The Next Step (1950s?)

[Music] 20th century American Farms cleared by Pioneers built up Generation by generation this is achievement under widely varied climatic and soil conditions progress is constantly generation adding its own step in the process of building up toward a greater tomorrow a goal somewhere on ahead that's the way you build step by step in a nation or on a single Farm you start with a soil add a few buildings gradually you build from there like Wayne Dickinson farmer and Esther his wife both born on farms lived on Farms all their lives now they have a place of their own the former owners let it run down but the dickinsons have started again the stepbystep building up already they Envision their goal they see their Farm not as the rundown property it is but as it when the building up is done their Farm tomorrow better buildings oil enriched by conation upgraded livestock better Machinery running water where it's needed a profitable place to work a healthful place to live but all that will come a step at a time with good planning sound management hard and right now it is hard work lacking some of the facilities that make work easier make more work possible make building up faster even keeping clean is hard [Music] work pump and carry pump and carry that hard work can earn the equipment that in turn means more profit more progress if they're fortunate young Farmers have the help of experienced oldtimers like the Dickinson's man papy who's worked this place 40 years won't leave it practically came with a deed hardworking ever loyal hands like papy are a Priceless work power on any Farm nature thrives under their care and their greatest satisfaction is to see growth although it's right in their judgment time it takes to heat that water for the dishes oh well this way do we get our plumbing in plumbing what's this about Plumbing yes pey the next step we take in building up this place is going to be running water all through the farm carry your water I say that way you know where it is and how much is there we carried every P it on this farm for 40 years no papy our minds are made up but if you just got to spend that money bu a new building for them little pigs now that would be something else again oh you'll get a house for your precious Hogs papy that's in the plans too but now we're going to have water it'll make all kinds of difference around the barn and yard certainly make Esther's work easier and then too it's time we thought a little more about health and sanitation around here for the kids sake if not for our own we were just wondering papy if you knew the best plumber in town we haven't been around here long enough to plumber plumber you say why dog G boy what am I around here for can't I lay pipe you going to let me sit around here and do nothing no papy there'll be work for you don't worry but we've had experience with running water both our dads had it keeping it in tiptop shape afterwards but who's going to be the plumber that's the only problem now [Music] many of Farmer's problems are answered through his mailbox his traditional contact with Industries built to serve him hey what's in the mail look Wayne this may be the answer to what we were wondering about last night oh it could be let's see him the next time we're in town at least ask us to visit him [Music] can I help you folks well I don't know we just dropped in because we got your circular on Farm Water Systems circular or oh you must mean my home desirable a little magazine I mail out have I met you before no uh our name is Dickinson we took over the old fer place yes I know well I'm glad to meet you I'm John Roar how do you do I know your place pretty well by there a couple of weeks ago so I happened to put your name on my mailing list by gly you've certainly done a lot to it in the short time you've been there to be done though well you're never finished on a farm are you but you've got good land to start with with the main thing where Place we've been looking for you miling many cows out there now 27 now feeding a few steers too well I sure wish you luck that Farm's been sort of an ey sore to this district for years we were all pretty happy when we heard a couple of young folks who come to take it over If Ever I can be of any help to you well I'm always here well I I don't know we're just wondering about running water on the place don't know whether to bother with it or not well you'll have to be the judge of that uh I've installed good many systems around here and I don't remember any of the farmers wishing they had their old windmills back again no I guess not don't know whether we can afford it though well that depends on what you need see what kind of an installation you want oh I don't want very much uh line into the barn a couple of Plumbing fixtures around in the house just a simple job I'll tell you what I'll do I've got to go out to Norm Hancock's or just beyond you there how it be if I stop on the way back and if you've got an idea of what you want I'll look the place over and come pretty close to telling you what it will cost well oh I don't know all right then no harm in finding out you know where the place is oh yes I know the place sir I'll see you tomorrow then well thanks for coming in from that minute on the dickinsons had another partner in planning the future of their Farm Wayne's water problems became John Ro's problems how they work them out together is a story being repeated daily throughout America as Farmers take the next step in building up let's hear Ro's own version of this one [Music] the next day I went out to the Dickinson Place he'd certainly made an improvement some new Machinery Barn was tidier than I'd ever seen it generally the place was starting to look worked again he had a few water problems all right in the first place the old well was too close to the barn wasn't healthy and him with two little children too there was a much better location for a well up to the house on much higher ground and far enough away from the barn to prevent contamination the capacity of the old well wasn't enough for Wayne's water needs either so first we'd have to drill a new and bigger well like any good farmer Wayne's first interest was his stock he really had a water problem there he'd been using a pump jack to get water across to the tank and sometimes it took until 11 11: in the morning to get Wayne already knew that individual drinking cups would give him at least an extra can of milk a month and the first thing he asked for was individual cups at every stall timesaver Money Maker this boy Wayne was proving to be a pretty smart farmer Wayne's next interest was the milk house his Dairy reports clearly indicated the need for a better water supply he had a makeshift line from his well to cooling