I Survived the San Francisco Earthquake, 1906 Read online

  But he was still in one piece. That was something.

  He had his gold nugget back.

  And he had a feeling inside, one he hadn’t felt since Papa was still alive.

  Walking between Wilkie and Morris, his shoulders brushing theirs, he knew in his heart that he wasn’t alone.

  Leo stood on the train platform at the Sacramento station.

  The sun shone brightly in the clear blue sky. Beside him, Morris had his face turned up, enjoying the fresh, clear air.

  All around them were refugees from San Francisco. There were all different kinds of people — fancy ladies and street kids, Chinese families and scruffy gamblers, businessmen and very old people. Coats and hats were covered with ash and dust. Some people wore bandages, or walked with crutches. And they all shared the same expression, a mixture of shock and relief.

  Their city was gone.

  Thousands were dead.

  But they had escaped. Alive.

  They’d gotten to the California capital just that morning: Leo, Morris, Wilkie, and thousands of strangers.

  The Southern Pacific Railroad had given out one free train ticket to anyone who wanted to leave San Francisco. After spending three miserable days in Golden Gate Park, the boys all wanted to get as far away from San Francisco as they could. The park had been turned into a tent city. Soldiers handed out food and water, but there wasn’t enough for everyone. Leo and the guys had waited in line all day just to get a piece of bread and some water. Sleeping was impossible with all the crying and screaming.

  The fires had finally gone out on the fourth morning after the earthquake. But smoke and ash still filled the sky. Every breath reminded Leo of what had happened.

  Some people in the tent city were already talking about rebuilding.

  A preacher had stood in front of a crowd, calling on the crowd not to give up on San Francisco.

  “Our city is gone,” he said. “But its spirit is here! We will rebuild!”

  Leo believed it. Grandpop had helped build this city the first time, when it had been turned from a bunch of shacks in the mud into one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

  But Leo knew that he needed to put the ruins and smoke behind him. Even before the quake, he’d been looking for a fresh start. Wilkie and Morris needed one too.

  They’d left Golden Gate Park and walked for three hours through the smoldering ruins to get to the train station. They’d crowded onto the first train they could. Five hours later they were breathing in clear air, gazing up at buildings that stood strong and tall. The earth was still.

  They figured they’d stay in Sacramento. They’d sell newspapers. They’d share a room. They’d get by.

  But over these past few hours, their plans had changed.

  That morning, the three of them had gone to a bank. Within the hour, Leo had sold his gold nugget.

  It’s what Grandpop would have done, he was sure.

  And what Papa would have wanted Leo to do.

  He had enough money to buy Wilkie a train ticket to Seattle.

  Wilkie was going to find that man who wanted to turn him into a football star.

  “Why don’t you guys come with me?” Wilkie had said. “You could play too. We could all be on the same team.”

  “We already are,” Morris said in that wise voice of his.

  They all smiled. They were some team, the three of them.

  Leo had the idea they always would be, no matter where life took them.

  But Leo and Morris weren’t going with Wilkie. They had a plan of their own.

  Leo had bought two tickets to New York City.

  He and Morris would find Morris’s cousins.

  They would start new lives there.

  It was a crazy idea, Leo knew.

  But no crazier than when Grandpop had left New Hampshire to make his fortune in gold country.

  Wilkie took a long look at them before he got onto the train, like he was painting their pictures in his mind.

  “I’ll see you again,” he said.

  He stuck his hand out, and Leo and Morris put their hands on top of his. Their fingers were cut up, black with ash and grime, scraped raw in spots. But their hands looked strong, especially put all together.

  The train whistle blew. And then, just as when he gave that sack of loot to the crying lady, Wilkie turned and hurried off without another word.

  Leo and Morris stood in silence, watching Wilkie’s train disappear.

  They bought themselves some cold bottles of milk and warm rolls.

  And then there was nothing to do but wait for their own train.

  Leo felt in his pocket where the gold nugget used to be.

