May 25, 1950 – A normal run on the newest of Chicago streetcars, the “Green
Hornet,” turns into tragedy at the intersection of State Street and Sixty-Third
Street when the streetcar slams into a gasoline tank truck, causing an
explosion and fireball that kills 34 people and injures another 50. Proceeding south on its State Street route,
the streetcar with driver Paull Manning at the wheel is whizzing along at about
35 miles per hour, approaching the intersection of Sixty-Third Street. Throughout the day, though, streetcars have
been routed east onto Sixty-Third Street because of a flooded viaduct a block ahead
on State Street. At Sixty-Second Street
a flagman frantically signals Manning to slow down for the open switch, but the
driver either does not see him or ignores the signal. Then the unthinkable happens. A gasoline truck pulling two tanks is
travelling north on State Street and enters the intersection just as the
speeding streetcar lurches violently through the open switch, throwing passengers
to the floor as it hits the cab of the truck, rupturing its gas tank. The streetcar spins around in a half-circle, and
as the truck’s gas tank erupts, the cab jackknifes, slicing open the first tanker
of gas that the truck is hauling. Four
thousand gallons of gasoline flow from the tank, spilling over the curb and engulfing
seven buildings on State Street.
Everything is a mass of flame.
Somehow, 30 people manage to escape the packed streetcar, but 34 people,
including the driver of the streetcar and the driver of the truck, die in the
inferno. A coroner’s inquest showed,
among other things, that the doors of this model of streetcar would not open in
either direction if just one person was applying pressure to them. That afternoon yielded a scene that was as
horrendous as a mass transit accident could ever be. If you have ever wondered why you never see a
gasoline tank truck in the city during the day, you can look back on the
tragedy of this Thursday afternoon in May of 1950 and understand why.
May 25, 1930 – The Chicago Daily Tribune reports that the design for the $10,000,000 outer drive “link bridge” will be the city’s first use of “modern architecture . . . expressive of its function.” [Chicago Tribune, May 25, 1930] President Warren Wright of the Lincoln Park park commission says of the design, “The approved design is a restrained modern treatment, simple, dignified and massive. It is not only in keeping with the present day trends but it is thoroughly practical. Flat stone weathers better, looks better and needs less attention and repair than ornamented surfaces. Incidentally, the design gives ample room for the operators’ houses and excellent visibility from them, while its bold and concentrated ornamentation eliminates the need for much overall treatment.” When completed in 1937 Roosevelt Bridge, one of the most important Depression projects of the Works Progress Administration, was the longest, widest, heaviest bridge in the world. Each of the bridges 6,240 ton leaves was heavier than any bascule in existence. Today it is a massive example of industrial Art Deco design.
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