1906 San Francisco Earthquake Essay

The San Francisco Earthquake killed many - over 3000 to be exact. Not everything is known about the Earthquake but we do know a small bit, from Art. Paintings, Stories, Films, Photos and more. From these we know about what devastation was caused by the horrific events of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake. Two of the many ways we know about the Earthquake is “Comprehending Calamity” a Personal Narrative by Emma Burke, and “The Horrific Wreck of The City” an Eyewitness Account by Fred Hewitt. After the earthquake the government thought that it would hurt the town to tell them what really happened so know one the true death count of the earthquakes rage, in edition not even the government truly knew how much died on that terrible day as deaths in china town were never even recorded. The event demolished 490 city blocks including 25,000 buildings, and an estimate of 80% of the city was destroyed.“Comprehending Calamity” by Emma Burke and

I realized that there something dreadful had happened. I peered into the cloud, but I could not see a trace of that building. As I waited the dust began to settle.” (page 2 paragraph 4). Emma Burke and Fred Hewitt’s Personal Narratives are very different when talking about how people were affected by the tragedy. For Example Fred Hewitt states “For an hour more after that terrible shock, which shook the buildings of all San Francisco to the very foundations, people wandered about in an insane fashion. There was no attempt to hold the sufferers. People were stupefied as the inferno raged and reigned supreme.” (page 2 paragraph 11) This differs from Emma Burke’s Concluding sentence where she states “Morning came, and my husband was detailed to take charge of the water distribution at the entrance to the Park. Water was now more precious than gold, and not a drop must be wasted. Many of the mains were broken,