Sink or Swim,—A Timely Caution.

Cromwell Argus, Volume III, Issue 112, 2 January 1872, Page 6

Sink or Swim,—A Timely Caution.

1 Mr It. H. Home, "a swimmer of fift; years' practice," has published a letter in th Times which is particularly opportune at thi dangerous season of the year. He says :- ? Almost every man, woman, and child wh ■ cannot swim, when they find themselves sue a denly out of their depth, throw up both arm 1 and cry aloud for help—the most rapid of il o methods for sinking ; in fact, the art of goh< ' down quickly is to throw up both arms. ?>n ~ if, instead of this, both arms ai'e kept urdei j water, while the hands " fight" t-hewate; bj > j beating it down beneath them, and the fee and legs do the same sort of thing, bjcon e tinning to kick the water down boneathhem '' —the person who does this cannot sink H< '> or she cannot sink while they will do his ; v Jr iis impossible. They will thus bo ible t< A. keep uiion the surface for that brief ime foi - want of which so many arc lost, further v ! more, if the persons thus beating tie watei , 0 ! down beneath them will only extencthe arm: |j. j ii little, so that the palms of the hinds mai , j not only beat but pull the water towirds them , j they will then find themselves alvance to H I wards a bank, shore, boat, or otier object l ° | and will, in fact, find the.nselvei swimminj jhy what is calleu the dog-strole. Beyon< in j this, the only presence of mine required i ie not to beat, kick, strike, splash or pull to> a '. fast, as this is sure to cause lossof breath am e ] exhaustion, and increase the confusion o i mind. ', Be it especially remembered that all splash ing is to b: avoided as mud* as possible,e " partly because it dashes the water up to th nostrils and into the mouth,and alsobecaus i' s it is sheer waste of power, All blows an ht struggles must be made uruer the water, an m not at all upon the surface 'c, As it is quite in vain to warn a drownin G d person not to try and sei# upon the man wh a3 swims to save him, and bus do his utmost t if drown his preserver byjlinging round hi) and trying to get upon lis shoulders (if th Utter is so foolish or as to alio eQ j this), T would recommme. the drowning pe ' te son to seize his preserver by the hair, wl: ud- will at once, if a tolerable master of the. ar afc j swim away with him in qiite a free and eas . i manner.