90% of drowning deaths occur in shallow water...©

 

 

Drowning in shallow water, an excerpt from Life Safety & Water Safety, The American Red Cross, page 19.

Recently my daughter and I were talking, and she told me about how one of her friends, when she said that she enjoyed wading in the large creek near our house, had expressed shock and horror, saying “Don’t you know that 90% of drowning deaths occur in shallow water”?!

 

I was surprised because I hadn’t heard that statistic before.  So, I did what I always do, and did some research, and here is what I found out.

 

90% of drowning deaths DO occur in shallow water, but...

 

This statistic is a widely quoted, and mis-quoted, fact authored by the Red Cross.  The Red Cross states that “90% of kids who drown in shallow water are either not with an adult or being effectively supervised by an adult”.  Now, while 90% of drowning deaths DO occur in shallow water, the Red Cross is referring to children, between the ages of one and four, not adults. 

 

However, the Red Cross also notes that, “90% of drowning deaths occur within 30 feet (10 meters) of safety”, or shore.  So, in other words most deaths occur in shallow water.  This is a completely different and, in my mind, a much more interesting statistic.  So, let’s talk about survival, death and dying, drowning and what happens when you get wet in the wilderness.

 

From Wikimedia, HERE.

Death and dying in the wilderness can happen, but the odds of dying in the wilderness are really, really low.  The United States National Park Service states, that between 120 to 140 people die each year, out of the 280 million people or so every year who visit the parks.  Let’s face it, you probably aren’t going to die in the wilderness! 

 

But, if you were to die, the “Big Five” of wilderness deaths are drowning, vehicle accident, falling, heart attack and hypothermia, in roughly that order.  Of these, dying in a vehicle accident isn’t really a wilderness thing, since mostly they happen along a roadside, and if you define wilderness as “a location remote enough so that standard ground-based emergency medical services units could not extract the body” ¹, then roadside accidents, just don’t happen in the wilderness.  Of the remaining four causes of death in the wilderness, three are due to accidental or unintentional trauma, and the other one, heart attack, is a situation caused by a preexisting condition, which requires a doctor’s medical care, and is not an accident. 

 

This statistic is the reason why you should get a yearly physical and always check with your doctor before heading out in the wilder parts of the world, for more about getting into wilderness shape, read “Getting into Wilderness Shape, a Three-Month Program ©”, HERE. 

 

Drowning in shallow water, an excerpt from Life Safety & Water Safety, The American Red Cross, page 23.

Drowning

 

Of the three remaining ways of dying accidentally in the wilderness, drowning is by far the leading cause of death, with around 55% of all accidental deaths² being due to drowning.  Perhaps this is because, while 85% of Americans can swim, only 56% can swim well enough to rescue themselves should they end up in the water suddenly or be swept off their feet³. 

 

The Red Cross statistic that most drowning deaths happen within 30 feet, or 10 meters of shore and safety is echoed by the fact that nationally, between 25% to 30% of all drowning deaths occur in water that is less than three feet deep.  As Lt. Shawn Jones of the Richmond, Virginia  Fire Department noted about the James River and drowning in shallow water, “You think 2 feet, 3 feet should be enough for people to stand up in, but if you come to the river, you know that it's so uneven.  The rocks are uneven; there's dips and falls and everything.  You can walk out there and be up to your ankles in water, then you take two more steps, and you are down to your waist ... They have that false sense of security that I can walk out into the water and just go out there, even though I can't swim”⁴.

 

Bertoldino falling into the fish pond, from Wikimedia HERE.

Falling into water...

A study from 1980 to 1992, in Pima County, Arizona, titled “Wilderness Mortalities”, noted that of the 59 accidental deaths reported, 25%, or 15 of the deaths were due solely to drowning, however the authors also noted, that a further 31%, or 18 fatalities, were caused by falling into water, being swept downriver by flash floods, or being washed over waterfalls, all of which ended in drowning, complicated by blunt force trauma.  Additionally, deaths because of falls and the associated fatal blunt force trauma alone, totaled almost 29%, or an additional 17 deaths⁵.

