Omaha daily bee., 1893-11-06

ready C1Dte0 10 the Associated press, Caught
fire and burned so hercely that forty OF her
crew lost their lives on board OF her.
Nothing is as yet reported here concerning
the amage done to foreign shipping, but
the loss is said to be very great.
CITIZENS Terribly Confused.
Tho effect Of The explosion upon the In
habitants OF Santander, was bewildering
in its intensity. For some time after the
disaster the people we're positively stunned
with dismay and horror and then followed
n panic, during which 100 people are re-
ported TO have gone stark mad, while the ,
majority were so paralyzed with fear ana
shock that they were incapable of moving TO
the assistance OF the dying or OF making any
effort to extinguish the flames which sprapg
UP from n mass of buildings, ana 'vnlcn
began TO spread with the most threatening
rapidity.
The quay and promenade close to the
scene OF the explosion presented the most
sickening sight ever witnessed. Mangled
and blackcned corpses were scattered here
and there, or were in heaps in many cases
upon the wounded and dying, whose fearful
skrieks of agony filed the air and struck
terror into the hearts of those who, after
a time, summoned sufficient courage TO
venture near the carnage ground.
Met Death with the Crews.
Over 100 people are said to have been
precipitated into the sea by the explosion
and there. beneath the hail of iron and
wood, they met death with the crews of the
unfortunate steamer and the tug boat which
was about to tow her into the bay.
Upon board the tug were many citizens
who were helping in the work of rescue.
All of them have disappeared forever.
A train from the province, which was Just
arriving at the railroad station when the
steamer Cabo Michicaco blew up, felt the
force of the explosion, was wrecked and SET
fire to and the majority OF its passengers
were burned to death.
Soon after the explosion whole blocks
upon Mendoz Numez street were blazing and
other portions of the city were in flames.
No one dared or cared to make any attempt
to stay the spread Of the conflagration and
those who preserved presence OF nina
enough to do so ran wildly about the town,
crying in Mortified accents the news OF the
disaster to those who had rushed from their
houses in alarm, fancying the end OF the
world had come.
Saved Nv n Few Brave Men.
In the midst OF this scene, when mon and
women tore their hair and cursed and
pray ed, q few brave men retained enough
presence of min. to Jump on horseback and
ride to the nearest railway stations, where
they caused kilograms to be sent to the
authorities In other cities, imploring succor
for the wounded and asking that fire engines
be promptly dispatched to the scene, as a
failure to do so Immediately would result in
the utter destruction of SAINT Andre.
The cities of Valladolid, Burgess, Bilbao
and Barcelona were quickly aroused by the
HppculS IOT uSSlSbluCb anu lmHleuluJcly JOOh
steps to do everything possible to assist the
stricken city. Fire engines, physicians,
medicine and food were sent from the cities
mentioned and nothing was left undone to
relieve the distress. Large forces of troops
were also dispatched TO SAINT Andre, the
soldiers rendering most valuable assistance
in the work of salvage and rescue.
Blackened Trunks and Limbs.
The loss sustained by property owners and
by Door people who had lost their all
through the explosion and fire Is immense.
The loss of life is not yet determined, but
several hundred dead bodies have been iden-
titled, while others will never be recognized
from the mass of blackened trunks, heads
and limbs which have been gathered to-
gether in heaps around the fatal spot. Many
OF the victims in addition are unknown, and
there seems to be no way of telling how
many met their death in the water.
The shower of iron from the dynamite
laden steamer thrown into the air by the
explosion fell upon nearly all parts Of the
town, and injured buildings at a remarkable
distance from the place where the steamer
exploded. Some idea of the force of the ex-
ploslon can be formed from the fact that a
man was killed by a piece of iron falling
from the explosion at Pena
Casio, two kilometers distant from where
the steamer blew up.
Another remarkable effect of the explosion
is that the steamers anchor was blown up
in the air by the force of the dynamite,
causing the anchor to fall in a street SOC
yards away from where the explosion oc-
CURED. In falling the anchor smashed q
stone balcony into pieces AND sank deep into
the stone pavement below.
Many Details Not Obtainable.
Many details of the explosion and fire a,
SAINT Andre are still lacking, owing to the
fact that telegraphic communication with
that point has not been renewed and that
none of the local newspapers have been able
to appear since the disaster. Even private
lattarC nNyinU IN fha tNanir yyhinh v,rayo lie
have not reached this city from SAINT Andre
and but few private kilograms have beer
transmitted.
SAINT Andre was lately among the mos
prosperous towns in Spain, but the disaster
which has overtaken it will take many year.
to repair.
The whole country is indignant at the
criminal conduct of the crew of the steamer
as well as The criminality of those whC
shipped the contra brand dynamite, and The
general opinion is that the government mus
take Immediate steps to punish the people
=. who shipped the dynamite, as the death o
steamer is but poor compensation to tn,
hundreds of victims and the destruction
caused by their criminality.
The explosion of the dynamite lifted tn,
sea up into the air like a waterspout, ming
ling enormous quantities of mud and stones
with the wreckage and hurting them for
great distance on every side.
Story of an Eyewitness.
An eyewitness of the terrible disaste
says the dynamite was concealed under tn
iron which formed n portion of the ship
cargo. The fire, the eyewitness referred /
says. Is believed to have originated in som
packages of skins, which were crammcd int
the bunkers. When the fire brok
out, according to the story told by this per
SON. the captain of the transatlantic
steamer, Alfonso XII, ordered his stear
launch TO DO lowered and manned by nearl
all his officers and crew, whom he sent I
the assistance of the burning steamer. Tn
steam launch arrived alongside the Cab
Michicaco Just n moment before the latte
vessel blew up, and consequently It wa
blown TO atoms with the crew of the d.yna
mite steamer. Continuing, he says:
Very Like an Earthquake.
"The explosion was like m earthquake
A shower OF burning fragments fell upon tn
houses, which were already tottering, crush
Ing In the roofs, while heavy pieces of iro
were hurried through the walls of house
with all the violence of cannon shots.
"Houses were Immediately ignited by tn
blazing timbers, and the people who wer
not killed r,;shed IN terror into the street.
where u unibe of them met death or wer
severely crushed or wounded by faliin
houses. Others ran in terror from tn
scene and hundreds went mad with feaI