El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1911-06-15

| Editors Note-the following article
on swimming is the first OF q series CT
| three by the foremost instructor IL the
national campaign against death by
J drowning, the present annual toll Of
the water in the United States is 5000
lives. The second article will appear
tomorrow
BY Eebdon II. Corsan.
In the art of sw inning there is not a
single animal that can give a man a
pointer on how to propel himself in or
on the water.
In our endeavor TO swim like a frog
we do three times as much work as is
necessary in order to glide along the
surface In swimming under water we
have much more effective method OF
propulsion in the scissors kick, with
less liability of being tangled up by
weeds than in the frog kick.
1t is out Of the question for man to
try to initiate any motions Of a fish.
but one should expect some pointers
from o warm FLOODED animal like seal
in its method of breathing But here.
too. we are to be disappointed. for the
southern seal always breathes out
above water.
Useless to Struggle.
Any four-legged animal when
dropped into water Cor the first time
his simply TO SET up a running motion
and ii VIII swim-it has nothing &c
learn, so far as art IS concerned. On
the other hand, the running motions
human being uses on land Will in no
way help him in the water. In fact,
his ridiculous endeavors to clutch the
air. as II 1t were a rope or the branch
of a tree simply weigh his mouth and
nose beneath the water level, where he
cannot inhale air, but smothers to
death In agony.
Now let US see ewhy we drown SO
easily. and then how the simplest trick
or stunt known viii prevent any one
but a mere infant from drowning.
Watch the effort OF a non-swImrieI
while struggling IN the water and OBJ
serve his mistakes. He Is sure to try
to get high out OF the water This
effort to get high ehrusts him under.
The little finger out OF water viii
weigh more than the whole body Of o
buoyant person in the water. ThA
can be proved by producing. pair of
steelyards and weighing q person
whose lungs are large and who has
more fat than muscle. The person IN
the water will register nothing on the
scales, while the little finger may
weigh two ounces.
Never ExhaIe Above Water
Non-swimmers, IN their desperate
struggle, are doing everything TO
drown themselves, for they not only
are throwing their hands high out of
the water, which is the quickest and
surest way TO sink. but they are ex-
haling all OF the air out of their lungs
while above water either by calling for
help or by the ordinary process Of ex-
haling. Here is the only real reason
why we drown=we exhale the air
from our lungs above water.
Now, dwell on this fact, for the key
to the art OF SHINING is to breathe
out through the nose under water and
to breathe IN through the mouth above
the water level.
This feat. trick or stunt. whichever
you may call it. can be learned by any
one. It Is vastly more important as a
life saver than motiopless fl ating.
The lungs can be filled TO their depths
in one-fifth of a second through the
open mouth. while one can <hale at
more leisure beneath the Water level
through the nose.
Practice in Both IT.
This trick can be practice( In a bath
tub or even in q wash boy, In the
swimming pool one can b>ft ACQUIRE
this rhythmic breathing b. going up