My thanks to Jane Carp for letting me have this volume from my dear friend Bob's library. This is the story of the San Francisco earthquake of April 18, 1906. In the preface, the author tries to imagine the event as seen Neil Armstrong-like from the moon with a powerful telescope. He suggests "the planet very briefly shrugged". Perhaps, it could be characterized as a "shudder". In any event, from 5:12 to 5:14 a.m., the world of northern California was shaken to its core. Policemen in the streets described it as waves coming in from the Pacific. Scientists have since concluded that the wave was moving at 2 miles per second. Buildings shook and many fell as people, including the many members of the Metropolitan Opera staying at the Palace Hotel, rushed into the streets. Enrico Caruso told stories about his morning for years. The quake was felt 390 miles north, 370 south and 340 east of the city it is named for. "The earthquake shook the ground, it broke the buildings, it killed and maimed, and it spawned the fire." The quake itself did 3-10% of the damage, fire did the rest. With all the water mains ruptured, the fire raged for three days. Over half of the city's 400,000 people were homeless, 3,000 were dead and 28,188 buildings were destroyed. Private, state and federal help poured into the devastated city.
The consequences of the quake were many and diverse. San Francisco lost its status as the preeminent city of California to Los Angeles. The quake itself was downplayed and the civic boosters blamed the loss on the fire. In a reconstituted city, they could work to fireproof buildings and enhance firefighting skills. Thus there was no need to worry about a repeat. For those that choose to believe it was the will of God, there was a rise in evangelism. One of the most interesting and long lasting consequences was the result of all of America's records on Chinese immigrants being burned. Under the Exclusionary Acts, immigrants were allowed into this country if they had relatives. So right up to WW2, Chinese claiming to be related to Americans arrived at Angel Island to seek entry.
In the actual reconstruction of san Francisco the slapdash temporary junk buildings that had covered the city were banned. There was a new code to govern new construction. Over a hundred years later, the city is well-prepared for the 'big one'. Every local, state and federal agency has directives and plans, as do many businesses. And those plans are necessary. The US Geologic Survey has asserted that there is a 62% chance of a repeat by the year 2032. The North American and Pacific plates that have been moving in opposite directions at a rate of 1.5 inches per year along the San Andreas fault have not had any release in northern California in 108 years. "The two plates are nearly 200 inches, about 17 feet, out of kilter. This means that an unimaginably enormous amount of kinetic energy is currently stored in the rocks of the Bay area."
I would recommend all of Winchester's books. Wendell
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