The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1893-11-09
THE SANTANDER HORROR
CAUSED BY THE CRIMINAL ACTS OF
THE SHIPS OFFICERS.
The Dynamite Was Contraband and IN.
known to the Crsw-Additiona Details
But Add to the Horror Of the
sory-The People Frustrated.

SaLtander and destroyed hundreds of
lives has sent a thrill of horror
throughout Spain. Telegraph com
munication with the locality is not vet
opened. Particulars concerning the
horrible calamity reached here in a
roundabout way. The Associated
Press, however, is enabled to furnish
what is regarded in this capital as q
complete story of the disaster as far as
known. Every piece of news which
reaches Madrid not only confirms the
most sensational report, but pictures
hitherto portrayed.
The story of this great disaster in
brief is as follows: Cab Machicheo, a
Spanish steamship belonging to Bal
boa, caught fire at o'clock Friday
afternoon, while the stermer was
alongside the quay discharging part of
her cargo, which comprised nearly
1000 tons OF merchandise, though the
main part of the cargo was iron
ore and number of sacks of flour,
barrels of wine, many cases of petro-
leum and over 500 cases of dynamite,
of which only 20 cases were declared
on the steamers manifest. The re
naming 4SO cases of dynamite
were contrabapd, and to the shame
of the shippers, this contraband
dynamite has caused an immense
loss of life and vast damage TO prop
erty.
The fire was first discovered in the
coal bunkers, and is said to be due
either to spontaneous combustion or to
some carelessness upon the part of the
engineers or firemen. In any case the
flames broke out from the bunkers at
about the hour mentioned and soon
ragged so fiercely as to be beyond the
control of the ships crew, though the
latter promptly took steps to smother
the fire. Finally, seeing the fire
spreading in the bunkers and the
smoke driving the crew from below,
the local authorities were notified and
the fire department and detachment
of civic guard were sent to the scene.
The provincial governor was one OF
the firsttoreach the spot and displayed
the greatest activity III directing oper-
ations, and upon learning that the
ships manifest showed that there were
20 cases of dynamite on board the fire.
men were directed to assist the crew
in bringing the explosive material
ashore. This was done in safety.
1t was believed there was no more
dynamite on board and a tow boat
which had been hastily summoned to
the spot was ordered to tow the burn
ing vessel out into the bay in order
that the flames would not communi-
cate to the wharf and adjoining prop
ertv. which was of decidedly com
bustible nature, many buildings con-
sisting of rickety old houses which the
sparks might set on fire. In the mean.
time thousands of people crowded
down to TIE quay and thronged the
promenades contiguous to the fire. The
fire spread quickly and ignited the Pc
troleum which formed part OF the
cargo and which the authorities had
failed to remove.
At 4:30 p. III. defamation on board
showed, as it afterwards turned out,
that the boilers had burst and soon al
ter another loud defamation was heard,
the steamer seemed to part in half,
sending blaze of fire skyward, over
which crown OF smoke resueu tor
several minutes. The report. was OF
such awful intensity that it shook the
earth for miles around, caused the
houses to totter, smashed every WIN
dow within the radius of rifle shot,
filed the air with mass of flying iron,
burning wood, blackened timbers and
scorched beams, which soon after fell
a death dealing hail upon the neigh
boring houses, scattering death and
destruction.
The scene following the blowing
I'D of the steamer was almost IN
describable, and the effect OF the ex-
nlosion of these 4S0 cases of dynamite
will hardly be believed. The power OF
the explosion shot tons of iron into
the air, where it mingled with burn
ing fragments of the steamship, tug
and wooden quay, as well as with the
maneled bodies of hundreds of unfor-
tunate people who were hurle1 up
ward at the same time, and talllng,
this horrible mass can be oetter
imagined than described. over adJoln-
ing buildings, totteripg with WrecKage,
fell shower of iron, followed by huge
nieces of wood and remains OF human
bodies. and above all flaming spllnters
which set fire to hundreds OF build
ings. causing a scene of panic similar
To what one would imagine to nave
succeeded the bursting forth OF vol
cano at the waters edge:
The force of exploding dynamite
nansed such conclusion that in ad-
dition to shaking hundreds OF puli9'
ings off their foundations 1t actually
sank hundreds of small crafts in the
harbor, in addition to setting ire to q
large number of other vessels and
starting conflagratious dpeh several Of
the larger ships, including Alfonso Kill
which vessel caught fire so suddenly
and burned so fiercely that 40 OF the
crew lost their lives on her.
Nothing is yet reported here con-
corning the damage done foreign snip
ming, but the loss is said to be. very
great. The effect of the explosio'.i upon
The inhabitants of Santana er is be-
wildering in it's intensity. for some
time after the disaster r ,eople were
positively stunned with dfsmay and
horror and then followed a panic, dur
inc which hundreds of people are re-
ported to have gone lark mad, while
a vast majority were 90 paralyzed with
fear and the shock tIlat they were In,
capable of moving to the assistance Of
Az 5y;no or ma anx, effort to eX.