W " M ;
D
ID you ever stop to consider how
many people are drowned each year.
even here in the Willamette, who
eoula have been saved by knowing the
first principles of swimming? And if you
have considered the number drowned near
Portland in your home river and t;ien
paused another moment to think of the
hundreds and thousands of rivers and
creeks, lakes and ponds dotting the world
ana of the numberless drownings that
must occur there just as they occur here
each Summer, you will begin to appre
ciate the Importance of teaching each and
every child the art of swimming Just as
joi: teach them their A B Cs.
L. W. Meyers, instructor of swimming
at the Y. M. C. A., has evidently thought
often of the useless sacrifice of life each
year to the river gods, and is trying to
cheat them of their victims by organiz
ing classes of young boys, not only to
teach them to swim, but to teach them to
resjue and help each other In the water.
Mr. Meyers does not restrict his lessons
to members of theY. M. C. A., but wel
comes all boys that are interested in his
work. He has been teaching boys how to
swim all Winter in the big tank in the
If. . c. A. building. Now he is taking
these boys and all others he can find,
two or three afternoons a week, to some
safe and convenient spot by the river
-and Is giving swimming lessons to those
who cannot swim and lessons in how to
Tescue a drowning person to those who
can. In connection with this work Mr.
Meyers has arranged short talks at the
Y. M. C. A. by various physicians who
are Interested in the work on how to re
suscitate one who has been In the water
until unconscious.
How Boys Learn.
Most boys learn to swim by watching
. nd imitating older boys. This is, per
3iaps, as good a way as any. Mr'. Meyers
himself learned to swim In this fashion.
lAnd for those who get discouraged at the
first few attempts, Mr. Meyers admits
that it took him all Summer to get the
correct leg stroke. That was because he
etarted wrong in the beginning. And he
1s trying to start his boys right, so that
they will not have to labor as he did.
The motions seem so simple, so easy to
ltnrn. - And some boys, unusually fear
less, do learn at the first lessons. Most
c-f them, however, have to struggle along
in the water until they learn to have con
fidence both in themselves and In the sus
taining power of the water. That is the
hardest lesson to learn. -The rest is com
paratively easy. Many, many of us have
been repeatedly assured that if we threw
ourselves on the water and weren't afraid,
we could not sink. And many, many of
us. in shallow water where there was no
dunger, have thrown ourselves on the
water and sunk like lead. Perhaps we
were afraid even in the two or three feet
of water. Anyway, we sank. And after
we learned to float we wondered why.
Trobably it was because we let our feet
the heaviest part of our body, rise above
the surface and In our fright forgot to
fill our lungs with air, and so down we
went.
In learning to swim one must learn al
ways to swim under water, not on the
surface, and to breathe naturally and
evenly. All of the body exposed is a dead
weight. Accordingly, leave only the head
above the water arid keep the hands
about six inches from the surface. The
'hand strike Is very simple. Bring the
palms together at the breast, extend
arms, turn palms outward in easy posi
tion,, shove back and down. Inscribing cir
cle, and bring palms together again at
original position. The only care in learn
ing this stroke Is to learn not to turn
the palms out too far when one goes
to shove back. They must not be held
straight up and down in the water, but
slanting a little from the thumbs out
ward. If they are turned back too far
the effeot of the stroke "is lost.
The Unconscious Stroke.
Thjs stroke learned, and nearly every
one knows it. the leg stroke must be
studied. This Is a regular frog kick.
Stretch the legs out to the fullest length,
toes together, pointing outward, and as
nearly flat as possible; draw back, knees
inward, turn solas of feet out flat and kick
down with a good kick, then draw feet
together, feet pointed downward again.
The feet go back as the arms go forward
end one swims a little as he lies flat out.
Then make arm stroke; double up, strike
out again, and one has learned to swim
perhaps. A good way to learn this
Ftroke and the two strokes together Is to
; lie flat on a long, narrow piano stool.
! This, however, Is twice as hard as in
Portland Boys Taking j
Lessons in Classes From a Master
ii the Valuable
the water, as one must do without the
sustaining power of the water.
Many people believe In the old-fashioned
way of teaching boys to swim
that is in throwing them in the water.
