By the early 20th century, railroads and railroading had become part of the nation's songbook, with songs honoring people, engines, and deeds, but none more than Casey Jones, the brave engineer. On April 30, 1900, at 3:52 a.m., as "Ol' 382" approached Vaughan, Mississippi, with Jonathan Luther "Casey" Jones at the throttle, fog lifted and revealed a train not fully on the sidetracks. Casey applied the air-brakes and urged his fireman, Sim, to jump and save his life. Although he reduced the train's speed from 75 mph to 35 mph, "Ol' 382" ploughed through a caboose and three freight cars before derailing and overturning. All passengers aboard the Illinois Central train were unhurt except Casey, who was killed. Newspapers across the country carried the story of the heroic engineer, and soon afterward his friend Wallace Saunders wrote a ballad in his honor. Recorded in 1912 as The Ballad of Casey Jones, it was later recorded by dozens of singers over the past century, including Eddy Arnold, Pete Seeger, Johnny Cash, and the Grateful Dead, helping make him a legend. After the crash, the Schenectady-built ALCO locomotive was righted, repaired, and operated for another thirty-five years.