A Green Hornet streetcar causes an inferno with gasoline tanker truck in Chicago. (1950)

The collision occurred around 6:30pm on May 25, 1950. The accident happened at the intersection of 63rd Place and State Street. The Inferno killed 34 people and injured 50 others in the two vehicles and the surrounding area.

On May 25, 1950, Chicago experienced one of its worst traffic accidents when a streetcar collided with a gas tanker truck. Thirty-four people died. — Chicago Tribune historical photo

A scene from the May 25, 1950, Green Hornet streetcar crash. — Chicago Tribune historical photo

The Green Hornet Streetcar (named for its speed and color), trolley № 7078, was headed south on State Street, carrying 63 passengers. Suddenly the streetcar switched to the eastbound track to avoid a flooded underpass. "Apparently, the streetcar motorman was not paying attention and went through that switch at total velocity and hit the side of that truck with dire consequences," said Craig Cleve, author of the book The Green Hornet Streetcar Disaster. 

It is unclear whether the streetcar driver or the streetcar itself was at fault, but the Green Hornet did not slow down. As it approached the turn at approximately 30 mph, the streetcar derailed as it hit a Mack truck hauling 8,000 gallons of gasoline.

The gasoline tanker truck, carrying thousands of gallons of gasoline, jackknifed after the collision and blocked State Street 200 feet north of 63rd Street. The truck driver, Mel Wilson, died in the truck's cab, while the streetcar conductor, William C. Lidell, survived.

Two parked cars are hosed by firemen after the blaze at 6251 State Street. By most accounts, the streetcar was going too fast for the wet conditions. — Chicago Tribune historical photo

A battered watch carried by a streetcar crash victim showed the disaster's time. It stopped at 6:33 on May 26, 1950. — Chicago Tribune historical photo

Thirty-three people died immediately on the streetcar, and one died later of injuries from the crash. Thirty people survived even though the windows and doors wouldn't open. Fifty people, some on the streetcar and others in the surrounding area, were injured. According to the National Safety Council's report, two days after the crash, it was the largest death toll from a motor vehicle collision, surpassing the 29 people killed in a 1940 Texas train-truck collision. Some victims were identified immediately because of personal belongings, whereas others were identified at the Cook County Morgue by friends and relatives following the crash.

A priest gave last rites to the victims on May 25, 1950, when a Green Hornet streetcar collided with a fuel truck. It was a grim task to identify bodies as there wasn't much to go on: burned clothes, melted shoes, a ring, bits of toys, remnants of a letter from a young woman planning her wedding. — Dante Mascione, Chicago Tribune

This shell was what remained of the Green Hornet streetcar after searing flames from gasoline spilled from a tanker truck destroyed it and killed its human cargo. — Chicago Tribune historical photo

In addition to the lives lost, the flames consumed nearby buildings and parked cars. The fire destroyed seven buildings between the 6239 and 6247 addresses, leaving 120 people homeless. The total property damage was estimated at around $150,000 ($1,502,663.90 today). William C. Liddell, the streetcar conductor, disappeared after the crash but was arrested the day after, charged with leaving the accident scene.

On May 26, 1950, a general view of the scene north of 63rd and State Streets where a streetcar and gasoline truck collided the day before, killing 34 people. The streetcar was being switched into a "turnaround" because of the flooded conditions of an underpass beneath a viaduct from which this picture was taken. The arrows added show details of the accident and the buildings damaged in the explosion. — Chicago Tribune historical photo

A worker demonstrates how the switch for the streetcar usually is manually operated. — Chicago Tribune historical photo

Police officers and the coroner at the county morgue on May 25, 1950. The tragic accident left 34 persons dead. — Chicago Tribune historical photo

In 1955, the Chicago Transit Authority claimed it paid a total of $900,000 ($8,713,400 today) to families of the deceased. The accident was highly investigated, drawing conclusions about what could prevent another such catastrophe. Among them was the addition of drainage systems for frequently flooded underpasses so operators would not have to detour. These two yearly physical examinations of motormen and streetcar doors could remain open in case of an emergency to allow for evacuation. However, in 1958 the CTA elected to stop using streetcars entirely. They were replaced by bus routes that still run today.

Green Hornet Streetcar Inferno, Oil on Canvas by Eric Edward Esper. (2013)

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.

The Haber Corporation Fire in Chicago. (1953)

On April 17, 1953, the day after the fire, exhausted Chicago firefighters were still digging through the smoldering remains of the Haber Corporation factory at 908 W. North Avenue. They were looking for victims of the worst fire in the city since a streetcar and gasoline tanker met at 62nd and State Streets between a streetcar and gasoline tanker in 1950, which killed 32 people.

