On April 18, 1906, at 5:13 a.m., an earthquake estimated at close
to 8.0 on the Richter scale struck San Francisco, California, killing
an estimated 3,000 people as it topples numerous buildings.

The quake was caused by a slip of the San Andreas Fault over a
segment about 275 miles long, and shock waves could be felt
from southern Oregon down to Los Angeles.

San Francisco’s brick buildings and wooden Victorian structures
were especially devastated. Fires immediately broke out and–
because broken water mains prevented firefighters from stopping
them–firestorms soon developed citywide. At 7 a.m., U.S. Army
troops from Fort Mason reported to the Hall of Justice, and San Francisco Mayor E.E. Schmitz called for the enforcement of a
dusk-to-dawn curfew and authorized soldiers to shoot to kill
anyone found looting.

Mayor Eugene E. Schmitz (1864 – 1928)