Arader Galleries

Destruction of San Francisco by Earthquake and Fire, April 18th, 1906

$ 8,000.00
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Francis Ficke

Destruction of San Francisco by Earthquake and Fire, April 18th, 1906. 

Chromolithograph

O.W. Co.

San Francisco, 1906

Panoramic view of the city in flames after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake struck, with 13 places identified.


Some 3,000 people are believed to have died during the disaster and most of the city's residents were forced to flee. As bad as the earthquake itself was, the fires that came later were even worse. Broken gas mains started the fires, while broken water lines prevented the fire department from being able to put them out. The city resorted to blowing up blocks of buildings in an attempt to establish a firebreak. Still, it took four days before the blaze was finally brought under control. Offered is a 1906 chromolithograph by Francis Ficke, Destruction of San Francisco by Earthquake and Fire, April 18th, 1906. This view overlooking the city from nearby hills shows the fires raging out of control in the heart of town.