PEOPLE IN AMERICA - Casey Jones

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PEOPLE IN AMERICA - Casey Jones
By George Grow

Broadcast: Sunday, June 27, 2004

(THEME)

VOICE ONE:

I'm Gwen Outen.

VOICE TWO:

And I'm Steve Ember with PEOPLE IN AMERICA in VOA Special English. Today, we tell the story of Casey Jones. He was a famous railroad engineer. His life has been described and celebrated¹ in stories and songs.

(THEME)

VOICE ONE:

Many Americans are very interested in railroad trains that were pulled by steam-powered engines a long time ago. Steam engines produced bright, fiery² particles and clouds of smoke as they traveled across the countryside. People who miss steam engines often say each one had its own personality. They say the engines were living, breathing things -- not machines. A railroad lover would say: "Airplanes, space vehicles and automobiles³ are fine -- but I wish I was back in the days of Casey Jones."

VOICE TWO:

John Luther Jones was born in eighteen-sixty-four in the state of Kentucky. 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 for the railroad.

Later, Casey Jones accepted a job as a brakeman for the Mobile and Ohio. He inspected railroad cars and assisted other train crew members. Then, he became a fireman on the company's rail line between Columbus and Mobile, Alabama. He added coal to the fires that powered the steam engines.

VOICE ONE:

Casey Jones grew to be a tall man. He was one-hundred-ninety-three centimeters tall. He married a woman named Janie Brady. In eighteen-eighty-eight, Casey Jones joined the Illinois Central Railroad. He worked as a fireman on the rail line between Jackson, Tennessee and Water Valley, Mississippi. There were a lot of job possibilities with the Illinois Central. In two years, he became a driver, or engineer, with the company. This was the job he always wanted. He operated trains between Jackson and Water Valley 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 -- the Chicago World's Fair. Jones provided rides for people going to and coming from the fairgrounds. He drove a steam engine known by its number: six-thirty-eight. At the end of the World's Fair, number six-thirty-eight was supposed to return to Water Valley, Mississippi for repairs. Jones asked for and received permission to drive the engine there.

VOICE ONE:

Casey Jones loved steam engines. He would talk to engine six-thirty-eight as the train was climbing a hill. He would say: "Come on, honey, you can do it." When he pulled the whistle, he would say: "Sing, sweetie. Kiss the wind with your voice."

((CUT ONE: SFX: train whistle))

Jones became famous as the driver whose train was never late. He always brought his train in to a station on time. He also was famous for his skill at making different sounds with a railroad whistle. He would blow the whistle so it started softly, but would increase to a loud cry before disappearing. People would recognize that sound and knew when he was passing through the area. Whenever they heard it, they would say: "Casey Jones is coming, sure as the day of judgement."

(CUT ONE: SFX train whistle)

VOICE TWO:

In nineteen-hundred, Casey Jones was given the job of driving the Cannonball Express. This passenger train operated between Memphis, Tennessee and Canton, Mississippi. It was a difficult trip of about three-hundred kilometers, with several dangerous areas and turns. Some engineers avoided the trip, fearing for their safety. But not Casey Jones. Everything was fine until April twenty-ninth. That night, Jones completed his normal Cannonball Express run from Canton to Memphis with his fireman, Sim Webb.

Just as Jones was leaving the train, he heard that his replacement⁵ on the next train was sick. The supervisor⁶ asked Jones if he would like to drive the train from Memphis to Canton. Both he and Webb were tired, but they agreed. Jones told the supervisor he wanted to use his own engine. Jones and his fireman had to wait while the train was prepared for the trip. Finally, they climbed on the 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 a problem for Casey. He asked Sim Webb to add extra coal to the engine to make it travel faster.

There are different reports about what happened early the next morning, as the train sped through Mississippi. The problems started near the little town of Vaughan. Three other trains were already in the area. However, their crews had begun taking action to let the Cannonball pass.

Everything would have been fine, except for a mechanical problem. An air hose⁴ in one of the other trains burst. This caused a delay in clearing the rail line. Some cars were still on the main line and could not move.

VOICE TWO:

The Cannonball continued speeding forward. Suddenly, Casey saw the other train. Quickly, he pulled the whistle and pushed the brake to slow the Cannonball. But he knew it was too late. He told Sim Webb to jump off the train. However, Casey stayed on the train.

Some people say the sound the engine made as it hit the other train was like the Earth had burst. The passengers and crew survived the train wreck⁷. Among them was fireman Sim Webb.

However, Casey did not survive. His body was discovered in the wreckage⁸. One hand was still holding the brake. The other was holding the whistle. Because he stayed on the train, he had slowed the Cannonball enough so that none of the passengers were hurt. He had 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 investigation⁹ into the wreck of the Cannonball. The investigation found that Casey Jones alone was responsible for the crash. He had not reacted to signs that he should stop the train. However, people also remembered his love of railroads and how he died trying to save the lives of others.

