Roman W. Kaminski

Roman W. Kaminski, 46, switch tender, helped to save David J. Williams, III, 10, from drowning, Chicago, Illinois, February 13, 1954. In a drainage tunnel 10 to 15 feet high and 15 feet wide, David and two other boys broke through ice into deep water 60 feet from an end of the tunnel, making a hole six feet square. They rose floundering. One of David’s companions soon sank and was drowned. The other boy climbed from the water and ran out of the tunnel. His calls for help attracted Kaminski, who was directing railroad traffic at a switching station 900 feet away. Over a public address system Kaminski alerted his superiors and all nearby switching points that he was leaving his post and ran to the tunnel. Kaminski, who had restricted use of his arms due to an accident three years before, went inside the tunnel and stepped 10 feet along dry ground bordering one wall. Visibility was very poor. Dimly observing David, Kaminski lunged into the water and swam 40 feet with effort to the hole, breaking ice with his hands as he swam. As Kaminski prepared to take hold of David, the latter seized his arm and began to climb upon him. They struggled, submerging twice together before Kaminski could break free of David, who became inert. Kaminski was stricken with a severe leg cramp as he obtained a hold on David and towed him 20 feet toward the tunnel entrance. While trying to touch bottom in water eight feet deep, Kaminski came in contact with the top of a submerged six-inch piling and precariously placed one foot on the piling. He held David against the tunnel wall and trod water supporting him alone for nearly 15 minutes. Firemen who reached the tunnel entrance extended a ladder to Kaminski and drew him and David to safety. The body of the other boy was recovered. David was revived. Kaminski, who suffered from shock and exposure and nearly was exhausted, recovered in four days.