Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1881-07-14
How to Prevent Drowning.

A writer in Nature says-I wish to show
how drowning might, under ordinary circum-
stances be avoided even in the case of per
sons otherwise wholly ignorant of what is
called the art Of swimming. The numerous
frightful casualties render every working
suggestion OF Importance. and that which |
offer here venture to think is entirely
available:
When one Of tie inferior animals takes
the water, falls, or is thrown in il instantly
begins to walk as it does when out OF the
water. But when man who cannot swim
falls into the water. he makes a few spas
modic struggles, throws up his arms and
browns. The brute. on the other hand.
treads water remains on the surface, and is
virtually insubmergibe. In order. then, to
escape drowning. 1t is only necessary to do
as the brute does, and that is TO tread or
walk the water The brute has no adv an
tage in regard of his relative weight, in
respect of the water. over man. and vet the
man perishes while the brute lives Never
I theless. any man. any woman, or child who
can walk on the land may also walk in the
water Just as readily as the animal does, If
, only he will. and that without any prior
Instruction or drilling whatever Throw a
+ u'S Aiitb tue NdAtI dtitA Ut lFtIl-, bf Walks
instantly and there is no imaginable reason
why human being under like circum-
stances should not do As the dog does
The brute indeed walks in the water IN
stnctively. whereas the man has to he told
The ignorance of so simple a possibility,
namely, the possibility of treadlng water,
strikes me one Of the most singular
things in the history Of man. and speaks
very little indeed for his intelligence He
Is. in fact, as ignorant on the subject As the
newborn babe. Perhaps something is to
be ascrihcd to the vague meaning which
is attached 10 the word swim When a man
swims Il means one thing, when a do,
swims it means another and quite a differ
ent act. The dog is wholly incapable of
swimming a man swIms, but nothing is
more certain than that man Is capable Of
swimming, and on the instant, too, as dog
swims. without any previous training or in
'tructiou and that BY so doing without fear
or hesitancy, he will be Just as safe in the
water as the dog is.
he brute IN the water continues to 20 on
all fours and the man who wishes to save
hiS life and cannot otherwise i'm must do
80 too, striking alternately. one, two. one,
two. but without hurry or precipitation, with
hand and foot exactly as the brute does
Whether he be- provided with paw or hoof,
the brute ssims with the greatest ease and
buuyancy. The human being, If he will,
can do so too, with the further immense ad-
vantage Of having paddle formed hand.
and Of being able to rest himself " hen tired
hy hoatlng, thing of which the animal has
no conception.
Men and animals are able 10 sustain them
selves for long distance, IN the water. and
would do 30 much ofteuer we're thev not
lncapacitated. in regard To the former. al
least. by sheer terror, As we'll a. complete
ignorance Of their real poser,
he loss Of life from ,hipwreck, boating.
bathing, skating. fishing and accidental i'm
mersIon l. 80 d,,astruu,lv great that every
feasible procedure calculated To avert il
ought to BE- had recourse to- Prople will
not consent 10 wear life preservcr-, but If
they unl, knew that, Ia their own limbs.
property used, they possessed the most eifi-
cIeut LIE preserScr.. they would most likely
avail themselves Of them. The printed IN
Junction should be pasted up on all boat
houses, on eNerS boat. At every bathing
place and III every school. Tread water
when YOU hnd Yourself out Of your depth"
IS all that need be said unless, indeed. We
add, Float when YOU are tired" Every
one, OF whatever age or sex, or however
encountered with clothing, might tread
water with at least ~ much facility, even in
breaking sea As a four footed animal does
The position Of a person aho treads water
i IN other respects very much safer and bet.
ter than il the spraaling attitude which We
assume IN ordinary swimming And then
the beauty Of II Is that We can tread water
without any preliminary teaching ~herea,
to swim involves time and pains, entails
consIderable fatigue and is very seldom
adequately acquired after all. The Indians
on the Missouri river, when they have oc-
cASion To traverse that impe,uous stream,
INV iTiably tread water Just the dog treadS
IL Young persons Of both sexes of the
natives OF Joanna, an island on the coast Of
Madagascar, walk the water, carving fruit
AMI vegetables To ships becalmed. or il NAV
b. lt wing TO, IN the ofiing miles asay Some
IFoomen, whose canoe upset before nv ewes
IN the sea"ay on the coast Of Africa, walked
the water, To the safe keeping of their lives
with the utmost facility, and | witnessed
negro children on other occasions doing SO /
at very tender age. At Madras watching 4,
their opportunity, messengers with letters
secured IN an oilsAln cap plunge into the |
boiling surf and make their way, treading |
the water, TO the vessels outside through a !
sea IN which an ordinary European boat
will not live. At the Cape of Good Hope, |
men used TO proceed 10 the vessels in the /
oihng through the mountain pillows, tread /.
ing the water as they went with the utmost I
security. And vet here. on our own shores
and amid smooth waters, men, women and /
children perish Ike flies, annually, when a |