The Olneyville times. (Olneyville [Providence, R.I.]) 1887-1917, 1903-10-23
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OF wind caught the sail and the boat
turned over. The four persons who
had been aboard made a good deal OF
splashing as they found places by
which TO hold on 10 the overturned
craft.
A ripple Of laughter can along the
shore. At Santa Monica n tp-over
Is not considered serious. for every
body who goes out i'm a sailboat rather
expects wetting. Even the fishermen
change their ordinary clothes for bath.
ing suits before going through the
surf.
At high tide the surf Is so high that
no small boat can live in IL, and then
start can be made and n landing
effected only at one Of the pleasure
wharves or at the Long Wharf of the
Southern Pacific Company, four miles
below town, these structures extend
ing seaward beyond the surf line.
So when this boat turned over the
crowd looking on laughed, and ex-
changed good dnaturedly contemptuOus
remarks concerning the skill Of the
boatsmen as they waited for the crew
to right the craft and take TO the oars
10 work her out TO sea, for the wind
was driving her toward the breakers.
But the men made no attempt to
right the boat. Clinglng 10 the almost
submerged sides. they seemed TO be
waiting 10 drift ashore.
"If they let her get into that surf"
snid the man sitting near Timothy,
that boatll go TO pieces like an egg
in an ore crusher."
One Of the men cllnging 10 the boat
waved his hand TO the people on the
shore, and Timothy stood up.
That's n pretty stiff surf" he said,
but / guess I'd better 20 out and
tell them 10 keep off till the tide turns
and the surf goes down"
Timothy was a swimmer, and Injured
TO surf work by his month at the shore.
Although he had never bnttled with
waves so heavy as those before him,
he felt little doubt of his ability 10
make his way through them.
He walked slowly seaward, follow
ing rcceding wave and meeting an
other coming, and divcd into greenish-
brown water seeming as steep and
high as the wall Of n house. He had
taken good breath and needed il all
before he had another opportunity to
breathe; but he caught the undeTtow
and felt himself scraped against the
sandy bottom as he was swept sea-
ward He came 60 the surface Il few
seconds later thirty yards from shore
and in the middle of the trough be-
tween two waves; thus he had time
TO empty his lungs and to fill them
again before the next roller was upon
him.
He divcd again, and again the under
tow swept him from the shore. and
again he rose in the trough of the
sea, well i'm advance Of the oncoming
wave. lie shook the water from his
eyes, and then Strengthened out To
take as deep breath as he could
force into his lungs. The wave before
him was "doublc-header," and even
a stronger swimmer than Timothy
might admit that he was afraid with
out exposing his courage to suspicion.
A double header is only half as high
as the waves series Of which il is an
irregular member. hut its menace TO
the swimmer Is much worse. Between
two ordinary waves is q trough of
fiat water. allowing the swimmer n
chance to breathe; between the halves
of a doublc-hcader there Is also n
trough. but ii is filed with lather and
foam much too thick for breathing,
yet too thin to support the swimmer.
He must either take a deep breath
and hold tiff he can-lying still till
the wave passes over him. or he must
take breath equally deep, dive and
swim-if he can-undor water till the
increasing light tells him he has passed
under the stretch of sea which is
boiling and frothng like horrible
great caldron. Timothy preferred 10
dive.
AS he went down he had some fear
that he might never come up again.
together with n feeling Of thankful
ness for the two seconds Of grace that
had allowed him TO 80 down with his
lungs we'll filled with air.
The distance under double-headcr
is four times that under other waves
running at the same time and the I'M
dertow offers no aid TO the swimmer.
for instead OF a current running strong
ly seaward. II is mere tangle OF
swirling water, running nowhere. Tim
othy dived deep. striking out strongly
but carefully, and opening his eyes.
Under an ordinary wave the light
is blue green; under doubleheader
there is no light. for water lashed into
foam is opaque rs a plank ceiling. Salt
water hurt Timothy's eyes. and he
kept them open only long enough 70
make sure that he was in the dark.
The pressure on his lungs became
intolerable and he let out some of the
air in them, Immediately wishing hC
had tried TO save Il few seconds
longer. He opened his eyes, saw nC
sign OF light i'm the black mass above
him, and struck ont again. fear clutch
ing at his heart as he felt how inef
fectivc had been his stroke. and real
ICED that repetition of even such veal
effort was beyond his power until h'
might breathe again. Then he fel
himself trying 20 laugh ut tho remarks
those fellows in the boat would MAKE
about him when they got ashore. an'
he wondered half stupidity II this wa
The beginning Of the delirium tina
comes TO the swimmer who hss mad,