture near the carn2ese ground.
Over 100 people are said to have been
precipitated into the sea by the ex-
plosion. and there. beneath this hail OF
iron and wood, they met death with
the crews CT the unfortunate steamer
and tugboat which was about to tow
: her into the bay. Upon board the tug
{ We're many citizens who were helping
in the rescue. All OF them have disap-
peared forever.
No correct estimate can yet be made
: OF theloss of life, some officials claim
, ing that thousands were lost. while
others hold the loss of life will not be
over 500 and may be lower.
Sensational suicide.
.