 

So, while falls and their associated blunt force trauma at 29%, account for more deaths than drowning alone, at 25%, falls into water which ended in drowning, at 31%, are the leading cause of death.  And when those deaths by falling into water, are added to those of simple drownings, you have a total of 56%, or that 33 of the 59 accidental deaths, are in some way due to water.

 

But it isn’t just drowning or being swept over a waterfall and being dashed on the rocks below, in a survival situation being wet kills, fast!

 

An excerpt from A Pocket Guide to Cold Water Survival, by the Coast Guard, page 12.

Hypothermia, being wet kills, fast!

 

Hypothermia, or exposure, as it is sometime also known, is the last of the big five and it is a dangerous lowering of your body’s core temper to below 95^o F (35^o C).  Contrary to popular belief, the air temperature doesn’t have to be below freezing for hypothermia to occur.  In fact, it occurs most often during the summer months, when people are less likely to prepared for falling temperatures due to a sudden storm or approaching nightfall.  If the temperatures drop and you have no warm layers to put on, especially if you are wet from sweat, rain, mist, or from falling in the water, you are at a risk for hypothermia.  Summertime exposure to the cold and wet can turn into a deadly situation, quick!

 

Exact statistics for hypothermia, as well as cold related injuries, such as fatigue and exhaustion, and the exact number of hypothermia deaths in the United States are unknown.  However, a detailed study of all search and rescue incidents in Canada, from 1970 to 2005, found that hypothermia was the most common type of non‐traumatic injury and accounted for almost 50%, or 153 out of the 310 injuries⁷.

 

If you are wet or immersed in water, you will lose body heat much faster than if you are dry.  Remember to always dress and bring gear for the worst possible weather, dress in layers, and if you get wet in the wilderness, dry off!

 

An excerpt from A Pocket Guide to Cold Water Survival, by the Coast Guard, page 12.

So, in the end my daughter’s friend was both right and wrong, but maybe not for the reasons she thought of.  Water IS dangerous and just as Dolly Garza, in the Outdoor Survival Training for Alaska’s Youth: Student Manual, noted “People who die in survival situations generally die from one of two causes – drowning or hypothermia”.

 

For more on hypothermia and water read “Hypothermia, It Can Happen Any Time, Anywhere ©”, HERE, “The 120 Degree Rule ©”, HERE, and “7 Habits of Highly Effective Winter Campers ©”, HERE.

 

Don’t forget to come back next week and read “Turnip Bread, a 17^th Century Recipe©”, , where we will talk about recreating an old bread recipe, that poor people used to stretch scarce flour.

 

I hope that you continue to enjoy The Woodsman’s Journal Online and look for me on YouTube at BandanaMan Productions for other related videos, HERE.  Don’t forget to follow me on both The Woodsman’s Journal Online, HERE, and subscribe to BandanaMan Productions on YouTube.  If you have questions, as always, feel free to leave a comment on either site.  I announce new articles on Facebook at Eric Reynolds, on Instagram at bandanamanaproductions, and on VK at Eric Reynolds, so watch for me.

 

That is all for now, and as always, until next time, Happy Trails!

 

 

Notes

 

¹ From “Wilderness Mortalities: A 13-Year Experience”, by Torrey Goodman, et al., page 279

 

² Of the 59 cases of accidental or unintentional trauma leading to death, 15, or about 25% were simple drownings and 18, or about 31%, were falls into water which led to drowning.  The falls/drowning category used in “Wilderness Mortalities” included people who were swept over waterfalls, resulting in drowning or fatal blunt force trauma.

 

From “Wilderness Mortalities: A 13-Year Experience”, by Torrey Goodman, et al., page 281

 

³ From “Drowning Is One of the Backcountry’s Worst Dangers—But This Essential Skill Could Help You Save a Life”, by Christopher Tedeschi

 

⁴ WWBT NBC12, “Nationally 25% of drowning deaths happen in water 3 feet or less”, August 16, 2011.

 

⁵ From “Wilderness Mortalities: A 13-Year Experience”, by Torrey Goodman, et al., page 281

 

⁶ From “Accidental hypothermia in recreational activities in the

mountains: A narrative review”, by Proctor, et al.