Mr. Meyers does not agree with them,
however. He says the hardest pupils he
has ever had have been those that have
been thrown in the water and so fright
ened that it Is almost impossible for them
to acquire self-confidence once more. But
he does believe that if a person who is
learning to swim goes to the bottom and'
has a fright, the best thing possible is
to Induce them to go back into the water
at once and to go on with the lesson.
Otherwise he or she will think only of the
lart experience and of the fright given,
and in a day or two will not go near the
water again. It is the same In athletics.
If a boy gets a tumble in performing
some feat and does not try the act again
at once, he will In all probability never
try it again, as the memory of his fright
will be too much for him. This Is not
true of all. but is true in a majority
of cases. The condition of a boy's mind
will determine much, just as the condi
tion of his body will help or hinder him
in learning to swim or float.
. The Art of Floating.
Ever know that It is harder for a good
swimmer to float than for the average
beginner? Mr. Meyers, who of course is
an expert, says that it is almost impos
sible for him to do the basket float,
which most men and women can do their
first season. The basket float is where
the swimmer lies in the water with his
hands holding his ankles. The reason
Mr. Meyers cannot do this Is because ius
muscles are hard and trained and so
heavy. A beginner whose muscles are
flat and flabby may float, very easily. It
is easier for women to float than men
because they are light in bulk in pro
portion to their size. It Is also easier for
them to learn to swim or would be if
they were not so. hampered by their
bloomers and heavy wet skirts. Mr.
Meyers says he himself could not swim
much in such a costume. Through his ad
vice many of the women learning at the
Y. M. C. A. go In without the bungle
some skirt. In France the women bathe
In tight, close-fltting knit suits, and Mr.
Meyers says that It is the only swimming
costume for men and women.
The Work of Rescue.
Another to the things Mr. Meyers
teaches his classes is to keep the eyes
open under water. It may smart a little
at first, but one soon gets used to It and
In diving the ability to see under water
often saves a swimmer's life, since he
may avoid snags or rocks. Mr. Meyers
will not dive in muddy or dirty water.
Even in the ocean one can open his eyes
without more than temporary discomfort.
It 4s Mr. Meyers' belief that boys in swim
ming save one another's lives every day,
and think -it all In the day's sport and
nothing to tell of. But often a boy
who can swim ia drowned in at
temntimr to save one who cannot, and it
Is Mr. Meyer's purpose to teach hlssoya
the best way to rescue one another. 11
the one who has gone beyond his depth
is unconscious, the best method is to
grab him by the hair or arm or shirt, with
hia face above water, and swim in with
T . ' "
THE SUNDAY OREGOXIAN, PORTLAND.
Art;
RESCUING
him, using the legs and free arm. If
conscious and not too frightened to obey
orders, let him lie flat on his back, his
legs and body extending under the rescuer
and his arms on the shoulders of the
swimmer facing him. This is the best
way to swim a long distance, as It leaves
the swimmer free to ue both arms. An
other method is for the helpless one to
lie on his breast behind the swimmer with
his hands on his shoulders, but Mr.
Meyers does not like this method, be
caitsar the beginner is 'apt to become
frlgiitened and get his arms about his
rescuer from the back a hold that is very
hard to break. Mr. Meyers does not be
lieve in knocking a person senseless who
has grabbed one In the water, except in
extreme cases. Besides, it is a very hard
thing to do in the water with some one
clinging to one. Mr. Meyers thinks it
sometimes wise to duck a person who
insists upon grabbing his rescuer,' but
he will try to teach his boys the simplest
and easiest methods of breaking a hold.
If a frightened person grabs one about
the body and will not let go, shove his
face back with one hand and with the
knee give a blow in the abdomen. This
will nearly always release the hold and
give a free hand to use in grabbing him
as he releases. If he has one around the
neck give an uppercut blow on the chin
or shove back face. If he has one by
the wrists, the weakest part of the grip
will be in the thumbs. By bringing the
hands in and out the other's grip will be
loosened. Mr. Meyers will have the boys
practice all his methods on one another.
His first class was held last Thursday
afternoon and they will be held two or
three times a week as long as the Sum
mer lasts. As yet they are unorganised.
Mr. Meyers picks up' the boys as he can
find them and has not yet selected a reg
ular bathing place. Later in the Summer
he hopes to organize regular classes and
get up swimming races and matches and
various water games, with perhaps a cup
or two for prizes, if his plans mature.
