Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-06-06
F|FTY-FOUR ARE
TAUGHT TO SWIM
Big Majority Of Those Taking
Free Lessons at Y.M.C.A.
Now Competent.
RESULTS IN FIVE SESSIONS
Only Two Out Of Number Present Ey.
cry Day FaiI-VaIuabIe Pub
lie Service Rendered.

The swimming campaign for school
boys ended ut the Y. NJ. c. A on Fri
day. after busy week OF teaching the
! boys how to navigate. The instruc-
ton was all given by Physical Direct
or Clevett. who took the boys in by
squads for their lessons.
Eighty.hve boys were entered dur
ing the couse. but some of them fail
ed to be regular In attendance, and
thus did not gaia such proficiency as
they might otherwise have done. Only
two boys who were present at all five
OF the lessons failed to become able to
swim fairly we'll Thirty-one of the
So boys in the course were not able
10 swim competently at the end of the
work, while 81 were passed as swim
mers.
Practically all OF the boys, when
they first entered. were unable to
swim at all. Today, after the five les
sons. 81 boys are proudly wearing
their honors as swimmers of consid-
erably ability. Three boys made most
noteworthy progress, these being
Robert Strum, aged IL; Adrian John
son. age II. and Richard Tabor. age
IL.
The other 81 who have learned to
swim are Lee Siemons. Bud Winger.
Chester Olson. Vincent McCarty, Fred
Mccain. John Day. Thomas Stauduhar.
Carl Burgess, Martin Anderson, Will
bur Cramer, Raymond Park, Howard
Holcombe, Charles Mack, Alva Rori-
son, Carroll Downing. Robert Thomp-
son. Connor Looney. Harry Traut, AL
ford Johnson, Merrill Tope, Blake Will
liams, Clifford Reid. Robert Ehlers,
Leighton Wincher, Sherman Harms.
Alden Griffin, Oren Littig, Herman
Sims, Frazier Vance, George Hardy, |
Charles Bell, Arthur Klockau, Harold
Mcdonald, Mt Voss, Walter Lucas, |
Harold Seuss. Warren Nichols, Sam |
Raymond, Elihu Root, Clarence Nc |
Lean, Eugene Knoell Robert Thomp- |
son, George Newton, Fred Mcmillan
George Mcmillan, Leroy Lund, Paul |
Ernest Bloom, TORY |
Raymond, Arthur Lindell, Harold
Bowman.
The close of this special swimming
does not mean that there is
no further chance for boys to learn to
swim. Both boys and men can have
careful instruction all summer, and it
is expected that a good many of the
boys who failed TO complete their
work during the past week will con-
tinue until they gain proficiency in
swimming in the regular classes.
Is the Safest Way.
Since it is boy nature to want to go
swimming in the summer time, it be-
looves all parents who desire to pre-
serve the lives of their boys to see
hat the youngsters are taught to
swim, and are also taught to be rea-
'onably careful in the water. More
han that, it is far better to let boy
10 his swimming in n safe, clean
place. such as the Y. NJ. c. A. swim I
ming pool, than to turn him loose in {
he river or canal. The chances for {
Lccident are multiplied in the river,
While they are minimized in the swim !
ming pool, and while accidents are
possible in any place, the carefully
guarded swimming pool certainly is
he safer place. I
At any rate, real public service has '
,een performed by the Y. NJ. c. A in
'pening it's pool for the free instruc- {,
ion of boys this week. and the result
ught to be seen il the decrease in
he number of deaths by drowning this L
ummer. Not only have the boys been S
aught to help themselves in the wa
er, but to help others who may get Ii
nto trouble while swimming. and the o
Consequence ought to be greater safety
o all concerned. I