Rensselaer Republican, Volume 12, Number 46, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 August 1880 — How Not to be Drowned. [ARTICLE]

How Not to be Drowned.

The human body weight about a pound in the water, and a single chair will carry two grown persona' That is, it would keep their heads above water, which is all that is necessary when it is a question of life or death. At the time the recent steamboat disaster took place in New York, harbor, the burning vessel was close to shore, the water waa calm and warn, and all these passengers might easily have iu aped overboard and paddled, laughing, ashore, if they had only possessed and used the simple knowledge that one finger placed upon a stool or a chair, or a small box, or a piece of board, would easily keep the head above water, while toe two feet and toe other hand might be used as paddles to propel toward toe shore. It ip not at all necessary to Know how to swim to be able to keep from drowning In this way. A little experience of the buoyant power of water, and faith in it, is all that is required. We have seen a small boy who could not swim a stroke, propel himself across a deep, wide pond, by means of a board that would not sustain five pounds weight. In fact, that sometime small boy is now writing this Children and all others should have practice in the sustaining power of water. In nine rases out of ten the knowledge that what will sustain a xm&d weight is all that is necessary to leep one’s bead above water, will serve better in emergencies than the greatest expertness as a swimmer. A person unfamiliar with toe buoyant power of water, will naturally try to climb on top of the floating object on which be tries to save himself, Xfitislaage enough that is sli right Bpt it is generally not large enough, and half of a struggling groupla often drowned in the desperate scramble of a life-and-aeath struggle to climb on top of a piece ot wreck or other floating object, large enough to keep all entirely above the water. This often happens when pleasure boats capsize. All imme di&tely want to get oat of the water on top of the overturned or half-filled, boat, and all are drowned except thoee whom the wrecked cat will wnolly near up. If they would fflfo trust toe water to sustain nlnetyninenundrfdths of the weight of their bodies, and the disabled boat the other hundredth, they might ail be saved under most Ah overturned or water-filled Itooden boat will sustain more people in lls way than it will carry. It would keep toe heads above water of as many people as could get their hands on ths gunwale. These are simple facts, easily learned, and may some day save your life. —Ohuaffo Timm.