 

Sources

 

Coast Guard, Department of Transportation, A Pocket Guide to Cold Water Survival, CG 473, September 1975, https://books.googleusercontent.com/books/content?req=AKW5QafxNJBmiIml6O4jiudRpr2rz8pLfodQOiq-4gZNh4xa5uIN_rq05C2yAes1AYw67Ziq189QaQaFDHBHE0SJivfCxjMW1DReANLjFqw1qX6jEl2mz1HPKXj4BRQJv8zAOcO6oDE70Dcv__VE2uPh4tEqLSzMxDRiWOv3p6ssyQjE2bevJMX7-Ol2KDtIPQVcVuaJudJMLaOOuSUVs8qYS1Nlaxnm47GVOCXLR79KzL6nV3R0zZG4DxRt9hoYrIRGugXm6RVfbU2gxeix7JLKbxpvQsNB9w, accessed May 1, 2022

 

Garza, Dolly; Outdoor Survival Training for Alaska’s Youth: Student Manual, Alaska Sea Grant College Program, [University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska, 1998], page 8

 

Howe, Steve; “A Dozen Ways to Die”, March 12, 2008, [© 2022 Outside Interactive, Inc], https://www.backpacker.com/survival/a-dozen-ways-to-die/, accessed November 6, 2022

 

London, Jack; “To Build A Fire”, The Century Magazine, August 1908, Vol. LXXVI, No. 4, [The Century Company, New York, 1908], p. 525-534, https://books.google.com/books?id=8XkAAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA518&lpg=PA518&dq=%22to+build+a+fire%22+%22jack+london%22+1908+%22century+Magazine%22&source=bl&ots=Erpfoe9twm&sig=ACfU3U2hNB3BlOJWvbrdE1Lr4ctAFaxIHQ&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjhsNTjjLHlAhXhQ98KHTfiBwU4MhDoATAIegQICBAB#v=onepage&q=%22to%20build%20a%20fire%22%20%22jack%20london%22%201908%20%22century%20Magazine%22&f=false, accessed 11/02/2019

 

Montalvo, MD, Raul; Wingard, PhD., Deborah L.; Bracker, MD, Mark; and Davidson, MD, Terence M.; Morbidity and Mortality in the Wilderness, San Diego, California, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1304948/pdf/westjmed00331-0022.pdf, accessed November 6, 2022

 

Proctor, Emily; Brugger, Hermann; Burtscherformat, Martin; “Accidental hypothermia in recreational activities in the mountains: A narrative review”, [Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science In Sports Published by John Wiley & Sons, 2018], https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/sms.13294, accessed November 18, 2022

 

Tedeschi, Christopher; “Drowning Is One of the Backcountry’s Worst Dangers—But This Essential Skill Could Help You Save a Life”, Backpacker, August 17, 2021, [© 2022 Outside Interactive, Inc], https://www.backpacker.com/skills/outdoor-first-aid/drowning-is-one-of-the-backcountrys-worst-dangers-but-this-essential-skill-could-help-you-save-a-life/, accessed November 9, 2022

 

The American Red Cross; Life Saving & Water Safety, [Doubleday & Company, Inc., Garden City, New York, 1967], page 19 and 23

 

Vuković, Diane; “8 Biggest Threats When Surviving In the Wilderness”, February 5, 2021, [© 2021 Primal Survivor ™], https://www.primalsurvivor.net/8-biggest-threats-when-surviving-in-the-wilderness/, accessed November 6, 2022

 

Wikimedia, “Plate 11: Bertoldino falling into the fish pond, from Bertoldo, Bertoldino, and Cacasenno", by Giuseppe Maria Crespi, (1665–1747), https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Plate_11-_Bertoldino_falling_into_the_fish_pond_Met_DP889616.jpg, accessed November 8, 2022

 

Wikimedia, “UXO warning, Laos 2009”, by Photo: AusAID, February 13, 2009, https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:UXO_warning,_Laos_2009._Photo-_AusAID_(10684527346).jpg, accessed November 8, 2022

 

WWBT NBC12, “Nationally 25% of drowning deaths happen in water 3 feet or less”, August 16, 2011, https://www.nbc12.com/story/15275723/sunni-shallow-drowning/, accessed October 27, 2022

 

Building a WWII Emergency Sustenance Vest, Type C-1, Part One©

 

 

A Hodgman Fishing Vest with 12 zippered pockets on the front, one on the inside, and three on the back.

