[Written by Dr. Franklin to a Friend.]
“Choose a place where the water deepens gradually, walk coolly into it
till it is up to your breast, then turn round, your face to the shore,
and throw an egg into the water between you and the shore. It will sink
to the bottom, and be easily seen there, if your water is clear. It must
lie in water so deep as that you cannot reach it up but by diving for
it. To encourage yourself in order to do this, reflect that your
progress will be from deeper to shallower water, and that at any time
you may by bringing your legs under you and standing on the bottom,
raise your head far above the water. Then plunge under it with your eyes
open, throwing yourself towards the egg, and endeavouring by the actions
of your hands and feet against the water to get forward till within
reach of it. In the attempt you will find, that the water buoys you up
against your inclination; that it is not so easy a thing to sink as you
had imagined; that you cannot but by active force get down to the egg.
Thus you feel the power of the water to support you, and learn to
confide in that power; while your endeavours to overcome it, and reach
the egg, teach you the manner of acting on the water with your feet and
hands, which action is afterwards used in swimming to support your head
higher above water or to go forward through it. I would the more
earnestly press you to the trial of this method, because though I think
I satisfied you that your body is lighter than water, and that you might
float in it a long time with your mouth free for breathing, if you put
yourself in a proper posture and would be still and forbear struggling;
yet till you have obtained this experimental confidence in the water, I
cannot depend on your having the necessary presence of mind to recollect
that posture and the directions I gave you relating to it. The surprise
may put all out of your mind. For though we value ourselves on being
reasonable creatures, reason and knowledge seem on such occasions to be
of little use to us; and the brutes, to whom we allow scarce a
glimmering of either, appear to have the advantage of us. I will,
however, take this opportunity of repeating those particulars to you,
which I mentioned in our last conversation, as, by perusing them at your
leisure, you may possibly imprint them so in your memory as on occasions
to be of some use to you. 1st. That though the legs, being solid parts,
are specifically something heavier than fresh-water, yet the trunk,
particularly the upper part, from its hollowness, is so much lighter
than water, as that the whole of the body taken together is too light to
sink wholly under water, but some part will remain above, until the
lungs become filled with water, which happens from drawing water into
them instead of air, when a person in the fright attempts breathing
while the mouth and nostrils are under water. 2ndly. That the legs and
arms are specifically lighter than salt-water, and will be supported by
it, so that a human body would not sink in salt-water, though the lungs
were filled as above, but from the greater specific gravity of the head.
3rdly. That therefore a person throwing himself on his back in
salt-water, and extending his arms, may easily lie so as to keep his
mouth and nostrils free for breathing; and by a small motion of his
hands may prevent turning, if he should perceive any tendency to it.
4thly. That in fresh-water, if a man throws himself on his back near the
surface, he cannot long continue in that situation, but by proper action
of his hands on the water. If he uses no such action, the legs and lower
part of the body will gradually sink till he comes into an upright
position, in which he will continue suspended, the hollow of the breast
keeping the head uppermost. 5thly. But if, in this erect position, the
head is kept upright above the shoulders, as when we stand on the
ground, the immersion will, by the weight of that part of the head that
is out of water, reach above the mouth and nostrils, perhaps a little
above the eyes, so that a man cannot long remain suspended in water with
his head in that position. 6thly. The body continuing suspended as
before, and upright, if the head be leaned quite back, so that the face
looks upwards, all the back part of the head being then under water, and
its weight consequently in a great measure supported by it, the face
will remain above water quite free for breathing, will rise an inch
higher every inspiration, and sink as much every expiration, but never
so low as that the water may come over the mouth. 7thly. If therefore a
person unacquainted with swimming, and falling accidentally into the
water, could have presence of mind sufficient to avoid struggling and
plunging, and to let the body take this natural position, he might
continue long safe from drowning till perhaps help would come. For as to
the clothes, their additional weight while immersed is very
inconsiderable, the water supporting it, though when he comes out of the
water, he would find them very heavy indeed. But, as I said before, I
would not advise you or any one to depend on having the presence of mind
on such an occasion, but learn fairly to swim, as I wish all men were
taught to do in their youth; they would, on many occurrences, be the
safer for having that skill, and on many more the happier, as freer from
painful apprehensions of danger, to say nothing of the enjoyment in so
delightful and wholesome an exercise. Soldiers particularly should,
methinks, all be taught to swim; it might be of frequent service either
in surprising an enemy, or saving themselves. And if I had now boys to
educate, I should prefer those schools (other things being equal) where
an opportunity was afforded for acquiring so advantageous an art, which,
once learned, is never forgotten.”
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