Mr. Meyers was a boy himself not so
many years ago and is more than en
thusiastic over his work. Doubtless he
enjoys it as much as the boys, and they
are having great sport as well as learn
ing many valuable lessons.
Resuscitation.
For the first lesson given Saturday
evening at the Y. M. O. A. gymnasium fce
tween 5 and 6 P. M., Dr. J. H. Bristow
volunteered his services in teaching the
boys' how to -.resuscitate, a . half-drowned
person who is taken rrom. the water ap
parently dead. . The average person can
not remain under water more than 10
minutes and live, said Dr. Bristow, but
some cases have been known where per
sons have been resuscitated after being
In the water a half hour. Others die in
two or three minutes, but their death
is often the result of heart failure or
other physical weaknesses. In beginning
bis remarks Dr. Bristow said that he
wanted to rid his hearer of the erro
neous idea that a half-drowned person's
lungs are full of water. When one in
going under fills his mouth with water he
strangles and gags and the water stops
in his windpipe. When he relaxes so
that the water can run in he is dead.
Consequently there is no use in trying to
clear a man's lungs of water. Clear his
I 1 11 iiniiwiriii'nnTn n ny g
WHO
throat and mouth out at once with a
cloth or rag wrapped about your finger,
as there 1s apt to be mud or slime in
the victim 6 mouth and throat. Also let
the water run from the mouth. Then
be careful to pull the tongue out so that
the person may be able to breathe. Dr.
Bristow advises sticking a pin through
the center and propping the pin against
PLAYERS WATCH THE SCORER
They Keep Their Eyes Fixed Up
on the Hit and Error Columns
The ordinary fan does not care near so j
much for the tabulated score when he
reads the account of a game .in the paper
as he is anxious to note whether this or I
that favorite received due mention for his
work. Of mighty little interest, though,
to the player is the story of the game.
His eye goes to the box score, and if it
does not meet with his approval
straightway he hies him to the score with
blood in his eye and "whys" fairly flowing
from his mouth.
"Why didn't he get a hit?" "Why did
he get an error?" "Anybody could see
that he stole that base."
He hashes and rehashes plays which
the scorer's tired brain refuses to bring
at all to light, and then he goes off angry
and swearing revenge If abject apology
Is not made and promises of better treat
ment for the future. . .
The ballplayer is the most unreasoning
being on earth, and the umpire and scorer
furnish him with objects whereon to turn
loose the vials of his wrath.
Harry Lumley, who Is walloping the ball
hard with Brooklyn and who .played such
a star field for Seattle and led the P. C.
L.. in batting, is a persistent kicker. He
wants a hit for a ball It the fielder has
it frozen tight and throws It away just
for amusement, r -
And, by the way talking about scoring,
a certain Seattle scribe has decided that
the reason Seattle lost so many games to
Portland last week, was because the Giants
got all the best of it from the scorer or
some such reasoning to that effect. A Seat
tle fan who happened to sit through one
of the games when the Giants gave the
Siwashes an awful beating, went home
with the tale that Kid Isbell made five
errors and was only, credited with one,
the other four going as hits to Portland.
Hear the wail of the Seattle Times
sporting editor: . --
'McLean made a line drive Sunday -to
Isbell, who was playing left field. The
ball knocked lsbell's- hands apart and
Larry got credit for a three-base hit. It
was a case of an outfield drive being too
hot to handle, probably, in the mind of
the scorer."
That clout of Larry McLean's would
have been traveling yet had It not been
for the fenoe.. If Isbell had had 50 hands
all over his body he could not have got
one of them on that drive, and if he had
got one of them on the ball he would
have had only 43 left. Another case of
sour grapes at the Indian town. As long
as tney win. everything is pie and honey
with the Seattle writers, but get a down
JULY 22, 1906.
- T 'J 5,i :l : -mtt X
Special
Resuscitation of Persons Drawn
From the Water Unconscious,
the teeth, as It is very Important to keep
his passages for breathing open.
The next step is to get the patient
warm. Hot baths or blankets are best,
but, of course. In most Instances these
are not procurable. Therefore the best
thing to do is to beat and rub the body
or whip with the boy's shirt or clothes.
