Gee tek 2 SOL: SR igs PORE BAD ok REN sls? ig) tt at ie THE WESTERN CANADIAN LUMBER WORKER Prisoner's Escape Method Could Save Your Life Last December, an inmate from Alcatraz stumbled ‘ashore on San Francisco’s beach. He was recaptured, but he still accomplished what no other prisoner ever had. He made the exhausting three-mile swim across San Francisco Bay to the Golden Gate Bridge. How did he do it when others “rg His answer: He chest, buttocks and feet lower | removed. If you are forced eee made _2 lite preserver from | than the inflated area. Of the | to take clothing off, do it _ his shirt. He tied knots in the two methods the shirt infla~- while treading water with ___ ends of the sleeves, buttoned tion is probably more useful. your head submerged as in a There is a danger of losing jellyfish or dead man’s float. the air in the upper garment It is extremely difficult to up the front, laid the inside back of the shirt across his while inflating trousers. take off trousers while keep- ing your head out of the chest and buttoned the collar around his neck. Then by holding the shirt out and flap- water. A shirt makes an effective life saver as demonstrated by ping it, he trapped air inside. He kept the shirt tail under the Alcatraz escapee. But trousers, being larger, make i ae eRe annie tLe Sh okagseeeeenets fi water so air couldn't escape and he had a buoyant cushion on which to float. mle ee This man knew what every- one should know: that you can inflate clothing in a var- iety of ways to save yourself in an emergency situation. Suppose you are thrown or fall fully clothed into deep water and you can’t get out immediately, or you must swim a large expanse of water. If you know how to use your clothing, either on or off, to help you stay afloat, you have a better chance of surviving. More than 80 per cent of all drowning victims are fully dressed at the time of the accident. Many panic, believ- ing that their clothing is sure to drag them down. Others, able to float, flounder help- lessly trying to remove cloth- ing. It obviously takes more effort to swim while dressed, especially if a person is wear- ing cold weather garb, such as underwear, wool shirt, sweater and jacket. “Remov- ing these items, even for an expert swimmer, is difficult and exhausting,” says Robert W. Buckley, swimming coach at the University of Washing- ton. “There’s the danger of becoming entangled in the clothes.” He recommends that a per- son caught in this predica- ment keep clothing on and in- flate it to help stay up. The secret is to force air into the cavities of wet clothing. The air pocket which forms will remain as long as it is confin- ed underwater; since water is heavier, it prevents the air’s escape. Here’s how to inflate a shirt or jacket you are wear- ing, according to Buckley. Hold the lower front of the garment out and away from the belt. Cup the free hand and drive it down into the water. This motion forces air under the surface, creating an air bubble that then escapes up out of the water under the front of the jacket. If you assume a semi-verti- cal position, belly slightly downward, back arched and ~ face out of the water, the air TO MAKE a life preserver by inflating a shirt, first re- move it and tie knots near cuffs of sleeves. Shirt must be wet to hold air. ee oe gq - . \ ae : ~~ cGy ae ¥% \ hp z py. i é oe ms say WITH INSIDE of shirt’s back over your chest, button shirt around your neck. If tread- ing water, lie on back to keep body mostly submerged. EXTEND SHIRT TAIL out, keeping it just below surface. Using free hand, splash water to send air bubbles up under shirt, inflating it. You can also splash air into high rubber boots either while they are off or you are wearing them. Be sure to keep the top opening below the surface, once the air is trapped. Another method of inflat- ing the shirt while wearing it in water is to button all but- tons except the second one from the top. Pull the shirt out of the trousers; submerge as in a jellyfish float and ex- hale into the opening of the . shirt. If you know you are going overboard, you can pull the shirt out away from the trousers as you jump. The downward pee will force air under shirt and trap ei you hold Ae shirt sel a Ci 1, how : If the shirt an even better device. The procedure is much the same as for the shirt. Tie knots in the legs near the cuffs. Fasten the fly or side zipper on slacks. If you are already in water, tread water and swing the pants behind your head; then quickly whip them waist downward over the head and again into the water. If youw’re jumping in water hold the trousers overhead, waist pointed down. As soon as you hit water pul! the waist below the surface to retain the air. It’s suprising how readily these motions will catch air in the trousers, blowing them up like a balloon. You can then support arms over the V. One important point to re- member in using all these flotation devices: Keep as much of your body under water as possible. Every time you lift a portion of yourself out of the water, you decrease the effect of body bucyaney and tend to sink. You also put more weight on your “life preserver,” forcing out air, so you must replenish the air supply more often. Assuming a relaxed float- ing position (vertical or semi- vertical for the average per- son) is best in most cases. Then, by small under water strokes, such as the dog pad- dle, you can move forward. Trving to do an American crawl in which you: bring arms out of the water is folly, especially if you are wearing heavy, dripping clothing. If your make-shift life pre- server is large, however, you may be able to rest your chin, back of the neck or arms on it without fear of sinking while you kick and paddle your way to safety. Kicking is good especially for an inexper- ienced swimmer. Such a per-’ son may lack the skill to kick effectively while on his stom- ach. But by lying on his back and holding the flotation de- vice on his chest, he can kick, propelling himself fairly rap- idly without expending much energy. To Curb Accidents More “Talkie Tooter’ Control Wanted by Region 3 Loggers Greater control of the “talkie tooter” radio device was urged by an IWA dele- gation led by Region 3 Pres- ident, Harvey Nelson at a public hearing of the State Industrial Accident Commis- sion April 2, in Salem, Ore- gon, The IWA members made it clear that they were not against the use of the talkie tooters in the woods provided proper restrictions were used to prevent the device from be- coming an accident hazard. Chief recommendations of the IWA witnesses were: 1. That a signalman be designated with the sole re- sponsibility of giving signals. for the logging crew. 2. That the state require more adequate testing of the signal device at the job site, to make sure it is functioning properly in the area. In some logging operations, head riggers, choker setters and other crew members op- erate the talkie tooter in ad- dition to their regular jobs. Some witnesses testified there Local 3-4, Seaside, who were seriously injured in logging operations where the talkie tooter was used. Injured men testified they lost the ‘bug” or key of the radio device, when they were injured and no one was avail- able to signal to stop the rig- ging. Spokesmen for several em- ployers’ testified that the. radio: device “works well” and stressed economy in its use. One employer from the Seaside area declared the de- vice was safe, but his claim was refuted by one of his former employees who had lost a leg in an accident which resulted from use of the radio signal. If the accident commission decides that changes should be made in the safety code, a committee will be appointed to draft a revision of the sec- tion dealing with the radio device. This would be pre- sented at another public hearing. Your Car, A In an emergency your car can become a survival kit, re- ports an article in Home and Highway, magazine of All- state Insurance Company. The average American car has numerous devices that with a little imagination can be converted into lifesavers in case of floods, high winds, snowstorms. A few listed in the article are: @ Warmth - giving tires that will burn for hours. @ Sun visors and hubcaps that pinchhit for shovels. @ Seats, slipcovers and Survival Kit @ Mirrors, chrome and headlights which, properly used, can alert search planes as far off as 30 to 50 miles. @ Crankecase oil and grease that will salve the face against searing summer heat or protect against frostbite and windburn. The article tells of one family who, caught in a rag- ing hurricane, chained their car to a telephone pole and closed the windows tight. Trees toppled around them;