The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1893-11-06

AS AOANV Vi VIZ Va PAbNAAb " Hh"atsN
caused such Il conclusion that in addi.
tion to shaking hundreds OF buildings
of their foundations, it actually sank a
hundred small craft in the harbor, in
addition to setting fire to 4 large num-
Der OF other vessels and starting contlG.
grations upon several OF the larger
ships, including the Alfonso MI, which
vessel, as already cabled to the Assocl'
ated Press, caught fire so suddenly and
burned so ferCely that forty OF her
crew lost their lives on board oil her.
Nothing is vet received concerning
the damage to foreign shipping, but the
loss is said TO be very great.
WENT STARK MAD.
The effect Of the explosion upon the
inhabitants OF Santander was bewilder-
ing in its intensity. For some time
after the disaster the people were posi-.
lively stunned with dismay and horror,
then followed panic during which Il
hundred people are reported to have
gone stark mad, while the vast majority
was so paralyzed with fear and shock
that they we're incapable OF moving to
the assistance OF the dying or Of making
any effort to extinguish the flames
which sprang up from mass OF build
ings, and which began to spread with
the most threatening rapidity.
The quay and promenade close to the
scene OF the explosion presented one OF
the most sickening sights ever wit
messed. Mangled and blackened
corpses were scattered here and there,
or we're in heaps, in many cases upon
the wounded and dying, whose fearful
shrieks Of agony filled the air and
struck terror into the hearts OF those
vino after a time summoned sufficient
courage to venture near the carnage
ground.
Over hundred people are said to
have been precipitated into the sea by
the explosion, aud there. beneath this
hail Of blood, wood and iron, they met
death with the crews OF the unfortunate
steamer and the tug boat, which was
about to tow her into the bay.
On board the tug boat were many
citizens OF Santander, who were taking
part in the work OF rescue, All OF them
have disappeared forever.
A TRAIN BURNED
A train from the province which was
lust arriving at tho railroad station
when the Cabo Machichaco blew up ex-
perienced the force OF the explosion
and was wrecked and set fire to, and the
majority OF its passenger were burned to
death before any assistance could be
furnished them.
After the explosion whole blocks
upon Mendez NUhez street parallel
with the Quay, was blazing and other
portions of the city was in flames. No
one dared or cared to make any attempt
to stay the spread OF the contiagration
and those who preserved enough pres
ence Of mind 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 into the
streets in alarm, fancying that the end
OF the world had come.
In the midst ofthis scene OF horrible
panic, when men and women tore their
hair and cursed or prayed, a few brave
men retaiued presence OF mind enough
to lump on horseback aud ride to the
nearest railway station, where they
caused kilograms to be sent to the gov
ernment and to the authorities OF other
cities, imploring succoc for the wound
ed and asking that fire engines be
promptly despatched to the scene, as n
failure to do so Immediately would re-
suit in the utter destruction OF Santan-
der.
The cities OF Valladolid, Burgess, Bill
boa and Barcelona were quickly aroused
by the appeals for assistance, and i'm
mediatety took steps to do everything
to relieve the stricken city.
Fire engines. physicians, medicines,
and food we're sent from the cities men,
toned, and nothing was lett undone to
relieve the distress. Large forces oil
troops were also despatched to Santan-
der, the soliers rendering most valuable
assistance in the work OF salvage and
rescue.
IMMENSE LOSS.
The property owners loss, and that
OF poor people who had lost their all
through the explosion and fire, is i'm
menso. The loss o; life is not yet de-
| termined, but some hundreds OF dead
bodies have already been identified,
while others will never be recognized
from the mass OF blackened trunks,
heads and limbs which have been gath.
cred together 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 ther death
in the water.
The showers OF iron from the dyna.
mito laden steamer thrown into the air
by the explosion fell upon nearly all
parts Of the town and injured buildings
! at remarkable distance from the place
where the steamer actually exploded.
Some idea of the force OF the explosion
eau be formed from the fact that man
was killed by piece OF iron falling
from the Cabo Machichaco, st Pena
Castillo, two kilometres Cabout a mile
and n quarter) distance from where the
steamer blew up.
Another remarkable effect OF the OK
plosion is that the unfortunate steam
ers anchor was blown up in the air By
the torce OF the dynamite, causing the
anchor to fall in Il street, eight hundred
wards away from where the explosion
took place. In falling the anchor
smashed stone balcony into pieces and
sank deep into the stone pavement pc,
low. Many details OF the explosion and
the fire at Santnnder arc still lacking
owing TO the fact that teleEraphic com
municgtion with that point Is not re-
newod. and no local newspapers have
! been able to appear since the disaster,
Santander was lately among the most
prosperous towns in Spain but the dls'