American Experience (1988–…): Season 1, Episode 1 - The Great San Francisco Earthquake - full transcript

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Abraham:
SAN FRANCISCO, 1906.

WILL IRWIN, THE JOURNALIST,
HAD DESCRIBED IT

AS "THE GAYEST, LIGHTEST-HEARTED

MOST PLEASURE-LOVING CITY
OF THE WESTERN CONTINENT."

WILLIE BRITT,
A FIGHT MANAGER, SAID



"I'D RATHER BE
A BUSTED LAMP POST

"ON BATTERY STREET,
SAN FRANCISCO

THAN THE WALDORF ASTORIA
IN NEW YORK."

RUDYARD KIPLING SAID
OF THIS PLACE:

"SAN FRANCISCO IS A MAD CITY

"INHABITED
BY PERFECTLY INSANE PEOPLE

WHOSE WOMEN ARE
OF REMARKABLE BEAUTY."

400,000 PEOPLE LIVED
IN THIS CITY.

IT WAS THE NINTH LARGEST
IN THE NATION

AND THE BIGGEST IN THE WEST.

HER PEOPLE HAILED
FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD.

THE PRESIDENT OF THE
UNITED STATES, TEDDY ROOSEVELT

HAD COME HERE
IN THE SPRING OF 1903.

THE GOLDEN GATE BAND
PLAYED PATRIOTIC TUNES.



50,000 SCHOOLCHILDREN
CHEERED ALONG VAN NESS AVENUE.

HERE, MR. ROOSEVELT SAID,
WAS "THE GARDEN OF THE LORD"

AND THE "WEST OF THE WEST."

IN THE "WEST OF THE WEST,"
NO ONE DREAMED

THAT SAN FRANCISCO
WOULD SOON BE DESTROYED.

THE BIG QUAKE OF 1865
WAS JUST A DISTANT MEMORY...

AN AMUSING PART
OF THE CITY FOLKLORE.

THE CITY HAD PRACTICALLY
BURNED TO THE GROUND SIX TIMES

IN ITS EARLY DAYS.

BUT THIS LEGACY, TOO,
SEEMED SAFELY IN THE PAST.

THE MODERN FIRE DEPARTMENT
WAS BELIEVED TO BE INVINCIBLE.

MANY OF THE PEOPLE WHO PUT
THEIR FAITH IN THE CITY

WERE NEWCOMERS.

ONE-THIRD OF THE POPULATION
HAD BEEN BORN ON FOREIGN SOIL.

ANOTHER THIRD WERE
THE CHILDREN OF IMMIGRANTS.

Woman:
WHEN MY FATHER ARRIVED
HERE FROM ITALY

HE IMMEDIATELY GOT A JOB
OUT ON FILLMORE STREET.

OUR STORE WAS DIRECTLY ACROSS
FROM A BAKERY

KNOWN AS THE WIKERY BAKERY.

MY MOTHER ARRIVED
AND FOUND A JOB

RIGHT NEAR WHERE
MY DAD WAS WORKING.

HE DELIVERED THE VEGETABLES

AND SHE PROBABLY
OPENED THE BACK DOOR.

SO THAT'S HOW THEY MET.

Abraham:
FOR THE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WHO
HAD DISEMBARKED AT HER WHARVES

SINCE THE DAYS OF THE GOLD RUSH,
SAN FRANCISCO WAS A MAGNET

A KIND OF PROMISED LAND
AT THE END OF THE RAINBOW.

THE FIRST HOME FOR MANY
ON AMERICAN SOIL

WAS IN THE DISTRICT
CALLED "SOUTH OF MARKET."

HERE WERE CHEAP WOOD TENEMENTS

PACKED SIDE BY SIDE
LIKE A HOUSE OF CARDS.

THEY WOULD BE THE FIRST TO BURN.

THEM LITTLE STREETS
WERE LIKE COLONIES.

ALL THE IRISH WERE SETTLED
IN ONE LITTLE NEIGHBORHOOD

THE DUTCH IN ANOTHER

AND THE JEWS WOULD SETTLE
IN ANOTHER NEIGHBORHOOD.

AND IT WAS JUST
A NEIGHBORLY PARTY...

EVERYBODY KNEW EVERYBODY ELSE.

Abraham:
NORTH OF MARKET WAS
A CITY WITHIN THE CITY.

20,000 CHINESE LIVED HERE.

CHINATOWN WAS
VERY, UH, CIRCUMSCRIBED

IN THAT IT WAS ONLY ABOUT
FIVE SQUARE BLOCKS AT THAT TIME

AND WE WERE NOT
SUPPOSED TO WANDER

BEYOND POWELL STREET
OR BROADWAY ON THE NORTH.

Abraham:
THE CHINESE GHETTO WAS
PORTRAYED BY THE POPULAR PRESS

AS A BARBARIC
AND DANGEROUS PLACE

WHOSE INHABITANTS
WORSHIPED PAGAN GODS

AND INDULGED
IN FANTASTICAL VICES.

THEY ATE STRANGE FOODS

AND LIVED IN A WORLD
CLOAKED IN MYSTERY AND SECRECY.

ON THE INSIDE,
IT WAS RATHER LESS ROMANTIC.

A FEW WERE
INFLUENTIAL MERCHANTS...

TRADERS OF SILKS, TEA
AND CHEAP HUMAN LABOR.

CHINESE LABORERS HAD STARTED
COMING TO CALIFORNIA

AROUND THE TIME
OF THE GOLD RUSH.

"GOLD MOUNTAIN MEN" THEY WERE
CALLED BACK HOME IN CANTON.

IN SAN FRANCISCO, THEY BECAME
WORKERS IN SWEATSHOPS

SERVANTS IN THE HOUSES
OF THE RICH.

THERE WAS AN INVISIBLE WALL
AROUND CHINATOWN...

A WALL OF RACIAL PREJUDICE.

Lee:
WELL, MY PARENTS...

THE MINUTE THEY LANDED
IN SAN FRANCISCO FROM CHINA

THEY JUST STAYED IN CHINATOWN

AND HARDLY EVER GOT
OUT OF CHINATOWN.

ONE TIME, I... AS A LITTLE BOY,
I WANDERED BEYOND PACIFIC AVENUE

AND I WAS BEATEN
BY SOME ITALIAN BOYS.

WE KNEW THAT WE WERE HATED
AS A PEOPLE.

AND SO WE GENERALLY TRIED TO
STAY ALOOF AND BE BY OURSELVES.

Abraham:
JUST A FEW MINUTES' WALK AND
HALF A WORLD AWAY FROM CHINATOWN

WAS THE PALACE HOTEL.

IF YOU HAD THE MONEY,
WHEN YOU CAME TO TOWN

IT WAS THE PLACE TO STAY.