(MUSIC BRIDGE)

VOICE TWO:

The story of Casey Jones would have ended with his death if not for a black man named Wallace Saunders. Saunders was a railroad worker who knew Jones from his stops in Canton, Mississippi. Saunders was deeply saddened by his friend's death. He decided¹⁰ to create a song to honor the famous engineer. It is called "The Ballad¹¹ of Casey Jones."

Visitors to Canton heard Saunders performing the song. One visitor liked what he heard, but decided to change some of the words. Soon, the song became popular, and found its way to Vaudeville¹² shows. Vaudeville was the most popular form of show business in the United States in the early nineteen-hundreds. The popularity¹³ of the song helped keep the memory of Casey Jones alive.

Today, "The Ballad of Casey Jones" is still heard when Americans gather to sing songs of long ago. Listen now as Ernie Sheldon and the Villagers perform "Casey Jones."

((CUT THREE: Casey Jones LP-5395 1:30))

VOICE ONE:

In nineteen-thirty-eight, Jones was honored in his boyhood home of Cayce, Kentucky. Today, there are museums named in his honor in Water Valley and in Vaughan, Mississippi. The museums also keep the memory of Casey Jones alive.

(THEME OR MORE CASEY JONES UNDER CLOSE)

VOICE TWO:

This program was written by George Grow. Caty Weaver¹⁴ was our producer. I'm Steve Ember.

VOICE ONE:

And I'm Gwen Outen. Join us again next week for PEOPLE IN AMERICA in VOA Special English.

1 celebrated   

adj.有名的，声誉卓著的

参考例句：

• He was soon one of the most celebrated young painters in England.不久他就成了英格兰最负盛名的年轻画家之一。
• The celebrated violinist was mobbed by the audience.观众团团围住了这位著名的小提琴演奏家。

2 fiery   

adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的

参考例句：

• She has fiery red hair.她有一头火红的头发。
• His fiery speech agitated the crowd.他热情洋溢的讲话激动了群众。

3 automobiles   

n.汽车( automobile的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• When automobiles become popular,the use of the horse and buggy passed away. 汽车普及后，就不再使用马和马车了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Automobiles speed in an endless stream along the boulevard. 宽阔的林荫道上，汽车川流不息。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

4 hose   

n.输水软管，长统袜；vt.浇园子，用管冲洗

参考例句：

• Connect the hose to the tap and turn on the tap.把水管接在龙头上，打开水龙头。
• After raining,I always hose the yard out.雨后，我总是用软管把院子冲干净。

5 replacement   

n.取代，替换，交换；替代品，代用品

参考例句：

• We are hard put to find a replacement for our assistant.我们很难找到一个人来代替我们的助手。
• They put all the students through the replacement examination.他们让所有的学生参加分班考试。

6 supervisor   

n.监督人，管理人，检查员，督学，主管，导师

参考例句：

• Between you and me I think that new supervisor is a twit.我们私下说，我认为新来的主管人是一个傻瓜。
• He said I was too flighty to be a good supervisor.他说我太轻浮不能成为一名好的管理员。

7 wreck   

n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难

参考例句：

• Weather may have been a factor in the wreck.天气可能是造成这次失事的原因之一。
• No one can wreck the friendship between us.没有人能够破坏我们之间的友谊。

8 wreckage   

n.（失事飞机等的）残骸，破坏，毁坏

参考例句：

• They hauled him clear of the wreckage.他们把他从形骸中拖出来。
• New states were born out of the wreckage of old colonial empires.新生国家从老殖民帝国的废墟中诞生。

9 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

10 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

11 ballad   

n.歌谣，民谣，流行爱情歌曲

参考例句：

• This poem has the distinctive flavour of a ballad.这首诗有民歌风味。
• This is a romantic ballad that is pure corn.这是一首极为伤感的浪漫小曲。

12 vaudeville   

n.歌舞杂耍表演

参考例句：

• The standard length of a vaudeville act was 12 minutes.一个杂耍节目的标准长度是12分钟。
• The mayor talk like a vaudeville comedian in his public address.在公共演讲中，这位市长讲起话来像个歌舞杂耍演员。

13 popularity   

n.普及，流行，名望，受欢迎

参考例句：

• The story had an extensive popularity among American readers.这本小说在美国读者中赢得广泛的声望。
• Our product enjoys popularity throughout the world.我们的产品饮誉全球。

14 weaver   

n.织布工；编织者

参考例句：

• She was a fast weaver and the cloth was very good.她织布织得很快，而且布的质量很好。
• The eager weaver did not notice my confusion.热心的纺织工人没有注意到我的狼狈相。