Rensselaer Union, Volume 1, Number 52, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 September 1869 — A Father Sacrifices His Son’s Life to Save a Passenger Train. [ARTICLE]

A Father Sacrifices His Son’s Life to Save a Passenger Train.

A moot notable and wonderful instance of devotion to duty was shown by the bridgeman of the Newark and New Jersey Railroad yesterday—indeed a devotion that seeme unnatural, for the man in question sacrificed his child’s life to Save the lives of others. James Decker, the man in question, is employed to open and close the drawbridge on the Passaic river. Yesterday morning Decker as usual was employed upon the bridge, accompanied by his son, a lad of ten years. Some vessels requiring to go up the stream the bridge was opened by Decker and the boats permitted to pass through. There was not much time to spare in dosing the bridge, a train being due there in a few minutes. Slowly the bridge turned on its table, and when within a few yards of its proper position Decker heard the shrill whistle of the locomotive on its way to the Jeasey depot. At almost the same moment he heard a cry for help coming from beneath the bridge, and looking down into the water he observed, with horror, that his son had fall en into the river and was struggling for life. He could easllv have lumped down into the water atpl saved his boy, but the train was coming on at a rapid pace, and the bridge was still open, and to save his son was to insure the destruction of the train. Parental love is strong, and it was strong in Decker; the first impulse of the father was to leave the train to its fate and save the boy, but the devotion to duty overcame parental affection, and he instantly determined to save the train by closing the bridge. The draw was arranged with all the speed possible, and then Decker rushed to the assistance of his child, but It was too late, for the boy had Sunk, to be seen no more alive. He obtained assistance, and in a few minutes recovered the body of the poor little one. Great indeed was the father’s grief, although he did not regret the decision that ended his son’s life. This is an event almost without a parallel, and seems quite as improbable as are many of the scenes described in the yellow-covered literature of the day. There are few Deckers in the world. His action was so thorougly unselfish, so noble, as to appear not only Improbable, but unnatural.—New York Star, lltA