Jesús García Corona (13 November 1881 – 7 November 1907) was a Mexican railroad brakeman who died while preventing a train loaded with dynamite from exploding near Nacozari,

Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora ( en, Free and Sovereign State of Sonora), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is d ...

, in 1907. As "", he is revered as a

national hero The title of Hero is presented by various governments in recognition of acts of self-sacrifice to the state, and great achievements in combat or labor. It is originally a Soviet-type honor, and is continued by several nations including Belarus, Ru ...

and many streets, plazas, and schools across Mexico are named after him.

Early life

García was born in

Hermosillo Hermosillo (), formerly called Pitic (as in ''Santísima Trinidad del Pitic'' and ''Presidio del Pitic''), is a city located in the center of the northwestern Mexican state of Sonora. It is the municipal seat of the Hermosillo Municipality, Her ...

, Sonora. He was one of eight children. At the age of 17 he got a job with Moctezuma Copper Company, but due to his age, he was made a

waterboy In the United States, a water boy or water girl (sometimes spelled waterboy or watergirl) was someone who worked in the field, providing water to farm workers in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Today, the name is given to those who work on the ...

. He was promoted to

switchman A switchman (North America) or pointsman (British Isles) is a rail transport worker whose original job was to operate various railway switches or points on a railroad. It also refers to a person who assists in moving cars in a railway yard o ...

, then to

brakeman A brakeman is a rail transport worker whose original job was to assist the braking of a train by applying brakes on individual wagons. The earliest known use of the term to describe this occupation occurred in 1833. The advent of through brakes, ...

and eventually to

fireman A firefighter is a first responder and rescuer extensively trained in firefighting, primarily to extinguish hazardous fires that threaten life, property, and the environment as well as to rescue people and in some cases or jurisdictions also ...

Career

Jesús García was the railroad brakeman for the train that covered the line between Nacozari, Sonora, and

Douglas, Arizona Douglas is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, United States that lies in the north-west to south-east running Sulpher Springs Valley. Douglas has a border crossing with Mexico at Agua Prieta and a history of mining. The population was 16,531 in ...

. On 7 November 1907 the train was stopped in the town and, as he was resting, he saw that some hay on the roof of a car containing dynamite had caught fire. The cause of the fire was that the locomotive's smokebox was failing and sparks were going out from the smokestack. The wind blew them and got into the dynamite cars. García drove the train in reverse downhill at full-steam six kilometers out of the town before the dynamite exploded, killing him and sparing the population of the mining town.

Honors

In his honor a statue was raised and the name of the town of Nacozari was changed to Nacozari de García. He was declared Hero of Humanity by the

American Red Cross The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. It is the desi ...

, many streets in Mexico carry his name, and the

Estadio Héroe de Nacozari Estadio Héroe de Nacozari is a multi-use stadium in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico. It is currently used mostly for football matches and is the home stadium of the Cimarrones de Sonora of the Ascenso MX. The stadium holds 18,747 people. The name '' ...

sports stadium in

is also named after him. García's sacrifice is remembered in the

corrido The corrido () is a popular narrative metrical tale and poetry that forms a ballad. The songs are often about oppression, history, daily life for criminals, the vaquero lifestyle, and other socially relevant topics. Corridos were widely popular ...

(ballad) "Máquina 501", sung by Pancho "el Charro" Avitia, and Mexican railroad workers commemorate 7 November every year as the ''Día del Ferrocarrilero'' (Railroader's Day). His heroism is also recounted in the ballad, "Jesus Garcia" sung by Arizona State's official balladeer,

Dolan Ellis Francis Dolan Ellis (born March 1, 1935 in Kansas) has been Arizona's Official State Balladeer since 1966, as appointed by ten consecutive governors. Governor Sam Goddard made the first appointment. Since then, official balladeers have been appoin ...

, who wanted to let the world know of the "Casey Jones of Mexico" who saved the town. García was awarded, posthumously, the American Cross of Honor. :The "Máquina 501" song in free translation: :Engine 501 :rolls through Sonora. :And the brakeman :who won't sigh will cry. :One fine Sunday, gentlemen, :'round three o'clock, :Jesús Garcia sweetly :caressed his mother. :"Soon I must depart, :kind mother, :the train whistle :draws the future near." :Arriving at the station :a whistle blew shrill. :The wagon with dynamite :menaced with its roof afire. :The fireman says, :"Jesús, let's scram! :that wagon behind :will burn us to hell." :Jesús replies, :"That I cannot own-- :this conflagration :will kill the whole town!" :So he throws it in reverse :to escape downhill :and by the sixth mile :into God's hands he'd arrived. :From that unforgettable day :you've earned the holy cross :you've earned our applause. :Jesús, you're our hero. :Engine 501 :rolls through Sonora. :And the brakeman :who won't sigh will cry.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Garcia, Jesus 1881 births 1907 deaths Mexican engineers People from Hermosillo Mexican people in rail transportation 1907 in Mexico Railway accident deaths in Mexico Train drivers

Early life

Career

Honors

See also

References