THERE WAS CUT GLASS AND
MARBLE IN EVERY CORRIDOR

AND THE INCREDIBLE LUXURY

OF TELEPHONES AND BATHTUBS
IN EVERY ROOM.

THERE WAS ALSO
THE MOST MODERN SYSTEM

OF FIRE ALARMS AND SPRINKLERS.

THE PALACE WAS BUILT
TO BE INDESTRUCTIBLE.

BUT SO WAS THE TITANIC.

ENRICO CARUSO,
THE FAMOUS OPERA SINGER

CHECKED IN HERE THE NIGHT
BEFORE THE QUAKE.

HE ARRIVED WITH 54 STEAMER
TRUNKS AND 50 SELF-PORTRAITS.

THAT EVENING,
CARUSO STEPPED ON STAGE

TO SING DON JOSE IN CARMEN

IN SAN FRANCISCO'S
GRAND OPERA HOUSE.

IF YOU COULDN'T GET
TICKETS TO THE OPERA

YOU COULD GO TO A GALA
COSTUME CARNIVAL ON SKATES

WHERE MISS FLORIDA WAS CROWNED
THE "QUEEN OF THE ROLLERS."

IN THE DISTRICT
CALLED THE BARBARY COAST

NICKELODEONS SHOWED
SCANDALOUS MOVING PICTURES.

THE COAST WAS DESCRIBED
BY ONE INDIGNANT CRITIC AS...

Critic:
THAT SINK OF MORAL POLLUTION

WHOSE REEFS ARE STREWN
WITH HUMAN WRECKS.

HERE, BLEAR-EYED MEN DRINK VILE
LIQUOR, SMOKE OFFENSIVE TOBACCO

AND ENGAGE IN VULGAR CONDUCT.

HERE ARE DEBAUCHERY, DISEASE,
INSANITY, BLASPHEMY, DEATH...

AND HELL, YAWNING
TO RECEIVE THE PUTRID MASS.

Abraham:
THE MEN ON THE VICE SQUAD
WERE EVER VIGILANT...

PROVIDED NO ONE
PAID THEM NOT TO BE.

THE MAYOR OF SAN FRANCISCO,
EUGENE SCHMITZ

WAS A FRONT MAN
FOR A CORRUPT CITY BOSS.

THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
WERE CONTENT

TO RECEIVE THEIR PORTION
OF THE BRIBES.

IT WAS SAID THEY WERE SO EAGER
TO BETTER THEIR POSITION

THEY WOULD EAT
THE PAINT OFF A HOUSE.

THIS WAS CITY HALL.

BUT SERIOUS BUSINESS
WAS DONE IN A LITTLE PUB

ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF MARKET.

THERE, CITY POLITICIANS
WHEELED AND DEALED

WITH THOSE WHO NEEDED FAVORS
AND WHO COULD PAY FOR THEM.

Kevie:
THERE WAS A LOT OF GRAFT
GOING ON IN THEM DAYS.

BUT PEOPLE TOOK IT FOR GRANTED...

EVERYBODY WAS GRAFTING, SO
IT DIDN'T MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE.

Abraham:
SCHMITZ AND HIS
CRONIES CONTROLLED

THE GRANDEST CITY
WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI.

A FEW DOZEN BIG HOTELS,
OFFICES AND BANKS

WERE BUILT OF BRICKS,
STEEL AND MASONRY.

MOST EVERYTHING ELSE
WAS BUILT OF WOOD.

SAN FRANCISCO WAS
A CITY WAITING TO BURN.

IN 1906, THE FIRE ALARM,
THE RESPONSE

THE MEN AND THE EQUIPMENT

WORKED EXACTLY THE WAY
THEY ARE PORTRAYED

IN THIS EARLY SILENT FILM.

EVERYTHING WAS AUTOMATIC
IN THE FIREHOUSE.

THE LIGHTS LIT ON THE
FIRST STRIKE OF THE BELL.

WHEN THE BELL HIT,
THE LIGHTS LIT, THAT LET GO.

THE HORSES MOVED OUT
UNDER THE COLLARS

THEY SNAPPED THE COLLARS,
THE DRIVER IS IN THE SEAT

AND THEY'RE ON THE STREET.

THEY WERE VERY FAST.

Abraham:
BUT IN SPITE OF EVERYTHING...

IN SPITE OF SAN FRANCISCO'S
38 STEAM ENGINE COMPANIES

320 HORSES AND 584 FIREMEN

WHO HAD ALREADY
DISTINGUISHED THEMSELVES

AS THE CITY'S HOMEGROWN HEROES

THE FIRE DEPARTMENT
WOULD BE HARD PRESSED

TO FACE THE COMING DISASTER.

JUST MONTHS
BEFORE THE EARTHQUAKE

THE NATIONAL BOARD OF FIRE
UNDERWRITERS STATED IN A REPORT

"SAN FRANCISCO HAS VIOLATED
ALL UNDERWRITING PRECEDENTS

"BY NOT BURNING UP.

"THAT IT HAS NOT DONE SO
ALREADY IS LARGELY DUE

"TO THE VIGILANCE
OF THE FIRE DEPARTMENT

"WHICH CANNOT BE RELIED UPON

TO INDEFINITELY
STAVE OFF THE INEVITABLE."

THE UNDERWRITERS WERE
ABOUT TO BE PROVEN CORRECT.

I WAS SLEEPING WITH MY MOTHER

AND WE THOUGHT IT WAS
THE END OF THE WORLD.

WE GRABBED EACH OTHER AND
PULLED THE COVERS OVER OUR HEADS

AND SAID, "THIS IS
THE END OF THE WORLD!"

AND OF COURSE
WE WERE SCARED TO DEATH.

WE TRIED TO STAND UP
OR DO SOMETHING

BUT WE COULDN'T,
WE HAD TO HANG ON FOR DEAR LIFE

BECAUSE THE BED WAS FLYING
AROUND THE ROOM LIKE A KITE.

WE TRIED TO GET OUT THE
BACK KITCHEN DOOR ONTO OUR PORCH

BUT THE CHIMNEY WAS BROKEN DOWN

AND THE BRICKS WERE ALL AGAINST
THE DOOR; WE COULDN'T GET OUT.

Abraham:
THE QUAKE HIT SAN FRANCISCO
ON WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18

AT PRECISELY 12 MINUTES PAST
FIVE O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING.

BUT SAN FRANCISCO WASN'T
THE ONLY PLACE TO GET HIT.

FOR MORE THAN 200 MILES
ALONG THE SAN ANDREAS FAULT

THE CRUST OF THE EARTH
SLIPPED AS MUCH AS 21 FEET.

IN SAN JOSE, 8,000 PEOPLE
WERE HOMELESS.

SANTA ROSA, A TOWN OF 7,000,
WAS LEVELED.

TREES WERE UPROOTED.

FENCES CURVED.

