San Francisco Firefighters Quietly Commemorate 1906 Quake

Despite the omnipresent threat of the coronavirus, and firm orders from San Francisco Mayor London Breed to stop all gatherings, firefighters and history buffs were determined to commemorate the 114th anniversary of the 1906 earthquake.

So, Fire Department spokesman Jonathan Baxter left his house Saturday morning in the inky light of dawn, wearing a navy blue face mask to match his uniform and carrying a can of metallic gold spray paint.

At 6:15 a.m. he arrived at the fire hydrant at 20th and Church streets, where firefighters continuously pumped water for three days to save the Mission District from out-of-control blazes more than a century ago. The tremors of 1906 ripped gas mains throughout the city, causing flames to lash through its neighborhoods.

#YOURSFFD Commemoration of the Great 1906 Earthquake 114 years ago today. ”The first of two vicious tremors shook San Francisco at 5:13 a.m., and a second followed not long after” ”Within a decade, San Francisco had resumed its status as the crown jewel of the American West.” Thank you to life time resident ”Dogpaw” who joined me in keeping the tradition this morning

Baxter expected to celebrate alone, but a neighborhood resident, who gave his name only as “Dogpaw,” was waiting at the hydrant to greet him.

“He was the icing on the cake,” said Baxter, who posted a photo on Twitter of Dogpaw spraying the hydrant. Volunteers from Guardians of the City, which works closely with the city’s first responders, slipped out late Friday night to lay wreaths on the hydrant and on Lotta’s Fountain, the cast-iron memorial sculpture at Market, Geary and Kearny streets.

Traditionally, dozens of people come out each year to remember the earthquake and fire that nearly destroyed the city. Many are relatives of earthquake survivors. Some arrive in Edwardian period costumes, recalling the men and women who drifted through San Francisco’s Financial District in their top hats and long, lacy gowns.

Though the ritual couldn’t take place in its usual form this year, it’s freighted with new meaning, said Lee Houskeeper, a longtime publicist who has orchestrated the commemoration for 30 years. The coronavirus pandemic, which had killed 20 residents as of Friday, has forced residents and workers to find creative strategies — both to survive individually and keep the city running.

Houskeeper cited a quote from Chronicle columnist Carl Nolte — that San Francisco “is the real survivor” of the 1906 disasters.

“Those words have more meaning for me now,” Houskeeper said.

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