HOW DROWNING ACCIDENTS HAPPEN.
[To THE EDITOR Or THE " SPECTATOR.") SIR,—"Scepticus' " letter in your last issue gives one of the many simple methods by which one, even if a strong swimmer, may lose his life in the water. My experience will give you another instance of one's utter helplessness through the most common and simple circumstance, and which may account for many fatalities otherwise unaccountable. On the Thames above Molesey Backwater weir I was taking a canoe round the danger post, and as the river was in flood the friend I had with me in the canoe got flurried and, seizing a paddle to assist, only managed to upset us. We could both swim well, and as we had not far to go reached the bank safely; there I caught hold of the gunwale of a boat, the owner of which politely proceeded to assist me out of the deep water, but was surprised to find be could not move me, and it was only after further assistance arrived that I was hauled out. I was interested to find that the cause of the dead weight was simply that my socks were tucked over the underpants I was wearing, and these, becoming filled with water, made it impossible for me to move my legs. It did not seem to matter when I was swimming horizontally, but once on the perpen- dicular in the water I was powerless to move. I should be glad if some of your readers would experiment and confirm my statement, as danger from such a simple cause should be more widely known. I should recommend any experimenter, however, to have a rope attached, and a friend at the other end
of it if he is in deep water.—I am, Sir, &c., E. I. A.
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