Pasadena History: Educational forum held after 1906 earthquake, fire
Less than a month after the great earthquake and fire of 1906 in San Francisco, there was still interest in earthquakes in Pasadena. An educational forum was held at the men´s club of the Pasadena Presbyterian Church. Speakers were Prof. J. F. Chamberlain of the State Normal School in Los Angeles, Pasadena´s premier architect, Myron Hunt, and a businessman, C. D. Sargent. By Sid Gally, Volunteer, Pasadena Museum of History
Posted: 01/04/15, 10:41 PM PST |
Less than a month after the great earthquake and fire of 1906 in San Francisco, there was still interest in earthquakes in Pasadena. An educational forum was held at the men's club of the Pasadena Presbyterian Church. Speakers were Prof. J. F. Chamberlain of the State Normal School in Los Angeles, Pasadena's premier architect, Myron Hunt, and a businessman, C. D. Sargent.
Prof. Chamberlain described the seismograph where a stylus marked the vibrations of the quake on a smoked paper-wrapped ball. He said that the seismograph began to show shaking the day before the quake. Seismographs all over the world detected the quake. He said it was fortunate that the quake did not take place under the ocean and did not create a tidal wave.
Chamberlain compared the San Francisco quake to one in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1886. The latter did great damage but didn't have the fire that was so destructive in San Francisco. The Richter intensity scale hadn't yet been developed but he gave Charleston a 10 and a 6 to San Francisco.
Architect Myron Hunt compared the damage to various types of buildings. He said that steel buildings that were properly built were in the best state of preservation.
Brick and stone buildings that were poorly made fared badly. Also buildings built on "made ground" in old sloughs had the most damage. All types of buildings were gutted by the fires. He said that a man could easily be burned to death in a so-called fire-proof building but often the last ten percent of cost for finishes was left out during construction.
Hunt expressed great concern for the people left homeless or lacking in income. But he said that the courage of the people would go a great way in building the new city.
He said many people would be out of work and would drift away from San Francisco until the city is rebuilt enough to give them employment.
Mr. Sargent who went to the site shortly after the fire, spoke of scenes among the refugees in San Francisco. He gave praise to the relief committee of Oakland for its efficient work.
The quake hit not only San Francisco. Buildings at Stanford University were damaged and downtown Santa Rosa was destroyed.
Source: http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/general-news/20150104/pasadena-history-educational-forum-held-after-1906-earthquake-fire--
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