When Casey Jones, the legendary engineer, took the throttle of “The New Orleans Special” in Memphis on April 30, 1900, she was 95 minutes behind schedule.  This particular passenger train, later to become famous as the “City of New Orleans” was due into Canton, Mississippi at 4:05 a.m.  Jones had 188 miles to make up the lost time, and Engine No. 382, the assigned work horse, was light and strong.  In the skillful hands of a strong engineer, she could make it despite the heavy spring fog and rain.

Sure enough, 102 miles later, at Granada Miss., “The New Orleans Special” was gaining.  She was only forty minutes behind.  Casey knew his engine, he knew the track, he knew his job. And, with Sim Webb, his steady experienced friend, shoveling the coal to the engine, he had the confidence of all expert machine operators.  He’d get the job done.  By the time No. 382 reached Durant, they were almost on time.

Casey Jones was a tall man, 6` 4 ½``.  He was known for his physical power and easy smile.  In a day when railroad men were a notoriously rowdy bunch, he was a dedicated family man and a teetotaler.  On an earlier occasion, Casey achieved bona fide hero status when a little girl froze on the tracks unable to get out of the way as the locomotive bore down on her.  He did everything he could to stop the train, but it was no use, the little girl seemed doomed.  Casey wouldn’t accept that.  He scrambled desperately over the locomotive and slid down to the “cow catcher.”  He braced himself and stretched his long arms out as far as they would reach to make a one-shot-only grab in hopes he could save the child.  Her little feet banged against the “cow catcher” as he jerked her to safety at the last minute.  Casey Jones was a railroad man’s railroad man.

That event was probably far from Casey’s mind that foggy April as he and Sim raced toward Canton.  As they neared Vaughan, they were unaware that there were four boxcars on the rails ahead of them.  Sim was the first to see them.  He shouted to his friend, “Oh my Lord, there’s something on the main line!”  The last words anyone heard Casey say were, “Jump, Sim!  Save yourself!”  As Sim jumped from the speeding train, Casey was struggling heroically in a futile effort to avoid the crash.  By throwing the engine in reverse and jamming the brakes, he was able to slow the train from about 75 to about 35 mph.  though he couldn’t prevent the collision, he slowed the engine enough to avoid any deaths or serious injuries to his passengers.  The only fatality was Casey Jones who fought to slow that train with the last ounce of his great strength.

There are those who see in this story a metaphor for man’s relationship with his technology.  Jones’ commitment to inflexible punctuality and confidence in the capabilities of the machine placed his passengers at risk and ultimately cost him his life.  Some social critics warn that humanity’s obsession with quantifiable economic landmarks and blind confidence in the ability of technology to produce solutions will lead to humanity’s undoing.

At the risk of oversimplification, let me propose that it’s not technology that’s the threat, it’s values.  Casey was highballing that night because the Illinois Central Railroad was willing to wink at risky behavior as long as the trains ran on time.  That’s our problem.  We’re willing to overlook behavior we know is risky so long as our lifestyle keeps picking up speed.  I’ll grant that it may be too late to influence the people at the controls, but we can, in orderly fashion, start moving to the back of the train where we have a better chance to survive the crash.

If you’re one of those who thinks there’s nothing wrong, of if you’re convinced there’s nothing we can do--collectively or individually--just keep your seat and enjoy the ride while it lasts.  A manly man won’t chase around after Chicken Little, but if somebody says there’s a train wreck ahead, a manly man will at least take a look.

This is a big week in technological milestones: April 26, 1986--the Chernobyl nuclear disaster; April 28, 2003--the iTunes store opens;  April 29, 1813--rubber is patented;  April 30. 1993--the world wide web is launched;  May 1, 1956--the polio vaccine is made available to the public;  May 4, 1997--”Big Blue,” the IBM computer defeats Kasparov, the world chess master.  But just for the record, the machine refused a rematch--and I think it cheated. 

I’m Hink and I’ll see ya.

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