Tragedy struck outside Johnstown, Pennsylvania with the collapse of a crowded temporary platform, built to view President Johnson's Harrisburg-bound train as he neared the end of his notorious "Swing Around the Circle" speaking tour. At least four people were crushed in the accident and hundreds more were injured. Already intensely unpopular, Johnson gained no praise when his train barely halted before heading for the Pennsylvania capital. (By John Osborne)
Source Citation
Garry Boulard, The Swing Around the Circle: Andrew Johnson and the Train Ride That Destroyed a Presidency (New York; IUniverse, 2008), 139-140.
Record Data
Date Certainty
Exact
Type
Crime/Disasters
