Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1896-09-28
A GALLANT DEED.
Fireman Wilkins Rescues Woman
from Face of Certain Death.
Jumps from One Train in Front Of Another at
Risk oil Life

New York. Sept. 21.-Charles wilkins.
who is Il fireman in the employ of the
Northern Railroad of New Jersey. wears
Il button which informs YOU that there
are others"
There are not many others like Wilkins,
and he proved it. yesterday morning.
when he leaped from his flying engine.
seized a woman who stood paralyZed
with fear in the path of train coming
at full speed III the opposite direction.
carried her to safety. and swung aboard
the last car of his own train as it swept
on toward Jersey City.
And. even if he We're not hero. there
are few like him. for he is somewhat big
ger than all outdoors, and his brown eyes
twinkle as if he were always thinking of
Four tracks-the east and westbound
rails of the Erie and the Northern-lie
side by side at the western approach to
the Bergen tunnel. about two miles out
of Jersey City. wilkins train No. pos,
was on the eastbound track of the North
ern. which is but few feet from the
westbound track of the Erie.
ger train No. POS in tow. came around Il
curve just west of the tunnels mouth at
a rate Of about 20 miles an hour. As
soon as the engine was on the straight
track. Wilkins. CHANGING ahead saw two
things which, taken together, startled
him.
There was a woman on the track ahead
ofhis own engine. and as he watched her
rails where she stood. apparently waiting
for No POS to pass.
AS Wilkins train bore down upon her
an Erie passenger train shot out of the
tunnel behind her at the rate of 30 miles
an hour. The roar of both trains was in
her ears, but she saw only one. that
which she was looking at. and that one
would not harm her.
The Erie engineer had free running as
far as liackensack and was flying. He
saw the woman when there was no time
train behind her. turned long enough to
give it a glance and then looked back al
wilkins engine without moving Il step.
SLOW down., Wilkins shouted to his
engineer; IN jump for her
He was on the step of the tender in a
moment more. his hands grasping the
side irons. and one leg swung free meas
uring with his eye the distance between
the Erie express.
She never moved a muscle after she
realized that there was a train behind
her, too. but stood between the rails mo-
tionless with terror. white faced, waiting
to he cut to pieces.
When his engine was about 50 feet from
her wilkins jumped. The Erie train was
withing 50 yards of her The brakes had
not slackened the speed enough to make
the jump safe one. The freman's feet
tore up the earth as he was driven along
| and braced his feet TO keep from failing.
He did not fail. When he was almost up
to the woman he recovered his equilbri-
UNI and fell into his natural running
stride.
| He leaped upon the Erie track and
dashed straight toward the woman and
the approaching train. a slip mean,
death Wilkins didn't slip. Where his
feet fell they took firm root just long
enough to give him the requisite spring.
The woman saw him. but terror had
| trapped her there in the path of the big
engine, and she could not move.
his she toc hG when ydcs h sbe as il
no light weight, but Wilkins is a giant
| Under such circumstances as these he
could have lifted an OK. He raised her il
his arms and leaped to the strip of sand
| beside the track.
| Her feet had scarcely cleared the rails
when the express Numbered by, the wind
it raised covering the woman and her res
| cuer with dust The engineer had re-
versed and whistled for brakes. but there
would have been tragedy but for VIII
kins Of Nyack.
wilkins did not stop to ask why she
was there or what her name was He saw
that she was uninjured and, however
frightened, did not appear TO be one OF
the fainting kind so he ran away from
her thanks, crossed the Erie track again
and as his own train. the speed of which
had been reduced, went by, he swung
himself aboard the rear car.
, The engineer. several brakemen and
welcome. The rescue consumed only Il
! few seconds. and only the engineer knew
ut first why the train was being pulled
up. The engineer was not slow in letting
all on board know of the fireman's BRAY
cry. To all compliments the fireman re-
piled by smiling and pointing to the
There are Others" button on his oily
shirt
He is about 81 years Old and if his foot
| had slipped, yesterday. the story told
| about him might have caused sorrow for
| Mrs. Wilkins and some brown-haired lit
lie ircmen who play engine in Nyack