European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - November 15, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                I1 remembering the Man at the throttle by David l Lang Ford associated press he 20th Century was no quite tour months old when Railroad Engineer John Luther Casey Jones crashed the Cannon Ball express into a freight train at Vaughan ".-. Miss., and became an american Folk hero. Bruce Gurner had not been born then but you d never guess it listening to him talk sitting under a Shade tree in his Iron Yard on the Edge of town thumbs lucked under the bib of his overalls a railroader s Cap on his head Casey Jones was a Good Engineer he was saying. Casey would have made a Good Jet Pilot. He was a bit of a Chance Laker out he Gol caught in a trap that was not o his own making. _ it Casey had t of gotten killed he would have died of a broken heart because he sure would have gotten listed Tor what happened. Railroading was his first love. Even his Wile Janis she was the cutest thing came in second to railroading. ". Bruce Gurner 68, is a former schoolteacher and Railroad Engineer historian and photographer Fisherman curator of his own backyard museum of Railroad Memorabilia at. Water Valley. Miss., chronicler of the last ride of Casey Jones. Retired 10 years ego alter losing the sight in his left Eye Gurner spends much of his time phase Days in his Canoe out on Enid Reservoir running Iro lines in quasi of Crappie and Catfish. I tried to be a commercial Tisherman for a White after i retired but i found out that when you do in regular it s not As much  he says no telling where i would have gone if i had t been kind of  for 40 years or so Hij had alternated Between two. Careers railroading and leaching in High school. He was also shooting pictures for the local weekly news Isper. And working with the Yaloub a county historical society while raising live sons and a daughter. Among his fondest memories Are working on Ida City of new Orleans like his father and his uncles. That s. The passenger train that splits the heartland on its 920 mile run from Chicago to new Orleans that was made famous in a song Steve Goodman wrote and Arlo. Guthrie made into a hit Folk song in 1972. ,. When i quil leaching Al Oxford i put in two years on. That Beautiful City of new Orleans firing working As a. Fireman for Cap Gardner. Boy was that High living. Making twice As much Money As i was teaching. Eight Days a month of 1. / if you want to listen Bruce Gurner can talk to you for hours about High Balling up and Down the Illinois Central tracks from Memphis Tenn. To Canton.  Golden Era of , in the Days when water Valley wag a Railroad town with a big Roundhouse and shop and people like Casey Jones lived there. Come Ell you rounders it you want to hear the Story Lota of a Brave Engineer Casey Jones was the rounders name a High Righi Wheeler of mighty tame ii took me 25 years to figure out wha happened to him Down  Vaughan says Gurner who collected rare photographs and old Railroad records and the recollections of Casey Jones widow and tha old timers who had Ridden with him. Thing is nothing would have Ever come of it except that an engine wiper in the Canton shop who was an old Friend of Casey a wrote that Ballad about h and some vaudeville performers picked it up. Engineers a Ere getting killed All the time in those Days of heavy traffic on single track railroads when slow freights had to be sidetracked to make Way for the passenger trains. Sometimes thay did t even get their names in tha paper when they got killed but Casey had a song written about him and America had a now Folk hero.". Al 12 50 . On the morning of april 30,1900, Casey Jones pulled out of Memphis Poplar Street station at the throttle of the Cannon Ball express with Sim Webb. As his fireman and . Turner Tho conductor. Casey was leaving an hour and 35 minutes late and wanted to make up he time before he reached  South Memphis Yards on the Fly. He Beard the fireman say you got a while Eye. All the Stavit Cronen know by tote engine s moan. To Fiat the Man at Tia throttle was Casey  in a self published account of Jones last ride Garner who has made that same run Many times described ho1.1/ Jones had probably made up that lost time 1passenger co Lorl was not too important in those Days and damage suits for being thrown about at High rates of Petiti almost unheard of. Gurner says. The Cannon Ball was on time when it reached Goodman 10 Milas North of Vaughan. But disaster. Awaited Down the tracks. To make Way for the passenger train two Long freights one headed North and one headed South were switched off to a siding on the East Side of he main line but the caboose and three cars of Iha southbound train were still protruding onto the main line. Sim Webb the fireman first saw the caboose. Shouted and jumped to safety. Casey Jones hit the. Emergency brakes but Slad with his engine Asil crashed into the rear cars of the freight and lunged to the left coming to rest pointing in the direction it came. A Bolt or a splinter of lumber pierced Jones in the Throat. He was taken on a Stretcher to the depot a half mile away where he died lying on a baggage Wagon in addition to Webb three passengers an american express messenger and two postal clerks were slightly injured. All Iha Crew Safe you say Anda to passengers Joo. Thank god that is Clever. And his so/1 eyes closed As his Pale face smiled and he whistled Dawn brakes forever what went wrong Webb said later he saw a Layman and heard the torpedoes explosive devices placed on the tracks to warn the Engineer but Gurner contends Jones was  flagman did t Gal tar enough Back for Jones to see him in time to Stop he says. Nonetheless. The Railroad s investigation concluded that. Engineer Jones was solely responsible Tor the act Ideal As a consequence of not having responded to Flag  according to Railroad records the Illinois Central Railroad awarded Webb $5 for his injuries. The messenger who hurl his Back got $23, and the iwo postal clerks teach. Why do Del Casey jump. That is really the hard one to answer Gurner says once the Engineer puts the Brake in emergency. Reverses the engine and opens me Sanders the engine has no further need of his  though Gurner insists Jones was a Fine Engineer he found Railroad records that showed Jones had been suspended nine times for periods ranging from 5 Days to 30 Days Tor safety violations is Twain feb. 14.1891 and May 22.1899, Theof lenses included such things As collision in water Valley Yard,"."iunning through switch Al Carbo Daleand for not recognizing flagman who was Prole cling work train.". _ Jones lived in water Valley from 1693 to 1b96, a moved his wife and i reasons Back to Jackson Tenn., at his wife s insistence but he retained his membership in the water Valley Lodge of the brotherhood of locomotive engineers. Today there Rue Casey Jones museums Al Jackson and Vaughan where much of Gurner s Memorabilia is on  being from a family of railroaders got interested in Railroad history and began taking pictures As a boy. In 1940 he signed on As a machinist s apprentice at the Illinois Central shop in paducarvky., where the water Valley shop had been transplanted. He Gol to know men like Bob Moore a retired Engineer and Bob Ward a retired shop Man who had known Casey Jones Well. When they Tore tha old water Valley depot Down 1, Gol this wealth of old records that were being hauled off to the garbage dump Gurner says but the Railroad in water Valley today is Only a memory.,. They ran the last train in february of 82," Gurner says. They even took up the tracks that was adding insult to injury f Ember 15,1988 the stars and stripes Page 15