He was to meet up with a train that, he was told, should be on the siding giving Casey the right-of-way. Since the stretch ahead of his was fairly fast. (A siding is a section of track used for getting a train out of the way so that a train behind it can go ahead.) This only added five minutes to his schedule. Jones was able to shave off a substantial amount of time but, when he reached Durant, Mississippi, he was ordered to go on the siding at Goodman, Mississippi so that another train could pass. ![]() However, it was foggy so visibility was reduced and there were several tricky curves. Webb) and was only hauling six cars so he felt good about getting back on schedule. Jones was operating a fast engine, had a good fireman assigned to him (Simeon T. The train departed Memphis at 12:50 am, 75 minutes late because it was late in arriving. All of the accounts, however, agree that Casey had been given an additional run because one of the other men had taken ill. There are three different accounts circulating regarding minor details. It was considered to be a “Cannonball”, a term referring to any fast run.ĭetails over the death of Casey Jones are not certain. In 1900 Casey was given the passenger route between Memphis, Tennessee and Canton, Mississippi, one of four routes that comprised the run from Chicago to New Orleans. During the year before his death, he received no citations. During his career he was issued nine citations for rules infractions with a total of 145 days of suspension. Those who worked with Casey viewed him as a bit of a risk-taker. Casey climbed down onto the cowcatcher and reached out as far as he could grabbing the little girl. All of them cleared it but one little girl who froze. A group of children had darted across the tracks about 60 yards ahead of the train. ![]() In 1895 Jones proved himself to be a hero. He continued to operate it until he was transferred to Memphis in February of 1900 to handle the passenger route. ![]() It was to go into service on Casey’s route and Casey got the job of delivering it. 638, a huge engine designed for hauling freight. The IC’s display at the World’s Fair featured engine No. Casey and Janie spent the summer in Chicago and Casey got his introduction to passenger service. The Illinois Central was given the job of shuttling the people from the Van Buren Station downtown to the site of the fair in Jackson Park. In 1893 Chicago hosted the World’s Columbian Exposition celebrating the 400th anniversary of Columbus’ discovery of the New World. It produced a sound similar to the call of a whip-poor-will and it became his trademark. He made a whistle of six thin tubes with the shortest being half the length of the longest. Casey went to work for the IC as a fireman on the route between Jackson, Tennessee and Water Valley, Mississippi.īesides being good at his job, Casey had a special talent with the train whistle. In 1887 an epidemic of yellow fever struck the Illinois Central Railroad which provided some opportunities. He did a good job and was quickly promoted, first to brakeman and then to fireman. They bought a house at 211 West Chester Street in Jackson and raised three children.Ĭasey got a job with the Mobile and Ohio Railroad. ![]() The two had a reputation of being quiet-living teetotalers. Janie was a Catholic and, in order to make her happy, Casey had been baptized into the Catholic Church two weeks earlier. On he married Mary Joanna “Janie” Brady whose father owned the boarding house where Casey lived. As a boy he lived near the town of Cayce, Kentucky and, although he spelled it ‘Casey’, he took the town’s name as his nickname. So, was Casey Jones a cocaine addict?Ĭasey was born Jonathan Luther Jones on in the town of Jackson, Tennessee. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s super-sleuth Sherlock Holmes used it in the stories, perhaps because Doyle did in real life. At the time cocaine was legal and very popular. One of their songs is named “Casey Jones” and it starts off “Ridin’ that train, high on cocaine, Casey Jones you better, watch your speed.” The song is about the dangers of cocaine and, knowing that Casey Jones died in a major train collision, I was curious if drugs were involved. Even though they have disbanded and no longer record or tour, I still enjoy listening to the music. Those who know me well know I’m a Deadhead, a fan of the legendary rock band, The Grateful Dead. A portrait of Casey Jones (Courtesy of Wikipedia)
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