A History of the Earthquake and Fire in San Francisco

Frank Aitken and Edward Hilton

Early in the morning of Wednesday, April 18, 1906, the San Francisco area was shaken by a massive earthquake. Over the course of the next four days, fires spread through large swaths of the city, started by broken gas lines, fallen electrical wiring, and damaged chimneys. Broken water mains prevented the fire department from effectively battling the blazes. By the time the fires were finally extinguished on the afternoon of Saturday, April 21, nearly 3000 people were dead and 500 city blocks destroyed. Before the year was over, the Edward Hilton Company of San Francisco had collected and sifted through the available information to publish this concise and lucid analysis of what had happened. (Summary by Maria Kasper)

Genre(s): Modern (20th C)

Language: English

Section Chapter Reader Time
Play 01 The Old San Francisco Maria Kasper
00:13:54
Play 02 The Earthquake Maria Kasper
00:21:02
Play 03 The Fault Line Greg Giordano
00:34:03
Play 04 The First Day of the Fire Greg Giordano
00:19:44
Play 05 The Fateful Day Maria Kasper
00:24:14
Play 06 The Conquest Maria Kasper
00:29:32
Play 07 The Work of the Fire Greg Giordano
00:34:41
Play 08 The Relief Greg Giordano
00:20:01
Play 09 The Resumption Maria Kasper
00:35:40
Play 10 The Damage by the Earthquake Maria Kasper
00:28:27
Play 11 A Study of the Fire Greg Giordano
00:48:51
Play 12 The New San Francisco Greg Giordano
00:16:47
Play 13 Appendix Greg Giordano
Maria Kasper
00:17:35