A "Flivver" Goes Head-to-Head With a Street Car in DeKalb in 1917

From the December 20, 2017, MidWeek "Looking Back."

1917, 100 Years Ago.

"The two o'clock street car of the DeKalb-Sycamore Electric Company and a flivver belonging to a man from Troy Grove locked horns at Oak and Fourth street yesterday afternoon.

"Motorman and Conductor McCann were in charge of the car, and from all reports obtainable today the driver of the flivver did not see the street car until he started to make the turn at this particular corner, and then it was too late to stop.

"The front of the automobile was badly damaged although no one was injured."

I knew flivver was referring to the automobile, but looked it up anyway and found that flivver refers to a small, cheap, usually old automobile.  Also, something of unsatisfactory quality or inferior grade.

Careful of Those Street Cars.  --FlivverDog