The Crash at Crush
Two trains collided on September 15, 1896. The train crash was planned to be a wonderful-19th century public stunt. The mood was carefree and joyful, a carnival like event, but it ended in flying metal, explosions, dread, and death. William G. Crush, who planned the train stunt, worked as a passenger agent for the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad. Crush proposed to the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad Company that they should take two of the obsolete locomotives and put them on the same track facing each other. The crew would fire up the train’s engine and then jump off. Consequently, leaving the locomotives unattended as they raced toward each other. The trains would then meet in a fiery and spectacular crash. The company approved…show more content… Another safety measure and concern that Crush had was the boilers. If a boiler were to rupture, it would go off like a bomb. This would jeopardize the company’s image and put the crowd of people in a hazardous situation. Crush was reassured by the Missouri, Kansas and Texas Railroad Company’s engineers that the boiler was designed to resist punctures, even in the event of a high-speed crash. His concern relieved, Crush went ahead with the project. At five pm, the two trains, each pulling six cars, were brought together at the estimated crash point for a picture. The trains were then slowly backed up to their starting locations only a few miles apart and waited for the signal. Crush, who sat on the back of a white horse, waved his hat in the air; and the crew fired up the locomotives throwing the throttles to full. The engineer then jumped off the train leaving the two locomotives driverless as they speed away. Finally the two collided there was a short instance of quiet, and then both of the boilers exploded simultaneously, acting as twin