A Japanese View of the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake Disaster

During the period from 20 May to 26 June 1906, Professor Toshikata Sano of the Imperial University of Tokyo investigated the building damage caused by the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and fire disaster. The main findings of Sano's investigation were (1) the number of casualties was deliberately reported smaller than it was known to be by the local government, (2) the fire disaster was extensive in San Francisco, (3) the damage to buildings in San Francisco was more severe in the reclaimed land than on the hills, (4) the intensity of ground shaking was estimated to be 0.1 g on the hills and 0.25 g in the reclaimed land in San Francisco, (5) the performance of steel structures was generally good under shaking, (6) the performance of the two reinforced concrete buildings in San Francisco was good, and (7) the failure of brick and masonry construction was attributed to poor material quality and workmanship.