SF Earthquake: A Solemn Anniversary Makes Room for Festivity, Too

With bells, sirens and a moment of silence, San Franciscans turned out before dawn Tuesday, mixing a mournful tone with a colorful, costumed carnival spirit to commemorate the centennial of the earthquake that devastated this city.

The early-morning ceremony, attended by a clutch of the earthquake's survivors among a crowd estimated at 8,000 to 10,000, culminated at 5:12 a.m., the time that the quake of April 18, 1906 — a 7.8 or 7.9 on modern scales — tore along the San Andreas fault and sparked a three-day fire that engulfed much of the city.