The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-04-19
FRISCO AN EARTHQUAKE CITY.
pTBLH USED TO SHOCKS, BUT
FEARED A GREAT DISASTER.

Put I'D Bh ybCThptTb EhTt " NtS
which suffered Is on the Flats and
Made LandS-A Stupid Water system.
Although san Francisco has always been
known as an earthquake town. frequency
of shocks rather than violence has been
characteristic of it's seismic history.
There was a violent shook in 1855, when
the city was only a mining town Of small
frame buildings. Several shanties were
oyerthrown and a few persons killed by
falling walls and ohimnies, Next in violence
va4 ths shook Of 1872, which era oked the
wal, Of soms OF the public buildings INK
causeI a panic. There was no great loss
Of life. In April, 1898, just before midnight
,here was a lively shakeup which caused
the tail building to shake like the swapping
Of a whip and drove the tourists out Of the
hotels into the streets in their night clothes.
Three or our OLD houses fell, and the Benicia
nayr ward, which is on made ground across
the hav, was damaged to the extent Of about
100000.
These we're the heaviest shocks. On the
other hand, light shocks have been frequent.
Probably the sensible quakes have averaged
three or four q year. These are usually
tremblings lasting from ten seconds to q
minute anu just hGdNy ShouBh w "aho
jight -leepers or to shake dishes about IN
ths shelves. Tourists and newcomers are
generally alarmed by these phenomena,
hut old Californians have learned to take
,ncn extraordinarily. To one who is not
afraid Of them, the sensation of one Of these
l.tle tremblers is rather pleasant than other
wise
Yet the fear Of a great earthquake disas-
ter has always been over a Francisco.
II has accounted in great degree for the
REGULAR architecture Of the place. 1t was
only in 1890 that any one ventured to build
a nigh structure, and the inhabitants have
been shy of brick and stone. The houses and
the business blocks, to come extent, are of
wood mainly California redwood. Brick
residences are not common.
With the steady trade winds which pre-
vail there at all seasons Of the year the city
should have been wiped out by a great CON-
Aagration longago and would have been but
for the peculiar quality Of California red
wood, which shoulders in a fire and re-
fuses to break into a bright and energetic
blaze. Given a good water supply the fires
are such that they are easily handled by
the fire department. In fact, there has never
been before this what might be called a
general o~onfiagration in San Francisco.
To understand this disaster II 10 neoee-
sary to consider the peculiar physical CHAR
acteristics Of the land upon which San Fran
cisco is built. The original site was q bunch
Of high and abrupt hills ending in a penin-
sula, whose furthest reach forms one side
of the Golden Gate, the entrance to San
Francisco Bay, The greater part Of the city
proper is on the inner side Of the peninsula,
facing on the bay and not On the Pacific
Ocean. The city has been growing out
toward the ocean, however; and Golden
Gate Park, which starts as a broad ribbon
Of land at about the centre of the town,
has reached an ocean frontage. The city
now has a population Of more than 100000.
The four or five high hills were appro-
priated early in the life of the city as a
residence district: and with the exception OF
Telegraph Hill. at one corner OF the city,
they hold the homes of the wealthy and
we'll to do. The business dist riot was SGT
on the low lands in the clefts between the
hills, and, OF. course, as close to the wharf
room on the bay as possible.
Such land being valuable, this district
has been gradually filled in and extended
for fftv years. When the water came up
TO Montgomery street" is a San Francisco
phrase describing the early days. Now
there are ten blocks Of business streets
between Mont gomery street and the water
front. Here lies the warehouse and whole
sale dist riot.
The heart Of San Francisco is Newspaper
Corners" only Il block inland from Mont
gonery street. and therefore verging on
the Old waterfront and the made lands.
Here. Oh four corners. stood the Chronicle
%tuiliing. eleven stories, and the first high
building in San Francisco; the Gail building,
lwen,y stories. and the tallest structure In
the city, The Examiner building, eight
Dries. and the new Mutual Bank building,
twelve stories.
Just on The edge of the made LAM stood
tie Palace Hotel, not a high building, but
Covering a hi ock OF ground and one OF the
rgeS' structures in the city. Across from
il was The Crocker building. ten stories.
and he smaller Hobart building, in which
The Postal Telegraph Company was housed
Al he centre OF the square formed by the
lowspaper buildings stood the fountain
Presented by he act ress Lolita to the city.
" has been said, the fear of what might
happen in an earthquake. combined with
the ,,arc.ty of nearby q%uarries and brick
.pI''~' MI Il L luiNlSSO fSNfoi
ing with a show Of permanence. The first
10 break the tradition was NJ. H. DeYoung,
who put up the eleven story Chronicle build
lns in 1890. This was in the early days
If skyscraEer construction, and the frame
work Of the Chronicle building was not OF
ttecI but of wrought iron, while the shell
was Of brick.
The building stood, weathered a few
snail earthquakes and had nothing hap
len to it. San Franciscans took heart
and began to experiment with tall build
irgs. In 1894 John d. Spreckels put up
The can building, noted as one OF the few
really beautiful skyscrapers in the ooun-
try, This stood out Of the city like a
tower as viewed from the hills and was the
most conspicuous feature on the Landscape
OF San Francisco. The Croker Building,
The Emporium Building, the Wells Fargo
Building, the new Baldwin Building and
half a dozen others followed.
Three years ago the st. Francis Hotel,
askyscraper, was erected on Union Square.
This is a little way out OF the low area Of