San Francisco Is BurningSan Francisco Is Burning
the Untold Story of the 1906 Earthquake and Fires
Title rated 4.3 out of 5 stars, based on 3 ratings(3 ratings)
Unknown, 2005
Current format, Unknown, 2005, , No Longer Available.Unknown, 2005
Current format, Unknown, 2005, , No Longer Available. Offered in 0 more formatsAt 5:12 a.m. on the morning of April 18, 1906, San Francisco was struck by one of the worst earthquakes in history, instantly killing hundreds. The ensuing fires that ravaged the city for days were responsible for the deaths of as many as 3,000 more. In all, 522 blocks and 28,188 buildings were leveled, and some 200,000 people dislocated.This watershed event in American history has never before been told with the richness of historical detail and insight that our foremost historian of fire, Dennis Smith, brings to it in San Francisco Is Burning. Smith cinematically recounts this terrible tragedy through the stories of the people who lived through those terrible daysÂfrom a valiant naval officer who helped save the cityÂs piers and wharves to Eugene Schmitz, the crooked mayor, to the Âdebonair scoundrel Abe Ruef, the most erudite city boss in American history. Throughout, Smith reveals many unknown details about the event, from the cityÂs great vulnerability to fireÂdue to its corrupt and hasty building practicesÂto the widespread racism the quake unleashed and the atrocities committed by national guardsmen. Told with verve and a seasoned firefighterÂs knowledge, San Francisco Is Burningis the gripping and definitive account of one of the greatest disasters of the twentieth century.
Title availability
About
Subject and genre
Opinion
More from the community
Community lists featuring this title
There are no community lists featuring this title
Community contributions
There are no quotations from this title
There are no quotations from this title
From the community