Pepperdine University Libraries Malibu Historical Photograph Collection [digital resource], Pepperdine University Special Collections and University Archives
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Page from the Santa Monica based newspaper the Sunday Morning Outlook featuring articles such as "College Students Hold Jobs as Life Guards During the Summer Months," "How Bathers are Protected if The Are Not 'Seawise' in the Bay District," "Wheat Bearing Fish Found in Nebraska," Motorboats in Regatta," and vaiorus advertisements. Photograph of lifeguards includes handwritten caption: "LA Life Guards 1929 W. W. Madge Director." Item found tucked in the back of Malibu Times Scrapbook (https://pepperdine.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/p15730coll8/id/1227). SUNDAY, JUNE 2,1929
SUNDAY MORNING OUTLOOK, SANTA MONICA, CALIF.
SECTION SIX
pag;
College Studentp Hold Jobs As Life-Guards During the Summer Monti
How Bathers Are Protected if They
Are Not "Seawise" in the Bay District
Though Waters Are Not Treacherous, Thousands Who Come Here Daily
Are Watched by Guards
By EMERSON GAZE
Now that warm vacation days have arrived we are able
to interview some twenty swimming stars, recently attending
college, who will earn their tuition by acting in the capacity
of Los Angeles municipal life guards. With headquarters on
the beach at Venice, these particular fellows are busily engaged throughout the summers protecting lives and property at Santa Monica, Ocean Park and Venice—from Palisades Del Rey to Santa Monica Canyon. From them, telling
heroic tales of each other, not of themselves, and from city
officials, we obtain the following story:
Every year thousands swarm to
this Bay District, where, with the
use of modern signalling systems,
equipment, speed and ability, each
guard manages to average one person saved per day throughout the
months of July, August and September. That means a good many
thrills for the onlookers.
First a siren is heard, shrieking
its warning to the fellows on duty
at various points along the beach.
Then, if you're anywhere near the
right spot, you'll see a phantom-like
form catapult itself from the sand
and become lost for the moment in
a seething, roaring turf. Spee-e-ed
is an outstanding characteristic of
a lifeguard's dive when he is bent
on actual rescue work. Several feet
beyond the spot where this human
catapult entered, the water will
break as." an arm, head, and shoulders come up. With a powerful stroke
guard number one is on his way to
assist someone in distress, while
from the guard station, a speeding
truck, fitted out like a traveling
hospital, brings its load of "shock
troops." In this particular case the
arrival of the assistant guards is
simultaneous with number one's arriving at the side of the drowning
person. In addition to a strong riptide, the latter is struggling against
an attack of cramps, and, having
become terrified at the thought of
drowning, is ready to make a grab
in the direction of the guard. But,
experienced along this line, the latter manoeuvers for position and
then grasps the drowning person
-from behind.
MET BY GUARD
After swimming towards the beach
a dozen strokes, number one is met
by another guard who hands him.
a life-line. The rest of the crew,
holding the other end of the line,
feel a "strike" and, hand over hand,
they pull victim and rescuer
through a heavily running tide to
safety. Perhaps the former is unconscious at this time. If so, a
blanket is spread over the sand
upon which the patient is laid. His
arms are extended above his head
and his face turned sidewise. An efficient guard kneels astride the person and applies artificial respiration. If essential, an inhalator is
used. When consciousness returns,
the person's legs and arms are rubbed and he is then wrapped in
warm, blankets. After a period of
rest he is allowed to return home,
a report is turned into authorities,
and the story appears in a local
, paper next day. That's all there is
to it, but it's enough, so that you
won't hurriedly forget the thrill you
felt during the few minutes the rescue work lasted.
REPEAT WORK
Rescues of this particular type are
repeated daily. However, before the
season is over you'll see others that
break records for speed' and efficiency; you'll see serious rescues,
and sometimes, even funny ones;
but they'll all be thrilling.
For example, take one early spring
day when a heavy rip-tide kept the
guards on their toes and cold, heavy
seas called for every ounce of their
strength and endurance. Walter
W. Madge (Madge was recently promoted, his place being taken by C.
P. L. Nichols), supervisor of aquatics
for Los Angeles playgrounds com-
sion, and in charge of the Venice
precinct, was directing a guard exercise when the emergency telephone in the station office rang.
Up the single flight of stairs he
bounded, returning a moment later
with the command for a crew. The
first four guards to answer jumped
into an automobile, raced three
miles down the beach, while traffic
halted to let the charging, siren-
shrieking monster by. Four-wheel
brakes brought the car to a halt and
a guard armed with a "can" dived
into the briny deep. Fourteen seconds later another splashed into the
sea with a line, and seven minutes
from the time the telephone rang,
the near-victim of a heavy rip-tide
was brought ashore.
