By CLANCI COCHRAN
Contra Costa Times (California)
Barbershop owner Henry Johnson and cannery owner Lew Hing were probably miles apart when the 1906 San Francisco earthquake hit, but their shared experiences now occupy the same space.
The men’s stories are among the diverse voices included in Aftershock! Voices from the 1906 Earthquake and Fire, a commemorative exhibit opening Saturday at the Oakland Museum of California.
The features on Johnson and Hing are among the summarized stories of those affected by the quake, including a San Francisco Fire Department chief, a Berkeley resident, a Bay Area socialite and a writer who captured the aftermath.
The exhibit includes an interactive earthquake simulation. Visitors can step into an enclosure on top of a shake-table, hold on, and safely ride out a 4.5 magnitude simulated earthquake for about 20 seconds.
Aftershock! is more of a three-dimensional presentation compared with the many exhibits observing the centennial, said Aimee Klask, Oakland museum curator.
Instead of relying on photographs and paintings to depict the earthquake’s aftermath, objects on display and video components bring the exhibit to life.
“We’ve tried to take an historical approach,” Klask said. Artifacts include a tent similar to those in which quake refugees sought shelter, train tickets from April 18, 1906, enlarged pictures showing how the earthquake tore the city apart, and store ledgers and telephones from the era.
Representatives of Johnson and Hing’s families attended a news conference Wednesday to talk about their legacies and to promote the exhibit. March 29 was proclaimed Lew Hing Day in Oakland, in honor of Hing’s leadership in aiding the Chinese community after the earthquake.
Johnson used to share his photographs and earthquake stories with his grandson, Stephen De Windt said.
“It was one of the most traumatic experiences they’ve ever had in their lives,” De Windt said. The ground opened up and their house collapsed. Johnson moved to Oakland.
Although the exhibit focuses on the past, politicians linked the previous century to the present Wednesday. They used the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and the 1906 quake as examples of the need for disaster preparedness and plans to rebuild cities and to protect people.
“All disasters are local, and all disasters are extremely personal,” said Jeff Lusk, earthquake program manager for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security FEMA Region IX office.
AFTERSHOCK!
Voices from the 1906 Earthquake and Fire
April 1 through August 13
Oakland Museum of California
1000 Oak St.