Earthquakes were not uncommon in San Francisco, and there had
been bad ones in 1868, 1898, and 1900. But the results of the earthquake of
(11) were the worst of all. It first Struck the city at
(12) in the early morning of April 18th, and lasted
one minute. A minute seems a short time when one is in a
(13) place, and sometimes it passed much too quickly. But in an
earthquake it is terribly long. At one moment you are living your (14)
. At the next your chairs and tables are dancing on the floor, your
house is (15) , and your world is suddenly changed. You
cannot be sure what will happen next. You cannot be sure if you will be alive to
see what happens next.