New-York tribune., 1909-11-29
GIRL SAVES CHILD
SN4TCHES HER FROM
THIRD RAIL.
Little One Fell from Car
UmdOzc IN Front of
OncOmiHg Train.

Celia Snyder, three years old. daughter
of Mr. and Mrs. Paul Snyder, OF NO --'
Cherry street. owes her life TO a COM
bination of luck and the herOism of Miss
Bertha ROsenthal. seventeen years old.
of No. 3G5 East 1OOth street. When the
baby fell from the window of south
bound Second avenue elevated train last
evening at 99th street she first escaped
injury frOrr the violent fall. next the
danger OF the dreaded third rail. and.
lastly. the sure death that threatened IN
the OncOming rush Of a northbound tram
as she lay on the tracks
The little one. accompanied by her
father. mother and a seven-mOnths-old
sister. had just left the 99th street sta
tion when the accident happened. The
child was in her fathers arms. sitting
next to the open window. while her baby
sister lay in the mothers lap. Just as
the train. which was crowded. pulled out
Of the station. Paul snyder turned to his
wife, in answer to a question As he did
so he failed To notice that Baby Celia
had worked herself free from his hold on
her
warning Celia had fallen headlOng from
the car window Her parents cried in
anguish. and pleaded with the guard 70
stop the train. but before he could be
made To understand what had happened
the train had almost reached the next
station. at 92d street, and by this time
every passenger in the train was on his
feet shouting a hundred different direc-
tions and trying to calm the frantic
father and mother, who acted as though
demented.
SEES CHILD ON TRACK.
Before the train had come 20 a stop
at the station Paul Snyder. followed by
his wife with the baby in her arms. had
rushed from the car and down the steps
10 the street. Under the impression. as
all the other passengers We're, that the
child had fallen to the street. they ran
back under the structure. followed by an
ever increasing crowd.
While this race for a life was taking
place down in the street. a scene Of
thrilling rescue. heightened by the daring
Of a girl, was being enacted on the ele-
waited tracks above the crowd in the
street. AT the moment that the train
from which the Snyder baby had fallen
was drawing out OF the station Miss
Bertha Rosenthal was walking up and
down the sOuthbound platform. and her
attention was arrested by the sight OF a
baby lying on the nOrthbound track. The
child was tightly wedged between the
third rail and the inner car rail OF the
track
Bertha ROsenthal paused only long
enough 20 make certain that the object
was q human being. Then she acted
quickly. She ran 70 the ticket choppers
box. but Michael Powers. the chopper.
was absent from his post. and the girl
knew then that the babys life rested in
her hands While she gathered courage
for the deed she rapidly threw away her
furs and tore off her jacket. then leaped
10 the southbOund tracks and made her
way across the rails until she reached
the spot where the baby was lying.
TRAIN APPROACHES.
AS she reached little CeIia's side she
grasped the chiId's clothing. in an effort
to free it from it's position between the
two steel rails. but the baby was so
tightly wedged that she found this i'm
possible. SummOnins all her strength
Bertha succeeded in tearing the child
free from It's perilous position.
At this moment Powers, the ticket
chopper. appeared on the platform. and
saw the girl on the tracks with the child
in her arms He noticed that a north
tion and was now almost upon the young
woman with the child. and he at once
guessed that her purpose was suicide
The girl had become temporarily de-
prived Of the power 10 move as she saw
the train rushing down upon her. but
when Powers shouted to her she regained
control OF her faculties and stepped from
the path Of the approaching train.
Powers assisted her and the baby TO the
platform.
Little Celia was unconscious and had
a painful bruise on her forehead. but
after being treated by Or. Mcdonald. os
the Harlem Hospital showed no III ef-
fects from her fall
When the father saw the child nesting
IN Miss ROsenthaIs arms he tried 10
murmur his. thanks 10 the young girl.
but his voice broke. and he could ONLY
clasp her two hands in a strong grin.
AS he turned TO leave the platform his
wife arrived. breathless and afraid to
hear the truth, but soon her JOY was
equal 10 her husbands. Miss Rosenthal
slipped quietly away in the crowd.