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Show Life-Saving, Swim Course To Start Coming Monday In connection with the water-safety water-safety campaign to be held here June -S to July 3, announcement is made by J. C. Smith, chapter chairman chair-man that the American Hod Cross and cooperating organizations have reduced by one-half the number of deaths by drowning since the Red Cross began giving swimming and life-saving instruction 23 years ago. From 14,000 annually, the life loss by drowning has been cut to 7,000, even though swimming has increased ten fold during the same period, Red Cross leaders say. In courses of instruction, such as will be given at Milford, the advanced ad-vanced swimmer will be taught how to effect rescues. The training train-ing includes the proper approach to avoid being caught and also the most effective release methods in the event the terror-stricken drowning person does grab the rescuer. res-cuer. The trainee in life-saving technique tech-nique learns how to submerge with the subject, breaking under water whatever hold the other person has obtained. The instruction also includes methods of towing by the hair, the head, or the cross-chest carry the person to shallow water from which point the shore may be gained. gain-ed. Resuscitation also is emphasized empha-sized in the training. Red Cross records are full of instances in-stances where girls and women have effected rescues because of their training in life-saving methods. meth-ods. Amone the more recent rescues res-cues in the Pacific coast states was one by Rosmary Joy, a 15-year-old Salt Lake City girl, who plunged into the surf off the southern Cali fornia coast to save her 14-year-old cousin, a boy. Although heavier and taller than herself, she towed him 150 feet through rough water to the shore. She then applied artificial respiration and was rewarded re-warded by the complete restoration restora-tion of breathing. Patricia Jefferson Jeffer-son of Seattle, when 15, also rescued res-cued a 11-year-old Tacoma girl from Lake Meridian, near Kent, Washington. Red Cross observers declare that carelessness is the largest contributing contri-buting factor in the loss of 7,000 lives annually. The heaviest toll is among boys from 15 to 19 years of age, who are venturesome and who frequently disregard all safety regulations. |