Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-08-08
BACK 70 LIFE.
HOW AN OFFICER PRESERVED A BOYS
LIFE.
How the Apparently Drowned Can be Re-
suscitated-Aacient and Modern
Methods Contrasted
New York Mail

New York Mail
When boy is nearly drowned, and is
fshed out within five OF ten minutes, the
iish-market men, the fishing sailors, and
the spectators usually put an end to what
little life is left in him by rollizg him on
barrel. A good many street boys have
vitality enough to stand ten minutes de-
privation of air, but nothing short of
bronze statue would live through five min
utes' rolling ever barrel. Because this
silly barrel-rolling system was the standard
cure for drowning one hundred years ago,
We stick to it yet. It is supposed to be
the sure way of bringing an almost drowned
person back to life and respiration, when it
IS, IN reality, the surest method of driving
out what little life is left, ard of sending a
boy into the next void with his skin torn
full OF nail-ho,es. When drowning per.
son IS fished out OF the water anywhere
about New York, he is cure to be sur
rounded by crowd. Half the spectators
immediately begin to
SHOUT FOR BARREL.
And the other half cry for brandy. AS
neither half usually stirs to procure either
barrel or brandy, the patient is generally
dead before any assistance is given him.
If people only knew how easy It is to re-
store an apparently drowned person who
has not been in the water more than five
or ten minutes, and how often person
may be brought back TO life whose lungs
have been filed with water for nearly half
an hour, we should lose fewer lives nv
drowning in this island city.
a reporter for the Mail and E.rpress was
walking in the vicinity Of the Fulton Ferry
few days ago, In the company Of one of
the officers attached to the life. saving SER
wee. There was rush of people to the
Fulton Market slip, and the officer and the.
reporter Joined the crowd TO see the excite.
ment 1t was nothing" one OF the spec.
tators said, turning to go away !; 'sonly
boy drowned !" The life saving officer.
however, seemed to take different view
OF the drowning of e boy, and he hur-
riedly elbowed his way through the crowd
till he was at the waters edge, with the re.
porter at his elbow. Three of the fishing
schooners were tied up at this part of the
pier side by side, and On the deck of the
third lay naked boy apparently dead.
Halt dozen market men and fishermen
stood by, saying that the boy was dead
and that that was all there was of it. The
life.saving officer sprang aboard the nearest
schooner, and was Immediately stopped by
a policeman who was or guard-for the
boy had been out OF the water for some
time.
Stand back, said the life.saver; az
am physician, and, followed by the re.
porter, he was soou on the deck on which
the drowned boy lay.
THE OFFICER PHYSICIAN
Felt the boys skin, felt for his pulse, drew
up one of his eyelids and looked at the
pupil, and asked the bystanders how long
the boy had been out of the water.
You can't get no Job here unless YOU
are an undertaken" said one of the men.
" He was stuck in the mud most ten min.
utes, and he's been layin' here ten minutes
more so, if you fetches him to life. it'n
be little resurrection, and don't you for.
get it."
The officer paid 10 attention to the mans
opinions, but devoted bis whole time to
the boy in way that seemed to indicate
some hope Of saving the life that was appa-
rently gone. The boy could not have been
colder or more apparently lifeless if he had
been dead for week.
The officer opened the boys mouth, an
operation that required some force, and
found it full of mud. Pulling the lower
jaw down as far as possible, he introduced
one Of his fingers and carefully but quickly
cleaned it out. There was enough mud in
the mouth TO choke the boy if be had not
been in the water at all. The officer
whisked off MS coat, rolled It up into a
pillow, and laid it on the deck. With the
assistance OF two or three bystanders. he
turned the boy over on his face and laid
him so that the coat-pilIow was directly
under his stomach. Taking the bows two
ankles IN one CT his hands and giving them
to one of the men to hold up SO that the
patients feet were several feet
HIGHER THAN HIS HEAD,
The officer pressed carefully but firmly in
the region of the small of his back, and i'm.
meaiately stream of water gushed out of
the boys mouth. 1t had been all this time
in the lungs, waiting only for proper treat.
ment 80 help it out. The boy was then,
after minute or two of this exercise,
turned over on his back again, and the off.
Ger kuelt over him. Putting one hand on
the boys right side and the other on the
lett, just over what are known as :" the
short ribs, the officer gave them power
full compression. and then suddenly let 90.
The instant he took off his hands the ribs
sprang back to their natural position, and
a draught of air rushed into the lungs.
This was repeated a. dozen times or more.
but still the boy was, to all appearance,
corpse.
NOT DEAD YET
"0!, give us a seat on that" said an.
other of the mer. 1.-THE boys dead, and
that settles it. Can't you lei drowned
boy alone ?"
The assertion that the boy was dead
seemed 10 be only too true. He looked
like piece of marble; and the reporter
suggested that it was not worth while to
make any further efforts.
"Why," said the officer, 81 havn't be
gun yet. The boy may live and may not.
But he's going to have fair chance for
his life, anyhow. Stand back a little all
of you, and give him little more air.
Disseminating for moment the artifi-
cial breathing process, the officer took one
Of the boys hands between his own and
began to slap 1t vigorously, ct the slme
time setting three Of the hystanders at
work on the other hand and two feet.
The reporter relieved the officer at
the slapping business, and the lat.
ter resumed the rib squeezing pro.
cess, COMPRISING the boys frame
siii L ne t h.uss lave cIieo LOT mercy IL
ne nau peeh con5cioas; win Tour men
pert trying to start his breathing, the boy
must have been unreasonable indsed had
he been dissatisfied. But he still lay as
dead as stick, and, happily, unconscious.
SIGNS OF LIFE
te,. .,x e. - AZ. -
~ ~, aDoas -, n - .Ia =. snis treas.
,me.L.. ~ and Az s sne SUI PSI S =. .he
~ H. Al, asl;a;. :; a. I;s. ss anu s.sas
tba ha, aans ,,;ab. s 80 s.as.t' onioef'
'nI Inst e nj. ma5nsa s - ~ $500 1891 H.
l;oeasan m au.rd csilsd ,ornss r. r. az Seo r.
mSa-, 80 ha.,e. ~. s 49, h sae as 800
Hes dea se snonob . ~ '''' Ivy 'i'A''