This is a cool video of Market St. in San Francisco filmed from a street car just four days before the ’06 earthquake. Here’s how it was described to me:
The film is from a streetcar traveling down Market Street in San Francisco, four days before the big 1906 earthquake/fire that destroyed the area. You can clearly see the clock tower at the end of the street at the Embarcadero wharf that’s still there. No traffic control, stop lights, pedestrians crossing anywhere….
The quality and detail is great, so be sure to view it full screen. The film was originally thought to be from 1905 until David Kiehn with the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum figured out exactly when it was shot. From New York trade papers announcing the film showing to the wet streets from recent heavy rainfall and shadows indicating time of year as well as actual weather and conditions on historical record. He even knows when the cars were registered, who owned them, and when the plates were issued! He discovered it was filmed only four days before the quake and shipped by train to NY for processing. Amazing but true!
Quite a lot of those people shown in the film were killed in the quake—they literally, “Left their hearts in San Francisco.”
Tags: San Francisco
