Rascals and Rogues column writer Ralph Horner continues his chronicles growing up in Cleveland neighborhoods in his newest series, Rumbles on E. 49th.

Growing up on East 49th Street in the 1950s,“the old neighborhood,” could be rough for a kid. In fact, according to a report on juvenile delinquency in the Jan. 8, 1955 Saturday Evening Post, crime and disorder committed by teenagers increased by a 45% between 1950 and 1955. Horner recalls what life on the streets of Goodrich-Kirtland Park was like back then.

As I grew into my teenage years, the episodes of bad behavior grew more serious and some of my associates drifted into minor criminality.

Not all incidences of unruly behavior were of any magnitude, but some were stupid and downright dangerous. One of our favorites was not particularly harmful to anyone, but the diabolical nature of it has a lot to say for it.

The streetcars in the city had been replaced with electric-powered buses called trackless trolleys. Street cars had one straight single pole with a wheel on the end that touched the power wire above. Trackless trolleys had two of those poles with springy wires that connected to two power wires above.

This new configuration doubled our fun.

The streetcars in the city had been replaced with electric-powered buses called trackless trolleysAfter the bus stopped on the corner of East 49^th Street, it slowly passed our playground’s entrance. At this point one of us would run out and yank the springy wires down—pulling the poles from the power wires above. When the poles were disconnected from the power wires they would bob around erratically, and the bus would come to a halt. The lights in the bus would go out.

The bus driver would then have to open the bus door manually, go to the back of the bus, corral the wildly bobbing poles, and guide them back onto the power wires. It was a pain in the neck for the bus driver and surely put him behind schedule.

The bus driver would curse us, and we would give him the finger and laugh at him. It was great fun for us.

One day we decided to do the ultimate, ultimate bus wire yank. The playground was on Superior Avenue near East 49^th Street, where there was also a bus stop. The next stop was three short blocks away on East 55^th Street. 

For the ultimate, ultimate bus wire yank, as the bus passed the entrance of the playground, a kid ran out from the playground entrance and yanked the wires.  As usual, the bus coasted to a halt and the bus driver got out and cursed at us. We gave him the finger and laughed at him, as usual, and he re-attached the wires and was on his way. 

What he didn’t know was that we had six kids hiding in doorways and bushes between the playground and East 55^th Street who then yanked his wires six more times before he got to East 55^th.

As he got out of his bus six times to replace the wires his anger turned to resignation. We knew he wasn’t going enter the playground to challenge this motley bunch and I’m sure he was wondering why he was chosen to be in bus driver hell this day. It was misery for him, but fun for us.