AND IN SOME PLACES,
THE EARTH FLOWED LIKE WATER.

THE QUAKE HAD THE IMPACT
OF SIX MILLION TONS OF T.N.T.

ROUGHLY 12,000 TIMES THE POWER

OF THE ATOMIC BOMB
EXPLODED OVER HIROSHIMA.

IT REMAINS
THE GREATEST NATURAL DISASTER

SUFFERED
BY A NORTH AMERICAN CITY.

BACK IN SAN FRANCISCO, IN
THE HOURS JUST AFTER THE QUAKE

PEOPLE WANDERED
THE STREETS IN CONFUSION.

"THEY HAD A SINGULAR
HURT EXPRESSION"

REMARKED ONE OBSERVER

"AS IF A GOOD FRIEND HAD
SUDDENLY WRONGED THEM."

IN SOME DISTRICTS,
PEOPLE HAD NO IDEA

OF THE AMOUNT OF DAMAGE
THAT HAD BEEN DONE.

AT VALENCIA STATION,
COMMUTERS WAITED IMPATIENTLY

FOR A TRAIN
THAT WOULD NEVER COME.

OTHERS, INCLUDING SAM FAIX,
SET OUT AND WALKED TO WORK.

WHEN I GOT THERE, THE BUILDING
STOOD LIKE A DRUNKEN MAN.

AND THE BOSS WAS THERE

AND HE SAYS, "SAM, WOULD
YOU MIND STANDING HERE

AND WATCHING THE BUILDING?"

I SAYS, "IT'S NO USE
WATCHING IT...

THERE'S NOTHING TO STEAL!"

Kevie:
AND THERE WERE PEOPLE
WALKING ALONG

SOME WITH WHEELBARROWS
AND THEIR CLOTHES

AND SOME WITH THEIR PARROTS
AND THEIR CANARIES

AND WHAT HAVE YOU,
ANYTHING THEY COULD CARRY.

I EVEN SAW A GUY ROLLING
A BARREL OF WHISKEY ALONG.

Abraham:
THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE
KILLED BY THE EARTHQUAKE

WAS NOT YET KNOWN
OR EVEN GUESSED AT

BUT IT WAS CLEAR THAT
MANY OF THE WORST CASUALTIES

WERE IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS
SOUTH OF MARKET.

AN ESTIMATED 30 TO 80 PEOPLE

WERE CRUSHED
IN THE VALENCIA HOTEL.

SAM FAIX WAS THERE.

Faix:
A FELLOW CAME OUT
OF THE THIRD FLOOR

STARK-SPENDER NAKED,
NOT A STITCH ON HIM...

OUT OF THE WINDOW.

AND HE STOOD THERE
ON THE FIRE ESCAPE.

AND I WENT OVER
TO ONE OF THE FIREMEN, I SAYS

"SAY, YOU BETTER SEE WHAT YOU
CAN DO WITH THAT POOR DEVIL

BECAUSE HE'S LIABLE
TO GET HURT."

IT DIDN'T TAKE FIVE MINUTES

SINCE THAT FELLOW
GOT OUT OF THERE

WHEN THE WHOLE FLOOR, EVERYTHING

CRASHED INTO THE BASEMENT
WITH A ROAR.

GOD, WHAT A NOISE THAT MADE!

THEY HAD A BIG PARTY
THE NIGHT BEFORE THERE

AND THE MAJORITY
WERE STILL ASLEEP

SO THEY SLEPT THERE FOR GOOD.

Luchetti:
AND MY MOTHER KEPT
TELLING THE CHILDREN

"I JUST HAVE A FEELING SOMETHING
HAPPENED TO YOUR FATHER."

AND ABOUT A HALF AN HOUR LATER

MY MOTHER SEES THE HORSE
AND WAGON COMING BACK

AND, UH... DRIVEN
BY A STRANGE PERSON.

SO MY MOTHER KNEW THEN
THAT WAS THE END.

AND SHE GOT THE NEWS

THAT MY FATHER HAD BEEN KILLED
IN THE QUAKE.

Abraham:
ALL OVER THE MISSION DISTRICT

TENEMENTS FOLDED IN
LIKE PASTEBOARD.

FROM THE WRECKAGE

THE CRIES OF THE TRAPPED
AND INJURED COULD BE HEARD.

THOSE WHO SURVIVED
COULD NOT BE HELPED IN HOSPITALS

WHICH HAD SUSTAINED
MAJOR DAMAGE IN THE QUAKE.

THEY WERE TAKEN
TO THE DANCE HALL

WHERE ONLY LAST NIGHT
MISS FLORIDA HAD REIGNED

AS THE "ROLLER QUEEN."

I RODE AROUND WITH MY FATHER.

I SAT NEXT TO THE DRIVER,
ON THE DRIVER'S SEAT

WHILE HE WENT AROUND
WITH HIS WAGON

LOOKING FOR INJURED PEOPLE
WHO HAD NOT BEEN FOUND.

AND THEN WE COULDN'T
FIND NELLIE AFTER THAT.

NELLIE WAS THE HORSE.

AND I WAS CRYING, "WHERE IS
NELLIE? WHERE IS NELLIE?"

I NEVER HAVE LEARNED
WHAT HAPPENED TO NELLIE...

NEVER HAVE LEARNED.

Abraham:
WHAT NO ONE YET REALIZED
THAT MORNING

WAS THAT THE GREATEST TRAGEDY
OF SAN FRANCISCO

WAS YET TO UNFOLD.

THE SHOCK HAD SNAPPED GAS MAINS
AND TOPPLED CHIMNEYS.

50 FIRES HAD STARTED
ALMOST SIMULTANEOUSLY.

ALTHOUGH THE CITY'S TELEPHONE

AND CENTRAL ALARM SYSTEM
WERE DESTROYED

THE INDIVIDUAL FIRE BRIGADES
FLEW INTO ACTION.

BUT WHEN THEY ARRIVED ON
THE SCENE, THERE WAS NO WATER.

THE QUAKE HAD BROKEN
ALMOST ALL WATER MAINS

COMING INTO THE CITY.

HYDRANTS GAVE OFF A TRICKLE
AND THEN RAN DRY.

BY 7:00 A.M., MAYOR SCHMITZ
HAD RECEIVED STATUS REPORTS

FROM THE POLICE
AND FIRE DEPARTMENTS.

HALF A DOZEN FIRES
WERE RAGING OUT OF CONTROL.

THE MAYOR ISSUED A PROCLAMATION

STATING THAT LOOTERS
WOULD BE SHOT ON SIGHT.

HE ALSO DEPUTIZED SPECIAL POLICE

WHOSE ACTIONS WOULD
LATER BE QUESTIONED.

BUT THE REAL POWER
LAY IN THE HANDS

OF BRIGADIER GENERAL
FREDERICK FUNSTON

THE RANKING ARMY OFFICER
IN SAN FRANCISCO.

