00:00:08.340 - 00:00:39.590

on Where were you on the day and night of April 17th? 19? 06 If you were President Theodore Roosevelt in the middle of your second term, you were fighting for conservation and against monopolies and trusts. If you if you were among the rich or the daring,

00:00:39.950 - 00:01:11.400

you probably were purchasing your first motorcar. Ah, flashy sports car, perhaps, or maybe a Stanley steamer. Or perhaps you were having trouble with your Jackson. Or maybe you had a knocks truck for your growing family. Were you favored? The commuter rush was on even in 1906

00:01:15.680 - 00:01:31.180

If you were out for a day in Marin County, you might have been taking a ride down the crooked IST Railroad in the world. The mountain Tamil Pious Muir Woods Railway, 281 sharp curves in eight miles of track, arriving at the boom town of Mill Valley.

00:01:40.500 - 00:01:57.250

If you were a newcomer to San Francisco, probably the first thing you do would be to take a cable car Rock Street, where it was every man, woman and horse for himself. You'd ride past the famous Palace Hotel where if you were Enrico Caruso, you were

00:01:57.250 - 00:02:25.200

preparing to sing that night at the San Francisco Opera House. Yeah. And that evening, if you weren't among the 3000 lucky ticket holders to see and hear Caruso, perhaps you die. Or maybe you were dancing on Nob Hill. Or perhaps you were having a domestic problem

00:02:25.380 - 00:02:49.030

in your Pacific Heights home. If you were Ed Gleason, you were a cub reporter for the San Francisco News covering Ah, hot story on the San Francisco waterfront on if you were one of the 400,000 San Franciscans or one of thousands of Northern Californians, You probably

00:02:49.030 - 00:04:52.290

went to bed that night comfortable and happy in the boom times of the day, totally unaware that the seemingly secure earth beneath you was primed for disaster. Okay, Okay. Oh, all

00:04:52.290 - 00:06:02.560

right. Uhh! If you were San Francisco news reporter Ed Gleason, you were thrown out of bed by what was to be the biggest news story of any reporters. Lifetime. Asai hit the floor. I thought I was

00:06:02.560 - 00:06:31.570

having a nightmare. Thin. I thought our home had blown up. I raced outside the rest of the family where the whole neighborhood stood in their night clothes. The quake only lasted 65 seconds after. Then came the first of many aftershocks. But like thousands of other San

00:06:31.570 - 00:06:50.610

Franciscans, reporter Gleason got dressed and into the heart of the city. I was headed for our newspaper office as where many other folks going to their places of business. But most change experiences about what had happened to each of them. When the quake hit, there was

00:06:50.610 - 00:07:12.020

almost a carnival atmosphere in many parts of town. One section of town, the wholesale produce district, wasn't sharing the carnival atmosphere. It had been the only area opened for business when the quake hit. Max Wolff in reached it just after six in the morning. The street

00:07:12.030 - 00:07:32.570

had sunk in front of some of the produce buildings, and I could look right into the basement of some of them. Reporter Gleason reached his newspaper office just after 6 15 in the morning and found it in a shambles. My editor told me to go out

00:07:32.580 - 00:07:53.560

and get every story I could on that we would print the newspaper somehow somewhere that day, as I raced along Mission Street, I saw fire Engine AM and Rudolph Schubert. The Vengeance Company, 38 recalls what happened my outfit Engine Company 38 was in the thick of

00:07:53.560 - 00:08:13.400

it. Fire Chief Solomon was mortally wounded, so we had lost a valuable leader. When we went to turn on the fire hoses, we were horrified to find that most of the water means had been destroyed. So there we were, a burning city and no water. Ah,

00:08:13.400 - 00:08:38.120

burning city and virtually no water on Lee. A pitiful amount of water from the sewers from a few mains and some pumped from the bay, would be available during the gruesome days ahead by nine in the morning, most of the area south of market was either

00:08:38.120 - 00:08:54.510

burned or burning, and the sightseers suddenly realized that the party was over, that he would burn to the ground. Mayor Schmitz issued his proclamation that all looters will be shot on sight and telegraph for aid from throughout the country. Through the army under command of General

00:08:54.510 - 00:09:14.060

Frederick Funston had moved into key parts of the city. Reporter Gleason was north of Bill. Took charge of the area. By this time, is the fire spread. People were trying to save anything they could. Tens of thousands of dollars were evacuated and carried by hand through

00:09:14.060 - 00:09:35.420

the burning city, including a vegetable card loaded with money and driven down the peninsula by a Mr A. P G. And any. The soldiers, keeping just a step ahead of the fire, ordered people to withdraw their policemen. Henry Smith Way only had about 600 policemen at

00:09:35.430 - 00:09:53.470

that time, not nearly enough for such a disaster. And the army really saved our skins by 11 in the morning of the 18th, not only south of Market, but also large sections of north of market were burning. One fire was spreading from the produce market to

00:09:53.470 - 00:10:14.230

the financial district. Another fire started by a woman cooking breakfast in her Hays Street home, was raging in the northwest section. The flames spread rapidly from building to building from street to street from district to district. One famed landmark after another succumb to the rampaging fire.

