The Great 1906 Earthquake
The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 is known as one of the worst natural disasters in United States History. At 5:12am on April 18th, the 7.9 earthquake caused by the shifting of the earth at the San Andreas Fault, (USGS), began offshore of San Francisco and lasted for up to a minute in length. After that minute was over, what was left standing of the city was completely enveloped in flames. About 4.7 square miles of the city’s most populated and well developed areas were destroyed by the earthquake and fire during this three day long catastrophe. However, the knowledge learned from this devastation would have great importance on the ways in which future cities would be planned today.
A major reason for this destruction was not only the earthquake, but the way in which the city was built and planned. San Francisco prior to the quake had been experiencing significant population growth. This growth was largely attributed to immigrant populations as well those seeking their wealth in gold. Miners stopped in San Francisco and the proceeded to head North in search of gold. This growth created a need for more land space. Without any building standards or environmental impact regulations the city began to “fill in” areas where development could occur. The only areas to do this were along the banks near the ports where abandoned ships where left to become part of the "new" landmass. In recent times after examination of the quake, Geologists have discovered that these landfill areas may have been the reason for so much destruction. The instability of the ground made it a poor choice for building foundations. However, without knowing any better, builders and planners decided to construct an expanding San Francisco right on top of unstable ground. (USGS 2011) (National Geographic 2006)
Another large cause of the destruction was from government officials and architects desire to use bricks for construction instead of constructing wooden buildings. This would later be found to be of great significance in the amount of damage caused by the quake. Brick buildings with no reinforcement were used in San Francisco at this time because of the large possibility of fires in the city. Bricks were the only form of fire protection known at the time, and no importance was placed on the stability of the building under earthquake conditions. It was determined that most damage occurred in areas where brick buildings were located on poor foundation areas, and that buildings made of wood were mostly twisted, or warped, but still intact.
The reconstruction and aid to San Francisco began as quickly as possible. Much of the aid came in the form of medical assistance as well as food and water. However a large part of rebuilding San Francisco came in the form of financial relief and infrastructure revitalization. The relief effort was originally headed by the Army in the form of tents and breadlines. Refugee camps were set up in Golden Gate Park as well as medical tents. The injured or those greatly affected by the disaster fled to outlying areas and suburbs to find safety. Here is a link to an article sent to the then Mayor of San Francisco Eugene E. Schmitz by W.J Bartnett of San Francisco, who was then the chief consul to the Western Pacific Railroad.
The destruction of San Francisco was not only devastating on a humane level, but also on a political level. With a now blank canvas for the city's most highly desired areas, politicians and planners were able to design the city from the top-down with little input and participation from the public. Originally, Mayor Schmitz tried to hide the true cause of the devastation by attributing the majority of the destruction to the fires. The reason for this was to allow for insurance policies to be able to cover the damages. At this time, much of San Francisco was only covered for fires, not for earthquakes. For this reason and for other economical reasons, Mayor Schmitz also kept quiet the true number of deaths caused by the quake. (National Geographic, min. 30:00)
The good part of this whole disaster was the knowledge gained in order to prevent future disasters of this magnitude. Cities began to understand the significance and severity of planning for natural disasters such as earthquakes and fires.
A major reason for this destruction was not only the earthquake, but the way in which the city was built and planned. San Francisco prior to the quake had been experiencing significant population growth. This growth was largely attributed to immigrant populations as well those seeking their wealth in gold. Miners stopped in San Francisco and the proceeded to head North in search of gold. This growth created a need for more land space. Without any building standards or environmental impact regulations the city began to “fill in” areas where development could occur. The only areas to do this were along the banks near the ports where abandoned ships where left to become part of the "new" landmass. In recent times after examination of the quake, Geologists have discovered that these landfill areas may have been the reason for so much destruction. The instability of the ground made it a poor choice for building foundations. However, without knowing any better, builders and planners decided to construct an expanding San Francisco right on top of unstable ground. (USGS 2011) (National Geographic 2006)
Another large cause of the destruction was from government officials and architects desire to use bricks for construction instead of constructing wooden buildings. This would later be found to be of great significance in the amount of damage caused by the quake. Brick buildings with no reinforcement were used in San Francisco at this time because of the large possibility of fires in the city. Bricks were the only form of fire protection known at the time, and no importance was placed on the stability of the building under earthquake conditions. It was determined that most damage occurred in areas where brick buildings were located on poor foundation areas, and that buildings made of wood were mostly twisted, or warped, but still intact.
The reconstruction and aid to San Francisco began as quickly as possible. Much of the aid came in the form of medical assistance as well as food and water. However a large part of rebuilding San Francisco came in the form of financial relief and infrastructure revitalization. The relief effort was originally headed by the Army in the form of tents and breadlines. Refugee camps were set up in Golden Gate Park as well as medical tents. The injured or those greatly affected by the disaster fled to outlying areas and suburbs to find safety. Here is a link to an article sent to the then Mayor of San Francisco Eugene E. Schmitz by W.J Bartnett of San Francisco, who was then the chief consul to the Western Pacific Railroad.
The destruction of San Francisco was not only devastating on a humane level, but also on a political level. With a now blank canvas for the city's most highly desired areas, politicians and planners were able to design the city from the top-down with little input and participation from the public. Originally, Mayor Schmitz tried to hide the true cause of the devastation by attributing the majority of the destruction to the fires. The reason for this was to allow for insurance policies to be able to cover the damages. At this time, much of San Francisco was only covered for fires, not for earthquakes. For this reason and for other economical reasons, Mayor Schmitz also kept quiet the true number of deaths caused by the quake. (National Geographic, min. 30:00)
The good part of this whole disaster was the knowledge gained in order to prevent future disasters of this magnitude. Cities began to understand the significance and severity of planning for natural disasters such as earthquakes and fires.