Download or read book San Francisco is Burning written by Dennis Smith and published by Viking Adult. This book was released on 2005 with total page 328 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "At 5:12 A.M. on the morning of April 18, 1906, San Francisco was struck by one of the worst earthquakes ever recorded, a disaster that instantly killed hundreds and leveled large sections of the city. The quake has become a watershed event in American history, yet with the passage of time its drama has overshadowed the even greater calamity to which it gave rise: the fires that broke out as the result of toppling chimneys, broken flues, and severed gas lines. These blazes burned for days and were ultimately responsible for the deaths of as many as three thousand people, the destruction of more than five hundred blocks and twenty-eight thousand buildings, and the dislocation of some two hundred thousand residents." "In San Francisco Is Burning, Dennis Smith recounts the three terrible days of the tragedy with an almost cinematic immediacy, tracing the drama through the experiences of a number of people who lived it: a valiant naval officer who helped save the city's piers and wharves, the corrupt mayor, a firefighter who witnessed firsthand the staggering intensity of the fires, a woman who ran a shelter in Chinatown, and the army general who took command of the city and inadvertently placed the city and its people at even greater risk." "Above all, San Francisco Is Burning is a compelling and timely account of how a city copes with catastrophe - how it prepares for such contingencies and how effectively it deals with them when they occur. Smith reveals how San Francisco's corrupt municipal government had paid little heed to the warnings of its fire chief about the inadequacies of the public water system, a failing that would leave the city particularly vulnerable to spreading blazes. Once the fires began, a number of decisions made by the emergency leadership not only proved ineffective hut actually exacerbated the situation. Dynamiting to create firebreaks became, in the hands of amateurs, a dangerous incendiary, while the enforced evacuation of many of the city's neighborhoods deprived them of a volunteer fire brigade, desperate to save their own homes. But the most drastic measure - the declaration of martial law and posting of militia with shoot-to-kill orders against looters - turned out to be the most damaging of all as it led to senseless deaths and the demoralizing of an already overwhelmed populace."--BOOK JACKET.
Download or read book Black Fire written by Robert Graysmith and published by Crown. This book was released on 2013-10-29 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first biography of the little-known real-life Tom Sawyer, told through a harrowing account of Sawyer's involvement in the hunt for a serial arsonist who terrorized mid-nineteenth century San Francisco. When San Francisco Daily Morning Call reporter Mark Twain met Tom Sawyer in 1863, he was seeking a subject for his first novel. He learned that Sawyer was a volunteer firefighter, local hero, and a former “Torch Boy,” racing ahead of hand-drawn fire engines at night carrying torches to light the way. When a mysterious serial arsonist known as “The Lightkeeper” was in the process of burning San Francisco to the ground, Sawyer played a key role in stopping him, helping to contain what is now considered the most disastrous and costly series of fires ever experienced by an American metropolis. By chronicling how Sawyer took it upon himself to investigate, expose, and stop the arsonist, Black Fire details Sawyer’s remarkable life and illustrates why Twain would later feel compelled to name his iconic character after him when writing The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. A vivid portrayal of the gritty, corrupt, and violent world of the Gold Rush-era West, Black Fire is the most vibrant and thorough account of Sawyer’s relationship with Mark Twain, and of the devastating fires that baptized San Francisco.
Download or read book San Francisco Earthquake and Fire written by Chrös McDougall and published by ABDO Publishing Company. This book was released on 2013-09-01 with total page 50 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Across the globe, devastating disasters have changed the course of history. This title brings the San Francisco earthquake and fire to life with well-researched, clearly written informational text, primary sources with accompanying questions, charts, graphs, diagrams, timelines, and maps, multiple prompts, and more. Explore the tragedies and triumphs of this disaster, how it helped shape the world as we know it, and how what we've learned from it has made the world a safer place. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. Core Library is an imprint of Abdo Publishing, a division of ABDO.
Download or read book California Burning written by Katherine Blunt and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2022-08-30 with total page 369 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A revelatory, urgent narrative with national implications, exploring the decline of California’s largest utility company that led to countless wildfires — including the one that destroyed the town of Paradise – and the human cost of infrastructure failure Pacific Gas and Electric was a legacy company built by innovators and visionaries, establishing California as a desirable home and economic powerhouse. In California Burning, Wall Street Journal reporter and Pulitzer finalist Katherine Blunt examines how that legacy fell apart—unraveling a long history of deadly failures in which Pacific Gas and Electric endangered millions of Northern Californians, through criminal neglect of its infrastructure. As PG&E prioritized profits and politics, power lines went unchecked—until a rusted hook purchased for 56 cents in 1921 split in two, sparking the deadliest wildfire in California history. Beginning with PG&E’s public reckoning after the Paradise fire, Blunt chronicles the evolution of PG&E’s shareholder base, from innovators who built some of California's first long-distance power lines to aggressive investors keen on reaping dividends. Following key players through pivotal decisions and legal battles, California Burning reveals the forces that shaped the plight of PG&E: deregulation and market-gaming led by Enron Corp., an unyielding push for renewable energy, and a swift increase in wildfire risk throughout the West, while regulators and lawmakers pushed their own agendas. California Burning is a deeply reported, character-driven narrative, the story of a disaster expanding into a much bigger exploration of accountability. It’s an American tragedy that serves as a cautionary tale for utilities across the nation—especially as climate change makes aging infrastructure more vulnerable, with potentially fatal consequences.
