Florence Peel was the eldest daughter of Vincent Martin Peel and Clara Irene Reilly. When she was sixteen years old, she was living with her mother and two sisters, Bessie (16) and Grace (10), in the top flat of a three story frame building on the corner of San Bruno Avenue and 25th Street in San Francisco. Grace's mother was running a boarding house to support her family. She had separated from her husband Martin when he was found to be running around with another woman. On Wednesday, April 18th, 1906, while still on Easter vacation, Florence was suddenly awakened by one of the most notorious natural disasters in American history; the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake.
At approximately 5:18 a.m., Florence's mother was in the kitchen preparing breakfast for some of the boarders who lived in the building when the ground began to shake. Clara immediately ran to the bedroom directly across the hall from the kitchen, where Grace and Bessie slept and told them to hurry and get dressed. She then sped down the long hall to the front room where she and Florence shared a folding bed. As Florence awoke, she was terrified by the sight of an upright piano, which was facing the bed, rolling directly toward her. Most of the tenants of the downstairs flats had run across the street, still in their nightclothes, and stood watching the building swing and sway, expecting it to fall into the street. Fortunately it stood.
At that time, all of the houses had brick chimneys and not one could be found intact. So everybody picked up bricks and made small campfires in the gutters for their coffee; those that could find their coffee that is! Fires had broken out in many parts of the downtown area and burned out of control for the next three days. Because most of the city was without water pressure, the fire brigades began dynamiting entire blocks to try to stop the fire's advance. The parks were roped off and tents erected to house the thousands left homeless by the fires.
At approximately 5:18 a.m., Florence's mother was in the kitchen preparing breakfast for some of the boarders who lived in the building when the ground began to shake. Clara immediately ran to the bedroom directly across the hall from the kitchen, where Grace and Bessie slept and told them to hurry and get dressed. She then sped down the long hall to the front room where she and Florence shared a folding bed. As Florence awoke, she was terrified by the sight of an upright piano, which was facing the bed, rolling directly toward her. Most of the tenants of the downstairs flats had run across the street, still in their nightclothes, and stood watching the building swing and sway, expecting it to fall into the street. Fortunately it stood.
At that time, all of the houses had brick chimneys and not one could be found intact. So everybody picked up bricks and made small campfires in the gutters for their coffee; those that could find their coffee that is! Fires had broken out in many parts of the downtown area and burned out of control for the next three days. Because most of the city was without water pressure, the fire brigades began dynamiting entire blocks to try to stop the fire's advance. The parks were roped off and tents erected to house the thousands left homeless by the fires.
Florence Peel was the eldest daughter of Vincent Martin Peel and Clara Irene Reilly. When she was sixteen years old, she was living with her mother and two sisters, Bessie (16) and Grace (10), in the top flat of a three story frame building on the corner of San Bruno Avenue and 25th Street in San Francisco. Grace's mother was running a boarding house to support her family. She had separated from her husband Martin when he was found to be running around with another woman. On Wednesday, April 18th, 1906, while still on Easter vacation, Florence was suddenly awakened by one of the most notorious natural disasters in American history; the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake.
At approximately 5:18 a.m., Florence's mother was in the kitchen preparing breakfast for some of the boarders who lived in the building when the ground began to shake. Clara immediately ran to the bedroom directly across the hall from the kitchen, where Grace and Bessie slept and told them to hurry and get dressed. She then sped down the long hall to the front room where she and Florence shared a folding bed. As Florence awoke, she was terrified by the sight of an upright piano, which was facing the bed, rolling directly toward her. Most of the tenants of the downstairs flats had run across the street, still in their nightclothes, and stood watching the building swing and sway, expecting it to fall into the street. Fortunately it stood.
At that time, all of the houses had brick chimneys and not one could be found intact. So everybody picked up bricks and made small campfires in the gutters for their coffee; those that could find their coffee that is! Fires had broken out in many parts of the downtown area and burned out of control for the next three days. Because most of the city was without water pressure, the fire brigades began dynamiting entire blocks to try to stop the fire's advance. The parks were roped off and tents erected to house the thousands left homeless by the fires.
At approximately 5:18 a.m., Florence's mother was in the kitchen preparing breakfast for some of the boarders who lived in the building when the ground began to shake. Clara immediately ran to the bedroom directly across the hall from the kitchen, where Grace and Bessie slept and told them to hurry and get dressed. She then sped down the long hall to the front room where she and Florence shared a folding bed. As Florence awoke, she was terrified by the sight of an upright piano, which was facing the bed, rolling directly toward her. Most of the tenants of the downstairs flats had run across the street, still in their nightclothes, and stood watching the building swing and sway, expecting it to fall into the street. Fortunately it stood.
At that time, all of the houses had brick chimneys and not one could be found intact. So everybody picked up bricks and made small campfires in the gutters for their coffee; those that could find their coffee that is! Fires had broken out in many parts of the downtown area and burned out of control for the next three days. Because most of the city was without water pressure, the fire brigades began dynamiting entire blocks to try to stop the fire's advance. The parks were roped off and tents erected to house the thousands left homeless by the fires.
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