No Publicity is Bad Publicity

A spectacular train crash turns attention to a railroad.

September 15, 1896. The “Crash at Crush.” Two Katy trains were deliberately rammed headfirst–at top speed–in a spot north of Waco, Texas (dubbed Crush, after the man who came up with the idea). More than 40,000 people attended. When the two engines hit, the boilers simultaneously exploded. Two spectators were killed and countless others hurt. The railroad settled a number of suits out of court. William Crush, the brains behind the stunt, was fired–and then rehired the next day when the publicity wasn’t as bad as first feared.