Folder: S.F. Earthquakes-1906-Panoramas.
Newscopy (1956 Apr. 17): "THE CITY IN RUINS--Downtown San Francisco, broken and gaunt, looked like this after the fire had burned itself out. Property damage was estimated at $350 million and more than 200,000 were homeless. How San Francisco rebuilt, from what Lawrence W. Harris glorified in a poem as 'The Damnedest Finest Ruins,' constituted the brightest chapter in the city's history. It was literally true that reconstruction began before the ashes had cooled. Oldtimers who participated in the initial effort speak fondly of handling bricks still hot, throwing them out to make room for reconstruction such as building (right center) on which cranes for lifting heavy steel framework into place are visible. Most merchants and firms sought out temporary substitute locations, notably along Van Ness-av and Fillmore-st, while planning and tackling the colossal job of reconstruction..."
Newscopy (continued): "Spirits of all San Franciscans remained high as the city pitched into the job ahead. Insurance experts have estimated that the property loss, at today's values, would far exceed a billion dollars. Insurance payments approximated $200 million."
