The Crash at Crush
10/19/24 • 17 min
In this episode of The Wild Wild Death, we recount the spectacular disaster that was the 1896 “Crash at Crush.” What started as a publicity stunt involving two steam locomotives and a crowd of 40,000 eager onlookers quickly went off the rails—literally. With explosions, flying debris, and a photographer who paid for the perfect shot with his eye, this event was a PR nightmare. Tune in to hear how a day of planned destruction turned into an unplanned catastrophe.
If you'd like to know more about the history behind this episode of The Wild Wild Death , check out the links below:
- https://wacotrib.com/news/local/book-podcast-mark-train-smashing-crash-at-crush-anniversary/article_6f080ab0-a507-58e1-b9d0-96a9dacf05a6.html
- https://wacohistory.org/items/show/70
- https://www.texascooppower.com/texas-stories/history/the-deadly-crash-at-crush
- https://brutalsouth.substack.com/p/everyone-loves-a-good-train-wreck
KEYWORDS:
1896 Crash at Crush
Steam locomotive collision
Publicity stunt disaster
Train crash spectacle
Historical catastrophe
PR nightmare in Texas
Explosive train wreck
Railroad tragedy
Photographer injury at Crash at Crush
Planned train crash goes wrong
Texas train collision event
Crowd disaster in 1896
In this episode of The Wild Wild Death, we recount the spectacular disaster that was the 1896 “Crash at Crush.” What started as a publicity stunt involving two steam locomotives and a crowd of 40,000 eager onlookers quickly went off the rails—literally. With explosions, flying debris, and a photographer who paid for the perfect shot with his eye, this event was a PR nightmare. Tune in to hear how a day of planned destruction turned into an unplanned catastrophe.
If you'd like to know more about the history behind this episode of The Wild Wild Death , check out the links below:
- https://wacotrib.com/news/local/book-podcast-mark-train-smashing-crash-at-crush-anniversary/article_6f080ab0-a507-58e1-b9d0-96a9dacf05a6.html
- https://wacohistory.org/items/show/70
- https://www.texascooppower.com/texas-stories/history/the-deadly-crash-at-crush
- https://brutalsouth.substack.com/p/everyone-loves-a-good-train-wreck
KEYWORDS:
1896 Crash at Crush
Steam locomotive collision
Publicity stunt disaster
Train crash spectacle
Historical catastrophe
PR nightmare in Texas
Explosive train wreck
Railroad tragedy
Photographer injury at Crash at Crush
Planned train crash goes wrong
Texas train collision event
Crowd disaster in 1896
Previous Episode
Clowns on the Barbary Coast
In this episode of The Wild Wild Death , we dive into the twisted story how a night at the circus turned deadly. Thirteen-year-old Willie Snyder was just trying to enjoy the show when a clown named Manuel Reys took his routine to a whole new level —and things went terribly wrong. Join us as we share the story of how a clown’s over-the-top performance turned a fun night out into a tragedy, proving that sometimes, the joke really is on you.
If you'd like more information about the history behind this episode of The Wild Wild Death , check out these links:
- https://www.sfexaminer.com/news/big-bertha-heyman-the-confidence-queen/article_289d524f-7865-5b03-b344-8a7c6456ec99.html
- https://www.thedeadhistory.com/blog/killed-by-a-circus-clown
- https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/64461187/william-bernard
- https://medium.com/marvels-of-history/who-was-the-man-known-as-oofty-goofty-f249e664d52d
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soap_made_from_human_corpses#:~:text=Many%20bodies%20had%20incompletely%20decomposed,turned%20into%20candles%20and%20soap
- https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/americas-big-circus-spectacular-has-long-and-cherished-history-180962621/
KEYWORDS:
Circus gone wrong
Tragic clown performance
Willie Snyder tragedy
Manuel Reys clown accident
True crime podcast
Circus mishap
Dark circus history
Over-the-top performance tragedy
Night at the circus death
Clown routine turns deadly
Tragedy strikes circus
Circus accident true story
Unfortunate circus performance
Next Episode
Suicide or Murder: The Mysterious Death of Meriwether Lewis
In this episode of The Wild Wild Death, we delve into the mysterious death of Meriwether Lewis, one of America’s most celebrated explorers. After leading the legendary Lewis and Clark Expedition, Lewis met a tragic and untimely end at a remote inn on the Natchez Trace. Found with two gunshot wounds, his death was quickly ruled a suicide, but doubts have lingered for over two centuries. Was Lewis driven to despair by illness and debt, or was he the victim of foul play? We explore the theories, the evidence, and the enduring questions surrounding the untimely death of a man who helped shape America—and wound up as the subject of one of its oldest cold cases.
Want to know more? Check out the links below:
- https://www.history.nd.gov/exhibits/lewisclark/suicide.html#:~:text=When%20Lewis's%20integrity%20was%20questioned,apparently%20shot%20himself%20in%20despair
- https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/meriwether-lewis-mysterious-death-144006713/
- https://lewiscountymuseum.com/Meriwether-Lewis.asp
- https://www.sos.mo.gov/archives/presentations/ap_transcripts/mwlewis#:~:text=Historians%20claim%20that%20Lewis%20became,and%20untreatable%20during%20his%20lifetime
- https://muse.jhu.edu/article/219490
- https://franceshunter.wordpress.com/2010/03/23/love-in-the-afternoon-syphilis-and-the-lewis-clark-expedition/
KEYWORDS:
Meriwether Lewis mysterious death
Lewis and Clark explorer death
Natchez Trace inn mystery
Cold case of Meriwether Lewis
19th-century suicide or murder
Foul play theories about Lewis
American explorer death mystery
Untimely death of Meriwether Lewis
Frontier history podcast
True crime in American history
Lewis and Clark Expedition leader’s death
Suicide or murder cold case
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