FUNSTON COMMANDEERED
AUTOMOBILES AND MUSTERED TROOPS.

BY 8:00 A.M., MORE THAN
1,700 MEN HAD ARRIVED DOWNTOWN.

THEIR ORDERS WERE TO FIGHT
THE FIRE, EVACUATE CITIZENS

AND PREVENT CRIMES.

BUT IN THE CHAOS THAT FOLLOWED

THE SOLDIERS THEMSELVES
WERE SEEN LOOTING.

BY THE TIME TROOPS WERE
PATROLLING THE STREETS

A GOOD PART OF THE CITY
WAS IN FLAMES.

AT ABOUT 9:00 A.M.

SOMEONE LIVING
IN THE HAYES VALLEY SECTION

KINDLED A FIRE TO COOK BREAKFAST

INNOCENT OF THE FACT THAT THE
QUAKE HAD DAMAGED THEIR CHIMNEY.

THIS WAS THE RESULT.

BY NOON, THE HAM AND EGGS FIRE,
AS IT CAME TO BE KNOWN

WAS ON ITS WAY TO CLAIMING
A GOOD PART OF THE CITY.

Faix:
MY FRIEND AND ME TOOK A HIKE
OVER BETWEEN FOURTH AND FIFTH

ON FOLSOM STREET

BECAUSE THERE WAS A LITTLE
WOODEN CHURCH WAS BURNING.

FLAMES WERE JUST SHOOTING UP.

AND WE STOOD WATCHING
THAT LITTLE CHURCH BURNING.

IT WAS HORRIBLE.

Murray:
THE FIRE WAS REALLY OFF
AND RUNNING BY THIS TIME.

WE GOT DOWN TO A BUILDING
THAT WAS GOING

AND I CAN RECALL THE CHIEF
WHO WAS IN COMMAND

YELLING THAT THE WALL
WAS COLLAPSING.

SO A POLICE OFFICER DECIDED
THAT WHAT WE WERE DOING THERE

WASN'T A RIGHT PROPER
PLACE TO BE

AND HE SAID,
"WHERE ARE YOU FROM?"

WE SAID, "TELEGRAPH HILL."

"WELL, GO ON HOME,"
AND HE SENT US BACK UP THE HILL.

Abraham:
IT WAS BELIEVED MANY
OF THE MODERN OFFICE BUILDINGS

COULD WITHSTAND THE FLAMES.

THE CALL BUILDING

ONE OF AMERICA'S
FIRST SKYSCRAPERS.

THE CALL CAUGHT
SHORTLY AFTER 10:30 A.M.

IT BURNED FROM THE TOP DOWN

ITS ELEVATOR SHAFTS
ACTING LIKE FLUES.

A FEW FIREMEN WERE TRAPPED
ON THE UPPER FLOORS

AND INCINERATED.

FUNSTON DECIDED

THAT THE ONLY HOPE
OF STOPPING THE DESTRUCTION

WAS TO USE DYNAMITE
TO CREATE A FIREBREAK.

AT 1:00 P.M., A DEMOLITION TEAM
BLEW UP THE MONADNOCK BUILDING.

THE DYNAMITE DIDN'T WORK.

ALL IT DID WAS GUT
THE INTERIOR OF THE BUILDING

WITHOUT BRINGING IT DOWN.

AROUND THE CORNER,
A TELEGRAPH OPERATOR TAPPED OUT

SAN FRANCISCO'S LAST MESSAGE
TO THE OUTSIDE WORLD.

Telegraph operator:
2:30 P.M... THE CITY
PRACTICALLY RUINED BY FIRE.

IT'S WITHIN HALF A BLOCK OF US.

THE CALL BUILDING
IS BURNED OUT ENTIRELY.

THE EXAMINER BUILDING
JUST FELL IN A HEAP.

FIRE ALL AROUND US
IN EVERY DIRECTION.

DESTRUCTION BY EARTHQUAKE
SOMETHING FRIGHTFUL.

THEY ARE BLOWING UP
STANDING BUILDINGS

THAT ARE IN THE PATH
OF FLAMES WITH DYNAMITE.

NO WATER... IT'S AWFUL.

I WANT TO GET OUT OF HERE
OR BE BLOWN UP.

Abraham:
BY 3:00 P.M., ALL
TELEGRAPH LINES WERE DOWN.

THE CITY WAS ISOLATED.

DYNAMITE IN THE HANDS
OF INEXPERIENCED MEN

OFTEN SPREAD THE FIRE
RATHER THAN CONTAINED IT.

Woman:
ALL DAY LONG, YOU HEAR
THOSE DYNAMITE GOING

BING, BING, BANG, ALL OVER.

WE ALWAYS THOUGHT
THAT WAS A BIG WASTE.

Abraham:
NEXT TO THE MONADNOCK
WAS THE PALACE

WHERE CARUSO HAD
SPENT THE NIGHT.

IT WITHSTOOD
THE FLAMES UNTIL 3:30

WHEN ITS SPECIAL
SPRINKLER SYSTEM RAN DRY.

BARTENDERS GAVE AWAY
BOTTLES OF FINE WINE

WHILE NATIONAL GUARDSMEN
MADE A LAST-DITCH EFFORT

TO SAVE THE HOTEL.

BY 5:00 P.M., IT WAS GONE.

TOWARDS THE AFTERNOON,
IN CERTAIN PARTS OF THE CITY

THE FIRE BEGAN TO ASSUME

THE CHARACTERISTICS
OF A FIRE STORM.

THE FIRE GENERATED
ITS OWN SUPERHEATED WIND

WHICH CAUSED
SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION.

A POLICE OFFICER DESCRIBED

SEEING A TONGUE OF FLAME
CATCH THREE PEOPLE.

"IT CRACKLED LIKE A MILLION
FIRECRACKERS," HE SAID

"AND IT WAS LOW TO THE GROUND.

"THE FLAME SEEMED
TO PASS THROUGH THEM.

WHEN IT HAD GONE, THEY WERE JUST
BALLS OF FIRE ON THE GROUND."

Fun:
I REMEMBER SEEING THE FIRE

AND YOU KNOW, ALL AROUND

THERE WAS SMOKE AND EVERYTHING.

I REMEMBER LOOKING

AT THE SUN, OR MOON...

I DON'T REMEMBER

IF IT WAS THE SUN OR MOON...
IT WAS VERY RED

AND I REMEMBER HAVING
NIGHTMARES FOR A LONG TIME

REMEMBERING THAT... ALL THAT
REDNESS IN THE MOON OR SUN.

Abraham:
THE FIRE, BY LATE AFTERNOON

HAD NOT ONLY CUT SAN FRANCISCO
OFF FROM THE REST OF THE WORLD

ALL LINES OF COMMUNICATION
WITHIN THE CITY WERE SEVERED.

