SWIMMING WITH YOUR CLOTHES ON.

Dominion, Volume 7, Issue 1969, 28 January 1914, Page 4

SWIMMING WITH YOUR CLOTHES ON.

' Sir,—ln year issue of December 26, under the heading "A Mystery Solved," the following sentence occurs:—"The mate's explanation wns that as ho could not swim in his clothes, he did not attempt _ to jump into the sea to eavo the drowning man." And in your issue of January 20, under the heading "Siteday's Drowning Case," the following occurs:—'.'Witness could not go to the deceased's assistance because he Irarl all his clothes on " Now, this is an absurd delusion, and the sooner it is exploded tlio batter. To give a few instances: —My father, when a young men,, had to swim for his life on'three occasions; each time lie was crossing a flooded river on horseback. Hβ always carried an old-fashioned "hunting crop," or whip, ami on oiib occasion this horse went suddenly into a deep hole, mid my father found himself stnicsglittfg in the water. He struck out for the bonk, and when lie readied the land lie had his lint mi, and his hunt ing whip in his hand. We also had n. hear; oVorcoat on. When I asked him, ninny years after the oreurrenrc, if lro found it difficult to swim in his clothes, ho Raid he did not notice any difference. I Icariit to swim when a. schoolbov, ftnd vhen I dime to man's estate T decided to try the effect of swimming, in mv clothflß. So I put on an old suit, with an old "pei-jacket" over all, also an old pair of heavy boots, unlaced. I waded into the water ntul swam about for several minutes, and iii im; own ease <\!bo I "did not notice any difference." It is quite possible .that I nitprlit pnt In abte to swim quite bo fast with all my clothes on, but I found no difficulty whatever in swimming about and keeping afloat. When my boys wore coin?* to school in Dunerlin, we used to Cβ swimming in the Ravensbomno Baths, and ou one occasion anion j* the aquatic sports there wn« a swlnnnini*: match for hoys to be fullv dressed 'in ordinary clothes Sly eldest Ron seemed rather dubious about trusting himself in the water with nil his elothes. on. but 1 advised him to'-'Ro in for a trpl Swim on the previous evening. He did bo, and next day he won the race, _ Some years ago, my third son and a comrade wait out for the weekend to the Waiiiiii-o-main Valley, nnd were oiiirafreil setting eel-lines in use dark. Mv son was at the water's edge, and his comrade, who was on top of n steep bank missed his fooliiiK, nnd fell liiii) n'dwp lioln, strifes his head on Hip haul! on bis way down, lvhieli stunned him for a time." My son nnvr waited to take hi* clothes off, but nluniipd in at one". Heinir dark, he could not see !>siv huhhles,. ami he dived sevnn times ■•"forfi he r.uccneded in PudinK his matp. lie set him on to the bank. n»d nftei n enns'dpr»t»le timf sufccderl in Tentorium animation. T. have heard of a ens" fif"'a ■■inn li?in:x wnshetl overhoarl. and who, being a irnod swimmer, kept, himsplf nvb.it till he ";is r>iek»rj Hp..h«nni»' In the meantime divflstprl himself of his eevbootfl^a , quite uiiuecoasary proceed-

ing. If the water should be very cold, tho ordinary clothes tiro a distinct advantage, as are also tho boots, especially if tho shore, is n rocky one. If tho rocks ur« jagged, or slippery, a man lias a much better chsutco with his boots on than with liaro feet. As I know, there are a great many people who are nuclei , the delusion that it is dillicult tn swim in one's clothes. I think snimmiug; with the clothes on should always be oim of tho events of every swimming match,—L am, etc., C. W. ADAMS. P.S.—Wiih regard to the fallacy that clothes weigh a man down in tho water, this van easily bo disproved as follows: ■ —liet anyone tin his clothes in a bundle and weigh them with a spring balance, and ho will lind that they weigh a few pounds. Let liim now weigh the sumo bundle while it is suspended in the water, when he will find that it weighs only a few ounces. Of course tho clothes will hang heavily on a man after lie gets out of the water, but this docs not matter when he has firm laud to stand on. C.W.A. January '23, 1014.