MAGIC PIPES

go out camping in the woods by a mountain stream it's really fun well most of the time it's fun they accept that water always seems to get heavier the farther you have to haul it you know a hundred years ago children had to do this every day not many children lived where water was brought right into the house in pipes if you lived a hundred years ago you just couldn't do this or this or this but today in your home all you have to do is turn a handle to get a tub of water simple as that wait a minute now is it so simple have you ever stopped to think of all that has to be done before you can get this water to scrub your legs at least we hope you scrub of course you know that the water comes in pipes in new houses you've seen the pipe sticking up through the floor this is going to be the kitchen and the plumber is putting in the pipes to the kitchen sink the pipes run down under the house if you follow one of them you'll find where it comes from a larger pipe outdoors and this pipe will lead you to a big water pipe in the street do you know where this water comes from for many people the water comes from a reservoir a lake where water is stored high in the hills sometimes many miles away and to get from the reservoir to the house where you live it flows down through a pipe do you suppose that everybody has to run a pipe ten miles or so from the reservoir to get his water wouldn't that be foolish no the people join together to bring the water in one big pipe then whoever needs water can run a pipe from the large one perhaps you have a reservoir like this near where you live there goes the water starting on its trip to your house it goes over hills and across valleys but before it reaches you it must be made pure would you guess that tumbling water like this will kill germs it does sunlight and air killed some germs here and other germs are killed with chemicals when the water reaches the city it flows through pipes called water mains these men are just putting in a new water main from the water main pipes go to your house so you can water the lawn or squirt your brother pipes bring water to every bathtub to every mother's washing machine to every thirsty boy and girl yes it's a lot easier to get a drink of water this way then this way when our friends are out camping it may be hard work getting the water but it's certainly no trouble getting rid of it just imagine though what it would be like if everybody in a city did this wouldn't that be a mess but at home down the drain it goes simple as that of course it's really not that simple let's explore the new house again the large pipe that the plumber is working on is called the waste pipe that pipe will take the water from the kitchen sink down under the house here it comes and here comes the waste pipe from the bathroom to join it then in most houses the waste flows out to join a sewer pipe under the street that carries the waste away there they go again first water now wood for the fire it really is fun to help with the chores when you're camping but just imagine having to bring firewood in everyday so you can cook if you lived a hundred years ago that's what you'd have to do but now you just turn on the gas easy easy that is after the gas gets to your house a gas pipe looks just like a water pipe and it comes up from under the house like the other pipes do you know where the gas comes from that finally gets to your house in this pipe in some places gas comes out of the ground often where oil wells have been drilled large pipes bring the gas many miles to the places where it will be used but not all gas comes from far off oil fields much of it is made from coal here is an experiment that shows how gas is made from coal first we'll break up some of the coal and put it in a coffee can now we'll heat it on a burner after three or four minutes gas and smoke will begin to come out of the hole in the lid if you get your father to help with this experiment wait until your mother goes away on a long vacation because it will make the house smell terrible whether the gas comes from a gas plant near your home or from far away it is usually stored in a huge gas tank from the tank it comes through pipes under the street to you gas comes to heat the water so you can wash your ears or eat the frying pan so you can have a hamburger isn't that a fine thing to have coming right into the house in a pipe here's another job that the campers don't have to do when they're home cleaning the lamp and filling it with kerosene this is a chore that every boy and girl did before we learn to use electricity but at home you'd think it was strange if you couldn't go into your room and do this do you know how the electricity gets to your room let's watch an electrician at work in the new house here is the place where a light switch will go in the wall the electricity will flow to the switch through these wires that are protected in a kind of pipe if you follow the wires you'll find they lead to a pole outside the house if you keep on following the wires you might find that they lead many many miles out into the country over hills and valleys they might lead you to a power plant near a reservoir water drops down from the reservoir through great pipes to the power plant the power of the falling water turns machines when these machines are turned they make electricity perhaps you can understand better how we get electricity if we do an experiment here is a small machine like the very large machines that are turned by falling water to make electricity will really turn our little machine by hand but we'll make believe that it's being turned by falling water here are the wires leading out over the country over hills and valleys here is the light that you turn on every night and now you are in your room at home let's suppose that the water in the dam begins to turn our machine watch in this same way electricity comes to light your real home at night it runs the vacuum cleaner and makes the fan go and turns the electric mixer electricity helps to make your home a good place to live it's fun to go camping but it's fun to get home it's good to turn a handle to get water when you're thirsty or when you want to scrub your legs it's good to have gas to heat your bath good to have electricity to light the bathroom water gas and electricity they all make your home a better place to live [Music]