St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1881-06-25
HOW TO PREVENT DROWN
ING.
A TIMELY ARTICLE THAT OUGHT TO n
READ By EVERYBODY.

I wish to show how drowning
might, under ordinary circum-
stances, be avoided, even in the
case of persons otherwise wholly
y%norant of what is called the art
# swimming. The numerous fright
nj casualties render every sugges-
ION of importance. and that which
[ here offer ] venture to think is en-
tirely av.ilable.
When one Of the inferior animals
takes the water, falls, or is thrown
IN, it instantly begins 70 walk a.
I does when out of the water.
.3ut when u man who cannot
swim" falls into the water he
nakes Il few spasmodic struggles,
throws up his arms and browns.
The brute, on the other hand, treads
,ater, remains ON the surface, and
is virtually insubmergibie. In or.
Ter, then, to escape drowning it 10
,nly 4. ssary to do as the brute
iues, and that Is to tread or walk
he water. The brute has no adj
vantage in regard to his relative
weight, in respect to the water. over
nan, aud yet the man perishes
While tine brute lives. Nevertheless
NV man, any woman or child who
.um wax On IN. land may also walk
II the water jus. M rendily as the
animal ,ioe>. If only he will. and
Chat without any prior instruction
n dill ins whatever. Throw a dog
nto the Wa +r and he treads or
walks instantly. and there is no
.ruaginab.e re,son why d human be-
n. under like circumstances should
10, do az the dog does.
The brute indeed walks in the
water insiinct.vtly, whereas the
nan has 10 se told. The Ignorance
f SO simple a possibi;it.-na,nely.
he possibility If treading water,
.trikrs me as one of The most singu-
ar things III the history of
.ntn. and speaks very little indeed
iur bis Intelligence. He is, liz fact,
~ ignorant on the subject as is the
newborn babe. Perhaps something
s TO bt ascribed to the vague mean
ing Which is attached to the word
win. When IL man swius it means
,ne thing. when u dog swims it
means another aud quite y differ
mt net. The dog is wholly incaps-
de of swimming as a man swiins,
,,ut nothing Is more certain than
that II maj Is capable of swimming,
and on the Instant, too, as a dog
,wIms, without any pr. vious train
ng or instruction. and that by 30
long. without fenr OF hesitancy. he
,ill be just us safe III the water a.
The dog is.
The brute in the water continues
4; q go on all fuurs, and the n.an who
wishes to save his life and cannot
'therwise swim, must do SO too,
striking out ai,ernate:y. one. two,
"n-, two. but without hurry Or pre-
clpitation. with hand and foot,
-.xactly as the brute does. Whether
he BIZ provided with paw or hoof,
the brute swims with the greatess
ssse and buoysncy. The human
.ning. if he will, can do 80 too,
with the further immense advan-
,ase of having q paddls-formed
hand. an of being able to rest
himself when tired. by 9oatirg, q
thing Of which tine animal has no
conception.
Bridget Money. a poor Irish inn
migrant. saved her own life, and her
three children's lives, when the
steamer conveying them took FIRE
IN Lake Erie. by floating herself
md making them float. which SIM
ply consists in lying quite still, with
the month shut and the bead thrown
veil back in the water. The dog.
I'll. horse. the COW. the swine, the
-ietr. and even the C t, all take to
The water un occasion aud sustain
themselves perfectly without any
PRIOR experience Whatever. Moth.
;ng is less difficult, whether for man
Il brute. than to tread water, even
fnr the first time. have done 30
item. using the feet alone or the
hands alone. or both, with per.
ials IL Of my children ON my
'ack. Once I recollect being carried
good way out ut SEA by the re-
cedins tide at Boulogne, but re-
gained the shore without difficulty.
drop of water once passed through
he lima of the CLOTHS, and on an.
t. on / experienced such
sudden lndispos,tiOu that II had