Jesús García facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jesús García Corona
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Jesús García Corona riding a horse days before his death
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| Born |
Jesús García Corona
13 November 1881 |
| Died | 7 November 1907 (aged 25) Nacozari, Sonora, México
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| Nationality | Mexican |
| Occupation | Railroader |
| Years active | 1898–1907 |
Jesús García Corona (born November 13, 1881 – died November 7, 1907) was a brave Mexican railroad brakeman. He is famous for saving a town from a huge explosion. In 1907, he died while moving a train full of dynamite away from the town of Nacozari, Sonora.
People in Mexico call him "el héroe de Nacozari" (the hero of Nacozari). He is seen as a national hero. Many streets, town squares, and schools across Mexico are named after him.
Contents
Early Life and First Jobs
Jesús García was born in Hermosillo, Sonora, a state in Mexico. He was one of eight children in his family.
When he was 17, he started working for the Moctezuma Copper Company. Because he was young, his first job was a waterboy. He would bring water to the workers.
Jesús worked hard and soon got promoted. He became a switchman, then a brakeman, and finally a fireman on the trains.
The Heroic Act of November 7, 1907
Jesús García worked as a brakeman on the train line. This line ran between Nacozari, Sonora, and Douglas, Arizona.
On November 7, 1907, the train was stopped in Nacozari. While Jesús was resting, he saw something terrible. Hay on the roof of a train car that held dynamite had caught fire! Sparks from the train's engine were causing the fire. The engine's smokebox was not working well, and sparks flew out of the smokestack. The wind blew these sparks right onto the dynamite cars.
Jesús knew the whole town was in danger. He quickly jumped into the train's engine. He drove the train backwards, away from the town, as fast as it could go. He went about six kilometers (almost four miles) downhill.
The dynamite exploded far from the town. Jesús García died in the explosion. But because of his quick thinking and bravery, he saved everyone in the mining town.
Honoring a National Hero
People wanted to remember Jesús García's amazing sacrifice.
- A statue was built in his honor.
- The town of Nacozari was renamed Nacozari de García to remember him.
- The American Red Cross called him a "Hero of Humanity."
- Many streets in Mexico are named after him.
- The Estadio Héroe de Nacozari sports stadium in Hermosillo also carries his name.
Jesús García's bravery is also remembered in a famous Mexican folk song called a corrido. The song is named "Máquina 501" (Engine 501). It was sung by Pancho "el Charro" Avitia.
Every year on November 7, Mexican railroad workers celebrate Día del Ferrocarrilero (Railroader's Day). This day honors Jesús García and all railroad workers. He was also given the American Cross of Honor after his death.
The "Máquina 501" song tells his story:
- 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.
Images for kids
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Monument to Jesús García in Nacozari
See also
- Casey Jones
In Spanish: Jesús García Corona para niños
