Crush, Texas
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[edit] City for a Day
The town of Crush, Texas existed only for one day as a promotional stunt. In 1896 William G. Crush, general passenger agent of the Katy Railroad concieved the idea to fabricate a train wreck as a spectacle. No admission was charged, and train fares to the crash site were at the reduced rate of $5 from any location in Texas. As a result between 30,000 and 50,000 people showed up on Sept. 15, 1896 making the new town of Crush Texas the second largest city in the state.
[edit] Preparations
Two wells were drilled at the site, 3 miles south of the town of West, Texas in McLennan County. Circus tents from Ringling Brothers were erected as well as a grandstand. The train engines were painted bright green (engine #999) and bright red (engine #1001). A special track was built along side the Katy track so that there was no chance a runaway train could get onto the main line. The trains toured the state for months advertising the event.
[edit] The Crush
At 5:00 pm the two trains rolled back a mile from the intended point of impact. The engineers and crew opened the steam to a prearranged setting, rode for exactly 4 turns of the drive wheels, and jumped from the trains. The trains each reached a speed of about 45 mph by the time they met very near the anticpated spot.
The impact caused both engine boilers to explode. Debris, some as large as half a drive-wheel was blown hundreds of feet into the air. Some of this came down among the spectators killing two and injuring several more.
[edit] Result
Mr. Crush was immediately fired from the Katy railroad. The publicity turned out to be widespread and okay, so he was rehired the next day. Ragtime composer Scott Joplin wrote a song Great Crush Collision to commemorate the event.
[edit] External links
- http://www.texasalmanac.com/history/highlights/crash/
- http://home.flash.net/~cymartin/crossxroads/68crush.htm
- http://www.unmuseum.org/crash.htm
Category:List of pre-1950 rail accidents
