Crush, Texas
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Crush, Texas was a temporary "city" established as a one-day publicity stunt in 1896.
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.
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[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] Aftermath
Mr. Crush was immediately fired from the Katy railroad. However, in light of a lack of negative publicity, he was rehired the next day.
Ragtime composer Scott Joplin wrote a song Great Crush Collision to commemorate the event.
