Casey Jones
Jonathan Luther "John" "Casey" Jones (March 14, 1863 – April 30, 1900) was an American railroad engineer from Jackson, Tennessee, who worked for the Illinois Central Railroad (IC). As a boy, he lived near Cayce, Kentucky, where he acquired the nickname of "Cayce," which he chose to spell as "Casey." On April 30, 1900, he alone was killed when his passenger train, the Cannonball Express, collided with a stalled freight train at Vaughan, Mississippi, on a foggy and rainy night.
His dramatic death, trying to stop his train and save lives, made him a hero; he was immortalized in a popular ballad sung by his friend Wallace Saunders, an African-American engine wiper for the IC.
Read more about Casey Jones: Marriage, Promotion To Engineer, Famous Train Whistle, Service At The World's Columbian Exposition of 1893, Rescue of Child From The Tracks, Baseball Player, Rules Infractions, Transfer To Passenger Trains, Death, Legend Begins, Funeral, Illinois Central Railroad Report On Accident, Injuries and Losses From The Wreck, Later History of Engines, Other People Involved, Casey Jones References in Music, Casey Jones Media References, Museums in Casey Jones's Honor
Famous quotes by casey jones:
“Poor Casey Jones he was all right,
He stuck by his duty both day an’ night,”
—Unknown. Casey Jones. . .
Oxford Book of Light Verse, The. W. H. Auden, ed. (1938)
“Casey Jones, mounted to the cabin,
Casey Jones, throttle in his hand,
Casey Jones mounted to the cabin,
Took his farewell journey to the Promised Land.”
—Unknown. Casey Jones (l. 49–52)