The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1893-11-10
AWFUL CALAMITY.
That Which Visited Santander, 6
Seaport of Spain.
CAUSED BY UNLAWFUL CREED
a Huge Cargo of Dynamite shipped as
Merchandise-TheW Whole Country
Indignant "Details of the
Horror.


| MADRID, Nov. 6.-The terrible dis
: aster which has wrecked the port o
Santander and destroyed hundreds o
lives has sent thrill of horror through
out Spain. The story of this great dis
aster in brief is as follows:
The Cabo Machichaco, Spanisl
steamship belonging to Bilbao, caught
fire about 3 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, there were
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 declared on the
steamers list The remaining 4So cases
of dynamite were contraband, and, tC
the shame of the shippers of this con-
traband dynamite, it has caused inn
mense 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 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 fiercely as to be beyond con-
troll of the ships crew. though the lat
ter promptly took steps to smother the
| fi-n FINALLY he
! ing in the bunkers, and that the smoke
was driving the crew from below, the
I local authorities were notified and the
| fire department and detachment of
/ the civic guards being sent to the scene
Leading municipal authorities headed
the firemen 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
n tug which had been hastily sum
moned to the spot was ordered to tow
the burning vessel out into the bav in
order that the flames might not com
municate to the wharf and to adjoin-
ing property, which was of decidedly
combustible nature, many of the build
ings consisting of richety old houses
which a few sparks might set on fire.
At about 4:30 p. IN. 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 blaze of fire
slyward over which a crown of smoke
rested for several minutes. Then a 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 rifle 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-
tion 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 |
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. Over the adj
joining buildings, tottering with wreck
age. fell a 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 hun
dreds of buildings. causing a scene of
panic similar. one would imagine, to
the one which would have succeeded
the bursting forth of volcano at the
waters edge.
The force of the exploding dynamite
caused such a conclusion that, in adj
dition to shaking hundreds of build
Ings off their foundations. it actually
sank Il small craft in the harbor, in ad-
1ition to setting fire to large number
Of other vessels and starting fires upon
several of the larger ships, includ-
ing the Alfonso MI, which vessel
caught fire and burned so fercely that
forty of her crew lost their lives on
board of her. Nothing is as vet re-
ported here concerning the damage
lone to foreign shipping, but the loss
S said to be very great.
The effect of the explosion upon the
inhabitants of Santander was bewilder-
ng in its intensity. For some time
after the disaster the people were pos
lively stunned with dismay and hor-
or, and then followed panic, during
which hundred people are reported
% have gone stark mad