April 18th is the 100th anniversary of the 7.8 magnitude San Francisco Earthquake, the most deadly earthquake in
United States history. The epicenter was about two miles offshore and this earthquake caused extensive damage throughout the city. Landslides, liquifaction and breakage of utility lines were responsible for much of the damage. This earthquake was one of the first to strike a city with an extensive utility infrastructure. Broken gas lines were responsible for many severe fires and broken water lines rendered the most effective fire-fighting tools useless.
Testimony page from the National Archives - Herman Schussler, Chief Engineer - Spring Valley Water WorksHere are some of the top resources on the web if you would like to learn more about this event.
National Archives - Collection of Letters and Testimony Transcripts
SFGate.com - Collection of Articles
National Geographic - San Francisco's 1906 Quake: What If It Struck Today?
Labels: Earthquakes
