Home >
1937 Salem, Illinois bus crash disaster....
1937 Salem, Illinois bus crash disaster....
Item # 723976
March 25, 1937
THE DETROIT NEWS, March 25, 1937
* Salem, Marion County, Illinois
* Roller derby troupe bus crash disaster
The back page has two related photos concerning the Salem, Illinois bus tragedy involving a roller derby troupe. See images with brief text.
Complete with all 32 pages, rag edition in nice condition.
background: In March 1937, a catastrophic bus accident occurred near Salem, Illinois, when a private bus carrying members of a professional roller-skating troupe—part of the early Transcontinental Roller Derby tour—suffered a front tire blowout on U.S. Highway 50, about 1¼ miles east of Salem. The driver lost control, causing the bus to swerve, strike a bridge abutment, overturn, and burst into flames, resulting in the deaths of 21 of the 23 passengers. Only two initially survived the fiery wreck, though a few others succumbed later to their injuries. At the time, it was one of the deadliest bus disasters in U.S. history, sending shockwaves through the nascent roller derby community and highlighting the dangers of long-distance bus travel in the 1930s, when safety standards and vehicle reliability were far less advanced than today.
Category: The 20th Century
Available Now
$48.00