00:10:14.840 - 00:10:44.730

The Emporium, the Hearst Building Opera House. By noon, the call building was burning dramatically, one floor at a time, from top to bottom, what by mid afternoon, down burned San Francisco's most cherished possession palace. Hotel reporter Gleason are sightseers. Everyone thought the worst was over, and

00:10:44.740 - 00:11:05.360

frankly, they were happy just to be alive. There was smoke where some fires it started, but everybody thought our fire department. We ran off the paper by hand. Army was dynamiting buildings up the street to try to halt the spread of the fire and the blasting

00:11:05.370 - 00:11:26.210

Shikhar building. We ran off the only paper printed in San Francisco on that April 18. On the afternoon and evening of the 18th, Ah, great exodus began from the burning city. Many people left by ferry to join relatives elsewhere, but thousands were evacuating their homes and

00:11:26.220 - 00:11:48.910

offices to go to the western portions of San Francisco. Sylvan Liz Berger recalls the sights and sounds of that first evening as a quarter of a million men, women and Children sought safety. Never as long as I live will I forget. The sites on the streets

00:11:48.910 - 00:12:13.380

of San Francisco that night area northwest of Stockton Street was largely residential on. After the fire jumped across Market Street, people, of course, had to move out. The army had taken over all the policing in that area. A group of soldiers would go through every building

00:12:13.380 - 00:12:36.300

and house one or two blocks ahead of the fire, thoroughly searched every room and corner to see that everyone was out. Men, women, Children, the sick and the incapacitated dogs, the cats, the birds and all of the pits were moved out even if they were unable

00:12:36.300 - 00:12:59.470

to walk. Whatever household goods the people could take were piled on baby carriages, tables, chairs, so forth Children's wagons and anything that had wheels on it. Even the small beds. Father, the mother, on the sturdier of the Children would hits rope, sheep to themselves. On, they

00:12:59.470 - 00:13:19.860

were told, the vehicles loaded with the family possessions up the street. Noise of those scraping boxes. Casters of the beds and couches on the chairs as they were dragged along the street is one that I can still hear. It was a sight that Vegas description. Yeah.

00:13:22.240 - 00:13:42.250

Here on the street and on the lawns, babies were delivered into the world. Other babies were nursed. The older folks were arrested. If they hadn't already collapsed. Children were fed on life in every phase and literally from the cradle to the grave was an open site.

00:13:56.940 - 00:14:45.650

Okay. Thank you. Yeah, Yeah. Working with me coming from. Yeah, yeah, yeah. What? Everything. Yeah. And in the days and nights to come. One area, Golden Gate Park was to be home for over 100,000 San Franciscans. On that first evening, April 18th, reporter Gleason was

00:14:45.650 - 00:15:06.850

sent to Golden Gate Park to report this spirit of the refugees. It was a near East site. The smoke billowed thousands of feet into the sky, which was frightened by flames for miles around. There was no real panic, but everyone was worried. What if the fire

00:15:06.850 - 00:15:27.990

couldn't be checked? What if it crossed Venice? Seven. But if it reached the part, our backs for To the Sea, it was almost like watching a movie serial, wondering if we would become a part of a drastic climax. Mrs. Naomi Wise was typical of the Golden

00:15:27.990 - 00:15:50.490

Gate refugees. I put my one year old daughter and my two year old son into a wash basket on my sister, and I carry them in the wash basket out to Golden Gate Park. Everybody in San Francisco seemed to be their way, slept there with just

00:15:50.490 - 00:16:07.880

a few blankets to keep us all warm, and we watch the city burn on and on into the night, throughout the night and into the morning. of the 19th, the fire burned closer and closer towards Golden Gate Park. It was hoped that Union Square would stop

00:16:07.890 - 00:16:27.250

the flames, but the fire jumped Powell Street and moved on past Nob Hill, burning scores of great mansions filled with millions of dollars of furniture and art treasures. In its wake, the fire had leveled Chinatown. King Worley was one of those burned out because most of

00:16:27.250 - 00:16:46.670

the homes were made of wood. Chinatown burned completely to the ground. 10,000. My people were homeless. There's an old Chinese legend that on the last day of the world, Ah, Yellow Bull appeared during the quick and fire as we were living our homes, a 10 arts

