Film of San Fran's Market Street, 1906 from a cable car.

[nytemare]

I have to watch this one about three times a year. Plus, the music from Air is remarkable, as well.

[hlthe2b]

1. fascinating...

[pokerfan]

2. filmed just days before the earthquake

The film was originally thought to have been made in 1905, but historian David Kiehn, who examined contemporary newspapers, weather reports and car license plates recorded in the film, later suggested that A Trip Down Market Street was likely filmed just a few days before the devastating earthquake on April 18, 1906.[3]
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Trip_Down_Market_Street

Almost twenty years older is Roundhay Garden Scene:

Roundhay Garden Scene is an 1888 short film directed by French inventor Louis Le Prince. It was recorded at 12 frames per second and runs for 2.11 seconds. It is the oldest surviving film in existence, noted by the Guinness Book of Records.

[nytemare]

18. Thanks for that link...Looks like 60 Minutes did a story on the film.

Intriguing.

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7372854n

[NV Whino]

3. Well, that's interesting

A good many of the cars were right hand drive. I thought at first the film might have been flopped, but the license at the end and a Google search proved otherwise.

[Mr.Bill]

5. At the dawn of the auto industry

they tried putting the driver just about everywhere in the passenger compartment, including dead center before settling on the left front position that is common today.

[NV Whino]

6. I was aware of dead center, but not that so many were right hand.

It,s a beautiful little film on many levels.

[Mr.Bill]

4. What always amazes me everytime I visit San Francisco

is that the Ferry Building (the building in the center with the tall tower in the distance) survived the earthquake and still stands today.

[Brother Buzz]

7. A lot of structors survived the earthquake...

only the be destroyed by the ensuing fire. That, and the Army blowing up blocks of buildings to try and stop the march of the conflagration.

[Mr.Bill]

8. Interesting trivia question:

Do you know the name of the young Army Lt. that was in charge of blowing up the buildings?

[Brother Buzz]

9. The only Army officer I know of back then would be Young

Side note: Lieutenant Charles Young provided military escort for Teddy Roosevelt during his visit to 'The City' two years before. I was a soldier in a 'Buffalo Battalion', we were expected to know that stuff.

[Mr.Bill]

10. I can't google up any documentation,

but I always heard it was Douglas MacArthur. His Wikipedia page does say he was there at the time.

[Brother Buzz]

11. His father was one of the big cheeses in the area and MacArthur was assigned to him so.....

it's reasonable he would have landed the task. Odd, I never read any mention of him associated with the SF earthquake and fire.

Young's name popped into my head simply because I've made a study of him, "Would have, could have, should have been...".

[Mr.Bill]

13. I first heard it in a PBS documentary about the earthquake, I believe.

What thy said is he kind of went nuts and just started blowing up everything in sight.

[nytemare]

14. Here is a 2005 video of the same journey.

and a side by side.

I love watching the building just grow on the horizon of both videos.

[Mr.Bill]

15. Very cool. Thanks. n/t

[hunter]

12. I had family living in San Francisco then.

My great grandfather's house has been subdivided into apartments. I was taking pictures of it a few years ago, and one of the guys living there, a Middle Eastern immigrant, couldn't believe a single family had once occupied the entire house. My great aunt remembered the aftermath of the earthquake, the tent cities and other temporary housing, but her house stood and her family escaped the worst of it.

I really enjoy this movie because that's the world of older relatives I knew, who are all gone now.

[nytemare]

16. It's a somewhat haunting video.

People, bustling, just going about their business. Horses. Cars. People, so vital. Now, they are no longer, but their world lives on in that film.

[EvolveOrConvolve]

17. Cool video!

Even in 1906, Californians drove like crazy bastards! And my god, the kids running around in front of the cars and buggies and cable cars. Wonder how many deaths there were before we finally set up traffic regulations and started enforcing them?