The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1892-06-18
TO KEEP FROM DROWNING.
1t is Not Necessary to be Able to
Swim if You Keep Cool.

1t is Not Necessary to be Able to
Swim if You Keep Cool.
To keep from drowning, it is not
necessary to know how to swim.
This may seem at first strong
assertion but much depends on
the meaning that is attached to
the word swim. A man may be
able to tread water, yet he may not
know how to swim. When man
swims it means one thing; when
a dog swims, it means another. In
the main, the difference is one of
position of standing upright or of
sprawling in the water. Of course
the dog cannot swim as the man
can and does but man may
swim on the first trial, as dog
swims, if he will only do as the
dog does. In what follows, the
object is to show how drowning
may, under ordinary circum-
stances, be prevented even in the
cases of persons wholly ignorant of
what is called the art of swimming.
In the first place, it is perfectly
natural for every human being to
float: with the lungs inflated and
the body below the water, one can
not possibly sink There is no
easier method of keeping afioat
than by simply treading water;
the operation is just like running
up stairs, and about as difficult.
It is perfectly natural for animals;
throw dog into the water, and at
once he begins to walk the same as
when out of water. Why should a
man, woman, or child do differ
emily under like circumstances?
Clearly, there is no reason why any
human being who cannot swim
should make a few helpless strug-
giles, raise an outcry, throw up the
the hands and sink out out of
sight. The trouble is, that nine
persons out of ten lose their pres
ence of mind when for the first
time in water beyond their depth,
if, instead of struggling, people
would think more, fewer would be
drowned
Oddly enough, people have to
do just what the animal does
instinctively in the water. The dog,
the horse, the deer and even the
cat, tread or walk the water at the
first attempt. Mans ignorance of so
simple thing as treading water is
a little remarkable. 1t is nonsense
to say that animals have any ad-
vantage in the water over man; on
the contrary man has the further
advantage of padded formed
hands, and of being able to rest
himself when tired by floating, a
thing which the animals never do.
The man who cannot swim must
follow the example of the animals,
and should go on all tours. He
must strike alternately with hand
and foot, exactly as the dog does
one, two; one, two.
All human beings can walk in
the water without any preliminary
practice, if they will simply keep
cool headed in order then to keep
from drowning it is necessary only
to tread or walk the water. The
most simple way to preserve life, if
out of your depth, is to float, which
consists simply in lying fiat on
your back; this is easily accom-
plished by keeping the lungs in
fated, the head thrown well back,
the limbs extended, but flexible,
the arms placed close to the ears,
with the hands over the head. The
majority of people prefer to float
on the back rather than to stand
upright, yet any man. woman or
child who can walk on dry land
can also walk in the water with
safety. 1t is surprising how long
animals and human beings are
capable of sustaining themselves
in water, although unable to rest.
By the way, animals swim i'm
mense distances last year dog
was washed overheard during a
gale off Cape Hatteras, and yet
made his way safely to shore. Il
you cannot swim and should fall
overheard, don't scream, but try tC
"climb up stairs" with hands and
feet. CHAs. BEACH.
Honolulu, June, 1892.