I'll think of a good title later

For the History Matters Campaign, which wants everyone to write a short diary of life on the 17th of October.

Here goes:

I woke up at around 7:45am which is rather late seeing as I have to be at work by 8:30am. No breakfast, quick wash, threw on my shirt & tie & jumped straight ni the car for the twenty minute drive to work, arriving just in time. I'm supposed to work in the IT department at a medium sized window manufacturing firm. I say 'supposed to' because I spend most of my time firefighting for other departments that I used to work in. I spend most of the morning sorting out the day's production planning. Throughout the day I fielded phonecalls for the R&D/technical drawing department as all the staff for that office were off sick. During my lunch break I catch up on the Rec.Juggling usenet group & read a few articles on the BBC news & Harpers.org websites. In the afternoon I finally get to sit at my own desk & continue work on a way to design & electronically order bespoke glass designs. I knock off work at just gone 5:30pm, have a very nice braising steak dinner & a cup of tea before heading off to Tunbridge Wells Juggling Club. It was a well attended meeting with just over 20 people. I worked on handstands, 3, 4, 5 & 6 clubs, some pssing patterns & a little fire juggling. Afterwards almost all of the adult attendees walked to the pub for a few drinks & board games. Then I drove home & went to bed at around 11.30pm.

Riveting?

Timeline of the San Francisco Earthquake April 18 - 23, 1906

The Eathquake shook the city to the ground & the rest was burnt by a great fire that lasted for 4 days. Here is an overview of how the authorities at the time coped with the disaster, I've picked out facts to create a timeline & included a few snippets from the article verbaitm. Please read the original article though because it does highlight what a joke the New Orleans relief effort has been in comparison.

As you read this please remember that this was almost 100 years ago. Before we had helicopters, computers or satellite communications.

April 18th

5:13am
The first earthquake occurred.

6:30am
A messenger arrived at Ft. Mason with orders from General Funston to send all available troops to report to the mayor at the Hall of Justice.

7:00am
First Federal troops had reported to the mayor.

8:00am
Federal troops from 12 different companies patrolling the entire downtown area and searching for survivors.

8:14am
A major aftershock hit.

10:00am
Headquarters and First Battalion 22nd Infantry, were brought from Ft. McDowell by boat, and were held for a time in reserve at O’Farrell St. They were later utilized as patrols and to assist the fire department.

10:05am
The USS Chicago informed about the disaster. Admiral Caspar Goodrich immediately set sail for San Francisco at full speed.

10:30am
The USS Preble had landed a hospital shore party and set up an emergency hospital.

11.30am
Two more companies of troops arrive.

1:00pm
St. Mary's hospital was abandoned because of the great fire, patients were evacuated by ferry to Oakland before hand.

2.30pm
Army began dynamiting buildings to create a firebreak.

3:00pm
Three men shot for looting, order given to shoot looters on site.

5:00pm
50 bodies already buried after the morgues started running out of room.

April 19th

2:00am
Governer Pardee arrived in Oakland (delayed because the rail tracks were sinking).

4:00am
Secretary of War Taft ordered 200,000 rations from the Vancouver Barracks & ordered all hospital, wall & conical tents from army posts at Vancouver; Forts Douglas, Logan, Snelling, Sheridan and Russell, from San Antonio and the Presidio of Monterey to be sent to San Francisco.

4:55am
All of the tents were on their way to San Francisco.

6:00pm
USS Chicago arrives.

April 20th

Just 16 enlisted men and two officers(!!!!) from the USS Chicago supervised the rescue of 20,000 refugees fleeing the Great Fire. It was the largest evacuation by sea in history, and probably as large as the evacuation of Dunkirk during World War II.

Gen. Funston issued General Orders No. 37 which placed Lt. Col. George Torney of the Medical Department in full control of sanitation in San Francisco.

April 21

The fire that swept the Mission District was stopped at 20th and Dolores sts. by three thousand volunteers and a few firemen who fought the blaze with knapsacks, brooms and a little water from an operating hydrant at 20th and Church.

April 22

United Railroad crews began stringing temporary overhead trolley wires on Market St., but did not repair the cable traction system in the street.

April 23

Governor Pardee told a newspaper reporter,

The work of rebuilding San Francisco has commenced, and I expect to see the great metropolis replaced on a much grander scale than ever before.

Imperial decree on the 30th Day of the Third Moon from Empress Dowager of China to send 100,000 taels as a personal contribution to the relief of the San Francisco sufferers. President Theodore Roosevelt declined the offer, as well as donations from other foreign governments.

....

I wanted to do a similar timeline on the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, unfortunately the BBC's Timeline only starts from 8 days after the storm. If anyone has a link to a more complete timeline, please drop the link into the comments.

May all the people affected by Katrina find hope.