Editing McLennan County, Texas (section)

===1896 Crash at Crush===
[[Crush, Texas]], was a temporary "city" in McLennan County, about {{convert|15|mi|km}} north of Waco. It was established to stage a publicity stunt concocted by [[William Crush|William George Crush]] and the [[Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad]]. The stunt involved the collision of two 35-ton steam [[locomotive]]s in front of spectators, whom the railway transported to the event for $2 each. After strong promotion, on September 15, 1896, the event was delayed by an hour as the police maneuvered the crowd of more than 40,000 back to what was thought to be a safe distance.<ref name="crash"/>

The crews of the two engines tied the throttles open and jumped off. The two engines, pulling wagons filled with railroad ties, traveled a {{convert|4|mi|km|adj=on}} track and thunderously crashed into each other at a combined speed up to {{convert|120|mph|km/h|abbr=on}}. The boilers exploded and sent steam and flying debris into the crowd. Three people were killed and about six were injured, including event photographer Jarvis "Joe" Deane, who lost an eye because of a flying bolt.<ref name="crash">{{cite web|title=The Crash at the Crush|url=http://atlas.thc.state.tx.us/viewform.asp?atlas_num=5309005315&site_name=Crash+at+Crush,+The&class=5000|publisher=Texas Historical Commission|access-date=November 26, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151121082514/http://atlas.thc.state.tx.us/viewform.asp?atlas_num=5309005315&site_name=Crash+at+Crush,+The&class=5000|archive-date=November 21, 2015|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Ragtime composer [[Scott Joplin]] commemorated the event with "The Great Crush Collision March"; Joplin dedicated the composition to the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railway.<ref>Scott Joplin, "The Great Crush Collision" sheet music (Temple, TX: John R. Fuller, 1896). See Bill Edwards, [http://www.perfessorbill.com/pbmidi15.shtml Rags and Pieces by Scott Joplin.] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090606111507/http://www.perfessorbill.com/pbmidi15.shtml |date=June 6, 2009 }}</ref> Texas composer and singer Brian Burns wrote and recorded a song about the collision, "The Crash at Crush" (2001).