The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1910-07-23
WHY BOATS UPSET.


The usual number of boating accidents In which
persons were drowned have been reported this sum-
mer 1t seems that the experience of countless
summers has left only q very dim impress upon
the minds of the young people of the present day.
Each summer claims its victims of boating aeci-
4 dents, and perhaps the in the far distant
future will continue to claim them, While it would
be good advice say that person should venture
out in small boat unless he can SWIM that advice
savors too much of the old gentleman back in Ohio
who insisted that his son should not go aswimnng
until he had learned how to swim. However, when
one goes out in small craft it is not his intention
to swim, but to boat, and when the necessity for
swimming arises, it is usually result of careless
ness, ignorance or the foolhardiness of some
pant of the boat.
Boating is a most enjoyable sport, and is not
attended by much danger when INDUCED IN quiet
waters by sensible persons A sensible person will
not be one of eight occupants of sailing or row.
ing boat intended for only four, of four in
a boat whose capacity is only two. Nor will
sensible person be a passenger in boat with
other who has a reputation "cut-up," for
"cut-up" is just needless enough to rock the boat
and laugh uproariously at the discontinue of his
companions. Neither will a sensible person at
tempt to take any but experienced boatmen and
good swimmers into waters known to be treaeheroas
and swrfng and he will not do it then for pleasure.
An inexperienced boatman might be persuaded to
attempt some feats of navigation which an expert
enced boatman would not attempt, and he might
come through all right but the foolhardiness of
the inexperienced adds many martyrs to the cause
of boating
As general proposition, it might be said that
all properly built water craft are safe in still wa
ter in experienced hands, and that they all
safe in inexperienced hands. But of all water craft
the canoe the least trustworthy. It is absolutely
impossible to stand IN some canoes and as for
changing positions IN them, the attempt is almost
certain to result in capsizing the frail craft On
the other hand, canoe made to carry three pas
sengers if all three will sit the floor directly
over the keel will ride which would test the
seaworthiness of more pretentious vessel The
ordinary sFliff, the boat which has changed many
an outing into an unnecessary tragedy, is not
much more trustworthy than the canoe, and even
when skillfuly handled sometimes may capsize be-
cause Of an attempt of occupants to change posi-
TONS
Boating is fascinating pastime, and the trag-
edies which have marked the sport have not served
to dampen the ardor of It's devotees. Others have
become so thoroughly afraid of the water |
result Of these accidents that they viii not venture
out in a small boat Neither Of these classes needs
advice as to their conduct on the water. The mex
perienced, however, would do well to heed these |
simple rules: Don't overload the boat. Don't rock
the boet. Don't go out in a high wind. Don't be /
one CD an entire inexperienced boatload. Don't I
stand up in small boat, and don't try to change
seats with another.
Boats upset usually when one or another of |
these simple rules is violated.