ST. CLAIR SAFETY MEASURES

Evening Star, Issue 19799, 24 February 1928, Page 5

ST. CLAIR SAFETY MEASURES

THE SURF BOAT PROPOSAL PATROLMEN ALSO NECESSARY The cry for additional and inure efficient safety measures to avoid a repetition of this year’s two fatalities at St. Clair has become universal. Dunedin has a very fine beach, and if sound life-saving devices arc installed, it can also ho termed perfectly sate. Tfiore arc other aspects to be considered of course, but these mainly concern the commonsense by the use of which bathers will be prompted to keep within the area marked out as a safety zone. More information regarding the idea of having a life-saving surf boat has been secured from Mr T. Sugar, who maintains that whatever else is done to make surfing safe at St. Clair, the purchase of such a craft is absolutely essential. In this he is emphatically supported by Major Eainpen, the secretary-of the St. Clair Improvement Association.

Mr Sugar, in outlining the typo ol boat which should be used, said yesterday afternoon that it would measure about. 10ft, and in addition to being built out of heavy timber, would be closed fore and all, and altogether so constructed to withstand the breakers that it would be almost unsinkablc. If necessary, fully a dozen men, trained in the art of sucli useful oarsmanship, could man her. The cost (a little over £SO) would bo ncglible when the saving of human lives was involved. In fact, one life saved would cover in value tlie whole of the surf boat expense, and the engagement of two expert patrolmen as well as other expenditure entailed in the installation of subsidiary devices. “A gentleman who had scon this typo of boat in action on the Sydney beaches has been in to see mo.” continued Mr Sagar. “ lie said that groat speed in launching it was attained by means of a trolley lino from the beach to the sea, down which the boat ran in a cradle. As soon as it struck the water it automatically shot out from the cradle, and no sooner did this happen than it rode through the first breaker. A few sweeps of the oars from the crew and the craft was well on the way to effect the rescue of a greater number of people than would require assistance at one particular time.”

The sneaker considered that inasmucli ns an alarm bell would cause great excitement among crowds of people whose presence on the-bcaeh was not necessary when brisk action was essential, the measure referred to was not advisable. There was a certain demoralising effect produced by the clanging of a boll (something akin to that of a firebell), and it bad been proved that anything approaching hysteria was a. decisive brake on the smooth running wheels ol efficiency. Also the idea ot having a line of buoys anchored well across the safely zone was hardly feasible, because when curvents were so strong a« to get bathers into a difficulty in the first place, they were usually troaelieruus enough _to sweep them off at will, and for victims to ho swirled through between any two buoys would be the mischief of a moment. It would be better if netting could he extended right along the line, but even so there would be much trouble in anchoring the buoys satisfactorily.

In addition to the surf boat, which had a decided advantage over the recl-and-lino system, there should be two permanent expert patrolmen, who could arrange to be on duty alternately from 8 in the morning till R in the evening, an’ these men should bo empowered by specially-prepared by-laws to have control over the bathers’ movements.

any swimmer or swimmers were seen disporting themselves too far out, or if they strayed beyond the flag area, they should, on the authority of tho guards, bo brought in and lined. Reckless bathing in tho surf was ns dangerous as reckless speeding in motor ears, and should ho treated as such.

Major Dampen, when interviewed on the matter, stressed the need for a surf boat, 3ml also recommended tho adoption of a system which worked something on the lines of a submarine net. Ho explained that, ns applied to submarines, this method involved the anchoring of a series of green-glass buoys connected with piano wire netting, which successfully snared any of these sea monsters which trespassed in times of war. For hifo-saviug purposes, however. small buoys with wire netting of another mesh could he employed. The lino of buoys, although anchored at each end. would to a. certain xtent ho mobile, and would swing in and out with the tide.

According to Major Lampen the bathers at French seaside resorts are particularly well protected from tho vagaries of the surf, and also from any rashness which they themselves indulge in. On practically every beach a watchman patrols tho sands with a ride, and when this gentleman sees a bather faking risks hv going nut ton far, he immediately fires a salute. If on receipt of this warning tho venturesome person does not conic in. ho is subsequently fined to an amount reaching in some cases a sum equivalent; to £lO.