UNTRAINED DEPUTIES GUARDED
BANKS AND STORES

AND TOOK THE LAW
INTO THEIR OWN HANDS.

SOLDIERS PATROLLED THE STREETS
WITHOUT COMMANDING OFFICERS.

BY NIGHTFALL, THEY HAD
EVACUATED THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE.

Fun:
VERY SOON WE HAD PEOPLE
KNOCKING AT OUR DOOR

AND WANTING TO COME IN

BECAUSE THEY WANTED PEOPLE
TO GET OUT, EVACUATE.

AND THERE WERE SOLDIERS

AND WE HAD TO GET OUT.

AND THEY LED US

TO WASHINGTON SQUARE

AND WE WERE PUT UP THERE...
JUST ASSIGNED A PLACE

WHERE WE WERE TO BE

IN THAT SECTION.

Abraham:
IN THE PANIC

SOLDIERS BARRED MANY
FROM SAVING THEIR POSSESSIONS

HOURS BEFORE THE FIRES
REACHED THEIR DISTRICT.

Faix:
ONE FELLOW SAYS

"I'M GOING TO TAKE A HIKE
OVER MARKET STREET."

AND THE SOLDIER SAID, "NOBODY
GOES OVER MARKET STREET."

HE SAYS, "WHO'S
GOING TO STOP ME?"

AND THE SOLDIER SAYS,
"I WILL...

BECAUSE IF YOU INSIST,
I'LL PUT A BULLET THROUGH YOU."

Abraham:
KIDS WHO WERE FOUND LOOTING WERE
SPARED BUT PUBLICLY HUMILIATED

AND FORCED TO WEAR PLACARDS
PROCLAIMING THEIR CRIME.

LATER, THERE WOULD BE

PERSISTENT REPORTS OF SHOOTINGS.

SOMEBODY WAS SCREAMING
ON BROADWAY.

WHEN WE WALKED BACK THERE,
THE GUY STARTS RUNNING

AND THEN THE CLOSEST SENTRY
WHO WAS AFTER HIM SAYS

"HALT! OTHERWISE I'LL SHOOT!"

SO HE SHOT BECAUSE
HE WOULDN'T HALT, SEE?

Abraham:
TOWARDS EVENING

A YOUNG NEWSPAPER REPORTER NAMED
JACK LONDON SURVEYED THE SCENE.

"I KNEW IT WAS
ALL DOOMED," HE WROTE.

"I WALKED FOR MILES AND MILES
THROUGH EMPTY BLOCKS.

"IN THE INTENSE HEAT OF THE CITY

"TWO TROOPERS SAT
ON THEIR HORSES AND WATCHED.

SURRENDER WAS COMPLETE."

THOUSANDS WERE HUDDLED
IN OPEN SQUARES AND PARKS

WHILE THE FIRE RAGED UNCHECKED

THROUGH SURROUNDING
NEIGHBORHOODS.

OTHERS WATCHED FROM ROOFTOPS

ON TELEGRAPH HILL,
RUSSIAN HILL AND NOB HILL.

BY THIS TIME, IT SEEMED TO MANY

THERE WAS NOTHING
ONE COULD DO BUT WATCH.

Murray:
THAT NIGHT WE WENT UP ON TOP
OF THE HILL, MY MOTHER AND I.

AND THE WHOLE CITY WAS BURNING.

ALL SOUTH OF MARKET AND ALL
ALONG THE WATERFRONT WAS GOING

AND SHE SAID TO ME

"WELL, WILL, YOU'LL NOW BE
A PIONEER OF NEW SAN FRANCISCO."

Abraham:
BY 10:00 P.M., 250 CITY BLOCKS
HAD GONE UP IN FLAME.

SOUTH OF MARKET WAS GONE.

THE FINANCIAL DISTRICT WAS GONE.

CHINATOWN AND THE BARBARY COAST
WOULD BURN IN THE NIGHT.

REPORTS BEGAN TO REACH
THE OUTSIDE WORLD

BUT IT WOULD TAKE
DAYS BEFORE ANYONE

INCLUDING THOSE
WHO LIVED THROUGH IT

COULD FULLY GRASP
WHAT WAS HAPPENING.

THE HEADLINES WERE
PART FACT AND PART FICTION.

AT DAWN ON APRIL 19,
24 HOURS AFTER THE EARTHQUAKE

PEOPLE WHO HAD LOST THEIR HOMES
GATHERED IN THE STREETS.

THEY SEEMED SHELL-SHOCKED

UNWILLING OR UNABLE
TO GO ANY FURTHER.

FORTUNES, FACTORIES, HOMES
HAD ALL BEEN SWEPT AWAY.

WORD GOT AROUND THAT BOATS WERE
TAKING PEOPLE ACROSS THE BAY

AND THOUSANDS BEGAN
THE LONG TREK DOWN MARKET STREET

TO THE FERRY BUILDING.

Lee:
MY PARENTS WERE ABLE
TO HIRE A WAGON.

WE SAID WE WANTED TO GO
TO THE WATERFRONT

TO TAKE A BOAT OVER TO RICHMOND.

AND THE PEOPLE DEMANDED
$20 FOR THE RIDE

AND THAT WAS QUITE
A SUM OF MONEY IN THOSE DAYS

BECAUSE THE AVERAGE CHINESE
EARNED ABOUT $15 A MONTH.

Abraham:
OTHERS DRAGGED TRUNKS FOR MILES

OR CARRIED WHAT THEY COULD
ON THEIR BACKS.

MESSAGES TO LOST FRIENDS
AND RELATIVES

WERE CHALKED
ON THE SIDES OF BUILDINGS.

ANOTHER REPORTER JOINED
A STREAM OF REFUGEES.

HE WROTE...

Reporter:
THE STREET SEEMED DEAD

NOT RECENTLY DEAD
BUT AS IF BURIED

BY SOME CATACLYSM OF LONG AGO
AND THEN DUG OUT OF THE LAVA.

EVERYWHERE THERE WAS SMOKE

A CONTORTION OF STONE

AND A GREAT SILENCE.

Abraham:
AT THE END OF THE LONG MARCH

WHEN PEOPLE FINALLY
GOT TO THE FERRY BUILDING.

THEY WERE TOLD
THEY COULD ONLY TAKE

WHAT THEY COULD
CARRY IN THEIR ARMS.

BY MIDDAY ON APRIL 19,
250,000 WERE HOMELESS;

OVER 3,000 WERE DEAD.

BUT THAT WAS ONLY THE BEGINNING:

THE CITY WOULD BURN
FOR ANOTHER TWO DAYS

WHEN THE FIRE
HAD BURNED ITSELF OUT

WILLIAM RANDOLPH HEARST,
THE NEWSPAPER MAGNATE

ARRIVED IN WHAT WAS LEFT
OF SAN FRANCISCO.

