The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-10-28
SWIMMING IN BREAKERS.


shouia ns Do-s.
FNom ne san FNsnctsco cArO~tce.
San Francisco has a King Of the Breskers,"a
man who views the giant shore waves Of the
mighty sea as things to play with. and who pro
poses 10 revolutionize the life saving service by
substituting Drawn and skill for life lines and
complicated paraphernslia- What a breaker
really IL not many people know. Major Blake
ney. who has been for wears with tile Govern
ment life saving station, Il one Of those VIII
ought ~ know.
"A breaker Ia not exactly . wall Of water" he
said. at is rather a great roll OF the see. II
starts miles and miles awav az q wave, gather
ing force and gaining speed as II rolls, the great
volume Of water, tons and tons Of II, turning
over and over upon itself Finsllyn as
the sea bottom rises 10 form the sandy beach
the space for the giant rolling mass Of water be-
comes contracted and II breaks-breeks not
frnm the top Of the roll. bnt from the bottom.
breaks with n force that make the rush Of acsn-
c nSn .nof .re Tol trlsisT T., T Msts .pp S 2f t :. house, STssseT /;
thrown forward NJ terrific speed. forming what
isknown OF the beech, ns 2 'comber' boat
rici forward Mt a rate ~ easily fftv miles an
hour. A mass OF water like that Is solid. L. In
corter would he Killed when y struck him
KILLED as he would be II he stood under q trip
"it is moi The breaker AT the the beach that Il
dangerous; Il is the hreaker awav ont that is
The power. BY the time II reaches shore 4 Is
merely foam. A man drowned In breakers like
found. He sinks and stays. The water in its
the roller il heavily charged with .and. A man
who sets intn that water gets sand in his lungs.
under his clothes, in every possible crsvice.
until he Is ballasted so that he sinks forever.
"Prenkers are not made for men to breast,
whether they he swimmers or not
Vet the King ofthe Breakers thinks his sub
jects are easy 70 rnle when understood.
IaraAnallr Che Kfna nf the hTaakara 10 n TanN-
wearing ordinary WHISPERS, He Is . dcctcr..a
zen sections. a good German. citizen who loves
f.. drink heer and 70 swim in blue salt water.
~ learned how To take the breakers bv watch
ing the duck" said the doctor. 1T Ia very. very
s ss,Isr Th Iss se f. .Tn and ~ LARGE r Is the Mi,S Sre AK sp tse
Watch one Of the water fowl any time. As the
bird swims inshore and the. breaker comes the
passes and you viii see the duck, calmly swim
ming on the smooth water beyond, That is the
telling about. Any good swimmer may be taught
in ? few hours how to go through the breakers.
shore run thrcsgh the first small waves a. far
as ! can breast them, or until the water takes
ne on nv feet. Then swim straigh. on toward
fors u comes to me; ! 20 under Z and come up
smooth water back Of a breaker. and always
must be-any mar who has been much around
the sea can understand that. I swim on through
NNt tltfDt nWhttT UnNtt " next UTtaktT 0Dltt
!. take it the same way. On I go through all Of
them. After n maj runs ont until he Is of his
breaker shesd. 40 il Is really ' an e s,Sn matter Sttt s,a 70
get out where the waves are ordinary In size and
force. and where any good swimmer can take
And as to coming In again 1' we asked.
"Ah there you have me said the physicIan;
S get What m yoa % cali , Fss | d; "s With H pfs %ass n Of
itstrongb. the breakers. I come IN. not straight
ahead ~ the breakers. but on q ~slantinR course. |
dive Just like the duck again. go under tho
breakers in the opposite direction from my gen.
ersl course for shore, but on coming mp again
comes, That I take the same way. and so on
until lean get on nv feet and run for shore. Be
cause OF this constant turning II Is not easy 10
take a line from a shin TO the land. but 1t Is easy
enough to carry one from shore to ship. which is
To carry a line out through the breakers any
reasonable distance. the Doctor says ali that Is
oiled. 20 arranged that men on the shore may
nay II out as the swimmer proceeds, taking care
Der him. with such a line around his body,
over, one shoulder. DR.. Riehl dives under the
breakers: He says he thinks practice will en-
such a line ont half 2 mile from shore in a
storm; Once the small line reaches the ship or
solved. for It Is easy enough TO haul out a
stronger line and then use any OF the numerous
rescue m Rishi 1T! IN discussing the matter yes
The life-saving crews have orders not to send
out their boats when the breakers are too high.
] am told that not long ago an Italian was upset
In his skiff of the Gate and chung TO the keel for
hours, being carried past the life-saving station
where the men stood doing nothing because the
breakers were too high. Finally the current
took the boat TO the Cliff House rocks. and Mr..
wilkins and a boy rescued the fisherman. I
have told the men at the life-saving station TO
telephone for me when. anything Of that Kind
happens: l can get out to the beach In an hour
and would gladly do IL to save a life. ! can swim
through breakers that a lifeboat could not get
were an expert swimmer In every life-savins
crew 1t Is easy 10 see that he would be of great
use In Just such cases."
The of,cials q the life. saving service don't
They say the service Is the best on earth. and
1t H. organized to protect and not
90 give circus performances This refers To Dr.
hiehFs exhibitions OF surf swimming. They
tive IN getting lines 70 an abandoned ship ninety
nine times In a hundred They admit that IL Is
not easy 10 get a line To a capsized skin, and are
not sure that 10 would do any good III II was.
They also admit that lifeboats are not sent ont
when the breakers are too high. They de-
Gate station so enormously powerful that
men enough could not be crowded into a life
boat 20 pull II against them. The boats are sent
ont when u Is possible that they can get through
zion NJ the Preside there is a boat which can be
launched In any storm, owing 10 its location,
and which can go through the gate whenever a
tuR can gel out.
The officials laugh at DIR. Riehl's abatement
hat he can go through breakers "A lifsboat can
not ride. and intimate that the statement is
reposterous on its face. DIR. Riehl, on the
lther hand, SAYS he will prove the truth OF his
the first time there Is q storm 10 make
he breakers big enough.