accomplishment and often may
be of very valuable service, but as an achievement in competition or for
exhibition purpose it is not to be encouraged because of the danger of
prolonged immersion, and the fact that many competitors do not know when
to desist.

Under-water swimming should be practised by experts only, but care must
be taken not to prolong the immersion in order to reach a definite point
or to accomplish a certain distance before rising to the surface. It
often happens that swimmers, in order to achieve a certain distance,
remain under water after pains in the back of the neck give warning of
oncoming unconsciousness, in which case they may lapse into a state of
insensibility, and there is grave danger of drowning.

When these contests take place in baths, it is not a pleasant sight to
watch a swimmer struggling on, against odds, in the hope of beating a
rival for the coveted prize. The action of the arms and legs become
slower and slower, until at last, from sheer exhaustion, the body rises
toward the surface for a short distance and then sinks to the bottom
motionless.

One of the advantages of being able to swim under water is the ability
it imparts to the swimmer to reach the body of a drowning person, or to
bring the body of a drowned person to the surface.

In swimming under water, the ordinary breast stroke is the one used. To
swim downward, the head is prest down toward the breast, and when
wishing to rise the head is deflected backward.

If swimming under water for a long distance, the body should be kept
near the surface, for the reason that the pressure is greater in the
corresponding depth. Care should be taken to fill the lungs before
starting, and as soon as the first symptoms of asphyxiation are
noticeable, the swimmer should rise to the surface.

Among the notable feats accomplished under water may be mentioned that
of James Finney, in England, in 1882, who accomplished a distance of 340
feet. William Reilly, of Salford, an amateur, swam 312 feet under
water.

The time limit for under-water swimming is about a minute and a half. At
the Crystal Palace, London, England, in 1892, in a diver's tank 15 feet
deep, Prof. F.E. Dalton picked up 74 plates in a single immersion.

MONTE CRISTO SACK TRICK

This is one of the most sensational performances of the professional
swimmer. From a spectacular point of view it is very effective. To do
this trick one must be an adept at under-water swi