For Subscribers

A violinist’s experience of San Francisco’s disastrous 1906 fire - From the archive: June 1906

2026-06-12T08:37:53.047

San_Francisco_Fire_Sacramento_Street_1906-04-18

Violinist Henry Heyman gives a first-hand account of the catastrophic San Francisco fire of 1906, in a personal letter to The Strad editor Ian Lavender

MY DEAR MR. LAVENDER,–

It is with great difficulty that I write. I am almost a nervous wreck, and can hardly hold my pen. I cannot concentrate my thoughts for I have had little or no sleep, no rest during the past two weeks. You must pardon everything, for I hardly know what I am doing…

Already subscribed? Please sign in

Subscribe to continue reading…

We’re delighted that you are enjoying our website. For a limited period, you can try an online subscription to The Strad completely free of charge.

  • Free 7-day trial

    Not sure about subscribing? Sign up now to read this article in full and you’ll also receive unlimited access to premium online content, including the digital edition and online archive for 7 days.

    Free trial

    No strings attached – we won’t ask for your card details

  • Subscribe 

    No more paywalls. To enjoy the best in-depth features and analysis from The Strad’s latest and past issues, upgrade to a subscription now. You’ll also enjoy regular issues and special supplements* and access to an online archive of issues back to 2010.

    Subscribe

 

* Issues and supplements are available as both print and digital editions. Online subscribers will only receive access to the digital versions.