![]() ![]() ![]() The sound of it was variously described as "a sort of whippoorwill call," or "like the war cry of a Viking." People living along the IC line between Jackson and Water Valley would turn over in their beds late at night upon hearing it and say "There goes Casey Jones" as he roared by. Its unique sound involved a long-drawn-out note that began softly, rose and then died away to a whisper, a sound that became his trademark. ![]() His whistle was made of six thin tubes bound together, the shortest being half the length of the longest. Jones was also famous for his peculiar skill with the train whistle. Both locations were busy and important stops for IC, and he developed close ties with them between 18. His work in Jackson primarily involved freight service between Jackson and Water Valley, Mississippi. He was so punctual, it was said that people set their watches by him. He was known for his insistence that he "get her there on the advertised " and that he never "fall down", meaning he never arrived at his destination behind schedule. Railroading was a talent, and Jones was recognized by his peers as one of the best engineers in the business. Jones reached the pinnacle of the railroad profession as an expert locomotive engineer for IC. He was promoted to engineer, his lifelong goal, on February 23, 1891. On March 1, 1888, Jones switched to IC, firing a freight locomotive between Jackson, Tennessee, and Water Valley, Mississippi. Illinois Central Railroad (IC) providing an unexpected opportunity for faster promotion of firemen on that line. In the summer of 1887, a yellow fever epidemic struck many train crews on the neighboring Jones went to work for the Mobile & Ohio Railroad, performed well and was promoted to brakeman on the Columbus, Kentucky, to Jackson, Tennessee, route, and then to fireman on the Jackson, Tennessee, to Mobile, Alabama, route. By all accounts he was a devoted family man and teetotaler. They bought a house at 211 West Chester Street in Jackson, Tennessee, where they raised their three children. Mary's Catholic Church in Jackson, Tennessee, on November 25, 1886. Bridget's Catholic Church in Whistler, Alabama, to please her. Since she was Catholic, he decided to convert and was baptized on November 11, 1886, at St. Jones met his wife Mary Joanna "Janie" Brady through her father who owned the boarding house where Jones was staying. Later his family moved near Cayce, Kentucky, where he acquired the nickname of "Cayce", which he chose to spell as "Casey". This shift gave Jones his moniker "Casey". The Jones family moved to Cacey, Kentucky after his mother Ann Nolan Jones and his father Frank Jones, a schoolteacher, decided that the rural areas of Missouri offered little chance for their family. Jones was born in rural southeastern Missouri. For this, he was immortalized in a traditional song, " The Ballad of Casey Jones". All are agreed, however, that Jones managed to avert a potentially disastrous crash through his exceptional skill at slowing the engine and saving the lives of the passengers at the cost of his own. ![]() 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. Casey Jones postcard with a commemorative postage stampĪpproaching Vaughan at high speed, he was unaware that three trains were occupying the station, one of them broken down and directly on his line. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |