The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1900-10-10
Down they 90 Without Sound.


rA,orts, have never known Of sin
gle instance Of = drowning person call
ing for help said one Of the life
savers at the bathing beach
"It is generally supposed that per-
sons struggling in the water call for
assistance, but such is not the case.
For some reason, which cannot be cx-
planned, they never signal help. They
simply throw up one hand, not both.
mind you, and under they go. have
noticed this particularly at the Wash
ington beach. In not single instance
has there been call for help. l have
pulled persons from the water within
few feet Of the raft who were strug-
ling for life and yet who never uttered
a single cry.
"It was only that l happened to no.
tice their peculiar actions in the water,
anc not the noise they made, that i'm
PEELED me to 90 after them. Time
and again have seen poor swimmers
start from the shore and, after pad
ding short distance, throw up one
hand and go under. 1t is the most re-
markable thing Imaginable that they
give no signal of distress when help is
SO near. have often asked rescued
persons why they did not call for help,
but they could give no explanation.
They knew they werc drowning, but
the only sign Of their peril was the in
voluntary raising Of the arm. have
become so accustomed to this sort OF
thing-that peculiar manner in which
drowning person throws up his hand
that among score of bathers diving,
ducking and splashing about I can
tell the one in danger in an instant.
"When he goes down it is with the
head thrown far back. AS the water
washes over his face up comes the
hand. Then it slowly disappears,
going under inch by inch.
"Then if anything is done it must
be acnc quickly. I have heard many
stories of drowning person making a
great racket to attract attention, but
do not believe them. When more than
one person is in danger I have known
of calls, but invariably they came from
the one who could swim enough to
save himself, but who could not bring
tho drowning one ashore. The one in
Immediate peril simply goes under
without sound. I have been with
fairly good swimmers who became ex-
hausted, and who, without word Of
warning, threw back the head as
though about to float or swim on the
back and go under. AS they sank one
arm came up.
''One would suppose that person
who could swim would be exempt from
this dumbness in the mament of dan
ger, get back without assistance, and
would call for help before their enegy
has been all spent. Possibly they
may manage to keep afoat until assist
ance comes, so when they cry out
they are not actually drowning. When
it comes to giving up and going under
they sink slowly without sound.
''Thc more l think of this phase Of |
the drowning question the more re-
markablo it seems. Boys have drown
ed here who would have been rescued
had they bat called once. They have
gone under surrounded by companions
and so close to the life guard that res
cue would have been assured had there
been any signal whatsoever.
'Ths impression that drowning
person comes to the surface three
times is mistake. In fact in most |
cases he goes under once and stays
there unless someone goes after him.
Ordinarily person overheard takes
enough water into the body on first
sinking to weigh it so that it will not
rise to the surface, but there seems to
be no rule of nature governing this.
~ suppose if one goes under with
the lungs full of air the body will
come TO the surface, but usually the
first sinking is the last.
''This is our experience at the beach.
Cases have been quite numerous where
good swimmers dived from the raft
and failed to come to the surface,
going under and staying there until
one of the guards went down for them.
OF course they were brought up un-
conscious and could not tell Why they
did not come up as usual. This is
another of the mysteries Of drowning.
If there are more ways Of killing u cat
than one so there arc more reasons
than one why people drown. Good
swimmers and those who can't swim