This is before the earthquake, but Market Street looks chaotic: cable cars, autos, horse-drawn carriages and pedestrians dodging all of them. You see the Ferry Building, which still stands, at the end of the street. The camera was mounted on the front of a cable car, so the people and cars crossing the tracks are crossing in front of a cable car.
This was shot only about four days before the catastrophic earthquake and fire, but by that time the film was safely on its way to New York to be developed. I wish all the people in the film had also been out of town.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NpFvp_nWBkc&w=420&h=315]
This excerpt is sharper than the longer versions on YouTube.
Wow, what a mess! How does no one get hit?? Pretty cool to see what Market Street looked like back then. Thanks for sharing!
I am amazed at the calm nature of the horses pulling carriages and wagons. And no one seems to slow for pedestrians. Must have been some close calls.
In the longer, unrestored version, kids grab onto passing cars and hang on!