Earthquake and a Fire.

1. On April 18, 1906 great earthquake having disastrous consequences occurred in San-Francisco. Fallen or blocked chimneys and overturned stoves started fires in 50 or more points within the city. Most of the fire stations and alarm systems had been wrecked by the earthquake, but nevertheless, the firemen rallied quickly and worked systematically.

2. At first their efforts were successful, but after a short time the water in their hoses stopped. The water main having been broken, they were going to fight the fires without their normal water supply. They pumped water from ditches, cisterns and wells, and from the bay itself. But the flames jumped from one point to another faster than they could be fought. As the heat grew to an intense level, buildings which might have been fire-resistant burst into flames spontaneously as their interiors appeared to be above the kindling point. The fire-fighters attempted to use dynamite to make fire breaks in the city, but this was ineffective; the fire moved too fast.

3. By midnight on the 18^th, most of the downtown of San-Francisco had been destroyed. The fires continued for 3 more days, on 3 fronts. They were gradually brought under control by the persistent efforts of the firemen using the limited amounts of water they could find in cisterns, and through ruthless use of dynamiting. Whole blocks were blasted in order to provide an effective fire break. By the morning of the 21^st, the last of the fires which was threatening the waterfront and docks from the north was subdued by the combined efforts of the firemen on land and fire boats in the bay.

4. Now the city could count its losses: 30 schools, 80 churches and the homes of 250,000 people had been destroyed, with a loss of some 450 lives. The libraries, courts and jails, the theatres and restaurants had disappeared. The transportation system was completely wrecked. It has always been a matter for argument how much of this damage should be attributed to the earthquake and how much to the fire.