Crash in Crash: a deadly stunt in an imaginary city (7 photos)

Do you want to surprise people and attract attention? Put on a show.





You just need to think through the details first. With mathematical precision.



George William Crush

Naturally, any experiment carried out for the first time is fraught with risk. This was the case with the city of Crush, Texas, built in 1896. This publicity stunt, more properly called the "Crush Crash," was designed purely as a public spectacle.

It would seem that “Crash” is an apt description of the main event: two locomotives were about to collide head-on at high speed, creating a massive explosion to the delight of the public. But the name was actually given in honor of the man behind the trick: William George Crush.

The idea of ​​"Crash"





Crush was the chief passenger agent for the Katy Railroad, which ran along the Missouri-Kansas-Texas route, which was very important and responsible. He came up with the idea of ​​pitting two trains against each other to demonstrate the amazing power of the locomotives and also as a publicity stunt to raise public awareness.

Admission to the event was free, and in addition, discounted fares were offered to anyone wishing to travel by train to see the spectacle. But even Crash was probably not prepared for the wild success of his venture.



Promotional photos before the show

More than 40,000 people came to watch, and the temporary town built especially for the event became the second largest city in Texas at the time. A huge sign at the entrance welcomed people to “Crush, Texas.”

The city was built almost by magic. Wells were dug, a circus tent was erected, and special stands were installed so that reporters could observe what was happening. It would seem that the railroad company has won by finding a way to turn two obsolete locomotives into an advertising campaign.

However, everything went wrong. Despite the fact that the safety check carried out the day before had passed without problems, and despite the assurances of engineers that the boilers would rupture in the extremely unlikely manner, Crush had to experience first-hand the power of steam engines.



The moment of collision. Photographer Joe Dean lost an eye immediately after taking this photo.

Each train was traveling at about 72 km/h when they collided. Shortly after this, a powerful explosion was heard: the boilers of both trains actually exploded. And they managed to do it at the same time. Heavy fragments of metal flew in all directions, the trains turned into two giant fragmentation grenades. Although the crowd turned to flee, it was already too late. Metal fragments pierced people through. Three people were killed and many were injured.



A crowd inspects the wreckage

It was assumed that the locomotives themselves would rise into the air under the force of the collision. Instead, both of them were completely destroyed by the explosion: almost nothing remained of them.

For this failure, Crush was immediately fired from the Katy Railroad. However, then something strange happened. The expected scandal, even despite the victims, did not happen. People were delighted with the show. After large fragments were removed by cranes, people returned to the crash site and collected almost all the small debris for souvenirs.



Before midnight the artificial town was dismantled. All victims received compensation. Photographer Jarvis Dean, who lost an eye as a result of being hit by a bolt, was given the opportunity to travel for free for the rest of his life.

The Crash Township incident became a huge advertisement for the Katy Railroad, and many similar crashes were carried out in the following years as others tried to copy the trick.

Crush was fired, but fame played a role: he was hired the very next day.

Crush continued to work for the railroad for the next 60 years. The tradition of the locomotive collision show did not end there, but continued in different states for many years. A memorial plaque is now installed at the site of the incident. Since then, the word “crash test” has been adopted in the American dialect, which means testing the strength limit through a powerful collision involving the object being tested.