Crittenden press. [volume] (Marion, Ky.) 1879-1907, 1902-10-09
TO RESCUE THE DROWNING.
Rules Which the Government Has Issued
ana Strongly Recommends.


drowning persons are recommended
by experts, but the life-saying service
OF the treasury department, after
years Of hard work, completed a
course of instruction for Its employees
at life-saying stations throughout the
country that are believed to cmbody
the safest and simplest of all plans for
the rescue of those in serious danger
while in water, says the Washington
Star. Superintendent Kimball, Of
the life-saying service, who is one of
the Oldest employees of that bureau in
the treasury, has given years of study
to the subject of rescue of drowning
persons, and he is confident that no
better plan can be adopted than that
which guides and directs his life
savers in this work. The methods
employed by the life-saving service
are as follows:
l. When you approach a person
drowning in the water assure him
with a loud and firm voice that he is
safe.
2. Before jumping in to save him,
diyest yourself as far and as quickly
as possible of all clothes; tear them
off if necessary; but if there is not
time, loose at all events the foot Of
your drawers, if they are tied, as, if
you do not do so, they fill with water
and drag you.
3. On swimming to person in the
sea, if he be struggling do not seize
him then, butkeepoff fora few seconds
till he gets quiet, for it is sheer mad
ness to take hold of a man when he
Is struggling in the water, and if you
do you run a great risk.
4. Then get close to him and take
fast hold of the hair of his head, turn
him as quickly as possible onto his
back, give him a sudden pull, and
this will cause him to float. then
throw yourself on your back also and
swim for the shore, both hands hav.
ing hold of his hair, you on your back
and he also on has, and OF
course, his back to your stom-
ach. In this way you will get
safer and sooner ashore than by
any other means, and you can easily
thus swim with two or three persons;
the writer has, even as an experiment,
done it with four, and gone with them
40 or 80 yards in the sea. One great
advantage of this method is that il
enables you to keep your head up
and also to hold the persons head
up who you are trying to save. 1t
Is of primary Importance that YOU
take fast hold Of the hair and throw
both the person and yourself on your
backs. After many experiments il
is usually found preferable to all
other methods. You can in thi:
manner float nearly as long as you
please, or until boat or other help
can be obtained.
). 1t is believed there is no such
thing as a death grasp; at least it is
very unusual to witness it. As soon
as a drowning man begins to get
feeble and to lose his recollection.
he gradually slackens his hold until
he quits it altogether. Noapprehen.
sion need therefore be felt on that
head when attempting to rescue a
drowning person.
8. After a person has sunk to the
bottom, if the water be smooth. the
exact position where the body lies
may be known by the air bubbles,
which will occasionally rise to the
surface, allowance being of course
made for the motion of the water, if
in a tideway or stream. which will
have carried the bubbles out of
perpendicular course in rising to the
surface. Oftentimes a body NAV be
from the bottom, before
90 late for recovery, by diving for it
n the direction indicated by these
:. On rescuing a person by diving
o the bottom, the hair of the head
hould be seized by one hand only.
nd the other used in conjunction
With the feet in raising yourself and
he drowning person to the surface.
s. If in the sea, it may sometimes
e a great error to try to get to land.
t there be a strong "outsetting" tide,
nd you are swimming either by
ourself or having hold of person
tho cannot swim, then get on youI
ack and float until help comes.
lany man exhaustS himself by