Casey jones (1864 – 1900)

Casey Jones was the great American locomotive engineer hero who would not save* his own life but died doing his duty. Casey worked as an engineer of the American train the Cannon-ball which ran between Tennessee and Mississippi on Illinois Central Railroad. He was a skilful engine-driver and always brought the train in on time. Casey was skilful with the whistle too – the locomotive whistle. He had a special way of blowing it: beginning very softly, rising to a shriek, and dying away. It would** made people’s hair stand on end*** as the train passed by in the night. “There Casey is going,” they said.

On the night of April 29, 1900 when Casey had just finished his own run and brought the Cannon-ball into the town on time, he was said that the engineer of another train fell ill and couldn’t make his run. Casey offered to substitute his friend and pulled the train out of the station at 11 p.m. The train was already one hour and thirty-five minutes late at the start.

Casey wanted to make up the time**** and he ran his locomotive at a high speed. By four o’clock in the morning he had made up most of the time, but suddenly in front of his engine, as he came round a curve, he saw a standing freight train on the rails.

“Jump, Sim,” he cried.

Sim Webb, fireman to Casey Jones, jumped and lived to tell the story. Casey’s body was found with one hand still on the whistle and one on the air-brake.

There is a monument to Casey Jones in his native town in Kentucky. In 1950 the United States Government put out a three-cent stamp in honor of American railroad engineers, which has the portrait of Casey Jones and a picture of the old Locomotive 382.

Notes: *would not save – не захотел спасти

**would – зд: бывало

***to stand on end – вставать дыбом

****to make up the time – наверстать время

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