Municipal guard Francis "Babe"
Dillon, rated as one of the best diving champs on the Pacific coast, is
a record-breaker. With two others
he saved the lives of 18 persons in a
single day! There wasn't any chance
for rest between acts, either. This
steady stream of rescues lasted from
morning until late in the atternoon
and provided thrills for hundreds
upon the beach. Another time, Dillon, on duty alone, was forced to
spend half an hour fighting a riptide before being able to bring a
drowning person ashore.
A BIT OF HUMOR
Mixed in with the serious side
of this business there comes now
and then a bit of humor. It was
6:30 in the morning and Bob Foster,
municipal lifeguard, lay sleeping in
the guard tent on the sand. Perhaps
he was dreaming of the time he
rowed a 500 pound dory to Catalina
Island from the mainland, winning
first place in his division of a recent
contest. Or perhaps he was dreaming of a trophy case, fast becoming
filled with silver loving cups,
medals, and other awards, such as
are usually given to winners of distant swimming meets. At any rate
his thoughts dwelt on something
peaceful and interesting when some?
one dashed rudely into the tent,
telling him of hearing blood-curdling shrieks and screams off the
end of the pier. Evidently someone
was drowning. Foster climbed out
of bed and, grabbing a pair of oars,
made a dash for a nearby dory. He
shoved it into the water and rowed.
A few minutes later Foster heard
shrieks, too. They seemed to come
from out in the ocean beyond the
pier. The cries were shrill and
piercing. Maybe a woman!
The lifeguard rowed his boat
around the end of the pier; the
screams continuing intermittently,
as if the person were almost ready
to give up the fight and go under
into the cool depths of the ocean.
When Foster's boat rounded the
point of the short breakwater he
saw the source of all the cries,
was a small, pink pig, standing on
one of the rocks at the ocean's edge.
Whenever a wave sprayed it with
water the pig would emit the hfc-
Wheat-Bearing Fish
Found in Nebraska
PICKRELL, Neb. (UP)—Nature's
latest prank has been to develop a
goldfish with several sprouts of
wheat growing from its head.
When John Gronewald, near
here, dipped a net into his cattle-
tank in which he keeps a supply of
goldfish, he noticed the freak. Roots
to the extent of one and two inches
long protruded from the throat and
gills of the fish while the stalk and
blades were growing out a short
distance below the eye.
I Upper left, Los Angeles municipal life guards at Venice.
Center, model builders. Bill Butt with "The Spirit of
Venice/* and Bob Fester with a model dory.
Right, ik;ing a swimmer?
Other pictures explain themselves. The girl diver is
"Babe" Dillon.
While the various demonstrations
are being made he photographs,
with a high-speed camera, as much
action as possible. The developed
films make fine studies and assist
in building the "super-guard" by
showing up any faults in order that
they may be corrected. It is Mr.
Madge's interest in photography
that has made possible the excellent
illustrations with this article.
Careful, supervised training carried on by these athlete-guards during their college year not only helps
them win swimming meets, but also
stands them in good stead during
the summer months. In return,
the active, out-of-door work helps
the swimmer when he returns to
his alma mater in the Fall. At the
beach calisthenics, water polo, diving, swimming rowing, etcetera, are
all part of the regular scheduled.
Splendid cooperative spirit among
the municipal guards is much the,
same as is found on the gridiron
among members of a football team.
They're "all for one and one for
all."
Motorboats
In Regatta
WORCESTER, Mass. (UP)—Ap*.
proximately 200 racing craft are expected to compete on Lake Quinsi-
gamond here next Wednesday and
Thursday in the second annual New
England Outboard motorboat championship regatta, 6ne of the outstanding events of its kind in the
east.
The entry list reflects a growing
interest in this branch of the sport,
since last year only about 100 craft
participated,
This weeks racing will be distinguished by: the fact that, for the
first time, the members of the Mississippi Valley Power Boat association and the American Power Boat
association will compete under uniform rules.
Fred Bowditch, Jr., secretary of
the New England Outboard Motor-
boat association, predicted today
that several new national records
would be established during Wednesday's and Thursday's competition. He believed speeds ranging
as high as 45 to 50 miles an hour
would be achieved. Two of the;
present national records were established at last year's regatta.
Among those scheduled to race
over the standard two-and-a-half-
mile Lake Quinsigamond course
are Helen Henschell of New York,
J. E. Wilkinson.of Fall River and
H. Ross Maddocks Of Boston.
Races will betfii five classes, A.
