San Francisco before the Quake ...

[dogtag]

Never mind the before and afters, although they're interesting,
scroll down to the movie. Really funny to watch people walking
around in the road daring the traffic, cars cutting in and out
and doing U turns.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...cisco-bay.html

[Vern Humphrey]

My grandfather was there. He had just been discharged from the Navy, but under the regulations those days, you only got half your mustering out pay. You had to come back on another day, in uniform, to get the rest. The earthquake happened that night, and when he went back for the rest of his pay, he was pressed into service. He was one of the sailors who fought the fires, rescued survivors, and guarded the ruins. He had plenty of stories about the quake -- including about how they shot looters.

[dogtag]

My grandfather was there. He had just been discharged from the Navy, but under the regulations those days, you only got half your mustering out pay. You had to come back on another day, in uniform, to get the rest. The earthquake happened that night, and when he went back for the rest of his pay, he was pressed into service. He was one of the sailors who fought the fires, rescued survivors, and guarded the ruins. He had plenty of stories about the quake -- including about how they shot looters.

People who didn't have earthquake insurance but did have fire insurance,
set their houses alight. Pretty easy considering all the busted gas mains.
Leastways, that's the theory.

[Vern Humphrey]

People who didn't have earthquake insurance but did have fire insurance,
set their houses alight. Pretty easy considering all the busted gas mains.
Leastways, that's the theory.

That's what Pop said. They were dynamiting buildings to make fire breaks.