The tremors increase in power and the walls begin to crumble around you. Rushing outside you see the ground rise like the back of a whale. Thrown to the ground by the beast below, your ear hits the ground and the roar comes loud and clear. The roar is so deafening that even the screams of people are drowned out in chaos. This is what it was like during the 1906 San Francisco earthquake. The cause of the earthquake at 5:12 on April 18, 1906 was a section of rock along the San Andreas Fault. The stone snapped causing the shaking to start a few miles down in San Francisco. This earthquake was measured a magnitude of 7.8. (San Francisco 1906 Earthquake and Fire) This earthquake was remembered as the USA’s worst natural disaster, alongside the Galveston …show more content…
“The Horrific Wreck of the City” says, “I was thrown on my back and the pavement pulsated like a living thing. Around me the huge buildings, looming up more terrible because of the odd dance they were performing wobbled and veered. Crash followed crash and resounded on all sides. Screeches rent the air as terrified humanity streamed out into the open in agony of despair.” Likewise, “The street beds heaved in frightful fashion. The earth rocked and then came the blow that wrecked San Francisco from the bay shore to the Ocean Beach and from the Golden Gate to the end of the peninsula.” These quotes show how destructive the earthquake was because the first one talks about how buildings were crashing down into the streets of San Francisco; and the second quote talks about how San Francisco was wrecked by the rocking of the earth. “Comprehending the Calamity” says, “The spirals of smoke now began to ascend from various places In the business section, and we realized how completely we were at the mercy of fire, with the broken water-mains, and reservoirs perhaps destroyed. The gas and water had been cut off immediately to most of our homes. The electricity was gone too.” Similarly, “Men, met, introduced one another; exchanged business cards of places consumed by the flames, …show more content…
We will all be burned. This must be the end of this wicked world. Welcome to the inferno.” Similarly, “Strong men bellowed like babies in their furor. All humanity within eyesight was suffering. No one knew which way to turn, when on all sides of them destruction stared them in the very eye. A number of slight tremors followed the first seven series of shocks.” This shows how Fred Hewitt’s account is pessimistic and down beat, because he is highlighting the chaos of the earthquake. These quotes show how Fred had basically given up when he talked about how it must be the end of the world and everyone will be burned. It also talks about how suffering was the only thing that the earthquake brought. “Comprehending the Calamity” says,“Delivery wagons crammed with everything but what they advertised, wheelbarrows piled mountain high, people with packs on their backs, and all so good- natured and ready for a smile! I never saw one person crying.” Likewise, “The all-prevailing cheerfulness and helpfulness were encouraging signs
Another very sad and destructive earthquake was the one in San Francisco on April, 18th 1906. The amount of deaths was less than the amount of deaths the earthquake in Haiti had. In San Francisco there were 3,000 deaths. Still a lot but not as much as the Haiti earthquake. The magnitude was higher than the Haiti earthquake but had fewer deaths. The magnitude for this earthquake was 7.8 which is high. There was a significant amount of people without homes. There were 225,000 people without homes.
London begins his piece by reporting the facts and circumstances in which the disaster started, describing the damage caused by the earthquake’s fire to rapidly start the creation of his metaphorical approach of the event: the beginning of an impetuous invading force into the magnificent empire of San Francisco. In order to set up this image, London utilized specific connotative language such as “conflagration,” “modern
The San Francisco earthquake on April 18, 1906 was one of the most devastating earthquakes felt by a lot of states. At 5:15 am, this earthquake which registered at 8.25 on the Richter Scale shook San Francisco, California. The earthquake lasted less than a minute and it did a lot of destruction in that period of time. The most destructive part during the San Francisco earthquake was the fires which began after, as a result of the earthquake. The fires killed about 3,000 people and left 400,000 homeless (San Francisco Earthquake). The San Francisco earthquake epicenter was located near San Andreas fault and as a result, the damages caused by the earthquake was felt many miles along the San Andreas fault line. The city of San Francisco was known for its culture and economy, and because of the impact of the earthquake and fire, the city was in total disaster. Because of the magnitude of the earthquake and the amount of damage it did to the city of San Francisco, a lot of data and digital images have been collected so that it can be used for references and be displayed at its anniversary.
It’s 5:15 AM, and the streets are quiet. By 5:30, the streets are torn apart, and rubble is strewn everywhere. What happened in those fifteen minutes was the San Fransisco earthquake. When you look at “Comprehending the Calamity” by Emma Burke and Laurence Yep’s Dragonwings, you can truly imagine the extent of the damage and fear, even though Burke’s purpose is to inform, while Yep’s is to entertain.
On August 24, 2014 a magnitude 6.0 earthquake occurred in and around the city of Napa, CA. The earthquake killed one person and injured over 150 people. And these people were treated at Queen of the Valley Medical Center in Napa [1]. More and more earthquakes occurred on this earth. So this grasps people’s attention.
