The San Francisco Earthquake and Fire

During the San Francisco Earthquake and Fire of 1906, newspaper reporters in the stricken city made a heroic effort to keep the public informed. Despite the destruction of their offices and presses, they managed to track down news and write stories even as the city burned around them, to locate printing facilities across the bay, and to put newspapers into the hands of readers desperate for a correct picture of what was happening.

This selection from the articles they produced in the midst of a city in flames gives a glimpse of how the event was experienced by those who were there. The articles are selected from the following newspapers: (1) "The Call-Chronicle-Examiner" (April 19, 1906) -- a collaborative effort by the reporters of three rival papers who pooled their stories on the first day of the fire. (2) "The Call" (April 21 and 22, 1906). - Summary by Maria Kasper