This Lubin actuality of the aftermath of the San Francisco Earthquake begins with a group of men, pans to the left, and the people vanish, leaving only the shattered landscape. The Edison actualities begin with the broken rubble, pan to the right, and reveal people.
You could run this in reverse and it would play exactly like the Edisons. Let's ignore the fact the Edisons are better known. There have been copies available for decades, while most people haven't even heard of Lubin. The impact is totally different. As the pan shot progresses, it takes what might be considered a simple photograph and tells us more. The extension in time, the additional information, amounts to "but" or "however." The Edisons tell us "San Francisco is in ruins. But there are still people here," with the implication that they would rebuild. This one tells us "There are people amid the ruins, working hard, but there's an awful lot of work to be done."