Evening Republican, Volume 18, Number 198, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 22 August 1914 — TEST FOR HEROIC FIREMAN [ARTICLE]

TEST FOR HEROIC FIREMAN

Stuck Bravely to His Engine, Though 111, and Died After Run End&d. f Though ill from heat, John H. Atkins, a Pennsylvania railroad fireman, refused to leave the cab of his engine, but worked all the way from Ocean, City to Camden. Arrivihg at the terminal he was hurried to his home in Camden. In two hours he was dead. Coroner Schroeder, who investigated the case, said the courageous man’s death was due to heat -exhaustion. He was twenty-eight years old and leaves a young widow. Atkins was suffering severely from the heat when It came time to bring his train from the seashore resort The engineer advised him to remain and get medical aid, but Atkins said he guessed he would be all right after they got on the road. On the run, however, he showed great distress and occasionally placed ice to his head and at one time, the engineer said, turned the hose upon himself. This seemed to give him some little relief and he rallied considerably. The brave fellow stuck to his Job, piling coal into the furnace all the way, never failing to keep steam up for the 90-minute run. He must have suffered Intensely, physicians declare. —Philadelphia Record.