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or with poles, push into the snow every foot or so, progressing forward 

 as they do so. If a human body is touched, the elasticity will be noted ; 

 also, the poles pushed down around the body will sink deeper, for the 

 entombed usually do not lie on the ground, but are imbedded in the 

 snow. Accounts are given of men who have been imbedded for four- 

 teen, nineteen, and twenty-four hours, and one case, in which a woman 

 was found living after one hundred hours, is almost incredible. 



The work of rescue should, therefore, never be speedily abandoned. 



Death usually occurs either through bodily injuries or through suffo- 

 cation, mostly the latter. The more or less rapid effect of suffocation 

 depends on the density of the snow and the position into which, the body 

 comes to lie. Naturally, if the head lies downward, and is packed into 

 compact snow, death must occur sooner than when the body gets into 

 an erect position with less snow pressing upon head and breast. 



If the face comes near a hollow space in the snow, and breathing is 

 facilitated, the entombed can live in spite of the cold for a long time, 

 and can be saved or even save himself; for the heat of the body thaws 

 the snow gradually, around breast and abdomen first, around legs 

 and arms more slowly, because these parts are more distant from the 

 source of warmth. 



From this some rules for the conduct of those who can not escape 

 the slide may be inferred, namely, that they should try to preserve an 

 erect position in the fall, and to keep the arms near the body, so that 

 the arms may sooner be released by thawing and become useful in the 

 rescue. 



When the slide comes to rest the entombed at first feels a pressure ; 

 tliis is soon relieved, after a few seconds, by the partial freezing of the 

 snow-masses and a consequent contraction. 



The entombed hear and understand any noise or voice above them, 

 but their own voice can not be heard above ; this probably because the 

 sound weaves can not suflSciently develop in strength in the surrounding 

 snow. 



The treatment of the rescued depends of course on the circumstances 

 of the case. Eesuscitation is often possible, even if the rescued is ap- 

 parently dead. In all cases the first duty of the rescuers, when they 

 discover the body in the snow, is to provide means for breathing by 

 opening up a channel to the mouth. If the rescued is apparently dead 

 respiration must first be restored. This is done by placing the body on 

 the belly, supporting the front of the head lightly, pressing evenly and 

 slowly with flat hands upon the sides of the breast, rolling the body 

 over on the side and a little further and back on its belly, repeating the 

 pressure on the sides ; this movement should be repeated sixteen to 

 twenty times per minute. 



Another mode is to place the body in sitting posture, suj)porting the 

 head, grasping from behind the two forearms in the middle and moving 

 them forward and upward, until they touch both sides of thehead^ then 



