The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake

Imagine this scene: You wake up suddenly; the bed trembles; a mirror falls from the wall. That is how the day began for many people in San Francisco on April 18, 1906. The huge earthquake was one of the worst natural disasters in United States history. The quake, along with a huge fire, destroyed tenement after tenement, business after business. Buildings had not been constructed to withstand such an event. They fell floor by floor, crushinghundreds. Large timbers snapped, and one slab of debris after another feel to the street. Afterward, residents wandered in the rubble with the few possessions they had saved. Wreckage surrounded them. Hundreds of thousands suddenly found themselves homeless.

tremble (verb)

“People sense an earthquake when everything nearby shakes and trembles” (Journeys, p. 300)

Definition: to shake slightly because of some force

Different forms: trembles (verb); trembles (verb); trembling (verb); tremble (noun)

wreckage (noun)

“Even an earthquake shorter than one minute can leave a lot of wreckage” (Journeys, p. 300)

Definition: the broken parts of a vehicle, building, etc. that has been badly damaged or destroyed

Different forms: wreck (noun); wreck (verb); wrecks (verb); wrecked (verb); wrecking (verb)

slab (noun)“A falling slab, or flat and thick piece, of concrete can destroy everything under it” (Journeys, p. 300)

Definition: a thick, flat piece of hard material

Different forms: slabs (plural noun)

possession (noun)

“A quake can damage people’s possessions. The things people own might be ruined” (Journeys, p. 300)

Definition: something that is owned

Different forms: possessions (plural noun); possess (verb); possesses (verb); possessed (verb); possessing (verb)

tenement (noun)

“A tenement, or poorly built apartment building, is especially at risk in an earthquake” (Journeys, p. 301).

Definition: a large building that has apartments or rooms for rent and that is usually in a poorer part of a city

Different forms: tenements (plural noun)

crush (verb)“If falling structures are crushing everything inside them, the street is the safest place” (Journeys, p. 301)

Definition: to press or squeeze something so hard that it breaks or loses its shape

Different forms: crushes (verb); crushed (verb); crushing (verb)

rubble (noun)

“It can take a lot of time and effort to clean up broken bits of rubble” (Journeys, p. 301).

Definition: broken pieces of stone, brick, etcetera from buildings that have fallen

Different forms:

debris (noun)“After and earthquake, the debris from a badly damaged road can be dangerous” (Journeys, p. 301).

Definition: pieces that are left after something has been destroyed

Different forms:

timber (noun)“Houses made of timbers, or wooden beams, can collapse like toothpick toys” (Journeys, p. 301)

Definition: a large piece of wood that is used to form part of a building

Different forms: timbers (plural noun); timber (adjective)

construct (verb)“Buildings can now be constructed in a way that helps them to survive earthquakes” (Journeys, p. 301)

Definition: to build or make something

Different forms: constructs (verb); constructed (verb); constructing (verb)

The 1906 San Francisco Earthquake

Imagine this scene: You wake up suddenly; the bed trembles; a mirror falls from the wall. That is how the day began for many people in San Francisco on April 18, 1906. The huge earthquake was one of the worst natural disasters in United States history. The quake, along with a huge fire, destroyed tenement after tenement, business after business. Buildings had not been constructed to withstand such an event. They fell floor by floor, crushinghundreds. Large timbers snapped, and one slab of debris after another feel to the street. Afterward, residents wandered in the rubble with the few possessions they had saved. Wreckage surrounded them. Hundreds of thousands suddenly found themselves homeless.