The Mail-Journal, Volume 6, Number 17, Milford, Kosciusko County, 28 May 1969 — Page 29

Red Russell Shows How Duck Hunter Can Survive if He Falls Overboard

Charles W. “Red” Russell, deputy national director of the American Red Cross Safety Program, was conducting an experiment. The problem: If a duck hunter, decked out in long johns, woolen socks, flannel shirt, bulky coat and trousers, and heavy boots, falls overboard, how slim are his chances of survival? The laboratory: A backyard swimming pool. The guinea pig: Red Russell. The experiment got under way on the kind of cold Virginia morning that lends itself more readily to roaring fires and steaming coffee than to cold water immersion. “Authenticity,” proclaimed Russell with bravado as he warily eyed the wind-swept pool. “This weather will give the whole thing authenticity. This is a real duckhunting day.” His audience, consisting of four Red Cross co-

—— — ■ Bp F’ " Ip X ML I „ *

WELCOME TO SYRACUSE -

/A //B fl F // fl / II I

rits And Home With One Os These Home Improvement Ideas

■ 9K. ieSf I! I Ife ' * ’>' $ . I MmU- fefl pf <: H> ® i MWp B‘ ;, |F : ' I - i ,** ’’ B - . ■ . ' ,L / ' ? ■ -C" -

Family Growing. . . Add A Room And Give The House A New Face

g Lumber Company And See The Best

arm Buildings i How Your Building Will Pay For I Protect Your Investment eliding center, we can see to it that you hove that building you mient financing plan, arrange to spread your payments over a long |S can acteally help pay foe themselves out of production profits, lonveaiont services:

— MAIL THIS COUPON — CO., LEESBURG, IND. 46538 ould be interested in an estimate for: Other Poultry House New Kitchen Rigid frame Farm Complete Home Buildings Lumber and Building New Garage Materials - >.

workers who had come along to record the experiment for posterity and to fish. Russell out of the pool should he sink like a rock, smiled wanly. Water Over Head Several sets of purple fingers gripped a small dinghy, dubbed the “Me II”, and hauled it to the edge of the pool. “Get it up here in the deep end,” directed Mr. Russell, blowing into his hands. “If we’re going to do this thing right, the water has got to be ovet my head.” The boat was bobbing in eight feet of water. Russell, in full hunting gear, stepped gingerly on its near edge. “Okay, now I’m going to fall while getting in.” he said. One rubber-booted foot pushed the boat away from the side of the pool. “Red” teetered; his arms flailed the air; his mouth opened soundlessly; he pitched forward, hopelessly off balance; and, with a well-aimed splash he was in.

1 5 units with wall-to-wall carpet, television and air-conditioned. Individual showers, comfosleep mattresses, automatic hot water heat. Wowosee Motel Rd. 13, Half Mile South of Syracuse, Ind. Phone: 219-457-3931 MR. AND MRS. GENE WENDEL

Miraculously, he didn’t sink. “You see,” he called after bobbing to the surface, “most people think that clothes weigh you down in the water. But they don’t — they trap air. If you don’t lose the air by thrashing around, you can float." Dry, Russell weighs 159 pounds; in his dry hunting gear, he tipped the scales at 174 pounds. In his wet clothing and water ozzed boots, he weight 230 pounds, some 71 pounds heavier than his normal body weight. Despite this extra poundage, he was not likely to sink if the air didn’t escape from his* clothing. Boots Air Filled Russell pulled his knees to his chest, and the rubber boots, taut with air, broke through the water like khaki-colored water wings. “I’m not doing a thing to keep myself up,” he said, extending his arms. “The boots are doing all the work."

A Bathroom ! I 3 Can Be A Design Center

See Our Patio Garage Display'on Road 15 It Could Be The Bui Idina For Your Needs' #

FEATURING: 1— 16 ft. Overhead Door (4 section) 1- 7h ft. Sliding Door (In 30* Partition Wall) Wood Front • Spruce Cor Siding 28 go. Steel • Roof & Sides 3-4 It. Garage Windows Alum. Screen Wire Ponta Base & Poles

Actually, before Red Russell took the plunge, he knew that he stood little chance of drowning, for water safety is his business. His experiment was merely a dramatic way of illustrating the fact that duck hunters, fishermen, and anyone else who falls in the water fully clothed need not drown if he keeps his head. He once tought lumberjacks this art in the Pacific Northwest log drivers. “The first rule in this situation is to do nothing for a few seconds.” he continued. “Just relax and let the air in your clothes bringyou to the surface. Once you're floating, you can start to paddle your way back to the boat or safety.” Floating on his back, his hips kept low to prevent the air from bubbling cut of his hip boots. Russell stretched his arms out to the side like oars and gave several strong strokes. “This is the elementary back stroke.” he said, as he began to move slowly backwards through the water. He flipped over on his stomach and the back of his hunting jacket ballooned with air. “This is the prone float,” he said. Among laymen, the prone float is more popularly known as the “deadman’s” float; it consists of simply lying face down in the water and turning the head for a gulp of air every few seconds. Russell, with a few quick modified breast strokes, cruised to the side of the pool. “Now give me the duck and the oars.” he directed. Extra Flotation “The duck,” a plastic decoy, was tossed into the water. Russell slid it inside his jacket, providing extra flotation for himself. He tucked the oars under his knees to support the lower part of his body. “If the air escapes from your jacket,” he said, “you can splash more in.” Lying face down in the water, he unzipped the front of his jacket about halfway and held the left side of it away from his body. Several mighty overhand slaps

