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 embody
the safest and simplest Of fall 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, il
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, butkeep off 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 so 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 a 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.
6. 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 8
perpendicular course in rising to the
surface. Oftentimes a body may be
regained from the bottom. before
TOO late for recovery, by diving for it
in the direction indicated by these
bubbles.
:. On rescuing a person by diving
TO the bottom, the hair of the head
should be seized by one hand only,
and the other used in conjunction
with the feet in raising yourself and
the drowning person to the surface.
s. If in the sea, it may sometime;
be a great error to try to get to land.
If there be a strong ''outsetting" tide,
and you are swimming either by
yourself or having hold of a person
who cannot swim, then get on your
back and float until help comes.
Many man eXhaustS himself bV