This is the first in a series of articles, don’t forget to come back and read the rest – Author’s Note

 

So, this week we are going to talk about another really, cool, piece of survival gear that is no longer available.  We are going to talk about the “Emergency Sustenance Vest, Type C-1” of the late 1940’s and 50’s, and how to build a modern emergency survival vest, today, just like it.

 

“OK, BandanaMan”, you ask, “so, what was the Emergency Sustenance Vest, Type C-1, and why is it important and why would we want to build a modern version of an antique emergency survival vest, anyways”?

 

“Good questions.  Let’s get started answering them, shall we”?

 

An excerpt from Army Air Force, Pilot’s Information File, page 8-9-1.

The “What”...

 

An Emergency Sustenance Vest, Type C-1, from the National Museum of the United States Air Force HERE and HERE.

The “Emergency Sustenance Vest, Type C-1”, was the first military survival vest and it was issued to American Army Airforce pilots and aircrewmen, during the last years of World War Two and later, after 1947, to the USAF airmen during the Korean Conflict.  It was often carried, folded into a pouch, and attached to the parachute harness, ready to be put after an emergency bail-out.  The vest had 14 outside and 2 inner pockets and when fully loaded, with survival gear, including a .45 caliber automatic, weighed 11 pounds; or 5 kg, and contained a host of survival tools.

 

A period photo titled “Kit, vest type assy., type C-1 2-29-44”

 

A detailed listing of the survival supplies in an “Emergency Sustenance Vest, Type C-1”, an excerpt from the Army Air Force; “Technical Data Digest”, January 1945, page 56.

So, what’s it got in its pockets?

 

An “Emergency Sustenance Vest, Type C-1”, from the National Museum of the United States Air Force, annotated by the Author.

As far as survival gear, this vest was very complete with between 32 to 34 survival items or kits, the number depending upon the model of the vest, packed into 15 pockets (or 11 if you don’t include the pockets for personal items) and a side holster for a .45 caliber automatic.  Unlike today, when a lost person is most likely to be found within 72 hours², a downed pilot or crewman during WWII or the Korean Conflict, would have to sustain themselves for much longer periods while awaiting rescue, and in many cases, rescue themselves by walking out.  This is why this survival vest placed such a heavy emphasis on food collection, with the contents of five of its pockets being used to supply food, or sustenance, hence the name of the vest.

 

An excerpt from Army Air Force, Pilot’s Information File, page 8-9-1, annotated by the Author.

Instructions for the Use of Emergency Sustenance Vest, Type C-1

 

An exact reprint of Army Air Force Manual, the “Use of the Emergency Sustenance, Survival Vest, Type C-1”, can be purchased from Hayes Otoupalik, HERE, as item “00724”.

What I found most interesting about this emergency survival vest, was the instruction manual that came with it, and which described how to wear and care for the vest and the gear in its pockets, and how to use all the items.  It even included tips and other uses for the items that the survivor might not have thought of.  The “Use of the Emergency Sustenance, Survival Vest, Type C-1”, is hard to find today, but a reprint can be ordered.

 

Pages two and three of the “Use of the Emergency Sustenance, Survival Vest, Type C-1”.

The “Why”...

The reason why a survival vest was important then, is the same reason why it is important today, because if it isn’t in your pockets, then most likely you won’t have it in an emergency!

 

The authors of the Fourth Edition of the Alaska Air Medical Escort Training Manual recommended that you carry a personal survival kit that fits in your pockets, because people usually find themselves in survival situations, people often find themselves with only what is in their pockets¹.  If you keep your survival kit in the map compartment of your airplane, the trunk or glove box of your car, in your backpack or the thwart bag of your canoe, when the excrement hits the fan, your survival supplies might not be available when you need them most. 

 

This is why, I keep my survival gear in the pockets of my survival vest, or in my survival PFD; depending on whether I am on the water, paddling and portaging, or hiking along a trail.  You can easily get separated from your pack, or your canoe; but you aren’t likely to get separated from your clothes!

