The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1894-12-05
IN GENERAL.
Among the Breakers,

Drawn and skill for Iifc lince and co,,,,Ii
Gated unrpuhrrnnlia What n bro,i,nr
really Is moi many noonIo troyy Ntnior
Blakcncy. who has been for venrs with
the government life Swing station. is ono
of those who ought To know.
"A brcal,er is not exnctlv n wall of vvo.
ter, he said. IT is rather n great roll Of
the sea. it starts miles and miles ayyav
as wave, Gathering force and gaining
sped as IL rolls. the prcat volume of WA.
ter, tons and tons Of it. turning over and
over upon itself FINALLY rs the scn hot.
tom rises to form tbe sandy boacb the
space for the giant rolling 1nnss of water
becomes contracted. and il brcnls-brcaks
not from the ton of tbe roll hut from tho
bottom; breaks with a force that makes
the rush Of a cannon shot seem trining.
The top of that breaker, containing vol.
umes of water big as houses, is thrown
forward at terrific speed, forming what ia
known on the each as 'comber.' a
boat caught at ,ho time the breaker is
formed is carried forward at a ratio of casi.
ly 30 miles an hour A mass of water like
that is solid, is inolastic. \ man caught
souarcly under such a combcr would be
Killed when it struck him-kilod AS he
would l,if he stood under "A trip hammer
-sitCU
'lt is rot the breaker Mt the hcorb thnt
- [... .,u.-it is the brpnl,cr n,y,v utit
rIowcr. Nv the time IT, rcacbcs
H. tn,r,lv foam 4 man dro,r,,,.l
d.. Ecrs ifl;o thar uover comes ashore
..ly is never found He sinks and
.a.. The ,ynter I'm IT'S rolling hicks mn
.tr.urd from tho bnttom until tho roller
isI,Y,ilv chYrcod with sand 4 man VIM
Get. into man \yntor cots sand in his limos
ears and nostriIs. in nlI his noclets in his
shoes. undcr his clotbcs i'm every noseible
crevice. until he il baIlostcd So that be
sinks forever
"Broallers are NOT made for mon In
brcast whether tbev Inc syinn,ors or
not'
Yet the king Of the brcal,ers thinks bie
subjects arc oasv to rulo whom understood
Personally tbe l,ing of tho bro,l,nr. is
n comrnouDincn lool,ing man of o,dirorv
huild and wearing ordinary vvhiskors Un
is n doctor. n member of tho tnrnor soric.
ties and the schuet2en sections gond
German citizen who lovcs tn dripl, beer
and to swim i'm hlue salt vvotnr Uisnntuo
is DIR + Riohl
IL learned how to take tbo breal.ors Inv
watching the duck " said the doctor ir
is very. very easy. The heavier and larocr
the breakers the better 7 like if Just IN
it is with tho duck Watch one Of tbp v.,-
terfoyl any tiu., As the bir, s,vims in.
shore and fhe breaker comes tho duclz dis
anururs Look again whom tbo hrcoIor
masses and yor will see tbo ducl calmly
swimming on the smooth water beyond
That is the way do It's so simnlc thar
it is hardly worth telling about. ANY
good swimmer NAV be taupht in few
hours how To 90 throuoh the broalxers
from shore I RIM +brougb tho first small
waves ns far as I can breast them. or nm
til the water takes me off NV feet Then
7 swim straipbt on toward the brool,ers
When one comes I dive inst before If
comes to me. / 90 under il and come m
in the smooth water bevond. There is al
WAYS smooth water hazel, of tho breaker
and always must be. Any man who has
been much around the sea can understand
that. swim on tbrouoh the smooth wa
fer until the ncxt breaker comes take
it the same way. OnIpo through all of
them. After man runs out until he is
off his feet there are never mora than EIGHT
or nina breokcrs ahead so IL 10 reallv an
easv matter to get ont where the waves
are ordinary in size and force and where
anv good swimmer can take his ease for
honrs -
"And ms to coming in apainp,I we asked
"Ah. there Won have me. said the pbv-
sician. ..That is n little more difTicult
muoh more difficult man must keen
his head. He must not GET what Won call
trattled With nrosence If mind any Good
swimmer ought to come in tbrouGh the
breokers come in. not STRAIGHT ahead
of the breakers. but on n sIantino conrse
When the breaker nears mo turn onick.
" and dive inst like the duck AGAIN
90 nader tho brnolkors in rho onnnsite a..
rection from NV roncrnl course for shore
hut on coming mn AGAIN turn for shore
ot once until tho ncxt brnnlkor comcs
Tbnt 7 take the same vvav and Gu on mn.
fiji can oct ON INV feet and RIM for shore
Rocause of mi. constant turniny n is moi
ooey to take a line from , chin to the land
lint Il il r,sv cnough IA carry or., from
shore tn =. in which is all that is ree,,ed
in the life SAVING service ,,
No carry n line ont thronob the brea,
ers any reasonable distance tbe doctor
eove ali tbnt il necessary is a small limo
LIGHTED with corks or oiIod en- arrango1
that men ON the shore may nlav II ont os
the swimmer procoods taking care thar