Don't be too gentle. Hkrd blows may
hill team, and everybody Is crooked and
on the dink.
The palm for good playing has shifted
quite consistently this season in the Coast
League. At the beginning, Portland and
San Francisco both started strong. Port
land and the Seals were both bumping
other teams right after the big quake, and
then for a week or so, until the Giants
took hold of them, the Siwashes were
making- a flurry at Jumping up the per
centage column. Now Los Angeles, with
the addition of the recreant players who
are returning to the fold, are taking falls
out of San Francisco consistently. But all
the while, we cannot forbear to mention
that the home guard Is getting better all
the while. Any team that can pull the
Giants off the top now will have to play
big league ball. There Is no aggregation
in this league which can turn tne trick.
It has been really wonderful the team
hitting Portland has flone this last month.
Mitchell, McLean and McCredie are all
well above the .300 mark, and sousing the
leather clean. Jud Smith and Jimmy Mc
Hale follow closely, and there is not a
weak hitter In the whole outfit. Where
Portland has won games Is in the pinch
hitting she has done. Most of the men
are ripe old-timers in the game, and their
knees do not take a liking for each other
when they come to bat at a critical mo
ment. A team which can meet the ball
when needed will get away with a close
match every time.
After this next week with Seattle the
Giants Journey to the southland for two
sessions with San Francisco , and Los An
geles, respectively. Then It is home again
and Oakland .and Fresno till September.
UMPIRE HAS HIS TROUBLES. .
Indicator Handler Often Forced to
Flee for His Life From Fans.
St. Louis Globe-Democrat.
. Umpiring a baseball game is a different
matter from refereelng a football match.
Either official Is usually an ex-player, but
while the decisions of the collegians are
received) by the spectators and partici
pants with gentle submission and seldom
any remonstrance, those of a professional
umpire often cause a riot. Indeed, the
vocation embraces - more momentary
power, but less appreciation, than any
other.
As for glory, one must only see an um
pire sneak out the back gate with his
shoulders humped up and his hat pulled
down under the pursuit of Jeers and mis
Instruction for
save the patient's life. Never give up a
patient whose body Is warm or shows
signs of returning warmth. A story is
told of an instance that happened where
a policeman refused to let some rescuers
move a man taken from the water into a
house where there -was a hot bath ob
tainable. The man's body was yet warm,
but the policeman insisted that the man
siles to wonder why any man has the
endurance, humility, and courage to ac
cept the Inconsequential salary Jn ex
change for such physical and mental
hardship.
On the field he is regarded as a neces
sary evil, and such is the Intense spirit
associated with the National game that
if the home team appears to have bren
unfairly treated spectators develop a
wrath akin to madness.
Temper Hard to Control.
. The players, on the other hand, have
hardly any more control of their feelings
and It being impossible to vent one's
anger on a neighbor, the whole deluge of
profanity and violence breaks upon the
poor man who has unhappily undertaken
to please, by rule and regulation, every
body. ' Understand, among the players the um
pire Is a Czar. His authority Is estab
lished and backed up by the league. When
a player, therefore, comes up with threat
ening fists or ominous bat, or with a
saucy tongue, he pays for the luxury of
his outburst by fine or a couple of weeks'
suspension.
Sometimes he may forget himself so
far as to strike the umpire, and then
there is a pretty fracas. If, like Tim
Hurst, the official is a "scrapper" himself
and "afraid of no ball player that ever
lived," a mlxup follows, with all the
I worst of It for the player.
It Is another proposition when 5000 "root
ers," Invading the field with bats, pistols,
and open knives, and with cries of
"Lynch him!" "Kill him!" seem in a
good way to carry out their threats. This
is what happened to Hurst, who confesses
that when the crowd got after him In
St. Louis several years ago he learned for
the first time what it was to be scared.
"When I made the decision dn the sixth
inning," he says, "I saw that the mob
was so hot that If they ever broke the
police could not hold 'em; so I made up
my mind to keep in a sprinting position,
with my eye on the clubhouse door.
Pursued by a Mad Mob.
"It came to the ninth Inning, with the
home team in need of two runs to win.
