Crash at Crush
The Crash at Crush was a one-day publicity stunt that took place on September 15, 1896. Two uncrewed locomotives were crashed into each other head-on at high speed. William George Crush, general passenger agent of the Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad, conceived the idea in order to demonstrate a staged train wreck as a publicity stunt. Admission was free and train fares to the crash site – called Crush, were offered at the reduced rate of $3.50, the equivalent of $125.35 today. A locomotive crash staged by the Columbus and Hocking Valley Railroad at Buckeye Park near Lancaster, Ohio earlier that year had been a huge success.
Engineers assured Crush that his grand idea was safe, specifically that the boilers on the steam engines had been designed to resist ruptures and that, even in a very high-speed crash, they were unlikely to explode. Each engine would pull six boxcars. The couplers used to link the cars were considered unreliable so the cars were chained together to prevent them from coming apart during the impact.
The spectators were placed a minimum of 200 yards away from the track, but allowed members of the press to be within 100 yards. Katy officials expected a crowd of between 20,000 and 25,000 people to attend, but the clever marketing ploy was an overwhelming success and the railroad sold out more than 30 special excursion trains to the event – more than 40,000 people. This was more people than the second-largest city in state.
Each train reached a speed of about 45 miles per hour. Despite being assured that it could not happen, both boilers exploded on impact and debris was blown hundreds of feet into the air. Two spectators were killed and six were seriously injured. A photographer, Jarvis "Joe" Deane of Waco, lost one eye to a flying bolt.
The story made national headlines, and Crush was fired. He was rehired the next day and continued to work for the company until his retirement after working for the railroad six decades. The Katy Railroad settled several lawsuits from the victims' families with cash and lifetime rail passes. Despite the tragedy, the railroad benefited enormously from the stunt, including international recognition. Many railroads continued to stage locomotive collisions in the following years.
In 1976, the Texas Historical Commission erected a historical marker a few miles from the site in West, Texas.
Crash at Crush
The Crash at Crush was a one-day publicity stunt that took place on September 15, 1896. Two uncrewed locomotives were crashed into each other head-on at high speed. William George Crush, general passenger agent of the Missouri–Kansas–Texas Railroad, conceived the idea in order to demonstrate a staged train wreck as a publicity stunt. Admission was free and train fares to the crash site – called Crush, were offered at the reduced rate of $3.50, the equivalent of $125.35 today. A locomotive crash staged by the Columbus and Hocking Valley Railroad at Buckeye Park near Lancaster, Ohio earlier that year had been a huge success.
Engineers assured Crush that his grand idea was safe, specifically that the boilers on the steam engines had been designed to resist ruptures and that, even in a very high-speed crash, they were unlikely to explode. Each engine would pull six boxcars. The couplers used to link the cars were considered unreliable so the cars were chained together to prevent them from coming apart during the impact.
The spectators were placed a minimum of 200 yards away from the track, but allowed members of the press to be within 100 yards. Katy officials expected a crowd of between 20,000 and 25,000 people to attend, but the clever marketing ploy was an overwhelming success and the railroad sold out more than 30 special excursion trains to the event – more than 40,000 people. This was more people than the second-largest city in state.
Each train reached a speed of about 45 miles per hour. Despite being assured that it could not happen, both boilers exploded on impact and debris was blown hundreds of feet into the air. Two spectators were killed and six were seriously injured. A photographer, Jarvis "Joe" Deane of Waco, lost one eye to a flying bolt.
The story made national headlines, and Crush was fired. He was rehired the next day and continued to work for the company until his retirement after working for the railroad six decades. The Katy Railroad settled several lawsuits from the victims' families with cash and lifetime rail passes. Despite the tragedy, the railroad benefited enormously from the stunt, including international recognition. Many railroads continued to stage locomotive collisions in the following years.
In 1976, the Texas Historical Commission erected a historical marker a few miles from the site in West, Texas.