HE WROTE...

Hearst:
THE HILLS ROLLED TO THE SEAS

AS BARE AS WHEN
THE PIONEERS LANDED IN '49.

BUT NOW THEY ARE
A BLACKENED WASTE.

NORTH TO THE BAY,
WEST TO THE MISSION

NOTHING BUT RUINS.

THE WHOLESALE DISTRICT
IS DESTROYED...

THE MANUFACTURING DISTRICT,
THE FINANCIAL DISTRICT

AND THE WATERFRONT
SECTION, ALL DESTROYED.

I WILL NOT ATTEMPT
ANY DESCRIPTION OF THIS SCENE.

I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT ANY
WORDS OF MINE COULD CONVEY

THE SLIGHTEST COMPREHENSION
OF THE WRECK AND RUIN.

Murray:
TOOK US OUT...

TOOK THE WHOLE HILL OUT.

WE HAD NOTHING UP THERE.

AFTER THE FIRE
WE SAW WHERE WE LIVED.

ALL THAT WAS LEFT
WAS THE CONCRETE FOUNDATION.

WE FOUND A LITTLE SEWING MACHINE

THAT YOU TURNED AROUND
BY HAND, FOR A LITTLE GIRL.

MY SISTER HAD IT.

THAT WAS IN THE RUINS

AND THAT WAS ABOUT
ALL WE SAVED.

Hearst:
ONE MUST FREE
THE MIND OF THE IDEA

THAT THERE HAS BEEN
A FIRE IN SAN FRANCISCO

AND MUST REALIZE

THAT THERE HAS BEEN
A FIRE OF SAN FRANCISCO:

THE WHOLE CITY HAS GONE UP
IN ONE MIGHTY BLAZE.

THE CALAMITY SEEMS OVERWHELMING

AND YET THE PEOPLE
ARE NOT OVERWHELMED.

EVERYTHING HAS BEEN DESTROYED

EXCEPT THAT INDOMITABLE
AMERICAN PLUCK.

IN A MONTH

THERE WILL BE THE BEGINNING

OF A NEW AND SPLENDID CITY.

IN THREE YEARS

IT WILL BE BUILT AND BUSY.

Abraham:
FINDING LOVED ONES
WOULD TAKE DAYS.

HUNDREDS PRAYED
THEY WOULD NOT FIND THEM

ON THE LISTS OF THE CORONER,
WHO NOW SUPERVISED THE EXHUMING

OF HASTILY BURIED CORPSES
IN PORTSMOUTH SQUARE.

FOOD WAS SHORT AT FIRST.

MEN SCAVENGED FOR CANNED GOODS
IN THE DEBRIS.

DRINKING WATER WAS
A PRECIOUS COMMODITY.

BUT EVEN BEFORE THE FIRE
HAD BURNED OUT

SUPPLIES BEGAN TO FLOOD
INTO THE CITY.

MILITARY GARRISONS
FROM PORTLAND AND SEATTLE

SENT 900,000 RATIONS.

A RELIEF TRAIN ARRIVED
FROM LOS ANGELES.

HEARST MOBILIZED THE RESOURCES
OF HIS NEWSPAPERS

AND DISPATCHED 12 TRAINS
FROM NEW YORK.

CONGRESS APPROPRIATED
$1 MILLION.

PLEDGES OF MONEY CAME FROM
CITIES, TOWNS AND ORGANIZATIONS

ALL OVER THE COUNTRY.

SOUP KITCHENS CROPPED UP
AMID THE RUINS

AND EVERYONE WAITED IN LINES.

Kevie:
MY FATHER AND I, MANY A TIME

STOOD IN LINE FROM EARLY MORNING

UNTIL MAYBE 4:00 OR 5:00
IN THE AFTERNOON.

AT THE COUNTER WHERE
THEY WERE HANDING IT OUT, WELL...

"SORRY, IT'S ALL GONE."

THEN YOU HAD TO WAIT UNTIL
THE NEXT DAY TO GET IN LINE.

Abraham:
STANDING IN BREAD LINES, MEAT
LINES, SOUP LINES, ANY LINE

BECAME THE CENTRAL
ACTIVITY OF LIFE...

EVERYONE HAD TO DO IT.

SOLDIERS MADE SURE
NOBODY CHEATED.

SOME PEOPLE JOKED ABOUT IT.

OTHERS DIDN'T THINK
IT WAS SO FUNNY.

A FEW WERE INSPIRED
TO WRITE POETRY.

Woman:
IT AIN'T SUCH
A TERRIBLE LONG TIME AGO

THAT MRS. VAN BERGEN AND ME

THOUGH LIVING NEARBY
TO EACH OTHER, YOU KNOW

WAS STRANGERS,
FOR ALL YOU COULD SEE

FOR SHE HAD A GRAND HOUSE
AND HORSES TO DRIVE

AND A WEE RENTED COTTAGE
WAS MINE

BUT NOW WE NEED RATIONS
TO KEEP US ALIVE

AND WE'RE STANDING
TOGETHER IN LINE.

Abraham:
IF YOU WEREN'T STANDING IN LINE,
YOU WERE PROBABLY DIGGING OUT

WHETHER YOU LIKED IT OR NOT.

MY FATHER WAS STANDING
ON THE CURB

RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE TENTS,
AND AN ARMY MAN CAME ALONG.

MY FATHER WAS VERY COURTESY

AND HE SAID,
"GOOD MORNING, CAPTAIN"

AND HE SAYS, "YOU WORKING?"

MY FATHER SAYS, "NO, SIR."

AND HE SAYS, "COME WITH ME."

ANYBODY WALKING THE STREETS
GOT A SHOVEL

FOLLOWED THE TRUCK
FOR FIVE OR SIX BLOCKS

UNTIL THEY PICKED UP ANOTHER GUY

THEN THEY LET
THE LAST GUY LOOSE.

AND THAT'S THE WAY IT WENT ON

UNTIL THEY WORKED
UNTIL 6:00 MAYBE.

Abraham:
WITHIN A WEEK
OF THE END OF THE FIRE

OVER 200,000 PEOPLE
FOUND SHELTER IN CAMPS

THAT HAD SPRUNG UP IN THE PARKS
AND SQUARES OF THE CITY.

NEWSPAPERS IN SAN FRANCISCO

PORTRAYED THE LIFE OF THE CAMPS
AS DOWNRIGHT HEROIC.

HERE AGAIN WAS
FRONTIER MAN AND WOMAN

REDUCED TO THE BARE
NECESSITIES OF LIFE

TOUGHING IT OUT LIKE
THE STALWART PIONEERS OF '49.

Murray:
WE WERE COOKING OUT
IN FRONT OF THE TENTS

AND THE SAND WOULD
BLOW INTO THE BEANS.

