The Crush Collision March (1896) - Scott Joplin (With Score / Sheet Music)

Details

Description

In 1896, William George Crush, an agent of the Missouri-Kansas-Texas line (the Katy), noted how many spectators would normally show up at train wrecks. Because of this, he managed to convince the line to stage a collision with him as the promoter for a publicity stunt. After months of hype on posters spread throughout northern Texas, the event came to pass on September 15, 1896, with about 40,000 spectators who came by Katy excursion trains for a nice picnic lunch, taking hired law enforcement several hours to push the onlookers back far enough from the planned point of collision.

The trains, painted red and green, towing cars filled with railroad ties, touched noses at the beginning. Then each backed up a mile or so, and the crew jumped out after setting the trains at full throttle. The 90 mph collision (each train was traveling at least 45 mph), of which the point of impact is shown in the accompanying photograph at the end of the video, was spectacular as promised. In spite of precautions that were taken, including Crush interviewing many mechanics about the possibility of boiler explosions, both boilers exploded and three spectators were killed with many injured from the debris, including the event's photographer Jarvis "Joe" Deane who had lost an eye from a flying bolt.

Crush was fired that evening as a result of the calamity, but quietly rehired the following day. It has been suggested by some that Joplin may have witnessed this event (unconfirmed) yet in any case, the march in name of the event came out a couple of months later. As with the popular E.T. Paull marches of the time, it includes descriptions of activity to explain what is happening in the music, including the spectacular collision. However, the score suggests that the collision be performed again in a repeat of the interlude, something that diminishes the impact of the moment. Nonetheless, Crush Collision March marks the first known published march by Joplin, with many more to be made down the years of his career.
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"Great Crush Collison March" - Descriptive March - Pattern: Intro A A B B C C Trio Int Trio Int Trio
Music by Scott Joplin, Published by John R. Fuller in 1896
Cover Artist: Unknown

Music description provided & written by Bill Edwards, learn more about it here:
https://web.archive.org/web/20220308214107/http://ragpiano.com/pbmusic_joplin1.shtml

Music performed by Guido Nielsen with his album "Scott Joplin: The Complete Works (Rags, Waltzes & Songs)"

℗ 2000 Basta Audio-Visuals
Producer: Piet Schreuders
Music Publisher: Basta Music
Performer: Guido Nielsen