"...the paved streets were rolling like waves..." April 18, 1906

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Pausing in remembrance of a great American city.....at a time when life turned upside down.

100 years ago today - The San Francisco Earthquake of 1906.


The first foreshock was registered at 5:12 a.m. on April 18, 1906. The earthquake itself, which occurred on the San Andreas Fault with an epicenter near San Francisco approximately 20-25 seconds later, lasted 47 seconds, was punctuated by violent shocks, and was felt from Oregon to Los Angeles, and inland as far as central Nevada.

At 5:12 a.m. on April 18, 1906 the rocks snapped six to nine miles below the surface of the earth. The land was torn apart from Shelter Cove in Humboldt County to Hollister in San Benito County. The epicenter was located on the San Andreas Fault at the boundary of San Francisco and San Mateo counties. The magnitude 7.8 earthquake, lasting forty to sixty-five seconds, was not the strongest ever experienced in California, or for that matter, in the United States. But it was the closest to a major population center. Fortunately, people were at home in bed and not on crowded city streets or in offices and schools.

The seismic waves spread outward. Ship captains thought they had collided with rocks. City streets heaved up and down as if subjected to ocean swells. Then the ground twisted "like a top while it jerked this way and that, and up and down and every way," said a policeman. The damage was immediate and most severe on the "made land" (landfill) especially marsh and bay lands that had been filled in east of Sansome Street and south of Market Street.
The quake ruptured gas lines and water mains, destroyed cisterns, and disrupted fires in fireplaces and cooking grills all over the city.
The resulting conflagration burned for four days.

1906 population: 400,000
Earthquake casualties: approx 3,000
People made homeless: 225,000
Estimated damage: 500 million (1906 dollars) - over 5 billion in todays dollars


The map shows the devastated portion of the city.

View is toward the Southwest. The large thoroughfare running thru the center of the city is Market St. City Hall is center-picture just to the right of Market St.
The Presidio is to the upper right and North Beach is to the extreme right center.
Nob Hill and Telegraph Hill are to the right of Market St.
Van Ness Ave is to the upper right.

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This pic shows how the brick paved streets behaved.

The twisted black line is a steel cable car rail.

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Chemical Number One.

San Francisco Fire Department

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Fire in the Western Addition, taken from Lafayette Square.

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Refugees fleeing down Market Street to the ferry.

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The fault trace.

Northwest of San Francisco, looking to the Northwest.

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The proclamation issued by mayor Schmitz on the afternoon of April 18th.

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Several notable people were in the city during the quake.


After a night of drinking and partying, actor John Barrymore was awakened from a sound sleep by the quake.

Apparently he wasn't too impressed. He dressed in white tails, left his ruined hotel, and went off toward Union Square looking for a brandy.

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World famous singing tenor Enrico Caruso had given a standing room only performance at the San Francisco Opera House on the evening of the 17th.

During the quake, according to hotel employees, he ran wildly around, screaming, demanding that everyone stop what they were doing and save his trunks full of fancy costumes and valuables.

He was so traumatized that he lost his magnificent voice for a while.

He later sued the city of San Francisco.

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Last picture.

The U.S. Mint

Corner of 5th and Mission Streets.

In her vaults...rocking and shaking like the rest of the city...THREE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS in gold bullion and newly minted gold coins.

About 50 mint employees were able to make their way to the mint before the Van Ness Avenue fire threatened.

Using the Mint's one inch internal fire hoses they wetted down the roof and fought the flames through the windows.

The Mint was saved.

After the fire, the Mint's engineers creatively modified the Mint's plumbing, hooking it up to the well, and providing a multi-tap water system for earthquake victims.

The U.S. Mint proved to be the mainstay of San Francisco's financial resources and banking system during the earthquake recovery.