CHAPTER XVII
THE POWER BEHIND THE ENGINE
171. Small boys soon learn the power of running water; swimming or
rowing downstream is easy, while swimming or rowing against the
current is difficult, and the swifter the water, the easier the one
and the more difficult the other; the river assists or opposes us as
we go with it or against it. The water of a quiet pool or of a gentle
stream cannot do work, but water which is plunging over a precipice or
dam, or is flowing down steep slopes, may be made to saw wood, grind
our corn, light our streets, run our electric cars, etc. A waterfall,
or a rapid stream, is a great asset to any community, and for this
reason should be carefully guarded. Water power is as great a source
of wealth as a coal bed or a gold mine.
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