In an accident where both cars have State Farm collision | »t«h iaim 1 coverage. State Farm I pays for damages to I rtrSSi I bo,h cars And you 1 I save the deductible I iNsuiANCi I (usually SSO or $100). Call me: Glenn R. Morehead 2220 E. Winona Ave. Warsaw. Indiana 40580 Office Phone: 269-1315 Residence Phone: 267-2041 State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company Home Office: Bloomington. Illinois

LEESBURG LUMBER COMPANY on Road 15 Six miles north of Warsaw or 8 miles South of Goshen Open 6 days a week - ‘till 4 P.M. Saturday Phone Collect Leesburg 453-3144

WBBagaa W HI "PR ■k y 111 nUral

Young couples, discovering the pleasures of camping, the delight with which their children take to the adventure, and the vacation time economies to be found in the great outdoors, are accounting for a substantial part of the vast growth in ranks of those whp now seek their fun in going back to nature the modern way. &

drove in great quantities of water and air. The jacket billowed again. “Now this,” said Russell, is what not to do." He made for the boat with an overhand stroke and slowly, but surely, began to sink. By the third stroke, his head was under and his face livid with exhaustion. “If you try to swim back to the boat with this standard crawl stroke,” he gasped, “your sleeves fill with water, and the weight forces your head under. First thing you know, you’re worn out from the exertion — that’s when you might panic and drown.” “In most cases.” Russell said, ■ “small boats do not sink to the bottom, when filled with water, but float at the surface. The important thing to remember is that if you fall in the water clothed, you don’t have to pull your outer garments off or drown. Your clothesTiot only can help you stay afloat by trapping air, but thev also can protect you from overexposure in cold water. One thing you shouldn’t wear while hunting from a boat is an ammunition vest, because the weight of it can drag you down. Also, don’t load your pockets with ammifnition.” MILFORD LOCAL (Held from last week) Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Rink of Goshen visited with ' Mr. . and Mrs. Bill Decker of r 1 Milford on Sunday evening.

IwsMwt *»'4’o *v->W |HI- > , ! eHK *‘ * IffsjawgW jgmK |l' V * * *"'% - z " *’' ' 4 (

BOATING PAMPHLETS Three highly useful boating educational booklets are available without charge from the National Association of Engine and Boat Manufacturers. 537 Steamboat Road. Greenwich. Conn. 06830. Both present owners and prospective buyers of recreational craft will find these pamphlets of interest. Keep It Shipshape, a first-of-its-kind 16-page booklet that points out the need for understanding warranties, preventive maintenance, engine maintenance, hull and systems maintenance, spare parts, and the functions of the service marina and repair yard. Anchors A weigh, also 16-pages. is designed for the newcomer to boating. Subjects covered include the basics of boat handling and seamanship. The Safety Primer for Pleasure Boat Operators produced by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators is a 23-page booklet dealing with motorboat numbering, accident reporting, motorboat equipment, special boating laws in the various states, operating a boat, boating aids and a review of the material as well as a test and a glossary of natutical terms.

/ /7 /F t I

Wed., May 28, 1969 —THE MAIL-JOURNAL

Magic Tickets to U.S. Parks On Way Out; Better Act Fast

That magical entrance ticket to Uncle Sam’s parks, forests, and other Federal Recreation areas — the $7 Annual Golden Eagle Passport — will be frith us only until March 31, 1970. Congress voted to end the program after the 1969-70 recreation year. That means the 1969 Passport is the last you cari buy. Beginning April 1, 1970, the National Park Service, Forest Service, and other Federal land managing agencies will set recreation entrance and user fees on an area-by-area basis. The nationwide permit system was established in 1965. The first annual permit was issued as an automobile bumper sticker. To make the permit more flexible, the wallet-size Golden Eagle Passport was adopted in 1966 and has been used each year since. What has the nationwide annual permit accomplished since 1965? Plenty, in the eyes of conservationists and other observers. From January 1965 through December 1968, 15 million dollars’ worth of the $7 permit were sold. Other entrance and user fees at Federal recreation areas, which also are a part of Operation Golden Eagle, brought in another $23 million during the same period. Money raised from these sources was deposited in the Land and Water Conservation Fund. It has helped the States

For the girl who knows.. . R&K ORIGINALS a division of Jonathan Logan

Don’t Miss These Cool New Fashions For Summer Jjfc In Styles and Colors fl For Any Occasion. \ < (l> L I ]) A-r<y \\ H v\W \ i fjj V \ / \\ / /J iol- / I /-K kJ / / \ / If / XZI I '' ' /0 3 Sleeveless basic Z with plaid scarf and /( Xy lined panel $26.00 // ’ / rj-1 Embroidered blue polyester ... $26.00 ( / Embroidered long Xy '/ 'v / sleeve voile y- // 'K '[ k/ $32.00 H /(' O kl( > If

109 S. BUFFALO WARSAW

plan, acquire, and develop many needed recreation areas and facilities; it has provided considerable financial aid to help Federal agencies acquire - needed National recreation lands and waters. If you want a 1969-70 Golden Eagle Passport, better make out a check for $7 to the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation and send it now to Operation Golden Eagle, Box 7763, Washington, D. C. 20044. Fears During Storms When a gentle summer shower becomes a thunderstorm, a child's delight often turns to fear, according to Jean Zimmerman, Purdue university extension human development specialist. Although a healthy respect for conditions is good, teach the children there is no danger if they follow a few sensible precautions. Os course, many adults are afraid of thunder and lightning and children often sense this fear. So, it’s important to control your fears so you don’t pass them on to children. Familiar toys and activities give a sense of security in any frightening experience, Mrs. Zimmerman believes. Playing a favorite game during a storm probably will distract the children’s fears.

5