San Francisco is Burning


Book Description

"At 5:12 A.M. on the morning of April 18, 1906, San Francisco was struck by one of the worst earthquakes ever recorded, a disaster that instantly killed hundreds and leveled large sections of the city. The quake has become a watershed event in American history, yet with the passage of time its drama has overshadowed the even greater calamity to which it gave rise: the fires that broke out as the result of toppling chimneys, broken flues, and severed gas lines. These blazes burned for days and were ultimately responsible for the deaths of as many as three thousand people, the destruction of more than five hundred blocks and twenty-eight thousand buildings, and the dislocation of some two hundred thousand residents." "In San Francisco Is Burning, Dennis Smith recounts the three terrible days of the tragedy with an almost cinematic immediacy, tracing the drama through the experiences of a number of people who lived it: a valiant naval officer who helped save the city's piers and wharves, the corrupt mayor, a firefighter who witnessed firsthand the staggering intensity of the fires, a woman who ran a shelter in Chinatown, and the army general who took command of the city and inadvertently placed the city and its people at even greater risk." "Above all, San Francisco Is Burning is a compelling and timely account of how a city copes with catastrophe - how it prepares for such contingencies and how effectively it deals with them when they occur. Smith reveals how San Francisco's corrupt municipal government had paid little heed to the warnings of its fire chief about the inadequacies of the public water system, a failing that would leave the city particularly vulnerable to spreading blazes. Once the fires began, a number of decisions made by the emergency leadership not only proved ineffective hut actually exacerbated the situation. Dynamiting to create firebreaks became, in the hands of amateurs, a dangerous incendiary, while the enforced evacuation of many of the city's neighborhoods deprived them of a volunteer fire brigade, desperate to save their own homes. But the most drastic measure - the declaration of martial law and posting of militia with shoot-to-kill orders against looters - turned out to be the most damaging of all as it led to senseless deaths and the demoralizing of an already overwhelmed populace."--BOOK JACKET.




Disaster!


Book Description

Investigates the San Francisco earthquake of 1906, describing the horrible natural disaster and the subsequent fire that raged through the rubble, killing ten thousand people.







Complete Story of the San Francisco Horror, 1906


Book Description

Today there is no one left alive who experienced the great San Francisco quake in in 1906. That is why it is important to tell the story. Many recall the terrible quake there in 1989, which caused a rupture in the earth of 25 miles and measured about 7.0 on the Richter scale. The 1906 quake had a rupture of 290 miles and was estimated at 7.8 and, by some, up to 8.3 on the Richter scale. It released 16 times the amount of energy as the 1989 quake (at a minimum). It boggles the mind to imagine what it was like near the epicenter. This is the story of what it was liketold by the survivors, rescuers and eyewitnesses to the immense power, and terror, that was unleashed on that day.




I Survived the San Francisco Earthquake, 1906 (I Survived #5)


Book Description

The terrifying details of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake jump off the page!Ten-year-old Leo loves being a newsboy in San Francisco -- not only does he get to make some money to help his family, he's free to explore the amazing, hilly city as it changes and grows with the new century. Horse-drawn carriages share the streets with shiny new automobiles, new businesses and families move in every day from everywhere, and anything seems possible.But early one spring morning, everything changes. Leo's world is shaken -- literally -- and he finds himself stranded in the middle of San Francisco as it crumbles and burns to the ground. Does Leo have what it takes to survive this devastating disaster?The I SURVIVED series continues with another thrilling story of a boy caught in one of history's most terrifying disasters!




The San Francisco Earthquake


Book Description

A “gripping, can’t-put-it-down” chronicle, drawing on eyewitness reports and historical documents, by the New York Times–bestselling authors of Enola Gay (Los Angeles Herald Examiner). It happened at 5:13 a.m. on April 18, 1906, in San Francisco. To this day, it remains one of the worst natural disasters in American history—and this definitive book brings the full story to vivid life. Using previously unpublished documents from insurance companies, the military, and the Red Cross, as well as the stories of those who were there, The San Francisco Earthquake exposes villains and heroes; shows how the political powers tried to conceal the amount of damage caused by the earthquake; reveals how efforts to contain the fire actually spread it instead; and tells how the military executed people without trial. It also features personal stories of people who experienced it firsthand, including the great Italian tenor Enrico Caruso, the banker Amadeo Giannini, the writer-adventurer Jack London, the temperamental star John Barrymore, and the thousands of less famous in their struggle for survival. From the authors of The Day the Bubble Burst, The San Francisco Earthquake is an important look at how the city has handled catastrophe in the past—and how it may handle it in the future.




The Great San Francisco Earthquake and Fire


Book Description

"In graphic novel format, tells the story of the great San Francisco Earthquake of 1906 and the subsequent fires"--Provided by publisher.




Earthquake Days


Book Description

"1906 San Francisco comes to life in this unique collection of over 100 original stereo photographs (viewer included) of the "City-by-the-Bay". These haunting 3-D images were created before, during and after the earthquake and fire.




Three Fearful Days


Book Description

Three Fearful Days is unique among books dealing with San Francisco's 1906 earthquake and fire, because survivors of the tragedy tell their own stories. This volume, now available in hardcover, contains more than 40 narratives culled from letters, diaries, and accounts written at the time. To mark the 100th anniversary of the catastrophe, the survivors voices are heard once again?in many instances for the first time since the dramatic event.




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