@JohnPhilpin They are all wearing surgical masks. Influenza? Also everyone is wearing a proper hat, I like that.
@bradenslen from the article ....
”For San Francisco, fall 1918 was a fraught time. The city had to deal not only with the death of its boys over there, but with a devastating epidemic that was killing even more of its citizens at home.
The great Spanish flu epidemic had just struck the city. On Oct. 9, 169 cases were reported; one week later there were 2,000. Before the epidemic ran its course, 45,000 San Franciscans would fall ill and 3,000 would die.
By happy coincidence, just as the fighting ceased, the epidemic eased. On Tuesday, Nov. 12, The Chronicle reported that only 15 new cases had been reported Monday, compared with 81 on Sunday.
On Nov. 21, the city declared the epidemic over. It was premature — the disease flared up again in January with 600 new cases — but the worst of the crisis had passed.”