The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1925-12-17
RED CROSS USES
GENEVA LIFE IDEA
Plan Which Saved 81 Lives
at Lake Geneva Now
Nationwide.
PATROLS ESTABLISHED
Academy Provides Free Use of
Launch with LifebuOys at
All Piers On the Lake.

The rescue of 80 people from death
by drowning at Lake Geneva, Wis,
during the summer of 1925, is direct
ly attributed by lake shore residents
what is known as the Lake Geneva
plan for water safety, originated by
Joseph S. Law, assistant national di-
rector of first aid and life saving,
American Red Cross, and applied at
Lake Geneva during the past summer
season.
The plan, in a word, is the thorough
patrolling of a body of water by
boat and life guards. and the install
lation of such precautionary devices
as tend to minimize the water hazard.
The Lake Geneva patrol service is
an outgrowth of the annual life saw
ing institute held at Conference Point,
Williams Bay, Lake Geneva, Wis, IN
der the auspices of the American Red
Cross. Working in cooperation with
the life saving service of the Red
Cross the Lake Geneva chapter, thru
its chairman, S. B. Chaplin, and other
officers, undertook the problem of
making the waters of Lake Geneva
safe for swimming and to prevent
drownings.
Free Launch Provided.
A launch was furnished free by the
Northwestern Military and Naval
academy in order to enable Wendell
M. Berger, graduate of the Red Cross
institute, and employed to direct the
water safety plan, to contact more
easily and quickly all the beaches on
the lake. Berger upon request called
at the different beaches where there
was swimming and gave life saving
instruction to those interested. The
water safety plan not only includes
patrol and instruction but makes all
beaches as safe for swimming as it is
humanity possible to do.
A shallow water line was estab-
lished beyond which non-swimmers
were not allowed to go. This shallow
water line consisted of a three4 quarter
inch rope with. floats attached to it
every ten feet, the rope extending
the length of the swimming area, over
a depth of four feet. The actual
swimming area was also marked OF
by floats flying Red Cross flags and
known as "silent life guards" an
chored in the water at distance of
so feet from the pier or shore. The
reason for setting the distance at 80
feet is because of life buoys which
carry 60 feet of rope and which were
hung on the piers or at the shores a
slack of 10 feet is allowed in the
throwing when making rescue. Every
life guard is required to be able to
throw this buoy accurately the full
length of the rope.
Life Buoy For All Piers.
Each pier as at Lake Geneva should
carry one of these life buoys which
can be purchased drought local Red
Cross chapters. It is also recon-
mended that each pier should have a
rope tied from post to post about four
inches above the water so that tired
swimmer may be able to hold on and
rest as in some places the piers are
too high from the water for an ordin-
airy swimmer to reach. All diving
boards should be inspected and the
depth of the water at the end of the
board gagged. The bottom of the
lake should be examined for sunken
tree stumps or rocks and these cleared
away.
At Lake Geneva the chapter has in
stalled at it's own expense 20 life
buoys, nine iron brackets or hangers,
eight wooden brackets, 10 small and
9 large bulletin boards. On these
boards are tackled warnings signs, an
nouncements and life saving instruc-
ton.
On Lake Geneva there are $50
piers and there is swimming at SO
per cent of them. There are four
public piers and beaches where there
is life guard paid by the township,
assisted by voluntary guards" that
is to say, any one who has passed the
American Red Cross life saving tests,
may volunteer to help patrol the
beaches under the supervision Of the
regular guard. At Lake Geneva dur
ing the busy season each guard had
three volupnteers a day. There were
three volunteers a day. There were
morning 9 to IL; IL to 3 p. M, and
3 to 6 p. m.
Service Medals Issued.
Any volunteer who gives 200 hours
Of service receives from national head
quarters of the American Red Gross
at Washington a service medal issued
twice a year. At Lake Geneva in two
and a half months during the past
summer season 1000 hours Of volun-
teer service were given.
The Lake Geneva safety plan was
endorsed by the Inland Lakes Yacht
association whose membership in
cludes inland lake yacht clubs of that
region. 1t is long step forward in
the effort of the American Red Cross
to minimize the danger Of unsuper-
vised and haphazard swimming.