The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1892-09-23
BATHING IN THE SURF.
1t Ii Not without Its Dangers and Foo
hardy Men Take Rash Risks.

itiated in all the briny degrees of surf
bathing invariably loses his apprecia-
ton of still water. There is a spice of
danger in the surf which makes it
doublv attractive. There is something
for him to battle with. Things are not
all his own way, and he encounters
breakers so full of force as to bowl him
over as easily as though he were a
wooden ninepin. But really, With all
til.s, the dangers of the surf to 3 swim
mer who knows something of the water
are not great, unless, perhaps, there
are certain tides and currents which
are so subtle, yet so powerful as to
make prey of even boats which Venture
on the surface. But it is from the care
lessness or foolhardiness of the swimmer
that drowning accidents are SO fire.
quent. For some years past q small
newspaper published on the Jersey coast
has announced with commenda,le regu-
laritv the arrival of the ''damphool
swimmer"-to wit, the man vho goes
about half-mile from shore.
The man who comes to the seashore
TO swim had better be very sure of his
strength before he attempts anhengthy
excursions beyond the big sv>ll near
the shore. lie can get all THO excite-
ment he wants, and more, too erhaps,
within a very short distance fhsl.sAor1
and no one viii consider him V6wardlV
If he hugs close" and rides tFs breakers
instead of going outside toexhibit his
doubtful aquatic accomplishments.
1t is a notorious fact tina it is always
the best and strongest SINNERS who
come TO grief at the seasfore and pay
with their lives the pcn1y of knowing
too much. The reason FIR this is be-
cause man who tis confidence
in his own ability to kep ahoat will
take longer chances THAI the man who
can swim little. To boone exhausted
in the surf means to so under. to get
into the nav of a marne pugilist who
fights with hundree hands and who
deals upper cuts. jabsand swings with
out rest. If there is anyone about
who is able to hell the vanquished
swimmer is pulled OFT as limp as bit
of sea moss. and it is tossas to whether
or not he will ever GIT his breath back.
Perhaps the most ordinary danger of
the seashore-if danger can be called
ordinary-iS what IRE known as the
three waves The breakers as rule
come in series of three. Sometimes
the three are small and sometimes are
very heavy, but as arule the sequences
run about the sane size. Imagine Il
bather inside the surf line with the
surf breaking ovcra bar about fifty or
one hundred feet from shore Those
big green waves tlat rise higher and
higher as they come toward him do not
seem very formidable. The first one
rcars its head before it reaches him
with an angry swish a curl of foam
like feather edge crops on. along the
top and fills the air with spray. Then
the wave takes most decided shore
ward curl, the line of foam becomes
deeper, there is a crash as it drops to n
level and the bather finds himself
thrown down in IL caldron of seething
surf. Say he is in three feet of water
ON the level. After the wave has passed,
he struggles to his feet choking, gasp
ing and half blind with the salt water
lie doesn't really know what has hap
pcncd, but he has dim idea that
something has hit him. Before he has
time to collect his senses the second
of the series is upon him, and he goes
down again. He is dazed and confused
and he founders around hopeless. The
,,,,l =. al, y,
stroke and gives the life-saver, if there
is one, ~ chance to do some work.
Guided by an outstretched arm thrust
above the water involuntarily, or by Il
bobbing head with which the surf is
playing foot ball, he drags the unso-
phisticatcd one out on the sand. That
is the most common danger of the surf
To II surf-swimmer it represents no
danger at all. Notice the difference
between the two. The experienced
Surfman llnews to a dot the strength of
each wave. when it will break and
result In describing how to bathe in
the surf | am going to give the lam
guage of perhaps one of the best swim
mers and surfmen on the New Jersey
coast. He is Mr.. Il. n. Lillagore and
he has not yet lost the air and bearing
of Il graduated collegian. He is big.
brown and strong, with decided per-
sonality, and gives one the impression
that he could kick a goal without much
trouble and would be u hard man to
meet if he lined up on the opposing
team. lie has been spending his sum-
mers on the coast ever since he can re-
member and can talk more learnedly
about the surf than all of the life-savers
from Barnegat to Sandy Hook.
"A good surfman," he said, ''if he is
on II strange shore where there are liza
bic to BE- any currents. will study them
before he enters the water, but, AS a
rule. dangerous currents are few. If
he knows the coast he will wait until a
wave is about to break. then make a
dive through it; not too deep a dive,
though. for sand will scrape like file.
II the surf is heavy and rapid, Us soon
as his head is out of the water he will
look for and expect the next one. If it
break before it reaches him he will dive
under the whirlng stretch of foam and
save lot of his strength. If not he
viii either ride over it or dive through
it. But he never becomes careless He
looks upon the surf as an enemy if he is
n an N I'm Il :.