The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-08-09
BANNER YEAR FOR BATHING
MORE AND BETTER SWIMMERS
THAN EVER ABOUT NEW YORK.

| MORE AND BETTER SWIMMERS
THAN EVER ABOUT NEW YORK.
Even Coney Island Has Been Unable to
supply the Rush ct Times-Crsmps Not
aReal source OF Danger says Veteran
Iife seyer-More Petty Accidents.
sThis has been the banner year for bathing
IN the vicinity OF Now York" said Caption
Riley. tho veteran life saver Of Coney Island.
"A good many days this summer thousands
| Of people have been turned away from the
| bathing establishments Of Copey Island be-
cause they could not be accommodated.
sThe overflow from Coney Island has
sought other places. end 10Y Gravesend
| Bay 10 coming IN for q large share OF the
business. The still waters Of the bay APP
peal to many who do not like the rousner
waves OF the ocean at the Island.
the number Of persons who like a dip
In tho sea has doubled at the Island In the
last few years. This is due to several
reasons. One, OF course. is the great in
crease In the population OF New York.
Then this summer has been unusually warm.
1 driving many persons to the water for
| relief. But the chief explanation is the
growing ambition Of persons Of both sexes
and all q O to learn how to swim.
Moro people swim well than formerly.
| Nowadays you can SEQ lots OF swimmers
! going along with tho double overarm stroke.
! arms well lifted from the water. whereas
In former days the average bather thought
he wan doing pretty well to keep just his
head above the surface. Ten years Q
| out OF the mass Of bathers at Coney Island
] there wouldn't be bali a dozen who could
, show a fair swimming stroke. but now so
!, many have mastered the art that even OK
pert swimming attracts little notice.
aThis general Improvement In the SWIM
ming ability Of the bsthers has made the
work Of the life guards much easier. We
haven't b ,n1ms anything a1s. VIZ the = s scoSo svi Ts aaa
| stroke learned. the bsther has lost much
Of his old fear Of. the water. It Is this fear
that always makes the trouble for the
S tSs ss.st e ssass Il P ssgssida . sSRRSssd s e Be-
as q rule. nothing to do with them.
$50 much has been said about swimmers
drowning In consequence OF attacks OF
oramps hat the meIperienoe bathsr
that win all at once oome under him In
the water. fasten its tentaolee upon him
and carry hin below. and no enort that he
oramp selves him his case Is supposed to be
sYet It Is a safe statement to make that
| not one person In Q thousand cases OF So
ssos%ns es re tssm roe lie S %orst dose 70 sf 81 orsm g@
I ever had In my long swimming career
took place Ia the course OF q race In which
I was entered.
my legs became. oramped and would lock
| convusively at the n each time ] ave a
kick. I kept on kicking them just the
same and finally they became numb and felt
L 49, ---l--I ----L 49, 4
isaSs th paaA szn sSd / was An fs srssdet to 9 sssp Or 20
trailing Imply behind.
.In tho course Of a few hundred yards
the race good and strong with both legs in
perfect shape. and not only had l kept my
improved upon It.
on instead Of stopping the use Of the leg or
/ arm affected he should use It more vigor-
| ously han ever. Kick out good and strong,
II the leg snaps back and looks at the knee
xlGf aud Sud s sSs ioc fSSP Dn TaSasnf sno HOs
feebIer. stopping altogether.
swimmer 4 30 win simply keep bis head
| probable case Of cramps attacking both
legs and both arms at the same time-and
I never heard Of such q case-there ID NJ
reason Why a swimmer Nth presence of
Il 1lluu bloulu kOt INV aobbtOs
Cramps are simply a form Of muscular
CONFUSION brought about largely by lack
Of practice. The swimmer who gets a
oramp Is not In. condition. Competitors
In trying races Of distances ranging from
Ave TO fifteen or twenty miles seldom get
cramps, and II they do It is a sign that they
did not train properly.
FATHERS ought to forget all about the
being seized with cramps and remember
that people who come to grief from this re-
puted cause are In nearly every case Of tho
show of type. who. after getting away from
q long way back and loss their nerve, throw
up their hands and disappear. ] will as
sert that there has never been a single CASE
Of q really expert swimmer drowned from
cramps in the vicinity Of New York.
with the great increase in the number OF
bathers who rompa about the water and along
the beach there has come q corresponding
increase in the number Of small accidents.
avoided by adopting simple ~precautions:.
Dozens OF bathers receive bad cuts daily
from broken milk and soda hotties which
lie along the bottom OF the bathing places.
shore by mothers Of babies and children, ,
and after the contents have been consumed
the bottles are allowed to lie on the beach,
where the boys break them. and after a time
Strict rules as to the disposition of such
bottles would BOOB do away with nine
tentbs OF these cases.
"Bathers ave received cuts rom thes,
broken bottles that have made necessary
an ambulance call. The ordinary cas- 6 we
take care OF. for the life guard must be an
| expert on first aid, and we have on hand at
all times all kinds Of simple restorat es,
balsams, lint. DO, and how much material
| Of this kind we use 10 shown by the bill for
thess supplies. which last year amounted
| to over So
; GOES THROUGH A MOUNTAIN.
Colorado school Teachers Route on
stormy Days.