The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-09-09
Dowy THEY 90 WITHoDT 4 SorND,
A Life Savers Observations OF Drowning Per-
sons at Bathing beaches.

From the NdShiH giOn ErsRing star.
I'm all my experience, and I have had con-
siderable at various watering resorts, | have
never known OF a single instance Of "A drowning
person calling for help, said one of the life
savers at the bathing beach.
1T il generally supposed that persons strur-
Cling In the water call for assistance. but such
is not the case. For some reason, which can
hardly be explained, they never signal help
They simply throw up one hand, not both.
mind YOU. and under they 60. ! have noticed
this particularly at the Washington beach In
not a single instance has there been "A call for
help I have pulled. persons from the water
within a few feet of The raft who were strlg-
Cling for life and yet who never uttered a single
cutlery.
III was only that | happened tn notice their
peculiar actions in the water, and not the noise
they made that impelled me 10 60 after them.
Time and again have seen poor swimmers
start from the shore and, after padding a
short distance. throw up one hand and 60 under.
II il the most remarkable thing imaginable
that they give no signal OF distress wheu help
Is 30 near. | have often asked rescued persons
why thy did not call for help, but they could
give no explanation. They knew they were
drowning but the only sign Of their peril was
the Involuntary raising Of the arm. have
become 81 accustomed 10 this sort of thing
that peculiar manner ia which "A drowning
person throws up his hand that among a score
Of batherS diving, ducking and Splashing about
| can tell the one in danger IN an instant.
When he goes down II Il with the head thrown
far back. A. the water washes over the face
up comes the hand. Then il slowly disappears,
going under inch by inch.
Then II anything l. done IL must be done
quickly. lhave heard many stories OF a drown
INK person making a great racket 10 attract
attention, but do not believe Them. When
more than one person Is In danger ! have known
of calls. but Invariably they came from the
one who could, swim enough TO save himself,
but who could not bring the drowning one
ashore. The one In immediate peril simply. goes
under without "A sound. | have been with fairly
good swimmers who became exhausted. and
who, without Il word of warning, threw back
the head as though about to float or swim on
the back and go under. As they sank one
One would suppose that q person who could
swim would be exempt from this dumbne~s
in the moment of danger. hut IT Is not so. or
get out so far that they realize they cannot
get back without assistance, and viii call for
help before their energy has been all spent;
Possibly they may manage to keep afoat until
assistance comes, so when they cry out they
are not actually drowning When II comes
TO giving mp and going under they sink slowly.
The more | think Of this phase Of the drown-
ing question the more ,remarkahle IT seems
Boys have been drowned here who would have
been rescued had they but called once. They
have gone under surrounded, by companions;
and so close TO the lteguard that rescue would
have been assured had there been any signal
The impression that a drownin person
comes to the surface three times is n mistake.
In fact, in most cases he goes under once and
stays there unless some one goes after him.
Ordinarily, a person overheard takes enough
water into the body on first sinking To weight
II 80 that IL will not rise 10 the surface, but
there seems TO be no rule Of nature governing
this.
4 suppose II one goes under with the lungs
full of air the body will come to the surface,
but usually the frat sinking Is the last.
This Is our experience AT the beach. Cases
have been quite numerous where good swim
mers divcd from the raft and failed To come
10 the surface, going under and staying there
until one of the guards went down for them.
OF course they were brought up unconscious
and could not tell why they did not Come up
~ usual This is another Of the mysteries
of drowning. If there are more ways Of kill
ing u cat than one 40 there are more REASONS
than one why people drown. Good swimmers,
bad swimmers and those who can't swim at
all go under and stay from time to time.
If people will 20 in the water people will drown.
We guard against accidents 10 the best Of our
ability. but occasionally some one goes down
never 70 rome up alive. We guards sit hero
and watch, go in and drag out all who appear
in distress. but despite our vigilance suddenly
some one will be missei 4. going down without
a word, surrounded 10y half a hundred persons.
any one Of whom would possibly have been
able IN extend n hplping hand