San Francisco Earthquake and Great Fire 

As Day 2 of the disaster opened up, several large fires were burning unchecked throughout the city. When the earthquake struck just before dawn on the 18th, the fire department was just picking up from a 3-alarm fire in a waterfront cannery. The massive quake was felt from Oregon to Los Angeles with structural damages reported along a 700 mile path along the fault line. By the time the first day was over there had been 135 aftershocks. And now…..there was fire everywhere.

2:00 am California Governor Pardee arrived in Oakland to establish a temporary headquarters for the disaster operations. Nearly 1,000 people were being treated in the hospitals for injuries and the police were burying bodies in the city’s parks because the morgue had filled up. Most of the larger buildings had started burning by then and the army once again tried dynamiting areas to make fire breaks. But their experience with that type of operation was lacking and it was mostly ineffectual.

2:30 am The landmark St. Francis Hotel at Union Square catches fire.

4:00 am Secretary of War Taft ordered 200,000 rations sent to San Francisco from the Vancouver Barracks. Then he ordered all hospital, wall and conical tents sent to San Francisco from Army posts at Vancouver; Forts Douglas, Logan, Snelling, Sheridan and Russell, from San Antonio and the Presidio of Monterey.

By evening time, the fire had reached Van Ness Avenue where the mansions of the city’s wealthiest residents stood. Dynamiting operations were carried out there, too.

Lots cleared by dynamiting

The valiant and unceasing toil of the firefighters is reflected in their official reports that were written after the fire.

Matthew Brown of Truck Company No. 8, reported to the Red Cross headquarters that he had charge of a little girl about 3 years old. Her mother had been killed in a burning building south of Market street the day following the earthquake. Days later, an inspection of records showed that the little girl answered to the description of James Fielding’s missing daughter. The Red Cross nurses believe that a woman who was killed was Fielding’s wife. Brown kept the child at his house in Oakland until Fielding arrived.

Captain Arthur Welch of Engine Co. 7 wrote the following in his final report: 

We afterwards assisted in extricating the dead from the Valencia Hotel ruins, and were able to remove eight bodies. Later in the day we again left for Hayes Valley, and then returned to 17th and Howard [now Van Ness Ave., South] streets [on April 19th], where we assisted in pumping water from the broken water main at this point. The company then worked up Howard St., from 15th to above 18th St., under orders of Battalion chiefs McKittrick, Conlon and Waters.

After a consultation between Battalion Chiefs McKittrick and Conlon I left for 20th and Church streets, with a wagon load of hose. I found water at this point, and also at 21st and Dolores streets. I then returned for two more loads of hose, and in connections with Engines No. 27 and 19 we had sufficient hose to fight the fire down the north side of 20th St. to Mission St., where the fire was extinguished on the morning of April 20th at about 10 a.m.

Captain Daniel Newell of Engine Co. 13 reported:

On April 19th, at about 4 a.m. we were ordered to Fifteenth and Shotwell streets, reporting to Battalion Chief McKittrick. We were able to save the East side of Shotwell Street, north of Fifteenth St. and worked in this vicinity until three p.m. of April 19, 1906. Finding water at Fifteenth and Valencia streets, we led down to Mission St., fighting the fire at that point, but finding the pressure inadequate we removed to Eighteenth and Howard streets, connecting with a broken main.

We next endeavored to obtain water at Church and 20th streets, but finding other Companies in line at this point we assisted in this vicinity until the fire was extinguished on Twentieth Street. We were finally ordered to our quarters at 11 a.m. April 20, 1906, having been in duty 53 hours.

Captain J. Coniff of Engine Co. 26 wrote:

As the alarm and telephone system was out of order there was no way of getting into communication with the chiefs or anyone at the head of the fire department. The Captain of our company sent a man in[to] town to find a chief and ask for orders; Chief Conlon was located at Golden Gate Ave. and Webster Street, where a large fire was burning and which was extinguished after destroying about twelve houses. Chief Conlon gave us orders to patrol our district and warn everybody not to light fires in their stoves, as all chimneys were down.

We were able to obtain a small supply of water from a broken water main [probably at 17th and Howard streets] and by doubling it up with other lines fought the fire in the vicinity of 12th and 13th streets all day on April 19th., and up to the morning of April 20th. As the small supply of water to be obtained was being used by other companies, and finding that we could be of no further service, we left for our quarters in the Richmond district at 7 a.m. Friday April 20th.

We put out a small fire back of a store, and then proceeded to a house nearby which had been shaken off its foundation; after inspecting it to see if anyone was hurt, we turned off the gas in the street, and went to answer a call at California St., near Third Ave. Arriving there we found that a chimney had collapsed from effects of the earthquake, and had buried a man; by cutting away part of the floor and removing the debris we were able to extricate him, after which we placed him under a doctor’s care.

Understandably, there was no filming taking place during the height of the fire. These next two videos were filmed shortly after while the buildings were still smouldering and some initial demolishment of unsafe walls was beginning.

Click to play the film

This second film also includes scenes at one of the street kitchens that was set up for workers and refugees. At the end is a view of guards protecting a bank.

Tomorrow:  The fire continues to spread and the largest evacuation by sea in history takes place. (HERE)

The U. S. Mint is saved

Day 1, April 18 report, click HERE.

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