1906 SF Earthquake on 106th Anniversary

Surviors Honored during 1906 Quake Ceremony

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Hundreds of people came out before dawn to honor four survivors of the Big Quake and pay respects to the thousands who died.

The crowd gathered at Lotta's Fountain on Market Street. 

Two of the survivors Winne Hook, 106, and George Quilici, 106, rode in a vintage convertible and looked on as Mayor Ed Lee placed a wreath at the site.

Everyone was hushed during a moment of silence at 5:11 a.m.

Many in the crowd were dressed in period clothing and talked about the city and its recovery after the 7.9 quake more than a century ago.

From there, the group moved to 20th and Church streets. They painted a fire hydrant that was said to have saved the Mission District as flames moved west, as is tradition. The hydrant was painted silver, instead of gold this year, because of a mix-up at a local Lowe's Hardware store, according to sfist.com.

Finally, it was off to a Bloody Mary breakfast at Lefty O'Douls. Some in the crowd said they were honored to be there considering what the survivors had went though and because the question of when another big one might hit still lingers.

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