Remembering the 1906 Earthquake: Searching for Safety

In honor of Saturday’s anniversary of the Great San Francisco Earthquake, I’m devoting each blog post this week to survivor stories. If you’d like to enter to win copies of my novels based during the disaster, Out of the Ruins and Beyond the Ashes, don’t miss the information at the bottom of this post.

Shortly after the initial quake, the citizens of San Francisco took to the streets. Some were merely gawking at the damage, others (in the early fire zones) were already fleeing for their lives. Here are a few stories, in the survivor’s own words.

Peter Bacigalupi, Edison Jobber:  On seeing this my first thought was of the condition of the [phonograph] Records in my store. I hurried as much as possible, but did not make much headway owing to the fact that the majority of people were hurrying in the opposite direction to which I was going. They were taking to the hills. Some were dragging trunks; others carrying valises on their shoulders.

. . .There were also a great many comical sights such as a woman carrying ironing boards and an iron. One woman carried a parrot’s cage in one hand, while in the other was a bundle of clothes, hurriedly gathered together. I noticed that the bottom of the cage was gone, having doubtlessly dropped out on the way without being missed.

Arnold Genthe, Photographer: The streets presented a weird appearance, mother and children in their nightgowns, men in pajamas and dinner coat, women scantily dressed with evening wraps hastily thrown over them. Many ludicrous sights met the eye: an old lady carrying a large bird cage with four kittens inside, while the original occupant. the parrot, perched on her hand; a man tenderly holding a pot of calla lilies, muttering to himself; a scrub woman, in one hand a new broom and in the other a large black hat with ostrich plumes; a man in an old-fashioned nightshirt and swallow tails, being startled when a friendly policeman spoke to him, “Say, Mister, I guess you better put on some pants.”

… But there was no hysteria, no signs of real terror or despair. Nor did buildings show an alarming evidence of destruction; here and there parts of damaged walls had fallen into the streets, and most chimneys had collapsed. At Delmonico’s. the front of one of the rooms on the third floor had fallen into the street. A chair with some clothes had been carried with it. The distressed owner called out to a passing workman, ‘Do you want to make $20?’ ‘Sure’ he replied, ‘what is it?’ ‘See that suit there? I want you to bring it up to me here.’ just then another shock occurred. ‘Ah, you better come and get it yourself.’

Donaldina Cameron, Missionary:  To have our Chinese girls on the streets among these crowds after nightfall was a danger too great to risk. As hastily, therefore, as we could work amidst the confusion and excitement, we gathered some bedding, a little food, and a few garments together and the last of the girls left the Mission Home.

They tramped the long distance to Van Ness Avenue carrying what they could. On the way the children joined the party, and the entire family was at last established for the night in the Presbyterian Church … the small children and babies were carefully cared for through all the excitement. There were three babies— the tiny Ah Ping, not a month old, had to be tenderly carried by the girls; her poor little mother (a rescued slave) was too feeble and helpless to aid much. Hatsu had her wee baby, only three months old, and little Ah Chung, eighteen months, was equally helpless….

Mrs. James T. Watkins: As we crossed Union Square to the Saint Francis Hotel, the crowd came in surges and Union Square was full of poor people, who had fled from the fire south of Market Street, where the poorest people lived. Around them were piled trunks and bundles, parrots and babies. A woman had fainted at the corner and was lying on the grass in the crowd.

. . . I was on the verge of tears over the homeless people in Union Square, little thinking that I should soon be one of them.

. . . The poor people fared better comparatively than those in moderate circumstances, like us, because the very poor could pack their possessions in a trunk, and drag it with a rope along the pavement for miles. I shall never forget that sound of dragging trunks, all night long.

My characters in Out of the Ruins struggled during these hours, as well.

Abby Fischer:  Abby dug her hands deep into the pockets of her skirt as she hurried up the street, away from the rolling clouds of smoke billowing on the skyline. As she pushed her tired legs up the steep hill, she risked a glance over her shoulder. The fires were moving quickly, consuming buildings that moments before had stood untouched. Her stomach churned at the thought of Gerald and Robert working while the danger raced toward them.

“Pray for them.” Abby could almost hear Cecelia’s voice whispering in her ear.

Abby blew out a slow exhale, letting the air buzz through her lips. A lot of good it did you.

Dr. Robert King:  Robert pulled the catgut thread through one last suture and dabbed the area with iodine. Everything about today’s work gripped at his conscience. His instructors had always emphasized the importance of working in a clean environment, washing hands, sterilizing tools. Dried blood coated his fingers, his shirt covered in filth. How many of these patients would survive today, only to succumb to sepsis in the days to come?

“Doc, you finished? We’ve got to get a move on.” A fireman hovered at his shoulder, his breath adding to the myriad of foul odors hanging in the air and setting Robert’s head throbbing.

“Yes, I’m finished.” Robert leaned over the prone form on the ground, lifting the patient’s eyelids one by one. This man might not even get the opportunity to fret over the loss of his leg.

In honor of this anniversary week, I’m hosting two separate giveaways. You must enter each separately, so pay attention to the details!

• To enter to win a copy of Out of the Ruins, book one of the Golden Gate Chronicles, you can find the entry form below. [UPDATE: CONTEST NOW CLOSED]
• Book two of the series, Beyond the Ashes, releases June 16, 2015. You can enter to win an advance copy by subscribing to my e-newsletter. You’ll find subscription information on the right-hand side of my website, or on the top menu of my Facebook page. I’ll be choosing a winner for that giveaway tomorrow (Wednesday), so get your entry in now! [UPDATE: CONTEST NOW CLOSED].

Tomorrow I’ll give you a peek into the firestorm that swept through San Francisco in the days following the quake. I hope you’ll join me!

Would you like to read the rest of the posts in this series? Here are the links to get you there!

• Introduction
  • The Shaking Begins
  • Searching for Safety
  • Feeling the Heat
  • The Days that Followed
  • Up from the Ashes

Now, imagine you were fleeing from a natural disaster. What precious items would you try to save? Let me know in the comment section below.

 

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