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 containing the words casey and/or jones:
“I pass the test that says a man who isn’t a socialist at 20 has no heart, and a man who is a socialist at 40 has no head.”
—William Casey (1913–1987)
“There used to be two kinds of kisses. First when girls were kissed and deserted; second, when they were engaged. Now there’s a third kind, where the man is kissed and deserted. If Mr. Jones of the nineties bragged he’d kissed a girl, everyone knew he was through with her. If Mr. Jones of 1919 brags the same everyone knows it’s because he can’t kiss her any more. Given a decent start any girl can beat a man nowadays.”
—F. Scott Fitzgerald (1896–1940)