THE GRIT OF THAT SAND
IN THE BEANS...

I COULDN'T LOOK AT A BEAN
FOR MANY YEARS AFTER THAT.

Abraham:
WHILE PEOPLE STARTED LIFE
OVER AGAIN IN THE CAMPS

THE CITY... ITS GOVERNMENT,
UTILITIES AND BUSINESS...

STRUGGLED TO GET
BACK ON ITS FEET.

CITY HALL WAS DEVASTATED.

THE QUAKE HAD EXPOSED
FAKE MARBLE COLUMNS

EVIDENCE OF UNDERHANDED DEALS

WITH THE CONTRACTORS
WHO HAD BUILT IT

AT THE INFLATED COST
OF $7 MILLION.

MAYOR SCHMITZ AND HIS CRONIES
WOULD EVENTUALLY BE DEPOSED.

BUT FOR THE TIME BEING,
HE WAS STILL IMMENSELY POPULAR

AND IT SEEMED
THAT THE QUAKE HAD SHOCKED HIM

INTO HIS BEST BEHAVIOR.

WITH THE GRIM MEMORY
OF THE HAM AND EGGS FIRE

THE MAYOR ORDERED
EVERYONE WITH A HOME

TO COOK OUTSIDE UNTIL INSPECTORS
COULD CHECK THEIR CHIMNEYS.

ANOTHER BIG PROBLEM
WAS SANITATION.

WITH SEWERS BLOCKED,
EPIDEMICS WERE FEARED.

RATS FLUSHED FROM THE SEWERS
COULD CARRY THE BUBONIC PLAGUE.

Man:
THE ONE THING MY MOTHER
DIDN'T LIKE WAS RATS.

WE HAD FIVE ASH CANS
FOR ALL OUR REFUGEES

AND WHEN WE COME BACK FOR LUNCH,
I'D INSPECT THE ASH CANS

TO SEE IF A RAT
HAD GOTTEN IN ONE.

IF HE GOT IN ONE,
HE COULDN'T GET OUT.

MY DOG SANDY, A FOX TERRIER,
WOULD BE THERE WAGGING HIS TAIL

AND IF THERE WAS A RAT
IN ANY OF THE CANS

I'D TIP IT OVER
AND THE RAT WOULD JUMP OUT

AND SANDY WOULD KILL HIM.

SO I WOULD TAKE THE RAT
OVER TO THIS TEENAGER

WHO WOULD TAKE IT
TO THE HOSPITAL...

THE CITY WAS PAYING
A BOUNTY ON DEAD RATS.

HE WOULD GIVE US SOME CANDY
AND HE'D COLLECT THE BOUNTY.

Abraham:
THE MAIN POST OFFICE SURVIVED.

MAIL SERVICE RESUMED
ALMOST IMMEDIATELY.

LETTERS WERE ACCEPTED
WITHOUT STAMPS OR ENVELOPES.

MESSAGES WERE SCRAWLED
ON ANY AVAILABLE SCRAP OF PAPER

SAYING, "ALL SAFE,
ALTHOUGH LOST ALL"

AND "EVERYTHING RUINED,
BUT DON'T WORRY

GOVERNMENT IS LOOKING OUT."

INSURANCE COMPANIES, HAVING LOST
THEIR RECORDS IN THE FIRE

SET UP A BUREAU TO SORT OUT
$170 MILLION IN CLAIMS.

BUSINESSMEN WAITED FOR WEEKS
FOR THEIR SAFES TO COOL

BEFORE DISCOVERING
WHAT REMAINED.

IT WAS SAID
THAT IN MANY PLACES

THE DEBRIS WAS NOT
EVEN ALLOWED TO COOL

AND BRICKS WERE
PITCHED FROM LOTS

WHEN STILL "AS WARM AS MUFFINS."

CLEAN-UP VOLUNTEERS
TOOK UP THE REFRAIN:

"IN THE DAMNEDEST FINEST RUINS,
I'D RATHER BE A BRICK

THAN LIVE ANYWHERE ELSE
BUT SAN FRANCISCO."

THE GREAT CLEAN-UP HAD BEGUN.

THOUSANDS OF STANDING WALLS
WERE TORN DOWN.

AN ESTIMATED 6½ BILLION
BRICKS WERE CARTED AWAY

OR CLEANED OF MORTAR
TO BE REUSED IN NEW BUILDINGS.

THE DEMOLITION OF THE GUTTED
PALACE HOTEL COST $90,000.

FOR THE WHOLE CITY,
JUST HAULING AWAY THE MESS

AND DUMPING IT IN THE BAY
WOULD COST $20 MILLION.

RAILROAD TRACKS WERE LAID DOWN
STREETS ALL OVER TOWN

FOR DEBRIS TRAINS.

YOU WERE LUCKY IF TRACKS
RAN NEAR YOUR PROPERTY.

IF NOT, YOU'D SWAP
YOUR KINGDOM FOR A HORSE.

IN THE FIRST 18 MONTHS
OF RECONSTRUCTION

15,000 HORSES DIED IN HARNESS.

CONTRACTORS FIGURED
INTO THEIR COSTS THE VALUE

OF THE ANIMALS THEY KNEW THEY
WOULD HAVE TO WORK TO DEATH.

WORK ON THE STREETCAR SYSTEM
BEGAN AT ONCE.

THE UNITED RAILROAD
REPLACED CABLE SYSTEMS

WITH OVERHEAD WIRES
FOR NEW ELECTRIC TROLLEYS.

ONLY TEN DAYS AFTER THE QUAKE

MAYOR SCHMITZ INAUGURATED
SERVICE ON THE FIRST LINE.

PEOPLE CHEERED
AS THE CAR PASSED.

SOME FORGOT TO MOVE
UNTIL ALMOST TOO LATE

THOUSANDS OF LABORERS WORKED
ON RESTORING THE LINES.

WITHIN A FEW WEEKS

225 MILES OF TRACK
WERE UP AND RUNNING.

NEWSPAPERS PROCLAIMED
THE REBIRTH OF THE CITY.

A NEWSPAPER REPORTER
ASSERTED THAT...

Reporter:
THE BUSINESS OF SAN FRANCISCO
HAS NOT BEEN DESTROYED

MERELY THE BUSINESS EQUIPMENT.

IF THERE IS
A BUSINESSMAN IN THIS CITY

WHO IS NOT PERFECTING HIS PLAN
FOR RESUMING AT THE OLD STAND

THE CHRONICLE
HAS NOT HEARD OF HIM.

IT'S A FREE STATE,
EVERYONE BEGINNING OVER AGAIN...

RICH AND POOR ALIKE.

THE CHIEF OF POLICE SITS IN
THE WINDOW OF A CORNER GROCERY.

AND THE RELIEF COMMITTEE
IS WORKING 24 HOURS A DAY

FROM THE SHOWROOM
OF A VEGETABLE GROCER.