B, C, and' i> eiSbes land the free-
for-all.
the
man-like wails the guard had heard,
Foster returned it to its sty in oie It's
of the amusement booths on
pier.
Other animals insist on their
share of guard attention also. During one of his feature acts a diving
horse decided on a trip to China
instead of taking the usual route
from the water to the beach. Twelve
municipal, plunge and a special
Santa Monica crew of guards were
necessary to pull the 1400 pounds
of struggling horse-flesh a distance
of approximately 300 yards to shore.
LOTS OF PLUCK
Tojthe newcomer, a never-failing
" is the pluck displayed by
when an emergency calls
a distant swim through rip-
* under a pier where rough
waterfcnd barnacled piling multiply
dangefeand increase the difficulty
ofarftcue. In this case fear of the
drowrftg; person's cutting a wrist
arterylgenerally speeds up rescue
mehtoftto the zenith power.
Them's no mystery about what
has h|»,ened when a guard, who
has fen in constant possession of
his facilities, emerges from beneath
a pier, hauling a person, the latter
unbruised and the former with legs
and shoulders cut, and suit torn.
a case of loyalty; the
wondi
guard
meanr
tides 1
guard having made a personal sacrifice, using his own body as a rebuff
against the piling in order that the
other may come out unscathed.
Station Elaborate
A Spanish style building, the life
guard station on the beach is perhaps the largest and certainly the
best equipped, most modern municipal edifice of its kind in the world.
The tower is a three story affair
and comprises, on the first floor, a
two-dory garage with a work bench,
and storeroom space where floats,
(cans) and preservers ("doughnuts") are kept. The second story
contains a large room with windows
opening upon three sides, through
which you can see a great deal of
the immediate beach. Showers and
lockers are also situated on this
floor. A ladder leads to the upper
part of the tower where five different opening command a view of
the entire beach, north, south, and
west. Here a guard is kept on constant vigilance throughout the sum- j twelve minutes,
mer, watching the surf with a pair j 11. Ride breaker to beach\ bow-
of powerful field glasses. j man seated, stern man standing.
If you swim past life-lines or stay j 12. Row % mile, two men, in
in unusually rough water, the j twelve minutes.
glasses are at once trained upon Director Madge has more than
you. Those who remain in protected' one way of instructing guard work,
section are not only watched but
warned when unusual water conditions exist. Innumerable .mailer
stations, life-lines, and signal systems are installed along the beach
frontage. A siren has recently been
mounted at the main station and
sirens are also placed on all plunges.
A really good guard must be a
fine type of a swimmer, stron, pluky,
alert. To get a position, cit y guards
must have had one year of college
education and must pass a Civil
Service examination. This includes
written, oral, and practical tests.
Some of the requirements of the
latter are:
1. Swim 150 yards out and return
in seven minutes.
2. Swim 150 yards out towing a
"can" and return in eight minutes.
3. Run 200 yards, swim 150 yards,
and return to beach in eight; minutes.
4. From street clother get into
suit, run fifty yards and swim 150
yards in nine minutes.
5. Swim fifty yards through
rough water; bring in dummy.
6. Swim 100 yards; bring in dummy on "can."
7. Jump off pier; bring in dummy.
8. Swim from pier to pier (distance approximately 7-8 mile) in
twenty-five minutes.
9. Take life dory through surf
150 yards and return, one man,
standing and seated, in three minutes.
10. From street clothes, get in
bathing suits, launch boat,
150 yards and return, two^nen, in
A banana tre* bears two
yearly.
crops
Congratulations
—TO—
Col. Ira C. Copley
and Robt. P. Holliday
Your new building \rchitecturally an<i structurally a credit to Santa Monica and to the
newspaper business aV press generally. It affords us pleasure to extend our felicitations on the occasion o\he dedication of this beautiful building in which we have played
a part witn bteel 1 oilet Vtitions and Steel Medicine Cabinets, manufactured here in the
Bay District. V
ALBATROSS STEi^ EQUIPMENT COMPANY
LOS AllgeleS Manufacturers of Bathro^abinetS) R9frigerator Cabinets, Toilet Partitions Sawtelle
Smith-Robinson
Shoes Pi
Smart Shoes Quality Shoes
From Nationally Advertised Shoe Manufacturers
for Men, Women and Children.
Bay District Agency.
dRCHPRBERVEH
CONGRATULATIONS
Santa Monica Evening Outlook
Your Paper Is an Asset to the Community .
Smith-Robinson
Smart Shoes
1347 Third Street
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