On 30 April 1802, a great calamity struck the town of Lorca. The walls of a nearby reservoir gave way, flooding the town and destroying many buildings and killing up to 700 people. In the nineteenth century, the War of Independence and yellow fever epidemics and recurring droughts brought famine to the region and brought about the emigration of more than twelve thousand people. By 1845 Lorca had become the largest and most populous municipality in Murcia. Trade declined during the first half of the century, although in 1865 it received its first steam engine, the Sewer-Lorca railway opened in 1885 and the Baza-Lorca railway opened in 1890, bringing integration of the region in the domestic market, enabling the movement of mineral deposits and people. Restoration in the late 19th century brought with it a period of prosperity and political calm, the roundabouts of San Vicente, the Teatro y Colón, the Casino Artístico y Literario in 1885, the Teatro Guerra in 1861, and the Plaza de Toros in 1892, etc. were amongst the notable building developments of this time. The 1878 edition of "The Globe Encyclopaedia of Universal Information" described Lorca (spelled as" 'Liorca')" thus: