New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1910-05-29
GIRLS BRAVERY SAVES
A LIFE IN SUBWAY
Young Woman Jumps on Track
and Stops Train Near
PROSTATE Man.
HAD FALLEN OFF PLATFORM
Efforts to Rescue Unfortunate
Had Failed When Newsstand
Keeper Takes OAR
ing Step.

While a southbound subway train was
laundering into the 10th street and
Lenox avenue station yesterday after
noon, Miss Annie Burke, who is in
charge of the newsstand there. seized
a red lantern on the platform and
jumped to the centre of the tracks,
where an elderly man lay unconscious
and bleeding.
She waved the lantern vigorously at
the approaching train and stuck to her
post, though the train did not come to
standstill until 1t was within few
feet of her Her pluck was cheered
loudly by the large crowd of waiting
passengers on both platforms. who had
stood in helpless horror as they waited
for the train to crush out the mans
life as moment before it seemed in
eyitable it would do.
1t was just before / o'clock, when all
southbound trains were filled with thea
TRIGGERS. that the accident occurred
The man, who was about sixty years
old and we'll dressed, had deposited his
ticket in the ticket choppers box and
walked to the south end of the plat
form, when he was seen to stagger and
pitch forward.
Before those on the platform could run
to his assistance the man had dived
head foremost to the edge of the plat
form and toppled over on the south
bound tracks. He landed with stunning
force between the rails and a cash was
cut on his head.
Those on the platform knew that an
other train was almost due, and two
men jumped down to the roadbed and
started to drag the man from the tracks,
but they found it difficult to lift him
up and lear him off. While they We're
striving to get him from the tracks the
rails shook and trembled with the weight
of the swiftly moving train that could
be seen approaching about two hundred
feet to the north.
Seeing they were in imminent danger
themselves also of being run over by
save the man, and then, giving up the
attempt, they jumped to the side of the
tracks. Unaware of Miss Burke's act,
they believed that they were leaving him
TO his fate.
Hiss Burke ran from behind the news
stand, making her way swiftly among
the crowded passengers on the platform,
on the ticket choppers box. While men
and women looked at her in wonder, the
young woman vauted down to the tracks.
still with the danger signal in her hands,
and ran up the tracks, waving the Ian
tern in circle before her.
The lights from the forward signal
lamps on the motor car were by this
time sending their beams along the rails
from out of the darkness, and to the
passengers on the platforms it seemed
as though the young woman would be
crushed beneath the wheels
But she was seen, and the motornan
of the train applied the brakes with
great force, throwing many passengers
to the floor of the cars. The wheels be-
came locked and slid along the tracks,
emitting a shower of sparks, and amid
the grinding of the brakes and the
shouts of the passengers at the girls
peril she stood coolly in the path of the
forward car with the lantern still sig
Mailing the motOrman to stop. When the
train was finally brought to a stop it
was less than fifteen feet from where
Miss Burke stood.
After making certain that the danger
from the train was over Miss Burke ran
back to where the man still lay sense
less on the tracks and helped the motor
man and porter of the station to lift him
to the platform. The waiting passen-
gers crowded about Miss Burke and con-
graduated her on her bravery. An am
bulance from Harlem Hospital was
called, the surgeon attended the elderly
man and soon he was revived. He
refused TO give his name, but before
going away he thanked Miss Burke and
told her that she could expect to hear
from him in a few days.