Perth Amboy evening news. [volume] (Perth Amboy, N.J.) 1903-1959, 1921-08-10
Charles Olsen, 8 Years Old,
browns in River After Fall
Off Bridge
ATTEMPTS AT RESCUE
Double Tragedy Narrowly
Averted as Man is Pulled
to Safety

A double tragedy was almost
enacted in the Raritan river near
the state bridge yesterday afternoon
when a man in an attempt to save
a child from drowning became ex-
hausted fighting the swift tide and
was taken from the water into
fishing boat after thrilling rescue
witnessed by a hundred or more
automobilists whose cars lined the
bridge. The boy, Charles Olsen,
eight years old, of 502 Compton ave-
nue., was drowned and the man. who
was an occupant in an automobile
crossing the bridge at the time the
lad fell from the bridge, had mar
row escape from death in the same
manner. The man who risked his
life for the lad was Rudolph A.
Kish of 313 Barclay street.
The incident is one which will long
be remembered by those on the
bridge who witnessed the thrilling
fight put up by the man in the water
and the efro:a, made to save him.
w. Parker :ya1yon, of this city,
membe of the State Board of Com
merce and Navigation, who was
crossing the bridge at the time, led
in the efforts to save Kish and 1t
was his quick thinking which made
1t possible for the man to keep af1oat
until the rescue boat arrived.
Telling of the incident Mr.. Runyon
raid his attention was first attracted
by the long line of cars on the bridge
md the struggles of a man in the
water several hundred feet east OF
the bridge. The man seemed to be
fully dressed, with the exception of
coat and yelled as Mr.. Runyon ar
rived at the scene: For Gods sake
get a boat" Efforts were made to
find a boat at the draw but none
could be located. After Mr.. Runyon
had told some of the men to try and
locate a boat he saw the mans
struggles were weakening. He yelled
to Kish to tread water and float II
possible, thus reserving his strength.
Seeing that no boat was available
at the time Mr.. Runyon thought OF
some extra planks he had seen on
the bridge and, assisted by several
willing hands, showed these over
board at a spot where he thought
the tide would carry them to the
drowning man. AS the tide swung
these planl.s down the river the
crowd on the bridge held their
breath in suspense. One by one they
f1oated past Kish but at too great a
distance for him to reach them.
Finally all but one plank had gone
by him. Again renewing MS stfug-
giles Kish managed to reach this
plank and get a grip upon it.
Realizing that Kish's strength
would not permit of his hanging on
to this plank long Mr.. .Runyon sug-
gested a concerted yell on the part
of all on the bridge to attract the
attention of a fishing boat which
was seen moving about the shore.
All shouted at once and the atten-
ton of the man in the boat was
drawn to the man hanging to the
plank which was slowly drifting
down the river.
The rowboat was seen to start for
Kish and the one at the oars put
every ounce of strength he possessed
into the pulls on the oars. AS the
boat quickly neared the plank to
which Kish was still holding fast
the crowds watching the rescue gave
a sigh of relief. But still another
thrill was to be felt by the excited
and awestricken persons on the
bridge. In his efforts to put all OF
the weight possible behind his
strokes the oarsman pulled one OF
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