tank actually Wayne needed cold water running through the tank a little faster and aligned to his hot water tank for sterilization I had to consider Wayne's long range plans too make allowances for his future needs for example a new hog house that he planned to BU build near the barn later on and an increased chicken flock at that time Wayne only had about 250 chickens not really enough to justify an automatic drinking fountain but he expected to increase his flock as soon as he and Esther got time to look after them well I was pretty sure Esther would have that time as soon as she got water in the house so I planned to line to the chicken house to save carrying the water well well that was it for the barn and farm buildings all I had to do was Pace the length of the water distribution lines needed there was an ideal location for the septic tank and drainage beds near the house on the side opposite the new well next I had to consider the house Esther had a pretty good idea of what she wanted a well-laid out kitchen where she could work quickly and efficiently that kitchen was a real problem all cut up with doors and windows in the most inconvenient places but Esther knew what she wanted how to get it for her was my problem we could get a 60in sink under this window a nice pleasant location too but the window was too low we'd have to raise it up about 4 in then we could put in a good work surface right over to the corner we could move the range but that still didn't give us room for the refrigerator we'd have to move the rear door the sink was that would give us a good workable plan with the refrigerator next to the door well that was it we'd do a little remodling and give Esther a first class [Music] kitchen there was only one location for the bathroom off the bedroom in a large closet we'd cut a new door from the hall there'd be plenty of room for the water closet and labatory since the room was just 5 ft wide a fully recessed 5T tub could be installed with minimum work of course the window would be over the tub which we didn't like too well but it was a pretty good solution for an old house in the basement I advised Esther against laundry tubs until she could have a utility room upstairs the new well would be right outside that wall so I'd put the pump in the corner and the tank and water heater alongside with hot and cold water faucets and a hose to fill the washing machine I had a real drainage problem two small children make for a lot of washing we'd need a new drain to take care of that [Music] well that ended my survey and I made a date to meet the dickinsons at my store the following week to see the plans and [Music] fixtures hello Mr Dickinson Miss Dickinson oh how you doing well that was nice timing I just finished getting the data together for you now here's what I planned according to our conversation the other day this is a general layoff your new well will be here near the house and big enough to give you plenty of water pump and pressure tank are in the basement then we'll run this supply line out from the house here we'll put a faucet for fire protection these lines Supply the drinking cups and this one runs to the present drinking tank for the steers then we'll run a branch line to the milk house notice I've indicated provision for another Branch line so when you build your new hog house out here we can get water to it without much trouble I've included line to the hydrant at the chicken house and I'll provide connection for a future Branch line in case you want to extend it at any time and here's the location of the septic tank and Disposal field looks pretty good ought to save a lot of work for both of us what about my kitchen what's it going to look like well there it is you remember we moved this door so we could install a more efficient kitchen here's the refrigerator the stove and here's plenty of working surface and cabinet space the sink will be over here under the new window and here's the bath with an entrance from your bedroom also the hall you see you have plenty of space for a big closet in the basement as you remember we were planning on installing a hot water heater in addition to the plump well it sure makes a nice layout don't know that we can afford it though how much is it going to cost well there's the estimate everything included can you answer the phone it's Mr hancuff uh will you pardon me m uh you to look over the estimate while I'm gone look there it is while his price is less than we figured we'd have to allow sh not so loud it looks good so far but I just hope he included everything we talked about the other day let's see does this include everything Mr Ro all the labor materials installation and fixtures yes everything that's the job complete can we see the fix did you plan on installing sure I am here on display now of course you're not limited to these items I picked what I thought you'd liked as a basis for my estimate but I want you to look over my complete line and choose whatever suits you best first here are the three bathroom fixtures I figured on they're beautifully styled built to last this tub is made of longlasting rigid cast iron with a good th shinest glass this laboratory or wash basin is Victorious China as easy to clean as your dishes look at these faucet handles they're beautiful and so easy to operate the closet is Victorious China to easy to clean easy to keep clean it's cleansing action is Vigor I know you'd appreciate these bathroom fixtures Mrs Dickson they are are beautiful Mr roor but what about the others you mentioned tubs for instance there are three kinds of tubs this one of cast iron others of an earthern wear material called durac clay others of pressed steel each has its features all are good here's a dur clay tub you may want to consider I think I like that one the best the one you included in your proposal that wide seat will be convenient when bathing the children now there are other Laboratories I want you to see they're all high quality one will last just as long as the other it's it's all a matter of style take this one for instance I think I like that one best it matches the other two pieces so well well that's fine for the bathroom now what about the kitchen here's the s a sunny day with th sync cabinet of course you're going to have extra cabinets both wall and base the sunny day sink makes house work easier the double drain boards afford lots of room and are pitched to drain into the sink Basin this sink is really very easy to keep clean and I'll show you why the sink and the drain boards are made all in one piece one smooth surface from here right across to here there are no joints or crevices around here to catch dirt or moisture this will be fine it's beautiful Wayne well that takes care of my department