The Green Hornet Street Car Disaster (Hardcover)

The Green Hornet Street Car Disaster By Craig Allen Cleve Cover Image

The Green Hornet Street Car Disaster (Hardcover)

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As rush hour came to a close on the evening of May 25, 1950, one of Chicago’s new fast, colorful, streamlined streetcars—known as a Green Hornet—slammed into a gas truck at State Street and 62nd Place. The Hornet’s motorman allegedly failed to heed the warnings of a flagger attempting to route it around a flooded underpass, and the trolley, packed with commuters on their way home, barreled into eight thousand gallons of gasoline. The gas erupted into flames, poured onto State Street, and quickly engulfed the Hornet, shooting flames two hundred and fifty feet into the air. More than half of the passengers escaped the inferno through the rear window, but thirty-three others perished, trapped in front of the streetcar’s back door, which failed to stay open in the ensuing panic. It was Chicago’s worst traffic accident ever—and the worst two-vehicle traffic accident in U.S. history.

Unearthing a forgotten chapter in Chicago lore, The Green Hornet Streetcar Disaster tells the riveting tale of this calamity. Combing through newspaper accounts as well as the Chicago Transit Authority’s official archives, Craig Cleve vividly brings to life this horrific catastrophe. Going beyond the historical record, he tracks down individuals who were present on that fateful day on State and 62nd: eyewitnesses, journalists, even survivors whose lives were forever changed by the accident. Weaving these sources together, Cleve reveals the remarkable combination of natural events, human error, and mechanical failure that led to the disaster, and this moving history recounts them—as well as the conflagration’s human drama—in gripping detail.

Craig Cleve is an independent historian who lives in North Riverside, Illinois.

Product Details ISBN: 9780875804545
ISBN-10: 0875804543
Publisher: Northern Illinois University Press
Publication Date: June 15th, 2012
Pages: 152
Language: English

“A compelling story about a long forgotten tragedy. Since so much of Chicago’s history has been extensively and exhaustively covered and, in the case of such topics as organized crime and politics, virtually beaten to death, this sort of tale has the chance to not only come as a surprise to readers but also as a revelation. These sorts of stories are invaluable in fleshing out the city’s rich history and rewarding the reader’s discovery.”—Rick Kogan, author of Sidewalks: Portraits of Chicago


— Rick Kogan, author of Sidewalks: Portraits of Chicago

"Craig Allen Cleve has put together a fascinating account of one of Chicago’s greatest disasters—one that is beginning to fade from the public memory. The Green Hornet Streetcar Disaster is the first comprehensive, stand-alone account of the 1950 crash to have been written. It will appeal greatly to general readers with an interest in mass transit and Chicago history."—David M. Young, author of Chicago Transit: An Illustrated History


— David M. Young, author of Chicago Transit: An Illustrated History