26 . THE SAN FRANCISCO EARTHQUAKE AND FIRE. 
The signs of destruction wrought by the earthquake in the city of 
San Francisco were more or less obscured or in many places entirely 
obliterated by the fire. The best evidence of the earthquake can 
therefore be obtained outside the burned district, and the following 
notes cover the most important examples of damage due to the 
earthquake alone. 
As in districts outside of San Francisco, the greatest damage was 
done to those structures having insufficient foundations built on soft 
alluvium or filled ground. The settling of the ground in the mud 
iiats along San Francisco Bay and of the filled ground in old water 
courses was accompanied with great destruction. It was in such 
ground that the greatest number of breaks occurred in the cast-iron 
gas and water mains and the sewers. The breaks in the sewers were 
not so evident as those in the gas and water mains, for the reason that 
the latter were under pressure and breaks in them resulted in breaks 
in the streets themselves. The most noticeable destruction resulting 
from the settling of soft or filled ground occurred in Howard and 
Shotwell streets between Seventeenth and Eighteenth streets, Bryant 
street betwen Ninth and Tenth streets, Dore street between Bryant 
and Brannan streets (PI. VI, A), and at the corner of Seventh 
and Mission streets. The settling was greatest in Howard, Dore, and 
Bryant streets, being in Dore street at least 5 feet. 
On solid ground the earthquake had a rocking effect which pro- 
duced X cracks (PL XXII, .4) in the brick or stone Avails of those 
buildings which were deficient in diagonal bracing. This was espe- 
cially true in the upper stories of tall buildings, the cracks generally 
appearing in the piers between windows or around doorways. The 
brick curtain walls of buildings well braced diagonally, brick walls 
reenforced with band iron, and well-buttressed brick walls, as in such 
old structures as the Palace Hotel, Sailors' Home, St. Mary's Hos- 
pital, Synagogue Emanuel (PI. XXI, B), and others, and walls of 
reenforced concrete proved best adapted to withstand this rocking 
action. The Palace Hotel was stiffened with cross Avails in addition 
to the band-iron reenforcement in the brickAvork, and is in good con- 
dition as far as earthquake effects are concerned. It Avas completely 
gutted by fire, however (Pis. XXX, B; LII, B), being a nonfire- 
proof structure AA T ith Avooden floors and roof Avhich yielded readily. 
Weak and flimsy framing, insufficient bracing, and poor mortar 
were the cause of most of the failures in San Francisco. The Albert 
Pike Memorial, a recently completed building on Geary street Avest 
of Fillmore, Avas seriously damaged, and so also Avas the adjoining 
JeAvish synagogue (PI. XXI, A) , which had not been quite completed. 
Both buildings are examples of defective design and Avorkmanship. 
In the girls' high school the damage to the brick Avails resulted from a 
lack of proper tie betAveen the floor and roof timbers and the Avails 
