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From The Kentucky Encyclopedia -
John Luther ("Casey") Jones, railroad engineer, was born on March 14, 1864, in Fulton County, Kentucky. His nickname came from his hometown, Cayce. At the age of eighteen Jones went to Jackson, Tennessee, to work for the Mobile & Ohio Railroad. In 1888 he became an engineer for the Illinois Central Railroad. As tribute to his skill, Jones was made engineer in January 1900 on the New Orleans Special, popularly known as the " Cannonball," the fastest passenger train between Chicago and New Orleans.
On the foggy evening of April 29,
1900, Jones pulled into the Memphis, Tennessee, station, the end of his run.
Because relay engineer Joe Lewis was ill, Jones and his fireman Simeon Wells
were asked to take the Cannonball through to Canton, Mississippi. They
agreed and their engine, No. 382, was attached. Close to Vaughan, Mississippi,
near the end of the run, two freight trains prepared to pull onto the siding to
allow the passenger train to pass, but the air hose on train No. 83 broke,
freezing the wheels and stalling the caboose and three freight cars on the main
track. Jones's attempt to divert was futile, and seeing the impending disaster
he told Wells to jump to safety. Jones was able to slow the train sufficiently
to save the lives of Wells and all of his passengers. He was the only casualty
of the crash, dying on April 30, 1900, at 3:53 a.m. His courage in staying with
the train was commemorated in the well-known ballad " Casey Jones,"
written by Wallace Saunders a few days after the accident. It was recorded in
the 1920s by both Fiddlin' John Carson and Furry Lewis. A special U.S. postage
stamp in honor of Jones was issued as part of the series Railroad Engineers
Of America in 1950.
Jones married Janie Brady of
Jackson, Tennessee, on November 25, 1886, and they had three children. Jones
was buried at Jackson.
Selected Sources from UK Libraries:
Randolph, Vance. The Truth about Casey Jones and Other Fabulous American Heroes, including Johnny Appleseed, Davy Crockett, Roy Bean, and Mike Fink. Girard, Kan.: Haldeman-Julius, 1945. Print.
Lee, Fred J. Casey Jones; Epic of the American Railroad. Kingsport, Tenn.: Southern, 1939. Print.
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