 

Now original C-1 vests are hard to find, a bit pricey, and quite honestly, antiques that don’t belong out in the field.  So, to build a modern copy of an “Emergency Sustenance Vest, Type C-1”, first find a fishing vest or a fishing PFD, with at least 12 pockets, more is better, you can never have enough pockets, and then come back and read the rest of this article series.

 

The Author’s survival PFD, with an orange Peak 1 fanny pack attached to the back, and survival vest, photograph by the Author.

For more information on survival vests read “A Survival Kit, Your Ace in the Hole ©”, HERE.

 

Don’t forget to come back next week and read “90% of drowning deaths occur in shallow water ©”, where we will talk about drowning and the dangers of hypothermia.

 

I hope that you continue to enjoy The Woodsman’s Journal Online and look for me on YouTube at BandanaMan Productions for other related videos, HERE.  Don’t forget to follow me on both The Woodsman’s Journal Online, HERE, and subscribe to BandanaMan Productions on YouTube.  If you have questions, as always, feel free to leave a comment on either site.  I announce new articles on Facebook at Eric Reynolds, on Instagram at bandanamanaproductions, and on VK at Eric Reynolds, so watch for me.

 

That is all for now, and as always, until next time, Happy Trails!

 

 

Notes

 

 

¹ Similarly, the Department of Aeromedical Education and Training, noted “Only those items of survival, signaling and personal protection which are attached to the body are going to be conveniently available to the air crew member under emergency conditions of all contingencies”

 

From “On Fire and Going Down”, in U.S. Army Aviation Digest, by Captain William D. Bristow, Jr., page 34,

 

² Modern civilian survival kits are designed to keep body and soul together for 72 hours, or three days, since within 24 hours, 97% of “misplaced” people are found by searchers.  However, it isn’t quite the same in a wartime military survival situation.

 

In fact, Devon O’Neill, who wrote in Outside magazine, quoted Paul Anderson, a 42-year veteran of the National Park Service who spent 11 years as the superintendent of Denali National Park, as saying “Our stats show 85 percent of all lost people are found within the first 12 hours, and 97 percent are found within the first 24 hours”.  A quote from “They Can’t Cure Dead ©”, the entire article can be found HERE.

 

Sources

 

 

Army Air Force, Pilot’s Information File, War Department, Revised January 1, 1945, PIF 8-9-1, https://books.google.com/books?newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&id=Y80tAAAAIAAJ&q=vest#v=snippet&q=vest&f=false, accessed November 4, 2022

 

Army Air Force; “Technical Data Digest”, Volume 11, Number 1, January, 1945, [Air Technical Service Command], pages 52 to 56, https://books.google.com/books?id=fUVQAAAAYAAJ&pg=RA4-PA8&lpg=RA4-PA8&dq=Instructions+Emergency+Sustenance+Vest,+Type+C-1&source=bl&ots=Shp6E2UlEL&sig=ACfU3U3R0075QyodYHyYSxZ6hjZT1yCI0A&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwittcbMqIb6AhWvGlkFHaJfBxw4KBDoAXoECAIQAw#v=onepage&q=Instructions%20Emergency%20Sustenance%20Vest%2C%20Type%20C-1&f=false, accessed September 8, 2022

 

Bristow, Jr., Captain William D.; “On Fire and Going Down”, U. S. Army Aviation Digest, June 1971, pages 32 to 34, https://books.google.com/books?id=7x3z3yl2MvUC&pg=RA6-PA15&dq=%E2%80%9COh+Say,+Can+You+See?%E2%80%9D+%22figure+1%22&hl=en&newbks=1&newbks_redir=0&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjqxobl0dX5AhVTFlkFHbGbDzAQ6AF6BAgFEAI#v=onepage&q=%E2%80%9COh%20Say%2C%20Can%20You%20See%3F%E2%80%9D%20%22figure%201%22&f=false, accessed August 15, 2022

 

Carrier, Brian; Alaska Air Medical Escort Training Manual, Fourth Edition, Revised, [Dept. of Health and Social Services, Division of Public Health, Section of Injury Prevention and EMS, Juneau, Alaska, 2006], page 225,

