Wednesday, April 02, 2014

San Francisco on the Eve of the Great Earthquake and Fire


A drive down a major street in San Francisco April 16th 1906. Fantastic film footage. I am guessing the camera was mounted on the front of trolley car. Ignore the title claiming 1900. It's wrong.

6 comments:

Matushka Anna said...

What a great film! We watched it three times in a row. You could watch it over and over and see something different every time. Thanks for posting!

John (Ad Orientem) said...

I've watched it a couple times too. It's weirdly addictive... like looking through a window into another era.

The Anti-Gnostic said...

Another thing about that footage. The camera would be hand-cranked.

Also, spontaneous order: pedestrian, horse, auto and trolleys, and no traffic control.

It is argued that highways and controls plus making cars into tanks--all to make driving "easier"--actually result in more wrecks.

Abbot Theodore said...

Haunting soundtrack, perfect for watching a world all too unaware of what was coming.

mome said...

You might like this version as well, with Arvo Part's Spiegel Im Spiegel.

mome said...

Oops, here's the link:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Y9RgbGLLfE