U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for March 14

WASHINGTON, March 14 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20090226/CENSUSLOGO)

SUNDAY, MARCH 14: CASEY JONES

Profile America -- Sunday, March 14th.  Today marks the birthday of an American folk hero -- the famous railroad engineer John Luther Jones, far better known as Casey Jones, born in the town of Cayce, Kentucky.  Jones died in a train wreck at Vaughn, Mississippi in April 1900.  Working overtime to fill in for a sick colleague, Jones was rushing to make up lost time, when he hit a train moving onto a siding in early morning fog.  The accident sparked one of the best-known folk ballads in American history.  At the time of Casey Jones' death, there were some 38,000 locomotives and 260,000 miles of track in the U.S.  Today, there are just over 24,000 locomotives, operating on 212,000 miles of track.  You can find these and more facts about America from the U.S. Census Bureau, conducting the 2010 Census beginning April 1st.

Sources:  Chase's Calendar of Events 2010, p. 175

Historical Statistics of the United States: Colonial Times to 1970, p. 728

Statistical Abstract of the United States 2010, t. 1085

Profile America is produced by the Public Information Office of the U.S. Census Bureau. These daily features are available as produced segments, ready to air, on a monthly CD or on the Internet at http://www.census.gov (look under the "Newsroom" button).  

SOURCE U.S. Census Bureau