The Crash at Crush
West, McLennan County, Texas
Marker Inscription
A head-on collision between two locomotives was staged on Sept. 15, 1896, as a publicity stunt for the Missouri, Kansas & Texas railroad. Over 30,000 spectators gathered at the crash site, named "crush" for MKT passenger agent William G. Crush, who conceived the idea. About 4 p.m. the trains were sent speeding toward each other. Contrary to mechanics' predictions, the steam boilers exploded on impact, propelling pieces of metal into the crowd. Two persons were killed and many others injured, including Jarvis Deane of Waco, who was photographing the event. (1976)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In the fall of 1896 a railroad passenger agent named William Crush hit on a spectacular way to sell tickets: deliberately ram two steam locomotives together at full speed. More than 30,000 people crowded the temporary town of "Crush" to watch, but the boilers exploded on impact against the engineers' expectations, killing two spectators and injuring others. The stunt became one of the most infamous publicity disasters of the railroad age.
Why it matters
The Crash at Crush captures both the showmanship and the raw danger of America's railroad boom, when companies competed fiercely for the public's imagination and its fares.
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Related people
- · William G. Crush
- · Jarvis Deane
Related events
- · The Crash at Crush (1896)
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