  “Do you miss your gold?” Morris asked quietly.

  “No, I don’t,” Leo said. The words came out quickly, and Leo was surprised to hear them.

  But no, he didn’t miss it.

  It was taking Leo and Morris where they needed to go.

  And Papa had given him other treasures, he realized.

  Priceless treasures.

  All of those stories about Grandpop.

  And the belief Leo had in his own luck and courage.

  That came from Papa too, a faith stronger and shinier than gold.

  And now, as he waited for his train, Leo heard Papa’s words, brighter and clearer than ever.

  Something remarkable was going to happen to him.

  He could feel it.

  I’m writing this letter from San Francisco, from a desk that overlooks the San Francisco Bay. I visit this city often. But this trip was different: This time, I came with my husband and kids to retrace Leo’s journey. We went high up on Rincon Hill, roaming the crowded neighborhoods south of Market Street, exploring the grassy hills of Golden Gate Park. Each morning, we woke up to a gray blanket of San Francisco fog and the clang of the cable car bells.

  Like all of the I Survived books, this story is a work of historical fiction. The facts are true, and all of the places I wrote about really exist. The characters come from my imagination.

  But I spend so much time with the characters I write about that I start thinking they’re real. Throughout this visit, I kept hoping I would catch sight of Leo and Morris sitting on a front stoop. Peering into the dark alleys south of Market Street, I half expected to see Fletch and Wilkie up to their old tricks.

  I also kept my eyes open for scars of the earthquake and fire of 1906. But all I could find was one beautiful memorial to the heroic firefighters of that day. I guess it’s not surprising that the people of San Francisco would want to forget that terrible time. Three thousand people died in the earthquake and fire of 1906. Eighty percent of the city was destroyed.

  Back then, many predicted that San Francisco would never recover. But within three years, there were 20,000 new buildings. A decade after the disaster, the city was even grander than before.

  Still, every San Franciscan knows that danger lurks below the earth’s surface. This beautiful city is part of one of the most earthquake-prone regions in the world. A strong earthquake hit here in 1989, damaging many buildings and bridges and killing 63 people. Scientists predict that a stronger quake will happen one day, though nobody can predict exactly when.

  This thought haunted me as I walked around with my family.

  But in the end, I decided it was best not to think about hidden and hopefully distant dangers. Instead I thought about Leo and Morris, and how happy they would be to know that San Francisco rose up from the ashes of 1906 to become the thriving city it is today.

  This photo looking down Sacramento Street in San Francisco was taken by Arnold Genthe on April 18, 1906.

  Sacramento Street today.

  How strong was the San Francisco earthquake?

  Back in 1906, the science of earthquakes (called seismology) was just beginning. There were no instruments to measure earthquakes. Today, earthquake scientists, called seismologists, use the moment magnitude scale (MMS) to determine the strength of an earthquake. The ear
thquake that hit northeastern Japan in March 2011 measured 9.0 on the MMS. Any earthquake 9.0 or above is considered catastrophic. Earthquakes below 6.0 are considered moderate. Experts estimate that the San Francisco earthquake was far less powerful than the Japan quake, and would have measured a 7.9 on the MMS. This is still considered very strong. However, in San Francisco, the fires caused more damage than the earthquake itself.

  Why do earthquakes happen?

  The entire surface of the earth is covered with a thick layer of rock called the crust. The crust is many miles thick. It is broken up into about 18 gigantic pieces, like the pieces of a puzzle. These pieces of crust, called tectonic plates, are always moving, slowly sliding and bumping into each other. The edges of the plates are rough, and sometimes when they slide against each other, they get stuck together. Pressure builds and builds, sometimes for many years. And then suddenly the pressure gets so strong that the pieces get unstuck with a sudden violent movement. This is the moment that earthquakes happen.

  Where do most earthquakes happen?