 

Colonial Knives; “3.Good Times”, April 14, 2016, https://colonialknives.wordpress.com/2016/04/14/good-times/, accessed October 31, 2022

 

National Museum of the United States Air Force; “C-1 Emergency Sustenance Vest”, https://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/Visit/Museum-Exhibits/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/195884/air-rescue/, accessed October 31, 2022

 

Riveted; “Backpacks Are For Dorks”, June 19, 2014, http://segui-riveted.blogspot.com/2014/06/backpack-are-for-dorks.html, accessed November 1, 2022

 

Young, Richard C. III; “Ace in the Hole”, Flying Magazine, August 1972, Volume 91, Number 2, [Ziff-Davis Publishing Company, New York, New York], page 54-55, https://books.google.com/books?id=tPhKvA9sdHYC&pg=PA53&dq=%22as+any+e6b+owner+can+tell+you%22&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiY4cuk7OrnAhVPVK0KHeE1CEYQ6AEwAHoECAAQAg#v=onepage&q=%22as%20any%20e6b%20owner%20can%20tell%20you%22&f=false, accessed May 5, 2020

 

Path-Pilot Compass ©

 

 

A Path-Pilot compass and the Compass Handbook and Map Encyclopedia, by DuPage.  Photograph by the Author.

Recently I was doing some research on the World War Two Era, United States Air Force, Emergency Sustenance Vest, Type C-1, when I found this in the instruction manual.

 

An excerpt from the “Instructions For The Use Of Emergency Sustenance Vest, Type C-1”, pages 4 and 5.

I remember thinking, “Wow, how cool!  A direct-reading compass, and it is a waterproof matchbox, with a flint strip on the side to scrape sparks with!  I have to get one of those!”

 

Unfortunately, they don’t make them anymore.  Oh, sure there is something like it, the “5-in-1 Survival Whistle”, but it doesn’t have a direct-reading compass built into it, just a regular dial compass.  Ughh!  How frustrating.

 

A “5-in-1 Survival Whistle”, which can be found HERE.

“So”, you ask, “BandanaMan, why are you so excited about a direct-reading compass”?  Well first let’s talk a little bit about compasses.

 

 

An excerpt from the Compass Handbook and Map Encyclopedia, by DuPage, page 11.

There are two types of compasses, the needle compass, where the magnetized needle swings above the dial, and the dial or card type of compass, where the needle is attached to the compass card and the entire dial swings and points towards north.  Often card compasses, and sometimes needle compasses, have a lubber line or “direction-of-travel-line” marked on them, and sometimes even sights.

 

An excerpt from the Compass Handbook and Map Encyclopedia, by DuPage, page 7.

Needle compasses can be difficult to use, as the dial is fixed, and often the “lubber line”¹ is simply an imaginary line passing through the north and south points of the dial. 

 

Using a needle compass, from the Compass Handbook and Map Encyclopedia, by DuPage, pages 12-13.

 

Another example of how to use a needle compass, from Better Ways Of Pathfinding, by Robert S. Owendoff, page 39.

A dial or card type of compass, like the Silva or lensatic style of compass, correctly shows the actual magnetic bearing under the front index, the point of the lubber line farthest away from the user’s eye, so that the traveler, as Robert S. Owendoff notes, “...avoids the confusion of taking a reading at another part of the dial as is necessary with all needle compasses”². 

 

How to use a card compass, from the Compass Handbook and Map Encyclopedia, by DuPage, page 13.

So, what you really want in a path-finding compass, is a dial compass with a lubber line, and possibly with sights, which allow you to directly read the bearings from the front index of the lubber line.  Most users with these types of compasses can learn to take an azimuth reading, when the compass is held at eye-level, within one to two degrees of accuracy, and when “shooting from the hip”, by holding the compass at waist level, with only slightly less accuracy.

 

The DuPage Path-Pilot direct-reading compass, from Boy’s Life, October 1946, page 49

Well, I managed to find an original DuPage Path-Pilot, direct reading compass and the instructional manual, which came with it!  This compass appears to have been built to the same specifications as those of the “Compass, Match Box”, which was illustrated in the “Instructions For The Use Of Emergency Sustenance Vest, Type C-1”.  If this particular compass wasn’t manufactured during World War Two, it was manufactured shortly thereafter. 

