GC37DGR Masters of Cadaster/Master of Disaster (Traditional Cache) in Tennessee, United States created by cavecom

This cache has been archived.

The Seanachai: Greetings from Geocaching.com,

While we feel that Geocaching.com should hold the location for you for a reasonable amount of time, we cannot do so indefinitely. In light of the lack of communication regarding this cache it has been archived to free up the area for new placements. If you haven’t done so already, please pick up this cache or any remaining bits as soon as possible. If you are in the process of replacing or repairing your cache please e-mail me in response to this archival and, if possible, I will unarchive your cache.

I want to thank you for the time that you have taken to contribute in the past and I am looking forward to your continued contributions to the sport of Geocaching.

The Seanachai
Geocaching.com Volunteer Cache Reviewer for Tennessee

GC37DGR ▼

A cache by cavecom Message this owner

Hidden : 11/8/2011

Difficulty:

Terrain:

Size: Size: micro (micro)

Join now to view geocache location details. It's free!

Watch

How Geocaching Works

Please note Use of geocaching.com services is subject to the terms and conditions in our disclaimer.

Geocache Description:

Within 250' are four items of interest, three cadstral monuments and one historical monument. The cache can safely be done from the sidewalk-but be carefull!!

The cache is located within 3 feet(horizontally) of 3 separate cadstral(survey) monuments. The first is a Geodetic Vertical control marker. The other two I am unsure of their use. One is within a couple of feet on the sidewalk- although it appears to be submerged. The other is 25' below and bears the same markings as the other, but seems to be in the original location.

Now for the Disaster part- about 260' south is a historical plaque marking the location of the starting point of what must be the most famous trainwreck of all time, and the most famous train engineer of all time-Casey Jones. All that is left of the Poplar Ave. Station, from where he left on his ride to infamy, is marked by the few remaining bricks, an old iron fence, and this marker.
John Luther (Casey) Jones pulled out of this station on April 30, 1900 after already having worked his shift. A fellow engineer had called in sick and Jones offered to replace him. At that time he normally drove a different engine, as engineers were assigned specific engines. His normal engine(#638) was the state of the art machine he requested after debuting it at an exposition a couple years earlier. The Cannonball (engine 382) was the replaced engineer's engine. When he pulled out of the station they were 95 minutes late. When the crash happened he had made up all but 5 minutes and could have easily made it to Water Valley (the intended final stop) on time. But as they made the last turn before the station at Vaughan,Ms their fate took a turn for the worse.
They were going about 70MPH and were suppossed to have the right of way through the tracks, but another train had siderailed to allow them to pass, but four cars were still on the tracks. It seems the brakes had locked up on the cars and they hadn't properly cleared them. Casey told the fireman,Sim Webb, to jump from the train as he rode the engine alone, desparately attempting to stop his train. He threw the train into reverse,and with one hand pulled the brakes and the other pulled the whistle to warn the RR men in the caboose he was closing in on. By the time it hit the cars on the track, he had slowed it down to about 35MPH. His efforts saved all but his own life, and the passengers suffered only minor injuries. He was laid to rest in Jackson TN.

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Fnzr uvqr fglyr nf nabgure bs zl pnpurf Cuvefg EE

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)