Received the following via email about a posting on TrainOrders.com about a historical marker plaque in "Crush," Texas. The site is about 70 miles south of Fort Worth, 20 miles north of Waco just off Interstate 35. Here is the text on the plaque:
THE CRASH AT CRUSH
A head on collision between two locomotives was staged on Sept 15, 1896 as a publicity stunt for the Missouri, Kansas, and Texas Railroad. Over 30,000 spectators gathered at the crash site, named "crush" for MKT passenger agent William G. Crush who conceived the idea. At about 4PM the trains were sent speeding towards each other. Contrary to mechanics' predictions, the steam boilers exploded on impact propelling pieces of metal into the crowed. Two persons were killed and many others injured, including Jarvis Deane of Waco who was photographing the event.