Advice to Non-Swimmers.

Manawatu Standard, Volume IV, Issue 115, 10 April 1884, Page 2

Advice to Non-Swimmers.

How to Float.

The human body weighs a pound m the. writer, and a chair will carry two grown persons, that is, it will keep the head above water, which is sill that is necessary when it is a question of life or death. One finger placed upon a stool or chaiv, a small Vox, or a pieGe of board will easily keep the head above water, while the two ftset and the other hand may be used as paddles to propel lowiu-.h the shore. It is not at all necessary to know how to swim to be able to keep from drowning m this way. A little experience of the buoyant power of water, and faith m it is all that is required. :. ' We have seen a small boy who could not swim a stroke, propel himself back and forth across a deep, wide pond by means of a boai'd that would not sustain five pounds Children and all othprs should have practice m the sustaining powers of water. In nine cases out of ten, the knowledge that to be able to sustain a pound weight is all that is necessary to keep one's head above water, will serve better m emergencies than the greatest experience as a swimmer. A person unfamiliar with the buoyant power of water wiil naturally try : to climb on top of the floating object on which he tries to save himself. If it is large enough, that is all right. But it is generally not large enough ; and half of the struggling group is often drowned m the desperate scramble of a life-and-death struggle fee climb on top of a piece of wreck, or other floatit, g object, not large enough to keep them all entirely above water. This often happens when pleasure boats, capsize. All ien mediately want to get out of the water on top of the overturned or half-filled boat, all are drowned, except those the wrecked craft will wholly bear up. If they would simply trust the water to sustain ninety-nine hundred ths of weight of their bodies, and the disabled boat the other hundredth, they might all be saved under most circumstance. An overturned or water filled wooden boat will sustain move people m this way than it will carry. It would keep their heads übove water of as mauy people as conld get their hands on the gunwale. These are simple facts, easily learned, and may some day save your life.