The San Francisco Earthquake and Fire of Collection -1988 1 linear foot (3 boxes) Processed by Jannette Sheffield March 2015 Photographer Arnold Genthe. San Francisco Earthquake and Fire,. Archives and Special Collections St. John s University
Abstract This collection documents the San Francisco Earthquake of. The records include, but are not limited to, insurance company reports and documents, association documents, statistical statements of losses, papers, addresses, pamphlets, government publications, periodical materials, images and newspaper clippings. Access An appointment is necessary to use this collection. Please review the library s access and membership policies. Access to certain materials may be restricted at the discretion of the library due to preservation concerns. Preferred Citation The San Francisco Earthquake and Fire of Collection, -1988. Kathryn and Shelby Cullom Davis Library, St. John s University. Copyright Materials may be subject to copyright restrictions. It is the responsibility of the researcher to request permission from the copyright holder for further reproduction. Historical Note On Wednesday, April 18, at approximately 5:12 a.m. San Francisco was struck by a massive earthquake that left the city in ruins. The earthquake ruptured along the San Andreas Fault line and its impact could be felt from Oregon to Los Angeles to central Nevada, with an epicenter located near San Francisco. Although the actual shock itself lasted only for about 48 seconds, the earthquake ignited devastating fires which broke out across the city for three days. The large-scale disaster is perhaps most remembered for the subsequent fires that caused significantly more damage to the city than the earthquake and its aftershocks. The conflagration resulted in the death of about 3,000 people and destroyed more than 28,000 buildings, roughly 80% of the city. Property damage following the disaster has been variously estimated with figures ranging from $235 to $500 million dollars in. References: University at Buffalo. Multidisciplinary Center for Earthquake Research (MCEER). The Great Earthquake & Fires of San Francisco. G.H. Marks. The San Francisco Story: April 18-21,. Kathryn & Shelby Cullom Davis Library, Box 3, Folder F-3. Scope and Content This collection contains images, news clippings, company and association documents, journal and magazine articles, government publications, published papers, statistics of losses, and a map relating to the San Francisco Earthquake and Fire of. For information about other earthquakes in California, please see the California Earthquakes Collection, 1933-1994. Processing Notes These materials were removed from the vertical file collection. 2
Subject Terms San Francisco Earthquake and Fire, Calif., San Francisco Earthquake and Fire, Calif., Pictorial works San Francisco Earthquake and Fire, Calif., Insurance aspects Earthquakes California San Francisco Fires California San Francisco Organization This collection is organized in eight series. The materials in each series are organized chronologically. Series A Images Series B News Clippings Series C Company and Association Documents Series D Journal and Magazine Articles Series E Government Publications Series F Published Papers Series G Statistics of Losses Series H Maps Folders are marked as follows: Box : Series : Folder Box 1 Series A - Images A-1 Images Vanity Fair. San Francisco Fire, April. Photograph by May 1926 Arnold Genthe A-2 Images Photograph of San Francisco after the Earthquake of, September 9, 1931 from Mr. A.E. Clough A-3 Images Picture of San Francisco Fire of, from Mr. Affeld August 9, 1949 A-4 Images Photographs of damage from earthquake and fire, as well as of landmarks around the city of San Francisco, several insurance offices, and various people (possibly insurance agents) Box 2 3 c. Series B - News Clippings Folder Description Date B-1 News Clippings -1907 B-2 News Clippings B-3 News Clippings
Box 3 Series C Company and Association Documents Folder Description Date C-1 Joint Stock Fire Insurance Companies Record of Business in Each of the States and Territories of the United States and the Dominion of Canada C-2 Alfred M. Best Company Best s Special Report Best s Insurance Reports Best s Bulletin Bulletin: San Francisco disaster April 18-21, April 18-21, April 27, c. C-3 The Home Insurance Company Letter from Elbridge G. Snow, President to W.B.Stone April 24, C-4 Royal and Queen Insurance Companies Letter from Rolla V. Watt, Manager to Resident Agents April 30, C-5 National Bank of the Pacific San Francisco Letters from Zoeth S. Eldredge, President -1907 C-6 North British & Mercantile Insurance Company Letters from W.J. Littlejohn, Manager to Agents Advertising Card Howard DeMott, Special Agent - Financial Statement C-7 A Schilling & Company Circular Letters December 13, C-8 Fireman s Fund Story of the rehabilitation of the Fireman s Fund Insurance Letter from J.W.G. Cofran to Associates in the Union C-9 The San Francisco Fire and the Home Insurance Company Circular Letter regarding President Snow s statement about The Home Insurance Companies payment of claims C-10 National Fire Protection Association Bulletin to Members Letter from F.H. Porter, Chief Inspector to Mr. W.H. Merrill 4 April 1926 May 10, c. April 1931 May 5, Series D Journal and Magazine Articles D-1 The Surveyor Gotham Gleanings c. D-2 Coast Review Supplement to the Coast Review for January,, Tabular January Statement of Pacific Coast Fire Insurance Business D-3 Rough Notes American Insurance Institute Issue, Vol. XXXVII. No. 26 April 26, D-4 The Saturday Evening Mail Pictures of Fire and Earthquake April 28, D-5 Harper s Weekly A Stricken City s Days of Terror by James Hopper c.