Download or read book Burning Book written by Jessica Bruder and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2007-08-07 with total page 376 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Jessica Bruderis a reporter for theOregonian.Her writing has also appeared in theNew York Times,theWashington Post,and theNew York Observer.She lives in Portland, Oregon.
Download or read book I Survived the San Francisco Earthquake 1906 I Survived 5 written by Lauren Tarshis and published by Scholastic Inc.. This book was released on 2012-03-01 with total page 86 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The terrifying details of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake jump off the page!Ten-year-old Leo loves being a newsboy in San Francisco -- not only does he get to make some money to help his family, he's free to explore the amazing, hilly city as it changes and grows with the new century. Horse-drawn carriages share the streets with shiny new automobiles, new businesses and families move in every day from everywhere, and anything seems possible.But early one spring morning, everything changes. Leo's world is shaken -- literally -- and he finds himself stranded in the middle of San Francisco as it crumbles and burns to the ground. Does Leo have what it takes to survive this devastating disaster?The I SURVIVED series continues with another thrilling story of a boy caught in one of history's most terrifying disasters!
Download or read book San Francisco Through Earthquake and Fire written by Charles Keeler and published by . This book was released on 1906 with total page 104 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The Story of the Great Disaster written by Wilbur Gleason Zeigler and published by The Paragon Agency. This book was released on 2006-03 with total page 126 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The San Francisco Calamity by Earthquake and Fire written by Charles Morris and published by . This book was released on 1906 with total page 130 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The San Francisco Calamity by Earthquake and Fire written by Charles Morris and published by Philadelphia, Chicago [etc.] The J. C. Winston Company [c1906]. This book was released on 1906 with total page 514 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake and Fire written by Charles Morris and published by Courier Dover Publications. This book was released on 2016-01-14 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the wake of San Francisco's 1906 catastrophe, an enterprising publisher dispatched journalist Charles Morris to obtain firsthand narratives from survivors. Morris's gripping report was rushed to press a few weeks later, providing "a complete and accurate account of the fearful disaster which visited the great city and the Pacific coast, the reign of panic and lawlessness, the plight of 300,000 homeless people, and the worldwide rush to the rescue." The first comprehensive account of the calamity, this historic chronicle traces the chain of events from the initial earthquake and fire to the rescue activities, recovery operations, and the colossal task of rebuilding. Packed with tales of narrow escapes, devastating losses, incredible feats of heroism, and heartwarming acts of generosity, the book is complemented by fifty-nine original full-page plates.
Download or read book The San Francisco Earthquake written by Gordon Thomas and published by Open Road Media. This book was released on 2014-07-01 with total page 265 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A “gripping, can’t-put-it-down” chronicle, drawing on eyewitness reports and historical documents, by the New York Times–bestselling authors of Enola Gay (Los Angeles Herald Examiner). It happened at 5:13 a.m. on April 18, 1906, in San Francisco. To this day, it remains one of the worst natural disasters in American history—and this definitive book brings the full story to vivid life. Using previously unpublished documents from insurance companies, the military, and the Red Cross, as well as the stories of those who were there, The San Francisco Earthquake exposes villains and heroes; shows how the political powers tried to conceal the amount of damage caused by the earthquake; reveals how efforts to contain the fire actually spread it instead; and tells how the military executed people without trial. It also features personal stories of people who experienced it firsthand, including the great Italian tenor Enrico Caruso, the banker Amadeo Giannini, the writer-adventurer Jack London, the temperamental star John Barrymore, and the thousands of less famous in their struggle for survival. From the authors of The Day the Bubble Burst, The San Francisco Earthquake is an important look at how the city has handled catastrophe in the past—and how it may handle it in the future.
Download or read book Burning Man written by Jennifer Raiser and published by . This book was released on 2016-08 with total page 259 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: An authorized collection of more than two hundred color photos showcases the sculptures, art, stories, and interviews from the annual celebration of artistic expression in Nevada's barren Black Rock Desert
Download or read book By Earthquake and Fire written by Lindley Smith and published by . This book was released on 1906 with total page 520 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The San Francisco Calamity by Earthquake and Fire written by Charles Morris and published by University of Illinois Press. This book was released on 2002 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Enhanced by numerous illustrations, The San Francisco Calamity by Earthquake and Fire captures the irrepressible spirit of turn-of-the-century San Francisco that helped the city to recover and rebuild after one of the greatest natural disasters in American history. In a new introduction to this edition, Roger W. Lotchin provides additional historical context and assesses the credibility and reputation of the book."--BOOK JACKET.
Download or read book Fighting Fire written by Caroline Paul and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 1999-06-15 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Caroline Paul, one of the first women in the San Francisco Fire Department, writes about what it's like to be a firefighter: the daily routine of the fire house, and the dangers and thrills of risking one's life fighting this elemental force. In remarkably gripping prose she shows readers what life is like for a woman in what has traditionally been a man's world. Caroline was named one of "People" magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People in 1998. Martin's Press.
Download or read book The California Earthquake of 1906 written by David Starr Jordan and published by . This book was released on 1907 with total page 408 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
