| Born on January 10, 1903 (103 years old), Herbert | | | | smoke from the fires. |
| Hamrol is one of the oldest employees at the | | | | The quake left more than 225,000 people |
| grocery store where he works arranging shelves | | | | homeless. Many of them lived in tent cities set up |
| two days a week. | | | | throughout the area. |
| "I've been there going on 68 years. Two days a | | | | Chaos and panic |
| week and you wouldn't want to work for nicer | | | | The oldest person who survived the quake is |
| people." | | | | 109-year-old Chrissie Mortensen remembered the |
| But this year his celebrity status has increased | | | | smell of smoke from a city in flames. |
| ten-fold, because he is one of the Eyewitness | | | | "People gathered their possessions, taking carts, |
| survivors of the 1906 San Francisco quake (the | | | | or whatever they had, to move out to the park, |
| San Francisco earthquake and fire of April 18, | | | | or any place they could camp," recalled |
| 1906 - 05:12 AM local time), which killed thousands | | | | Mortensen, who was in third grade at the time. |
| of people and nearly destroyed the city More | | | | Lymans family decided to leave the city. Although |
| than 3000 Deaths, Injuries: ~225,000, Property | | | | the quake didn't destroy her home, food was so |
| Damage: $ 400,000,000 in 1906 $ | | | | scarce that her mother had to wait in line every |
| "As small as I was, I remember my mother | | | | day for rations distributed by the Navy (U.S. Navy |
| carrying me down the stairs with her left arm as | | | | Operations During the 1906 Earthquake and Fire : |
| she held onto the banister," said Hamrol, trying to | | | | U.S. Navy Firefighting Operations, Operations of |
| recall memories from 100 years ago this week, | | | | the U.S.F.S. Chicago During the San Francisco Fire, |
| memories from the day that transformed his life. | | | | Operations of the U.S.S. Boston, Operations of the |
| Painful memories | | | | U.S.S. Princeton, Establishment of Curtin Hospital, |
| Hamrol and his family lived downtown, where his | | | | Praise for Lieutenant Freeman, Gov. Pardee's |
| father worked as a grocer and his mother took | | | | Belated Letter of Thanks to the U.S. Navy). |
| care of the children. He remembers the family | | | | One day an officer noticed her mother wearing a |
| having to pack up and leave for Chicago to stay | | | | sailor cap and asked if anyone in the family was in |
| with relatives after the quake. After just a few | | | | the Navy. Her mom answered yes, and was told |
| days in the Windy City, the family came back to | | | | to pack up her things. The next day several |
| the Bay Area. His parents seldom spoke of the | | | | officers moved the whole family up to Vallejo, |
| tragic day. "I think it was just too painful for | | | | where they remained. |
| them," he explained. Hamrol has one enduring | | | | Celeb status 100 years later |
| memory - the feeling of his mothers arm. | | | | San Francisco celebrated and mourned an |
| She carried me in her left arm and used her right | | | | infamous anniversary early this morning, 100 |
| hand to grab the stair rail, said the 103-year-old | | | | years to the minute after the city shook and |
| Hamrol. Thats all I remember. | | | | burned in the great earthquake and fire of 1906. |
| Like Hamrol, Violet Lyman was just three when | | | | This year Lyman will participate in a 1906 quake |
| the estimated 7.8 magnitude quake ((The | | | | anniversary event. |
| "traditional" magnitude of 8.3 for this earthquake | | | | "It's taken me over 100 [years] to become |
| was based on work by Richter [1958]. More | | | | famous!" she quips. |
| recent research indicates that estimates in the | | | | And a century later, Hamrol says he and other |
| range from 7.7 to 7.9 are more reliable.)) shook | | | | survivors are proud to call themselves native sons |
| her house so hard it threw her uncle out of bed. | | | | and daughters of San Francisco a city that went |
| Her family survived and managed to relocate, but | | | | through one of the worst natural disasters in U.S. |
| she remembers how many others were not so | | | | history. |
| lucky. | | | | "I think it's a marvelous achievement that the city |
| "It was tough because people had no homes, no | | | | of San Francisco has done to come back from |
| food, no nothing," said Lyman. Violet Lyman, could | | | | something like that," he declared. |
| still see a cow running along a street and smell | | | | |