00:16:46.670 - 00:17:04.460

broke loose from one of the wagons that was going through a hunter's point. And when we also that arts, we thought it was the yellow boo. And at the end of the world was here. Many Dick Joe Frank heard them in Quincy. By evening, the rumors

00:17:04.470 - 00:17:26.320

about San Francisco were frightening. We heard that the title wave had completely destroyed the city. Another story had it that the entire city had burned to the ground. The people like myself with folks in San Francisco. The rumors were terrifying. Yeah, On the morning of the

00:17:26.320 - 00:17:47.160

19, everyone realized that Van Ness Avenue was the city's last hope to save San Francisco from complete destruction. Reporter Gleason was at Venice covering one of the most dramatic scenes in American history. All the fires were converging on Van ness. Backfires had been set all along

00:17:47.160 - 00:18:08.000

the eastern side of Van Ness in hopes of preventing the fire from jumping the street. For the next 24 hours, this last ditch fight was waged. Rudolph Schubert in ancient Company 38. Those fires way fought with everything we had, including our bare hands. Way finally held

00:18:08.000 - 00:18:26.850

the fire. Advantis and part of the city Waas saved. By Friday the 20th, the fire was slowed down, and by Saturday, the 21st the fire had been checked, but its toll was shocking. Much of San Francisco was in ruins. Over 450 dead and not only San

00:18:26.850 - 00:19:01.720

Francisco but also a vast area of northern California, from Santa Rosa to Stanford to Santa Cruz had been devastated and all from a 65 2nd shift of the San Andreas fault during the first days after the fire, refugee camps sprung up throughout San Francisco, supervised by

00:19:01.720 - 00:19:21.570

the Army, by the police, by the Red Cross and by special civic committees, Dan Koschman recalls. These first days our home was on a main thoroughfare between the burning city and the Presidio, so we must have seen over 100,000 people passed by our home on their

00:19:21.570 - 00:19:38.780

way to the refugee camps on. The thing I'll always remember is that the people were smiling. I didn't see a single person crying or upset. They all were in the same boat, and we're confident that everything would come out all right. In the end, we had

00:19:38.780 - 00:19:54.730

a German cook who got all upset during the quake. In fact, she was speechless with fright. So we bedecked her with all the beautiful family jewels and sent her out to relax in one of the camps. Now a special elaborate tent had been reserved for one

00:19:54.730 - 00:20:11.830

of the matrons of San Francisco society, in fact, the leading lady of that society. And when the authorities saw this German cook coming along with all the jewels, they mistook her for the society. Lady on, they wined and dined her for three days before her real

00:20:11.830 - 00:20:34.850

identity was discovered. Reporter Gleason, having written about death and destruction, now had good news to report. Aid came from everywhere. Within a few days, over $8 million was raised in American cities. Tons of relief supplies poured in. Foreign countries contributed nearly half a million dollars in

00:20:34.850 - 00:20:58.560

relief, with over half of that coming from Japan. Approximately 160 relief stations were set up throughout the city. Mrs Henry Robert Brayden, who was typical of the social workers I interviewed at this time. There had been rumors to the effect that there were all sorts of

00:20:58.570 - 00:21:21.850

epidemics prevailing, that there was looting and terrorism. These we found to be quite untrue. People were cooking their meals outside their tents. Everyone was in good spirits. Everyone helped everyone else. When a new baby arrived, the neighbors pitched in and helped. The mother. Meals were served

00:21:22.070 - 00:21:42.190

to dozens of people at the time at 15 cents a meal. Finally, the Red Cross sent out trained workers to supervise the work. In the camps. San Franciscans were planning and constructing new buildings almost a fast as they had burned down, Reporter Gleeson wrote about the

00:21:42.190 - 00:22:13.460

recovery. Everyone seemed to cry. The city is dead. Long live the city. Songs and signs eloquently demonstrated the city's vitality. Everyone pitched in Safe's were hauled up in the ruins, and whether you called it cold, cash or hot, it was desperately needed. Demolition teams blasted away.

00:22:13.460 - 00:22:39.330

Dangerous shelves of building workers cleaned away debris. Freight cars carried the debris out of the city. Many folks were back at work immediately. San Francisco firms, large and small, came back strong, and reporter Gleason was there to write about it. The quake and fire was quite

00:22:39.330 - 00:22:59.780

a story for Cub Reporter, but for the next 40 years, San Francisco was to be my beef as a full fledged reporter and eventually is managing editor of the call. I saw and reported my city completely rebuild itself within three years and six years after that

00:22:59.790 - 00:23:20.310

host the world's fair. I saw and reported my city built everything from Hetch Hetchy Dam in the wilderness of Yosemite to a Golden Gate Bridge in the wilderness of the sea. But I never saw it looking better than it did the week of April 18 1906

00:23:20.320 - 00:24:21.860

bruised and battered but ready to fight back that way, E o E o.