On April 18 , 1906 , a devastating quake come across San Francisco . Its epicentre was a few mile from the metropolis , but at an reckon magnitude of 7.9 , it was a austere blow to what was the largest west coast city of its clip . The temblor was feel as far north as Oregon and as far Orient as Nevada . A massive fire broke out as a resolution of the seism , and the flack further devastated San Francisco , at long last make as many as 300,000 people homeless ( in a city whose population was 410,000 at the time ) .
Many photographs of the earthquake damage and fire exist , but motion-picture show are comparatively rarified . Edison shot some , and another crucial motion ikon is simply calledSan Francisco earthquake and fire , April 18 , 1906 . It shows some of the cleanup attempt in the still - smolder downfall ; this dumb film has been preserve by the Library of Congress . In 2009 , an aggregation of motion pictures ( evidently admit fresh footage ) was unveiled showing the consequence . The first part is the most interesting : a motor down chief metropolis streets , which are cover with ash and debris . There are some intact edifice , and even streetcars flow . People wander among the debris , dressed in okay suit and dresses – it seems that many are there just to witness the devastation , some are headed somewhere ( to get food ? ) , and a very few are already rebuilding . It ’s hypnotize watch these people in the ruins of their metropolis . afterward footage usher the tent camps that appeared in Oakland and other nearby regions . Take a look :
San Francisco Earthquake and FirefromRed ChannelsonVimeo .
Also of note : the excellentWikipedia varlet on the earthquake , and a comprehensive program showingarchivist Rick Prelinger ’s footage of San Francisco , including a very similar scene before the death ( 1905 ) , and a bit of like post - quake footage , though it looks a number subsequently than the celluloid above . Prelinger ’s program also includes 1917 footage – it ’s amazing to see how much has been retrace by that clock time .
( ViaDevour . )