The Fault. The Visible Cause of the California Earthquake The Destruction of San Francisco San Francisco s Tragic Dawn D-6 The Spectator The Facts Concerning Best s Special Report. Misleading Statements regarding San Francisco Losses Conflagration at San Francisco. U.S.A. and Earthquake at Kingston D-7 Seismological Society of America Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America. A Fault Map of California, Vol. 13, No. 1 D-8 The Commonwealth Earthquake Studies, Vol. 1, No.17. (discusses both the Santa Barbara Earthquake and the San Francisco Earthquake) D-9 The Journal of Commerce Insurance Losses in the San Francisco Conflagration Saw Character in Insurance Tested. The San Francisco Fire Showed the Stuff Companies Were Made of D-10 Emanu. El. The Fire Insurance History of the World s Greatest c. May 5, May 12, May 1907 April 1908 March 1923 September 1, 1925 April 18, 1931 November 26, 1946 March 1933 Conflagration D-11 The Inter-Nation: A Journal of Economic Affairs Insurance Lesson of the San Francisco Fire November 1933 D-12 News from Home The Home of New York Pays in Full Spring 1946 D-13 Underwriter s Report SF or LA Quakes Could Cause $1 Billion Damage October 29, 1970 D-14 The National Underwriter April 18, : Thunder Underground in San Francisco 65 Shaking Second and Some Damned Fine Ruins April 3, 1981 April 10, 1981 D-15 Reinsurance Market Report California Earthquake: The Fire Risk July 28, 1987 D-16 Journal of Fire Fire Aspects of the San Francisco Disaster Earthquakes, Fires & Urban Areas c. July/August 1988 5
Series E Government Publications E-1 State of New York Insurance Department Circular Letters from the Superintendent E-2 Sub-Committee on Statistics Report of the Sub-Committee on Statistics to the Chairman April 24, 1907 and Committee on Reconstruction E-3 New York State Legislature New York State Legislature Report of the Joint Committees 1911 to Investigate Corrupt Practices, Vol. 3, P. 3999-4005 E-4 California Department of Insurance Settlements by Companies after the Conflagration of February 15, 1924 E-5 U.S. Department of Commerce U.S. Department of Commerce Coast and Geodetic Survey 1934 E-6 Committee of Five From the Report of the Committee of Five on the San Francisco Conflagration Series F Published Papers Folder Description Date F-1 William N. Bament The Story of the San Francisco Fire A Talk on Fire Insurance An Address Before The Insurance Federation of Pennsylvania October 17, 18, 19, May 9, 1923 F-2 G.H. Marks Reminiscences & Lessons of the San Francisco February 26, 1909 Conflagration, April 18-21, F-3 Raymond L. Ellis Tested in the Crucible of Actual Performance the San October 18, 1937 Francisco Conflagration F-4 Jack River Insurance Conspiracy Greatest Story Ever Told c. 1968 n.d. Series G Statistics of Losses G-1 Statistical Losses of Companies Affiliated Companies Estimated Losses San Francisco Conflagration Series H Maps H-1 Map Map of the City and County of San Francisco Department of Public Works, Bureau of Engineering n.d. n.d. 6