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In The Water

In The Water image
Parent Issue
Day
6
Month
August
Year
1880
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

The human body weighs a pound d the water, and a singlo chair will carry two grown persons. That is, it would keep the head above water, whicb. is all that is neccessary when it is a question of lif'e or death. One finger placed upon a stool or chair, or a smaQ box, or a piece of board, will eatily keep the head above water, while the two feet and the othor hand may be used as paddies to propel toward the shore. It ¦ not at all necessary to know how to swiui to be able to keep from drowning in this way. A little experience of the bouyant power of water, and faith in it, ia all that is required. We havo seen a smal! boy, who could not swiw a stroke, propel hiinself back and forth across a deep, wide pond by means of' a board that would not su.stain five pounds weight. Children and all others should have practice in the sustaining power of water. In nine oav.s nut af tnn the knowledge that wliat will sustain a pound weight i.s all that is necessary to keep one's headabove water will serve better in emergencies than the greatest expertnea of a swimmer. A person unfamiliar with the buoyant power of water will naturally try to climb on top of the floating object on which he tries to save hiinself. jf it is large enough that is all right, but it is generally not large enough and half of a struggling group ia often drowned in the desperate scramble of a life and death struggle to climb on top of a piece of wreek or other floating object, not large enough to keep them all entirely above water. This often happens when plaasure boats capsizo. All imniediately want to get out of the water od top of the overturned or half-filled boat, and all are drowned except those whom the wrecked craft will bear up. If they would simply truxt the water to sustain ninety-nine hundredths of the weight of their bodies and the disabled boat the otier huDdredth, they might all be saved under most circumstanoes. An overturned or water filled wooden boat sustains more people in this way than it will carry. It would keep the heads above water of as many people as could get their hands on the gunwale. These are simple faets, easily learned, and may some day save your life.

Article

Subjects
Ann Arbor Courier
Old News