Time Machine - A Ride Through San Francisco April 1906 a week before the great earthquak

A historical ride (camera mounted on the front of a cable car) down Market Street in San Francisco in 1906. It was one of the first 35mm films ever taken. The clock tower at the end of Market Street at the Embarcadero wharf is still there. The film was originally thought to be from 1905 until David Kiehn, with the Niles Essanay Silent Film Museum, figured out exactly when it was shot. New York trade papers announced the film showing the wet streets from recent heavy rainfall. Shadows indicated the time of year and actual weather conditions on the historical record. The records even provided when the autos were registered and who owned them according to the issued plates. Supposedly, the street scenario was filmed only four days before the quake, and the film shipped by train to NY for processing.

Now the same footage with a commentary

"60 Minutes" interviewed the writer and narrator of this clip for its October 17, 2010 story about this wondrous 1906 film. When you hear the social, political and transportation insights of 4th generation San Franciscan Rick Laubscher, president of non-profit preservation group Market Street Railway, the film takes on another dimension. The entire narrated 12-minute film is available for free viewing at the San Francisco Railway Museum, 77 Steuart Street, open 10-6 except Mondays. It is also available to purchase, in a very high quality video transfer, at the museum or online at www.streetcar.org/store. All proceeds help preserve historic transit in San Francisco.