_For Beginners._ The non-swimmers' pool should be enclosed on three
sides by life lines, (1" to 1-1/2" manila rope, depending on weather
conditions), buoyed up every fifteen feet by cork floats or balsa wood
buoys, painted white and made fast at the corners to piles driven into
the sand, or to buoys moored with rocks or cement moorings. No beginners
should be allowed to go beyond these lines.
_For Swimmers._ The area to be used by Swimmers should then be plainly
marked off with white floats moored to the bottom, with a flag placed at
top. No swimmer, no matter how expert, should be allowed to go beyond
these floats, unless permission is obtained from the Master of Aquatics.
Great care should be taken that all diving platforms and spring boards
are safely situated and that the water surrounding these diving
arrangements is clear of all rocks, stumpage, etc., to the depth of at
least 10 feet. Ladders should be placed at the float to allow swimmers
to climb from the water easily.
[Illustration: LAYING THE FIRE]
_Tower._ A small tower, eight to twelve feet high, should be erected on
the shore so as to overlook the bathing place. A warning signal, such as
a bell or gong, should be placed in the tower.
_Life Boats._ Two or more boats, depending on the size of the camp,
should be set aside for life-saving patrol. These should be equipped
with life lines looped around the outside of the gunwhale, ring
rowlocks, and an air tank placed under the bow and stern seats. A hole
should be cut in the top of the stern board for sculling.
Life boats should be chosen that are light and easy to handle, and care
should be used in picking boats that are sea-worthy and have good beam.
One life boat should always be at the dock, ready for instant use, while
the other boat or boats are on patrol.
Under no circumstances should these boats be used for anything but
life-saving duty.
_Ring Buoys._ Ring buoys should be placed on every dock. These should
not be over nineteen inches in diameter, and should be equipped with
sixty feet of 1/4" line with a float or "lemon" on end. Ring buoys are
valueless unless ready at all times for use, so should be mounted on a
rack the shape of a cross, painted red, having a peg, 5" long, on the
end of each arm, for the rope to be loosely coiled around. The top loop
of the buoy hangs on the top peg. By this arrangement, the buoy is
always ready for use.
Water glasses, first aid equipment, grappling irons, and extra boat
equipment, such as oars, rowlocks, and boat hooks, should be kept on
hand ready for instant use.
_Row Boats and Canoes._ All row boats should be placed in first class
condition and tested out to find their safety capacity. The way to
determine this is to fill the boat full of water and find out how many
it will support in the water holding on to sides; this then is the safe
number to carry in the boat when free from water. If boats are equipped
with a small air-tight compartment of metal in bow and stern, it will
increase their buoyancy to a great extent. Every boat should be plainly
marked: THE CAPACITY OF THIS BOAT IS..., with white paint on both sides.