  Eighty percent of the world’s earthquakes happen in an area surrounding the Pacific Ocean nicknamed the “ring of fire.” This area has more than 450 active volcanoes. And it sits on top of the Pacific plate, a huge tectonic plate under the Pacific Ocean. The Pacific plate is always moving, crashing into other plates and causing more earthquakes than any other. The movement of the Pacific plate caused recent powerful earthquakes in Chile, New Zealand, and Japan. It also caused the San Francisco earthquake of 1906.

  What was the strongest earthquake ever recorded?

  The strongest earthquake ever recorded happened in 1960 in Chile. It measured 9.5 on the MMS. The deadliest earthquake on record happened in central China, in the year 1556. It struck a region where most people lived in caves carved into soft rock. The earthquake caused the caves to collapse. An estimated 830,000 people died.

  The most earthquake-prone state in the United States is Alaska. That’s where America’s strongest earthquake occurred, a quake measuring 9.2 that hit Prince William Sound on March 28, 1964.

  Earthquakes happen throughout the United States, though most are so small people can’t feel them. The only states that have not had earthquakes in recent years are Wisconsin, Florida, Iowa, and North Dakota.

  Every year, 10,000 earthquakes occur in Southern California. Most are so mild that people do not feel them.

  Tsunamis are giant waves caused by earthquakes beneath the ocean floor.

  Earthquakes even happen on the moon. They are called moonquakes.

  George Calder must be the luckiest kid alive. He and his little sister, Phoebe, are sailing with their aunt on the Titanic, the greatest ship ever built. George can’t resist exploring every inch of the incredible boat, even if it keeps getting him into trouble.

  Then the impossible happens —the Titanic hits an iceberg and water rushes in. George is stranded, alone and afraid, on the sinking ship. He’s always gotten out of trouble before … but how can he survive this?

  Chet Roscow is finally feeling at home in Elm Hills, New Jersey. He has a job with his uncle Jerry at the local diner, three great friends, and the perfect summertime destination: cool, refreshing Matawan Creek.

  But Chet’s summer is interrupted by shocking news. A great white shark has been attacking swimmers along the Jersey shore, not far from Elm Hills. Everyone in town is talking about it. So when Chet sees something in the creek, he’s sure it’s his imagination … until he comes face-to-face with a bloodthirsty shark!

  Barry’s family tries to evacuate before Hurricane Katrina hits their home in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans. But when Barry’s little sister gets terribly sick, they’re forced to stay home and wait out the storm.

  At first, Katrina doesn’t seem to be as severe a storm as forecasters predicted. But overnight the levees break, and Barry’s world is literally torn apart. He’s swept away by the floodwaters, away from his family. Can he survive the storm of the century — alone?

  Ever since Danny’s mom moved him to Hawaii, away from the dangerous streets of New York City, Danny has been planning to go back. He’s not afraid of the crime or the dark alleys. And he’s not afraid to stow away on the next ship out of Pearl Harbor.

  But that morning, the skies fill with fighter planes. Bombs pound the harbor. Bullets rain down on the beaches. Danny is shocked — and, for the first time, he is truly afraid. He’s a tough city kid. But can Danny survive the day that will live in infamy?

  Lauren Tarshis is the author of I Survived the Bombing of Pearl Harbor, 1941; I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005; I Survived the Shark Attacks of 1916; and I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912; as well as the critically acclaimed Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell Out of a Tree and Emma-Jean Lazarus Fell in Love. She is the editor of Storyworks and Scope magazines and can be found online at www.laurentarshis.com.

  Text copyright © 2012 by Lauren Tarshis

  Illustrations copyright © 2012 by Scholastic Inc.

  Photos in “My San Francisco Story” by Arnold Genthe (top) and Chris Elliott (bottom)

  All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc.

  SCHOLASTIC and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Scholastic Inc.

  First printing, January 2012

  Cover art by Steve Stone

  Cover design by Tim Hall

  e-ISBN 978-0-545-39261-7

  All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher. For information regarding permission, write to Scholastic Inc., Attention: Permissions Department, 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.