Some feller came to bat and drove a ter
rific grounder that struck: about two
inches outside of third base. It was foul
as foul could be, but I knew the crowd
would never stand for It. I yelled 'foul,'
and waited a second. Then the bleachers
and grandstand let out a yell and began
coming for me. Talk about Ban Juan
hill!
"Some of the players tried to save me,
but they were swept away. I took mine as
fast as I could for the clubhouse, 'with
20.000 of them yelling 'Lynch him!" I had
got within ten feet of the door and was
saying to myself if I . got inside I could
IT
was dead and would not let him be
moved until the coroner came. A hot
bath has been known to bring persons to
when all other means failed, and every
sign pointed to death.
. Specific Help.
While it ia important to warm the body
and clear the throat. It is Just as impor
tant to produce artificial respiration when
the breathing has stopped. Normally we
breathe about 16 times a minute. So In
producing artificial respiration don't be
In a hurry. Dr. Bristow advised, the
boys. Forcing the breath in and out of
the lunSs 10 to 13 times a minute is about
the right number of times, . and does not
hurry the workers. There are four meth
ods of producing the artificial respiration
that Dr. Bristow advises. The first ia
by raising and lowering the arms not
Just pumping the arms up and down, but
by raising the arms so that they raise
the chest. The second method Is to put
the patient on his back and, straddling
him, raise and lower his chest system
atically. . This' takes a great deal of
strength, but Is perhaps the best method.
The third method Is . to vigorously mas
sage the heart. The fourth is to pull the
tongue in and out regularly. The main
thing to remember is not to give up at
once and to be regular in the movements.
Dr. Bristow, like Mr. Meyers, had the
boys practice on each other.
There will be other talks on the sub
ject, but as Dr. Bristow hopes to leave
soon for his vacation other physicians
have volunteered. This lesson is of un
usual interest just at this season of the
year, and all boys that can should take
advantage of them. It is through Mr.
Meyers that they were gotten up. Who
can say in the years to come that count
less persons may not owe their lives to
the classes he is organizing and directing
today, not only in swimming, but in
learning to save the drowning and those
in whom life is apparently extinct.
defend myself with a bat, when a big
negro, black as your hat, suddenly
crawled from under the stand and came
at me.
"The knife he carried looked about three
feet long. He meant business. You could
see it in his eye. I thought it was all up
with me, for I was too fagged to put up
a fight, when a couple of players rushed
out and grabbed him.
"I hurried to the street. Jumped into a
cab, and never looked around until I got
across the Fads bridge."
While this real danger menaces an um
pire, especially in the South, where often
times a gun is part of the official ac
couterment, there are other amenities in
cident to the ballfteld more distasteful to
the umpire. For example, in one week
last season an umpire was spat upon by
an Indignant player, and again the world
famous Napoleon Lajole impulsively pre
sented Umpire Dwyer with a large piece
of chewing tobacco, a little worse for
wear.
KING'S CUP IN NEW YORK.
Magnificent Trophy Received by
Tacht Club First Race Planned.
NEW YORK, July XL The King's cup.
the blue ribbon of the year's yachting
trophies, presented by King Edward VII
to the New York Yacht Club, to be raced
for annually by American yachts, open
to the enrolled fleets of all American
clubs, arrived at the New York Yacht
Club yesterday from England. The cup,
which Is of solid gold and valued at over
a thousand guineas, is the handsomest
trophy that has ever been offered for in
ternational competition. It Is finely chased
with symbolic figures, emblazoned with a
shield bearing its inscription and purpose.
It stands fully 40 inches high, exclusive of
Its base, and measures about 20 Inches in
diameter.
The cup was received on behalf of the
club by Secretary Cormack. Its owner
ship will be determined in a . race off
Newport On August 8, In conjunction with
the New York Yacht Club cruise.
- There promises to be an entry of fully 25
yachts in the race. The largest of these
will be the old cup-defender Vigilant, now
converted into a yawl and owned by Wil
liam E. Iseiin.
Fltzslmmons Is After Berger.
NEW YORK, July 21. (Special.)
Bob Fltzslmmons Is anxious to cry
conclusions in the roped arena with
Sam. Berger, who made such an ex
cellent showing in his battle with
Jack O'Brien several days ago. Fitz
simmons is ready to meet Berger at
any time in a finish or limited round
battle.
I m i nn n il