On this day in 1906: The San Francisco earthquake and fire

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News headlines from 1906 stated that San Francisco had been destroyed by a major earthquake that occurred at 5:12 a.m. Pacific Time on Wednesday, April 18, 1906. Major aftershocks occurred at 8:14 a.m., causing damaged buildings to completely collapse. Recent research shows an estimated magnitude of 7.9, with the epicenter near San Francisco. The earthquake was caused by the San Andreas Fault, which lies along the California coast and runs under parts of San Francisco. A huge rupture stretched more than 280 miles along the fault, with the ground moving more than 20 feet in some places along the fault line. People felt the earthquake from southern Oregon to southern Los Angeles and across the country as far as central Nevada. The greatest damage occurred in areas that were once wetlands near San Francisco Bay, then filled in and built upon. During the earthquake, the moist soil underground liquefied, causing large surface ruptures and most buildings collapsed. The earthquake also damaged or destroyed most of the city’s water supply pipes, so most of the fire hydrants ran dry. Isolated fires broke out in the affected areas, and there was little or no water to fight the fires. The fires developed into a wildfire. The city’s police and fire departments were soon augmented by soldiers and sailors from the US Army and Navy. In some areas of the city, the fire was stopped by dynamiting buildings. The fires were finally brought under control after four days, but much of the city lay in ruins. The United States Mint is saved because of its stone and concrete construction, its own on-site well and water supply. The combination of the earthquake and fire caused an estimated 3,000 deaths in the San Francisco Bay Area. In the city of San Francisco, more than 28,000 buildings were destroyed, and more than 225,000 people were left homeless (in a city of 400,000). Massive relief efforts began almost immediately after the earthquake. Charitable contributions came from all over the United States and helped other counties on display as well. Several temporary housing camps were set up around the city, and rebuilding efforts continued for several years afterward. The disaster also prompted extensive research. California’s governor appointed Professor Andrew C. Lawson of the University of California, Berkeley, to lead the Earthquake Investigation Commission. Several universities got together with the USGS to release a report in 1908, called the Lawson Report, which led to a much greater understanding of what caused the earthquake. The report also showed how the damage was related to both building construction methods and underlying ground conditions–soft, moist soil near San Francisco Bay was more dangerous to build on than on rocky ground.

Sources: California Department of Conservation, Museum of the City of San Francisco, USGS, SFGate ——– Photo: This is a view from Montgomery Street toward the market. In the background to the right are the remains of the Palace Hotel. (Courtesy of the Edith Irvine Collection, L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University; 1906)

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