 

A DuPage Path-Pilot.  On the left note the vertical lubber line in the “YOU ARE LOOKING” window.  On the right note the sighting notches, connected by a lubber line, and just below that the north pointing arrow.  Photograph by the Author.

But how is the DuPage Path-Pilot compass different from dial or card type of compasses?  The only real difference is that instead of reading your bearings from under the front index point, while looking down on the compass, you read them from under the vertical lubber line while looking at the side of the compass match box.

 

How to use a DuPage Path-Pilot compass, from the Compass Handbook and Map Encyclopedia, by DuPage, page 13.

This compass was great to use, since I didn’t have to look back and forth from the landmark to the compass dial, as I would have with a Silva or lensatic compass, I simply held it up to my eye, sighted my landmark through the sight notches and read off or followed the bearing by walking towards my hand. 

 

How to use a DuPage Path-Pilot compass, and excerpt from the Compass Handbook and Map Encyclopedia, by DuPage, pages 34 and 35.

However, while the compass in my DuPage Path-Pilot still works, I don’t feel comfortable putting a museum piece into my survival kit.

 

A DuPage Path-Pilot, direct reading compass match box, in use.  Photograph by the Author.

So, since the only direct-reading compass match boxes are now museum pieces, which were last manufactured around 1950, how would you find something or modify something so that it is similar?

 

A “5-in-1 Survival Whistle”

Well, first buy a “5-in-1-Survival Whistle”, these can be found at just about any store selling outdoor gear, or HERE, or HERE.  Next with a hacksaw or razor blade, carefully etch or scratch a vertical lubber line on the side of compass container and saw twin sighting notches, directly in line with each other, on the top edge of the compass.  Next using luminescent paint, such as Glow-ON Green Color, Super Phosphorescent Gun Night Sights Paint, HERE, paint the sighting notches and the vertical lubber line, like in the picture below. 

 

A diagram of how to modify a 5-in-1 Survival Whistle, with sighting notches and a vertical lubber line etched into the plastic, and then painted with luminescent paint, showing a bearing of 60^o under the front index point.

You now have a compass match box that shows the actual magnetic bearing under the front index, the notch farthest away from the vertical lubber line and the user’s eye.  It isn’t exactly a DuPage Path-Pilot, but it is pretty close! 

 

And remember, when it comes to survival equipment, and in particular compasses, cheap doesn’t always equal good.  The DuPage Path-Pilot cost $1.95 in 1946, and as a comparison, in 2022 dollars, it would today cost about $29.68.  So, keep that in mind as you shop for your “5-in-1 Survival Whistle”.

 

For more on using compasses, read “There and Back Again...Finding Your Way©”, HERE.

 

And don’t forget to come back next week and read “Building a WWII Emergency Sustenance Vest, Type C-1, Part One©”, where we will talk about how to build an emergency survival vest, like the one that American pilots, wore during World War Two.

 

I hope that you continue to enjoy The Woodsman’s Journal Online and look for me on YouTube at BandanaMan Productions for other related videos, HERE.  Don’t forget to follow me on both The Woodsman’s Journal Online, HERE, and subscribe to BandanaMan Productions on YouTube.  If you have questions, as always, feel free to leave a comment on either site.  I announce new articles on Facebook at Eric Reynolds, on Instagram at bandanamanaproductions, and on VK at Eric Reynolds, so watch for me.

 

That is all for now, and as always, until next time, Happy Trails!

 

 

Notes

 

¹ A “lubber line” is a drawn or imaginary line on your compass, that points along the line of the bearing to the point that you plan on traveling to.

 

² From Better Ways Of Pathfinding, Robert S. Owendoff

 

Sources

 

Owendoff, Robert S.; Better Ways Of Pathfinding, [The Stackpole Company, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, 1964], page 39

 

DuPage Plastics Company; Compass Handbook and Map Encyclopedia, Second Revised Edition, [1945, Chicago, IL]