Earthquake/Fire: Fleeing the Burning City

These cards use the same image, probably by Weidner. It looks west on Post from Market/Montgomery/Post, showing Market Street teeming with people heading east to the Ferry Building. The 4/18/1906 date (earthquake day) in the Weidner 207 caption cannot be correct, it must be later.

Selige 3247, postmarked Waterbury Conn. 6/07/1906, is a badly printed b+w card, typical of cards appearing right after the quake.
Weidner 207, postmarked SF 12/05/1906, colorized, printed in Germany.
Weidner 207, postmarked SF 4/25/1907, same as preceding.

A higher quality b+w image is at the Bancroft Library. The location of the buildings in the Weidner 207 background is confirmed by the 1895 Glover's Illustrated Directory and by 1905 Sanborn V. 1 (sheets 7, 15 (burnt), and 25).

Far right: Union Trust building at Montgomery/Market. Note detail above second floor window in Glover and in the Bancroft Library image (cropped in Weidner).
Right, past Union Trust: Union Pacific Railway building at Post/Montgomery.
Center: Crocker building at Market/Post.
Far left: Chronicle building at Market/Kearny, with tower just visible at left top.

Steve's SF postcard pages:

My Photos