The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1919-11-07
HOW 1T CAN BE DONE
TOLD BY FIERO
FROM CAPTAIN
Interesting Demonstrations Are
Given Before An Audience of
Men Last Evening

'If you don't know how to swim
by all means stay out of the water"
was the advice of Captain L. H. Ffero,
at the life saving demonstration CIV
en- for men last evening at the Y. NJ.
c. A. A large number were in at
tendance at the demonstration show
ing the different means of saving
lives were of great practical value
Captain Fiero stated that it was
not until the year 1918 that the
American Red Cross began their work
of demonstrating and explaining
means of saving and preventing loss
of life. Ar idea of the great toll ac-
cidents claim was given by Captain
Fiero when he said that of the 3,000,-
600 American soldiers in the service,
$4,000 were killed in action and ST.
900 died as a result of accidents and
disease.
| While the war was on $1,000 civili-
ans lost their lives in the United
States through accident and disease.
1.-The American Red Cross has
worked out methods for the proven
ton of accidents and they recommend
these to you," said Captain Fiero. He
then explained that in the past year
7,036 persons in the United States
were drowned and the toll listed for
Mankato was five.
Thousands of Street Accidents.
There are 425,O00 street accidents
every year." the speaker declared.
land seventy per cent of these are
preventable"
Drowning, Captain Fiero asserted,
was the death easiest to prevent. He
condemned the practice of striking a
drowning person in the face and
stunning him to bring them to shore
He demonstrated the best method was
to get to their rear, grasp them in
the manner you wish and tow them
to shore. With a woman the chair
tow" he said was the best method of
getting them Ito shore.
Husbands will particularly enjoy
this method" said Captain FiePo hui
morously.
Other methods of towing a drown
ing person, as the ear hold, over
shoulder and under arm carry, and
the method of placing the hands un-
The speaker advised against a
strangle hold which shut off the wind
when a drowning person needed it
most
The Death Grip.
Demonstrations were given showing
how to break the death grip of
drowning man if he succeeds in
grasping the rescuer. When person
appears to be drowning Captain FL
ero advised strongly against runnins
for pulrnotor or doctor He said
that the longest period a pulmotor
had ever been known to revive any
one was after thirty five minutes.
The Shaefer method of handling
person taken from the water was
demonstrated as the simplest and
easiest manner of restoring them
Following restoration Captain Fiero
stated the person should be given a
stimulant as tea, coffee or better hot
chocolate, saying this was as good Or
better than liquor. Mentioning the
Eastland disaster, Captain Fiero de-
clared. this was one of the greatest
examples of the loss of life where it
might have been prevented. The ship
sank in twenty feet of water at the
pier in Chicago. Three fourth of
those people, he said, had chance
for life after they were taken from
the water, partly suffocated Instead
of aiding them Immediately calls were
sent out for doctors, nurses and pull
motors and by the time aid arrived
many had died and others were too
far gone to be saved.
Don't Take a Risk.
Speaking of possibilities of acct
dents of any kind Captain Fiero said:
Think seriously, don't bet your life
against sure thing. Don't take an
unnecessary risk"
Following his demonstration on re-
storing drowning persons the speaker
demonstrated the various methods of
forming stretcher or carrier for in
jured people, how to carry them out
of dangerous places and other practi
cal demonstration of the methods to
use when in need.
During the latter part of the even
ing the prevention film Careless
America" put out by the Firestone
Rubber company and loaned to the
Red Cross, was shown. The film show
ed all manner of accidents and how
care and thought before acting would
have prevented most of them. The
official Red Cross film, showing the
work of that organization for wound
ed soldiers from abroad was also
shown.