114 year old footage colourised and uploaded to youtube..

[davdaven]

This is an enjoyable update of the locally famous footage. Unfortunately, the editor made a bad decision to add music that is not period or location appropriate. Just environmental sounds would have been better. Best to watch with your own soundtrack for a more accurate experience.

Originally Posted by gone down south

Actually, the strange frame rate and lack of color in old footage makes people feel disconnected from the past, like people were living differently then. Any time someone colorizes footage - and especially when they fix the jittery frame rate - it really drives home how people today could fit right in then.

Exactly. That is what is so charming about a film like They Shall Not Grow Old.

[DeanoSF]

I first saw the restored original version of this many years ago at SFMOMA (I believe), then a year or so later in New York. The work done here to further restore it is remarkable.

There is another film shot a couple of weeks later by the same filmmakers that shows the extent of the earthquake's devastation from the same perspective:

https://youtu.be/Fm1XSX8Un5Q

Further notes:

It's largely held that the estimates of around 3,000 deaths were probably dramatically understated, in hopes that people wouldn't be dissuaded from coming to the growing city of San Francisco, as it was establishing itself as the most important financial center on the West Coast at the time of the quake.

I've also heard (but can't remember the source) that many of the fires that broke out after the quake (which did most of the damage, BTW) were intentionally set by those who sustained some, but not complete, quake damage to wooden residential buildings and personal property. The reason? The earthquake damage was heavy, but not total. And landlords had fire insurance, but not earthquake insurance.