Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1916-07-30

Water sports are growing In popularity
IN the United states at really amaZ-
ms rate. Not only Is swimming much
| more common accomplishment than 1t
used to be, but rotor boats and canoes
are every year carrying more and mort
people out on the lakes and rivers and
bays. The best Of the summerinE
places on land arc either owned by the
fcw or crowded by tho many. but tho
nar.Sab!c waters are wide ana free
10 all, and more and more people are
learning ia nnd recreation there.
All OF which is good thin.. but the
other side Of tho picture is a heavy toll
of human life that is taken By the
waters every year The numbers Of
deaths by drowning in tho vicinity o.,
every great city that has a water front
arc becoming Impressive. Both safety
and educational measures arc needed.
and especially the latter There is n
! limit 20 the amount of water than can
hc adequately patroled by life guards
and harbor police. Every person that
goes into or upon tho water should
know how TO protect and save himself
and others. Yet a surprising proper
zion OF them do not know how TO sXlni.
most Of those who do arc ignorant of
how TO 20 about rcsCuc!nE a drowning
person, and. IN general. f"atr and iy-
norhnce are the equipment that is
present at an accident on the water.
Even among persons tina, do not
know how Ia swim there would he far
fewer fatalities # they understood the
water and did not completely lose
their heads when they fall into Il.
If YOU fill your lungs with air and
Keep your mouth shut YOU cannot
SINK: II there g any help within reach.
Ncsi can easily keep up until IT comes.
Also. any object lighter than water,
even though very small, viii serve ms
life prcscrvcr An ordinary dish pan.
metal or wooden bucket. or any other
vessel, inverted in tho water and held
upright with both hands Will keep YOU
from sinking. Your own Derby hat
VIII save you N the same way IL YOU
have the presence OF mind to use IL.
while tall silk hat Will float you
finely until IL becomes waterloggcd,
which viii require fifteen or twenty
minutes y biz rubber ball Will save
mans life, and so will an opened
parasol or umbrella. If held upright In
the water. so that an air chamber will
remain ynGcr IL. y womans skirts
have often saved her in the same way.
There can lie no doubt but what hun
dr"is az people drown every year who
might be saved by some article within
their reach or that of bystanders.
Footballs ana bicvcl. tires make first.
rate life. pr. servers. and are easy TO
throw straight
SO it is Ignorance and fright that
do most Of the damage. If you yell and
founder. You cXpel all OF the air from
your body ana sink. If you shut your
mouth and relax. you will stay up.
There is nothing in the popular idea
that n drowning person will sink three
times If he goes down with his mOut,
open, he VIII probably never come up
again alive If he keeps his mouth
smut ana holds his breath he may come
UP several times. and help will prob
ably reach him If there is any near.
Crnmps Wrongly Blamed.
The chief cause of drowning among
supposedly good swimmers is popular
~ supposed 70 he cramps. AS mat
ter OF fact cramps in the water are
very rare y cramp in the leg or arm
should not put swimmer out OF COM
mission as he can easily work it out
while floating. y cramp in the stom-
ach may he fatal. In the opinion of
physicians. however, many OF the
drowninEs attributed to cramps are
really caused by apoplexy or heart
failure. Persons having weak heart
action should be very careful not to
plunge suddenly into very cold water.
and in fact. should not venture very
far from shore. Those suffering from
valvular affection especially. are not
competent to take care of themselves
in the water, and the same applies to
apoplectic men.
Even among those who are able to
save themselves, there is a surprisingly
small proportion who know how to
save any one else. If every swimmer
made it his business to master the few
holds used in life saving, the whole
field of water sports would be made
immcasurabiy safer.
The popular Idea that a drowning
person should be subdued by blow
on the head to stop his struggles is a
fallacy. Owing to the fact that both
persons arc in r very light medium,
the blow cannot he delivered with
enough force to do any good or harm
either.
If the frantic victim grips you so
that you cannot swim. there are sew
eral ways to break his hold. One of
these is to apply your thumbs TO the
soft spot right under the ear. where
II meets the jaw. Pressure there
causes acute pain, and this will make
the victims grip relax. Try 1T on
yourself. Another way is to put the
palm of your hand over his mouth.
pinching the nostrils closed witch the
fingers. The asphyxiation will cause
him to release you In order to remove
your hands
bringing Him Ashore.
Having gotten free, the next thing
is to get behind your man. The hest
way to do this Is to grasp his arm.
near tho body, and force yourself un-
der water. coming up behind him. Then