The Haber Corporation Fire killed 35 people and injured 32. North Avenue, looking east.

Sixty-two employees punched the time clock that morning, but construction was taking place inside the building, and estimates put at least 100 people inside the structure when the explosion and subsequent fire began. After that initial explosion on the first floor of the three-story factory, the fire spread so quickly that witnesses said the whole building was in flames within five minutes.

The first alarm was turned on April 16, 1953, at 8:47 AM. The firemen of the 3rd Battalion arrived in less than three minutes. 

The battalion chief, Frank Thielman, described what he saw upon arrival, ""A sheet of flame was shooting out each of the 14 second-floor windows. The sight was awful. It was fury. We couldn't get in to fight the fire. People were running wildly out of the building, saying more were inside. Others were jumping down from the third-floor windows onto the roof of the one-story building adjoining on the east.""

By 9:00 AM, a 5-11 alarm was sounded, bringing 59 pieces of fire equipment to the scene. Ambulances, police squadrons, and even police cars were pressed into service to carry victims to five different hospitals. Electricity was turned off in a 20-square block area surrounding the scene, and ventilating fans were placed on their highest setting in the subway because of the smoke.

A mechanic, Ted Mechnek, had just left his parked car on the way to work at a local business when the initial explosion occurred. ""Glass flew all over the street,"" he said. In just a second, it seemed fire burst out all of the second-floor windows. In another second, a woman jumped from a third-floor window to the roof of the one-and-a-half-story receiving department. Then a man jumped and turned to catch others as they jumped. Ten or 15 must have jumped that way, but the smoke was so dense that it was hard to tell the exact number. A man appeared at a third-story window, his clothing either burned or blown off.""

An inspector on the third-floor assembly line, Florence Haislip, said from her hospital bed at Augustana Hospital, ""We heard a tremendous explosion which shook the whole building. I ran with about 60 other women to the fire escape. Some of the women were screaming in panic. I saw I wasn't going to be able to reach the fire escape, so I climbed thru a window, hung by my hands, and dropped.""

Even as the recovery effort continued, Coroner Walter E. McCarron appointed a jury of a dozen men that held its first meeting on April 17. Within a week, it became apparent that the loss of 35 lives might have been prevented if regulations had been properly followed and appropriate precautions had been taken.

A building of this size, the Assistant City Fire Commissioner, Anthony J. Mullaney, testified, should have had three means of egress. There were only two – an unusable inner stairway after the explosion and a fire escape. City Building Commissioner Roy T. Christiansen testified that the Haber company had failed to obtain building permits for part of its remodeling work (some of which required the boarding up of an additional stairway) and that a company executive had admitted that company officials "" winked at"" employees who smoked illegally in Haber plants.

By April 29, the hearings began to move toward a conclusion. Arvid M. Tienson, the chief supervising engineer of the Illinois Department of Labor's' factory inspection division, told the jury that he and an assistant found two pieces of a duct from the building's ventilation system that had been blown away by the initial explosion. There was no evidence of fire in the two pieces, but each had ""aluminum dust fine enough to explode."" 

Mr. Tienson said, ""There had to be a power failure or blocking of the duct and something to trigger the explosion."" Witnesses had testified earlier that a flash fire occurred at one of the first-floor buffing machines.

Ultimately, the coroner's jury declared the horrific event that killed 35 people and sent 32 others to the hospital an accident. The Tribune reported, ""The jurors reported unanimous agreement that there was negligence on the part of owners of the property, the Hager corporation, and two companies – Ragnar Benson, Inc. and Wipf Welding company – which were engaged in extensive remodeling of the building at the time of the fire. But the jury was unable to agree as to the degree of negligence in each case."" 

The owners of the building, former 43rd Alderman Titus Haffa and members of his family, were not mentioned in the jury's findings. However, Coroner Walter E. McCarron said, ""If I were a jury member, I would have held the owners of the property and the companies to the grand jury for criminal negligence. However, this is your verdict, and I accept it.""

The Haber Corporation's location today. North Avenue, looking east.

Separately, in testimony before a committee set up by Alderman Cullerton of the 38th ward to investigate the tragedy, Assistant Fire Commissioner Anthony J. Mullaney said, ""If existing ordinances had been followed, no one would have died in the fire. The ordinances are adequate to have covered the situation. This wouldn't have happened if they had followed the code in obtaining the necessary permits for remodeling. There were no direct means out of the building from the upper floors.""

Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.