Every Day Is Special: November 7 – Railroader Day in Mexico

November 7 – Railroader Day in Mexico

Posted on November 7, 2017

This is a very sad story, but it is the story of a hero. A man died to save many, so the least we can do is to keep his
name known and retell his story of heroism.

Once upon a time a Mexican teen named Jesús García Corona got a job in railroads with Moctezuma Copper Company. Since he was only 17, he worked at the lowest level, as a waterboy.

But García worked hard and got a promotion to switchman, and then eventually to brakeman.

When he was 25 years old, García was resting at one of the train tracks, at the town of Nacozari, Sonora, in Mexico. But then he saw that some hay on the roof of one of the railroad cars had caught fire - apparently the locomotive's firebox was failing, and some sparks were coming out of the locomotive's smokestack!

But the railroad car that was a bit on fire was filled with dynamite!! Once the dynamite caught fire, there was going to be a huge explosion!

The whole town was in danger!

García ran to the train and drove it full-speed, in reverse, down a hill and away from town. He was able to get the train six kilometers (a bit more than 3 and a half miles) away from town before the car exploded. Of course, García died in the explosion, but he died while saving the entire town.

In García's honor, a statue was raised to "the hero of Nacozari," and the name of the town was actually changed to Nacozari de García. García's sacrifice has been celebrated all through Mexico, with many streets, plazas, and schools - plus a sports stadium - named for him, a ballad written about him, and the day of his heroic death celebrated by railroad workers in his honor.