Customer Reviews

The Malbone Street Wreck

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Although it took place in 1918, The Malbone Street Wreck stands as the worst mass transit disaster in US history. And Brian Cudahy is the person to tell the tale. He has an unusual gift: He leads you through amazing amounts of detail without burying you in minutia. The "small pictures" of the various aspects of the events leading up to this transportation disaster are always beautifully and accurately drawn. They are then framed in the context of the "big picture" of the politics, geography and tenor of the time.

A great read for lovers of history, train lovers and anybody who appreciates a well crafted recounting of the complex causes of a shattering event.

Like David von Drehle's narrative of the Triangle Shirtwaist fire, Brian Cudahy has written an account of a New York disaster which had strong ramifications for the rest of America. And like TRIANGLE, Cudahy's THE MALBONE STREET WRECK does not exploit the tragedy for the sake of sensationalism and profit. It is a sober narrative which actually sends warning signals to the mass transit officials of today.

This remarkably short book is very thorough. Beginning with America's pulse during the final days of World War I and the influenza epidemic that scourged the nation and world, Mr. Cudahy then explores the world of 1918 New York. Specifically, he inspects the confluence of forces, such as local politics, labor relations, the profit motive of the train line owners, and others, that led to the placement of an untrained, unqualified transit worker in the motorman's booth of a rush hour train. The result being the violent death of almost 100 people in The Malbone Street Wreck.

Mr. Cudahy's research seems conscientious, and where he is unsure of the facts, he tells us so. There is an honesty to his narration that gives the story an almost personal tone. (His mother did lose two cousins in the wreck.) The several maps and illustrations are extremely helpful. And while the photos of the disaster site and wrecked subway cars are shocking, they are not gruesome. And they serve as strong reminders of the imperative for the transportation officials of today to adhere to strict safety standards.