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VOICE ONE:
I’m Gwen Outen.
VOICE TWO:
And I’m Steve Ember with PEOPLE IN AMERICA in VOA SpecialEnglish. Today, we tell the story of Casey Jones. He was a famousrailroad engineer. His life has been described and celebrated instories and songs.
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VOICE ONE:
Many Americans are very interested in railroad trains that werepulled by steam-powered engines a long time ago. Steam enginesproduced bright, fiery particles and clouds of smoke as theytraveled across the countryside. People who miss steam engines oftensay each one had its own personality. They say the engines wereliving, breathing things — not machines. A railroad lover wouldsay: “Airplanes, space vehicles and automobiles are fine — but Iwish I was back in the days of Casey Jones.”
VOICE TWO:
John Luther Jones was born in eighteen-sixty-four in the state ofKentucky. As a boy, he lived in the small town of Cayce, Kentucky.It is from this town that he got the name Casey.
The young man’s first railroad experience was with the Mobile(MO-beel) and Ohio Railroad in Columbus, Kentucky. At age fifteen,he worked as a telegraph operator. He sent and received messages forthe railroad.
Later, Casey Jones accepted a job as a brakeman for the Mobileand Ohio. He inspected railroad cars and assisted other train crewmembers. Then, he became a fireman on the company’s rail linebetween Columbus and Mobile, Alabama. He added coal to the firesthat powered the steam engines.
VOICE ONE:
Casey Jones grew to be a tall man. He wasone-hundred-ninety-three centimeters tall. He married a woman namedJanie Brady. In eighteen-eighty-eight, Casey Jones joined theIllinois Central Railroad. He worked as a fireman on the rail linebetween Jackson, Tennessee and Water Valley, Mississippi. There werea lot of job possibilities with the Illinois Central. In two years,he became a driver, or engineer, with the company. This was the jobhe always wanted. He operated trains between Jackson and WaterValley for the next nine years.
VOICE TWO:
Casey Jones spent the summer of eighteen-ninety-three in Chicago,Illinois. Large crowds gathered there for a major event — theChicago World’s Fair. Jones provided rides for people going to andcoming from the fairgrounds. He drove a steam engine known by itsnumber: six-thirty-eight. At the end of the World’s Fair, numbersix-thirty-eight was supposed to return to Water Valley, Mississippifor repairs. Jones asked for and received permission to drive theengine there.
VOICE ONE:
Casey Jones loved steam engines. He would talk to enginesix-thirty-eight as the train was climbing a hill. He would say:”Come on, honey, you can do it.” When he pulled the whistle, hewould say: “Sing, sweetie. Kiss the wind with your voice.”
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Jones became famous as the driver whose train was never late. Healways brought his train in to a station on time. He also was famousfor his skill at making different sounds with a railroad whistle. Hewould blow the whistle so it started softly, but would increase to aloud cry before disappearing. People would recognize that sound andknew when he was passing through the area. Whenever they heard it,they would say: “Casey Jones is coming, sure as the day ofjudgement.”
(CUT ONE: SFX train whistle)
VOICE TWO:
In nineteen-hundred, Casey Jones was given the job of driving theCannonball Express. This passenger train operated between Memphis,Tennessee and Canton, Mississippi. It was a difficult trip of aboutthree-hundred kilometers, with several dangerous areas and turns.Some engineers avoided the trip, fearing for their safety. But notCasey Jones. Everything was fine until April twenty-ninth. Thatnight, Jones completed his normal Cannonball Express run from Cantonto Memphis with his fireman, Sim Webb.
Just as Jones was leaving the train, he heard that hisreplacement on the next train was sick. The supervisor asked Jonesif he would like to drive the train from Memphis to Canton. Both heand Webb were tired, but they agreed. Jones told the supervisor hewanted to use his own engine. Jones and his fireman had to waitwhile the train was prepared for the trip. Finally, they climbed onthe steam engine and set off into the night, more than an hour late.
VOICE ONE:
Casey had orders not to arrive late in Canton. This was not aproblem for Casey. He asked Sim Webb to add extra coal to the engineto make it travel faster.
There are different reports about what happened early the nextmorning, as the train sped through Mississippi. The problems startednear the little town of Vaughan. Three other trains were already inthe area. However, their crews had begun taking action to let theCannonball pass.
Everything would have been fine, except for a mechanical problem.An air hose in one of the other trains burst. This caused a delay inclearing the rail line. Some cars were still on the main line andcould not move.
VOICE TWO:
The Cannonball continued speeding forward. Suddenly, Casey sawthe other train. Quickly, he pulled the whistle and pushed the braketo slow the Cannonball. But he knew it was too late. He told SimWebb to jump off the train. However, Casey stayed on the train.
Some people say the sound the engine made as it hit the othertrain was like the Earth had burst. The passengers and crew survivedthe train wreck. Among them was fireman Sim Webb.
However, Casey did not survive. His body was discovered in thewreckage. One hand was still holding the brake. The other washolding the whistle. Because he stayed on the train, he had slowedthe Cannonball enough so that none of the passengers were hurt. Hehad sacrificed his life for them.
VOICE ONE:
The body of Casey Jones was returned to his hometown of Jackson,Tennessee. That is where he was buried.
Railroad officials ordered an investigation into the wreck of theCannonball. The investigation found that Casey Jones alone wasresponsible for the crash. He had not reacted to signs that heshould stop the train. However, people also remembered his love ofrailroads and how he died trying to save the lives of others.
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VOICE TWO:
The story of Casey Jones would have ended with his death if notfor a black man named Wallace Saunders. Saunders was a railroadworker who knew Jones from his stops in Canton, Mississippi.Saunders was deeply saddened by his friend’s death. He decided tocreate a song to honor the famous engineer. It is called “The Balladof Casey Jones.”
Visitors to Canton heard Saunders performing the song. Onevisitor liked what he heard, but decided to change some of thewords. Soon, the song became popular, and found its way toVaudeville shows. Vaudeville was the most popular form of showbusiness in the United States in the early nineteen-hundreds. Thepopularity of the song helped keep the memory of Casey Jones alive.
Today, “The Ballad of Casey Jones” is still heard when Americansgather to sing songs of long ago. Listen now as Ernie Sheldon andthe Villagers perform “Casey Jones.”
((CUT THREE: Casey Jones LP-5395 1:30))
VOICE ONE:
In nineteen-thirty-eight, Jones was honored in his boyhood homeof Cayce, Kentucky. Today, there are museums named in his honor inWater Valley and in Vaughan, Mississippi. The museums also keep thememory of Casey Jones alive.
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VOICE TWO:
This program was written by George Grow. Caty Weaver was ourproducer. I’m Steve Ember.
VOICE ONE:
And I’m Gwen Outen. Join us again next week for PEOPLE IN AMERICAin VOA Special English.