Our last ‘chapter’ saw the two trains slamming in to each other, telescoping and killing at least three people. (Some reports declare 4 people died.) The photographer hired specifically for this publicity stunt for the Crash at Crush has been blinded by a bolt in the eye – and the MKT train line is in a panic over the anticipated bad press.
Terrified of the fallout of bad press, the Katy railroad fired Mr. Crush, the marketing mastermind, that same day. Crush was quickly rehired when the railroad realized the Crash at Crush was a publicity success. Most news articles of the day spoke highly of the event and turnout, with very little blame for the deaths and injuries. The Katy paid out the families of the dead and injured, including $10,000 to the blinded photographer.
The cameraman that Thomas Edison sent from New York? He escaped with nary a bruise as the kinetoscope (housed in a huge box) shielded him from the blast.
Tomorrow will see the conclusion of our story.
Image: the wreckage after the crash. Taken from the Heart of Texas Tales website. Photos of the trains that day and of the crash are at Baylor University in their John Oscar “Swede” Johnson collection. They appear to be postcards or commemorative cards with frames and printed captions.
If you are just jumping in, the story begins here.
