Jones pulled out of Goodman only five minutes behind schedule. By all accounts he was a devoted family man and teetotaler. "Dad" Norton in charge—but bad luck seemed to follow it. Directed by Polaris Banks. For other uses, see. Approaching Vaughan at high speed, he was unaware that three trains were occupying the station, one of them broken down and directly on his line. Jones's African-American fireman Simeon T. Webb (born May 12, 1874), died in Memphis on July 13, 1957,[12] at age 83. 83 and yelled to Jones. [7], Jones's legend was quickly fueled by headlines such as, "DEAD UNDER HIS CAB: THE SAD END OF ENGINEER CASEY JONES," The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, Tennessee; and "HEROIC ENGINEER – Sticks to his post at cost of life. He was a near-magician at knowing exactly how much and what gauge copper a certain size still would require. One Sunday during the summer of 1898, the Water Valley shop team was scheduled to play the Jackson shop team and Jones got to haul the team to Jackson for the game.[7]. When a potential disaster arose, all of Jones's skill and the engine's responsiveness were put to the greatest test. At first, April is skeptical about Casey, particularly due to his clumsy nature. 1 headed southbound. Try. 26 had arrived from Canton earlier, and required a "saw by" for them to get to the "house track" west of the main line. While living in a boarding house in Jackson, Jones met and fell in love with Joanne "Janie" Brady, the daughter of a proprietor. Casey Jones was a railroad engineer known for his speed who died in 1900, when he collided with another train. However, there is some disagreement about the sequence of events on that night, 29–30 April 1900. The story of a brave engineer. [10], The wrecked 382 was brought to the Water Valley shop and rebuilt "just as it had come from the Rogers Locomotive Works in 1898," according to Bruce Gurner. Now this is contrary to most of the stories, some of which say he had a bolt through his neck, some say he was crushed, some say he was scalded to death. She reached out her arms for Casey and sat right down on the floor, holding him on her lap, listening to the story of his suffering. The last thing Webb heard as he jumped was the long, piercing scream of the whistle as Jones warned anyone still in the freight train looming ahead. Engineer Jones did a wonderful as well as a heroic piece of work, at the cost of his life. At the fair (also called The Chicago World's Fair), he became acquainted with No. Jones, in February 1900, was transferred from Jackson, Tennessee, to Memphis, Tennessee, for the passenger run between Memphis and Canton, Mississippi. Jones had to move his family to Memphis and give up working with his close friend John Wesley McKinnie on No. As the combined length of the trains was ten cars longer than the length of the east passing track, some of the cars were stopped on the main line. © 2021 Biography and the Biography logo are registered trademarks of A&E Television Networks, LLC. He was quite happy, saying at one point, "Sim, the old girl's got her dancing slippers on tonight!" The Ballad Of Casey Jones Lyrics: Come, all you rounders, if you want to hear / The story told of a brave engineer; / Casey Jones was the rounder’s name / A high right-wheeler of mighty fame.” The collision was brutal. Casey Jones was a locomotive engineer who became a folk hero after his death in a train crash in 1900 was commemorated in a number of songs. A Jackson, Mississippi, newspaper report described the accident: The south-bound passenger train No. No. 4 at 9 o'clock on the evening of April 29. Jones himself was the only fatality, his watch stopped at 3:52am. Casey Jones was a railroad engineer known for his speed who died in 1900, when he collided with another train. Casey Jones stayed on the train as “Ole 382” plowed through the red wooden caboose and three freight cars, before leaving the track. American actor Robert Reed played quintessential family man Mike Brady in the popular sitcom 'The Brady Bunch' from 1969 to 1974. With 25 miles (40 km) of fast track ahead, Jones likely felt that he had a good chance to make it to Canton by 4:05 am "on the advertised". 72 (located to the south and headed north) were both in the passing track to the east of the main line. He was due to run the southbound passenger service from Memphis to Canton, Mississippi, departing 11.35pm. All cleared the rails easily except for a little girl who suddenly froze in fear at the sight of the oncoming locomotive. Famed American folk hero Casey Jones was born John Luther Jones on March 14, 1864, in a rural part of southeastern Missouri. Amiri Baraka is an African American poet, activist and scholar. Although it was raining, steam locomotives of that era operated best in damp conditions. In the report Fireman Sim Webb states that he heard the torpedo explode, then went to the gangway on the engineer's side and saw the flagman with the red and white lights standing alongside the tracks. The caboose and two of the cars were smashed to pieces, the engine left the rails and plowed into an embankment, where it overturned and was completely wrecked, the baggage and mail coaches also being thrown from the track and badly damaged. [7] Other than these payments Mrs. Jones received nothing as a result of the wreck or Jones's service with the railroad, as the Railroad Retirement Fund was not established until 1937. The caller called Casey at half past four. [6][7], Unknown to Casey, three separate trains were in the station at Vaughan: double-header freight train No. [7], In any event, they departed Memphis on the fatal run at 12:50 a.m., 75 minutes behind schedule owing to the late arrival of No. Philanthropist John D. Rockefeller Jr. was the only son of John D. Rockefeller and heir to his fortune. Some claim that he ignored a flagman signalling to him, though this person may have been out of sight on a tight bend, or obscured by fog. For over 30 years, Casey Jones built stills all over Kentucky using only copper. [6][7], The headlines in The Jackson Sun (Jackson, Tennessee) read: "FATAL WRECK – Engineer Casey Jones, of This City, Killed Near Canton, Miss. ", In Season 4 episode 15 (entitled "Us") of, Casey Jones Railroad Museum State Park in Vaughan, Mississippi (Museum closed in 2004), This page was last edited on 7 January 2021, at 21:13. This provides us with an important piece of the puzzle of Casey Jones. 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