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This 25 Year Old Brakeman Saved An Entire Town From Annihilation
A selfless act of heroism from history
Jesús García was only 25 years old when he was given the opportunity to save a town of 5000 from certain destruction. It is a rare opportunity that not many are forced to deal with. There are those who have secretly turned away from such dilemmas and saved themselves at the expense of others. Jesús García chose to give himself up rather than watch others die in his place.
The moment came in 1907 in a mining town located in northwestern Mexico. The train that Jesús García was operating had caught fire. The train was carrying car after car of highly explosive dynamite set for delivery in the mining town. Dynamite was the lifeblood of 19th and early 20th-century mining operations and shipments like this were common.
While it sounds like the plot of a Wiley Coyote cartoon the situation was deadly serious. And Jesús García knew just how serious it was.
The fire
On November 7th, 1907, the train was parked in the town of Nacozari, Mexico, when Jesús García spotted something alarming. The top of one of the…