COOKING THEIR DINNERS
IN THE STREETS

MAY BE SEEN GIRLS
WHO WERE EDUCATED

AT STANFORD, BERKELEY,
VASSAR AND BRYN MAWR.

THE LOSS OF LIFE IS SMALL;

THE LOSS OF SOCIAL
POSITION IS COLOSSAL.

DOWN TO THE ELEMENTS NOW...
NOTHING COUNTS BUT HUMAN LOVE.

HUMANITY IS ON THE FLAT,
AND EVERYONE IS ON THE LEVEL.

Abraham:
WITHIN SIX MONTHS,

THE RANKS OF THE BUILDING TRADES
DOUBLED FROM 20,000 TO 40,000.

WORKINGMEN ARRIVED
FROM ALL OVER THE NATION.

POPULAR POSTCARDS FEATURED
"THE BRICK CLEANER"

"THE CARPENTER"

AND "THE STEEL-GIRDER MAN"

AS THE HEROES OF SAN FRANCISCO.

A CARPENTER COULD MAKE A FAT
WAGE OF FOUR DOLLARS A DAY.

IN NEW YORK CITY,
LAWYERS WERE ONLY MAKING $1.50.

THE CHINESE RETURNED
FROM SEGREGATED CAMPS

TO SURVEY WHAT WAS
ONCE THEIR HOME.

IN THE NEXT THREE YEARS,
CHINATOWN WOULD BE REBUILT

MOSTLY BY THE CHINESE
THEMSELVES.

Lee:
MY FATHER WAS SO GRATEFUL
THAT THE FAMILY WAS INTACT

THAT WE HAD SUFFERED
NO GREAT LOSS

THAT HE DECIDED TO FOLLOW
THE AMERICAN CUSTOM

OF HAVING A THANKSGIVING DINNER.

AND SO HE BOUGHT A 20-POUND
TURKEY AND A PORTABLE OVEN

AND ROASTED THE TURKEY.

THAT CAUSED QUITE A COMMOTION

AMONG THE PEOPLE
LIVING IN THE TENEMENT HOUSE

BECAUSE THEY HAD NEVER
HEARD OF SUCH A THING

BUT MY FATHER SAID,
"THE AMERICAN CUSTOM IS

"TO HAVE
A THANKSGIVING CELEBRATION

AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE DOING."

Abraham:
28,000 BUILDINGS
HAD BEEN DESTROYED.

THREE YEARS LATER, THEY WOULD
BE REPLACED BY 20,500 NEW ONES.

A COMPLETELY NEW CITY ROSE UP
ON THE EDGE OF THE BAY.

THE PEOPLE OF SAN FRANCISCO
SHARED A SENSE OF TRIUMPH.

THEY ALSO SHARED A DESIRE

TO ERASE THE MEMORY
OF THE DISASTER

AND REASSURE THEMSELVES
AND THE REST OF THE WORLD

THAT THE NEW CITY WAS
SOMEHOW INVINCIBLE.

THEY FOUGHT FOR
AND WON THE RIGHT

TO HOST THE WORLD'S FAIR
OF 1915.

FEBRUARY 20 WAS OPENING DAY.

"COME DOWN INTO THE STREETS,"
INSTRUCTED THE ORGANIZERS

"WE WANT EVERYBODY.

"AFTER YEARS OF WAITING,
THE HOUR HAS COME

"FOR SAN FRANCISCO
TO COME INTO HER OWN.

WE ARE GOING OUT THERE
TO OPEN OUR EXPOSITION."

WHEN THE CROWD ENTERED THE GATES

IT FELL STRANGELY SILENT.

THERE WAS A BENEDICTION:

"TO THE CITY OF ST. FRANCIS
BY THE WESTERN SEA

GIVE A HOPE AND A FAITH
THAT KNOW NOT FAILURE."

EVEN THE CITY'S
CHINESE WERE INVITED.

THEY STAGED A GRAND PARADE
THROUGH THE STREETS TO THE FAIR.

THE ITALIANS STAGED
THEIR OWN EVENTS

CELEBRATING COLUMBUS,
THE DISCOVERER OF AMERICA

AND THE GREAT ITALIAN
PATRIOT GARIBALDI.

FATTY ARBUCKLE
AND MABEL NORMAND

KING AND QUEEN OF SILENT COMEDY

WERE WELCOMED BY A NEW MAYOR

ON THE STEPS
OF THE HALF-FINISHED CITY HALL

A SYMBOL OF REFORMED
CITY GOVERNMENT.

THE FAIR ITSELF WAS DESIGNED

TO REPRESENT
THE COMPLETE DEVELOPMENT

OF HUMAN CIVILIZATION
UP TO PRESENT TIME.

THE WONDERS OF MODERN TECHNOLOGY
WERE PARTICULARLY REASSURING.

THEY SEEMED TO DEMONSTRATE

A TRIUMPH OF MAN
OVER THE FORCES OF NATURE.

THE WORLD'S FAIR'S
FIRE DEPARTMENT

WAS SUPPLIED
WITH THE MOST MODERN EQUIPMENT.

THE LAST OF THE OLD
HORSE-DRAWN STEAMERS

HAD JUST BEEN REPLACED
THE YEAR BEFORE.

THANKS TO THE NEW
MOTORIZED FIRE TRUCKS

AND THE INSTALLATION
OF HIGH-PRESSURE WATER MAINS

PEOPLE WERE CONFIDENT

THAT DESTRUCTION BY FIRE
COULD NEVER HAPPEN AGAIN.

TENS OF THOUSANDS CAME
TO SAN FRANCISCO

IN SPITE OF THE WORRY THAT THE
CITY REMAINED ON SHAKY GROUND.

IN THE END,
THERE WERE NO GUARANTEES

THAT THE CITY WAS INVINCIBLE.

THERE WAS ONLY
THE WILL AND THE EXAMPLE

OF THE PEOPLE THEMSELVES.

HERE WAS MANIFEST AN INDOMITABLE
AND IMPETUOUS SPIRIT

THAT, IN THE WAKE OF DISASTER,
HAD BUILT AN ENTIRE CITY

AND A WORLD'S FAIR
FROM THE GROUND UP.

Klahn:
IT WAS FAIRYLAND.

IT WAS JUST LIKE
FAIRYLAND TO ME.

Luchetti:
THOSE WERE THE GLORIOUS YEARS
WHEN I WAS 15

AND IT WAS JUST BEAUTIFUL.

Murray:
THAT WAS ONE
OF THE MOST WONDERFUL FAIRS

THEY'LL EVER HAVE ANYWHERE.

Devecchi:
OH, THAT PLACE?

THAT'S A NICE PLACE.

AND THE ONLY WORDS
THAT I COULD USE...

IT WAS MAGNIFICENT!

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