Huntsville gazette., 1888-06-30
HOW TO DIVE.
Useful Hints for Taking Long
Swims Under Water
Easy, If You Know How, Says an Old
Teacher of the Art-An Instructive
and Interesting Pastime. but 1t
Is Very Dangerous, Too.

Gil Roberts is peddler now in the
Northern part of New Jersey. but there
was time when Prof. Gilbert Roberts
taught the art of diving. He was him.
self an expert, and made a good living
by instructing people in the best meth
ods of holding their breath for long
time under the water sounding its
depths or ranging far beneath its sur
face, without assistance.
Il hardly know how to swim at all,
was the startling declaration made to
areporter by Mr.. Roberts as he depos-
tied his pack on a sunny bank where
no wild thyme grows, sat down beside
it, and prepared to satisfy his ques-
toners curiosity regarding the Sc
crets of the deep. But can dive as
well as most men. When l was boy
! often dived so far that l often found
it hard to swim back to shore. That
was before l learned to 60 under the
water direct from the surface, instead
of jumping from few fee: above it,
and SO getting a downward motion.
You see, when your lungs are filled
with air you can't sink unless you want
to do SO. and you can do it then un-
less somebody who can has shown you
how. When man has a cramp in
deep water. or is too tired to swim
any further recollection of
this may save his life. Just let
him keep his chest inflated, and though
he be as thin as rail, he must float
sufficiently high to enable him to
breathe freely. His danger comes
when he has to renew his breath; but
if he is calm, and the water is in the
same condition, he can do that in less
than half second. He need not quite
empty his lungs, you see, before he
takes in fresh supply Of air, and what
remains of the old stock will prevent
him from sinking like a stone, so that
he will have the necessary buoyancy
again before his nose is below the wa
ter. OF course, the final thing man
should do before trying to make a long
dive is to take as much air as his lungs
will contain. Let him not delay his
plunge an instant after he has done
this, because the time then wasted
above the water must be deducted
from the period which he would other
wise remain below it. He should al
ways 60 in head-frst, for the head and
chest will have a tendency to rise, any
how, and if they are too near the sur
face they are apt to pop up above it
before the motion of the feet and hands
can force them down. With the feet
above the head, however, the diver
has only to use the ordinary motions
of swimming, and he goes readily to-
ward the bottom. Stopping the strokes
for second, however, brings the head
up, and the swimming motion very
quickly carries it to the surface. In
passing horizontally through the water
the head should always be kept bent
wishes to come up he has only to raise
it, and swim on, and he will come at
once to the top.
'.In diving directly from the surface
a great deal of practice is required 70
enable man to get the upper portion
of his body under water. You see,
the chest is inflated with air, and does
not easily sink. and the feet which are
the chief motive powers, both in div
ing and in swimming, are at first almost
useless because even after their own
Ell succeeds in getting them above his
head they are out of the water, and
however vigorously man may kick
at the air he can't get much headway.
The only way to do it is to draw the
feet as close as possible to the body be-
fore each stroke, so as to get all the
catch obtainable upon the water. and
strike strongly with the hands, turning
the palms upward when the back mo
tion is made. When depth of two or
three feet has been gained the rest is
easy. OF course, diver can sink i'm
mediately by cxhaling instead of in
haling the air, but unless he wants to
drown or be compelled to turn his head
and swim at once to the surface there
is not the slightest use in his going un-
der the water with empty lungs. Frc-
quenters Of plunge baths are familiar