ST. CLAIR SURFING

Evening Star, Issue 19798, 23 February 1928, Page 5

ST. CLAIR SURFING

NEED FDR SAFETY MEASURES MAYOR WILL SEE THAT BELL IS PROVIDED The mayor (Mr W. B. Taverner) showed in an interview this morning that he is fully alive to the necessity of % further precautionary measures being taken to safeguard the lives of those who get into trouble while bathin the surf at St. Clair. In respect to the suggestion made by members of tho Surf Club that a big boll should bo erected on tho beach to give the alarm in cases of emergency, Mr Taverner said he regarded tho idea as an excellent one. lie added: “If they want it put up, 1 will undertake to have it done.’’ Mr Taverner pointed out that the control of the City Council as far as the beach was concerned ended at the seaward edge of tho esplanade, while the beach as far as high-water mark was under the control of tho Ocean Beach Domain Board. Below the highwater mark tho Marino Department was the controlling authority. At tho same time, he thought that botli the City Council and tho Domain Board would do all they possibly could for the welfare and protection of tho citizens who bathed on the beach. The mayor suggested that the fixing of a steel cable, buoyed up in tho water, from the St. Clair baths along the outer edge of tho surf, was worthy of consideration. If it were possible to do this, the cable could bo run from the rocks at tho end of tho baths, buoyed up along its length, and anchored at its end. The cable would need to lie a thin steel one, which would not offer much resistance to the waves. Anyone who was washed out would have a chance of grasping tho cable till he was rescued. Tho suggestion, which had been mentioned to a number of swimming men, was worthy of consideration. Mr Taverner did not anticipate any difficulty in getting a large alarm bell for the beach.

Tho president of tho St. Clair Surf and Life-saving Club (Mr P. J. Priest), when approached this morning, said he thought the adca of a largo alarm bell was a splendid one. hoped that one would Ik> obtained, and that the City Council, tho Domain Board, or someone else would see tho way clear to present one for use on the beach. It would undoubtedly provide an additional safeguard. Mr Priest also favored tho idea of obtaining a proper surf boat as suggested by Mr Sugar. If such a boat were provided be bad no doubt the members of tho club would do their best to man tho craft and become expert in its use. Mr Sugar was prepared to give a donation, and 1m thought other rcidonts would do so if approached, ft was likely that the club would receive a. donation from the St. Clair Improvement Society as a result of tho recent carnival, in which most of tho club’s members gave assistance, and perhaps some of it could be used towards such a boat.