I'm satisfied what about the pump Mr Ro well there are three of the types generally used for your job considering the probable depth of your new well and the amount of water you'll need I recommend this jet pump it has only a few working parts that minimizes maintenance requirements and I know it'll give you all the water you need well you know more about that than I do so I'll take your word for it and I'll hold you to it too all right uh come over here this is the heater I included in the price I handle heaters that use coal oil gas and electricity if I remember you expressed a preference for an electric heater you'll find this one economically to operate and it'll keep hot water at your faucets 2 4 hours a day I'll take your word for that too Mr Ro well that looks like all the fixtures hey not yet honey we can't get everything right now someday though and it's worth waiting for yes and one of these days we'll be putting in one of these modern heating systems too but what about our present job are you completely satisfied with it eser oh yes I'm very s satisfied well I think we'll go ahead with it Mr Rock how soon can you start we'll be finishing at the Handcock Farm next week I'll start at your place the following Monday he started right on schedule one of my mechanics and I laid out the location of the underground water supply pipe and he started digging the trenches we've used this machine for a couple of years now it digs a trench faster better and at lower cost than hand labor as the trenches were dug a plumber mechanic laid the water pipe a frost proof hydrant installed near the chicken house completed the outside water piping job next we laid out the location of the Disposal system so waste could be safely taken care of here again our trench digging machine came in handy on this job we used a steel septic tank sometimes we use concrete tanks all depends on conditions for the entire Disposal system beyond the septic tank we used fiber pipe it's easily laid and Roots can't cause trouble to backfill the trenches we again use mechanical methods they're Time Savers and money Savers I told my well driller to use a steel casing large enough to ensure a sufficient volume and a few days later we struck plenty of good clean water then we ran a pipe through the basement wall connected up the new pump we installed Faucets in the milk house and another faucet in the barn the drinking cups were put in and after the water was turned on the valves were adjusted for per volume building the bathroom required quite a bit of preliminary work first we marked where the fixtures were to go then plaster and laugh were removed holes for the waste Outlets were cut through the floor and we were ready for the actual [Music] installation each fixture had to be vented to the outside air so sewer gas couldn't back up into the house this meant a hole through the ceiling one through the roof for the main vent pipe making joints with lead and oakum for some of the waist lines and cutting and threading steel pipe for others looks easy actually it takes years of experience installing a bathroom calls for a lot of piping waste pipes and vent pipes lines to bring in hot and cold water we know a piping system must serve from many years it's going to be plastered in permanently so it was just good sense to use the best material available proper functioning of the plumbing system is impossible without correctly installed concealed piping before the room could be plastered the bathtub had to be set in place and leveled to ensure correct drainage we cut a new door from the hall into the bathroom giving access from the rest of the house remodeling in the kitchen began with the removal of the old sink probably a Marvel in grandma's day things have sure changed then the old hand pump came out to me that Relic was a symbol the Dickinson had parted with the past were taking a big step toward Better Living the carpenter cut a new rear entrance to the kitchen afterwards he closed up the old one he removed the window in order to replace it with one that would fit over the new sink like the bathroom fixtures the sink had to have hot and cold water piping a waistline and the vent line the plasterer ated is noow then the pre-fabricated cabinets were installed carefully leveled and firmly anchored to the wall the under sync cabinet was level two Esther's kitchen already looked more modern vital operating parts of the faucets were assembled and the completed sink was placed in the leveled cabinets [Music] the factory made countertop fitted perfectly the kinchen installation was complete after the kitchen was done work in the bathroom went right along closet Bowl was set in place and fastened to the [Music] floor then the closet tank was installed and bolted firmly to the ball we hung the labatory and connected it to the wall ball piping when that was done the bathroom fixtures were all ready for service with the redecoration of the bathroom and kitchen our work was [Music] done yes Ro's work was done for the time being anyhow eventually there's always more to do we call that progress roor and his men had done a fine job and the Dickinson's were a happy young couple they had stars in their eyes that day especially Esther everybody drank a toast a toast to running water and you know before the glasses were half empty they were already talking about that utility room for Esther how it would have a convenient place for the men to clean up and leave work closed near the outside door an adequate supply of softened water for every need and of course modern but all that would come later in due time yes they drank a toast of water and a better future the Dickinson never realized how much running water would mean until they worked with it for a while no more pump and carry simply turn it on and use it and when you're through with it down the drain what could be more convenient the day at work or play cleaning up was a real pleasure no longer a [Music] Tas among other things running water saved Esther enough time to get those extra 200 chicks and look after them was a much more efficient farmer with running water wherever he needed it his cows gave more milk than he anticipated a full extra can the first week after the new installation was finished his milk was grading better because he had plenty of hot water for sterilizing and cold water for quick cooling everything was so much easier to keep clean even papy was one over his protest gave way to pleasure and progress and this wasn't the end just another beginning the stepbystep building up what we call achievement and progress never ends those who build and grow like the Dickinson's never stop they only pause pause long enough to see how far they've come where they're going then they start planning step