An Earthquake that registered 7.8 on the Richter Scale which lasted approximately 1 minute caused catastrophic damage to the City of Berkeley and LPHG. As a result of the Earthquake 31
George Heinrich Crist, a resident of Kentucky, was settled with his family in a well-built house when the New Madrid Earthquake of 1811 came across their path, unlike a storm this “thing” had no warnings. He chose to share his account of this quake, or quakes. This was part of his life and also a part of history in the making so that is why I believe he shared his personal essay. It’s not an argumentative account but rather short entries from 5 months from his life. Kentucky wasn’t the only state that was hurt, 6 other states were involved. The term “New Madrid Earthquake” refers to portions of Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Arkansas, Kentucky, Tennessee and Mississippi. This was the biggest earthquake (series of earthquakes) as it changed the course of the Mississippi river.
The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake tectonic setting was in the outermost shell of earth known as the crust this is composed of rigid plates that have been moving for hundreds of millions of years. Two of these moving plates meet in western California; the boundary between them is a zone of faults, the principal one being the San Andreas fault. The horizontal sliding of the Pacific Plate relative to the North American Plate, causes earthquakes along the San Andreas fault and similar plates near the region. The San Andreas fault is a transform plate boundary, accommodating horizontal relative motions (usgs.gov).
The Earthquake shook buildings and walls to the ground. But, what came after the quake was much more devastating. Fires broke out in every direction and this thriving city became mostly ashes. People became curious and gracious in this time of turmoil and that has never before been seen in San Francisco. When all hope was lost the firefighters made a great stand putting out the fire and ending the turmoil.
The tectonic setting for the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake was in the outermost shell of earth consisting of rigid plates that have been moving for hundreds of millions of years. Two of these moving plates meet in western California; the boundary between them is a zone of faults, the principal one being the San Andreas fault. The Pacific Plate (on the west) slides horizontally northwestward relative to the North American Plate (on the east), causing earthquakes along the San Andreas and associated faults. The San Andreas fault is a transform plate boundary, accommodating horizontal relative motions (usgs.gov).
On April 18, 1906, an earthquake occurred in San Francisco with a magnitude of 7.9. The earthquake was caused by the San Andreas Fault since the San Andreas Fault slip over a segment. The earthquake could be felt from Oregon to southern California. Buildings in San Francisco was destroyed by earthquake and fires. Fires started after the earthquake occurred and firefighters were not able to stop the fire because the water mains were broken and because of this, firestorms started to develop around San Francisco. Then, the San Francisco Mayor E.E. Schmitz called the U.S. Army troops to shoot anyone that is found looting. While the army was doing that, firefighters and U.S. troops tried to fight the fire by dynamiting the city to create firewalls.
Northern California. High intensity shaking was felt stretching from Salinas Valley to Eureka on the North Coast. The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 was one of the worst and most fatal earthquakes in both California’s and the United States’ history.
The San-Francisco earthquake caused quite a lot of damage in the area, but what is an earthquake? An earthquake is the movement of tectonic plates along a transform boundary and what plate is California sitting on? The Pacific Plate which is not connected to the North American plate and the plate boundary is a transform boundary. Earthquakes occur so often there that people say it is like a rainstorm that is ignored. The place where the Pacific Plate is grinding along with the North American Plate is called the San Andreas Fault. As stated before the earthquake had a magnitude of 7.8 which caused so much destruction a fire broke out. Nobody really knows where the fire started but it burned for 7 days and scorched over 500 city blocks leaving the once proud and powerful city into dust. The combination of the earthquake and fire is said to have killed “ Over 700 deaths by the earthquake and fire is now believed to be an understatement the total loss of life by a factor of 3 or 4.” (The Great 1906 San-Francisco Earthquake.)
The damages were catastrophic as houses lay in ruin and debris littered the roads. There were mudslides and fallen rocks that paved the roads and made them impassible for vehicles to get through. Ultimately by the roads being clogged up the response time by rescue workers and essential personal were hampered. This also made it exceptionally difficult for supplies to be rushed to the locations for the earthquake survivors. As some were digging and excavating for survivors they were being halted by aftershocks and falling debris from above. Approximately 8000 people were killed either by their houses caving in or by the other disasters this earthquake triggered. It was a real life tragedy that
The personal narratives “Comprehending the Calamity” by Emma Burke and “Horrific Wreck of the City” by Fred Hewitt both write about how people react in times of crisis. While the differ in how Emma Burke writes to the reader on how she was active and helpful after the earthquake, while Fred Hewitt only writes about what is going on during the earthquake and not helping, sounding like a bystander to the reader. Stating from archive there was an estimated kill count from the earthquake and fire of more than 3,000 citizens and an estimated 400,000 residents of the city homeless. The 1906 San Francisco earthquake was quite a destruction for the San Francisco residents for a full 4 days of disaster. Many people died during the earthquake and after