Water Wisdom (1950s?)

[Music] son Sun water air Green Grass and trees Open Spaces these are the elements which can create and recreate a healthy happy people the busy routine the pressures of daily work are put aside and Across the Nation a growing wealth of water parks and beaches are placing this kind of healthy happy fun Within in the reach of everyone [Music] la [Music] l there but for the grace of God go I when you're out with the gang for a weekend fishing you don't worry about all the things that might happen you're out to have a good time it's amazing the amount of stuff five fishermen will carry with them [Music] the dock operator insisted we take those life cushions even tried to get us to split up take two boats but we wanted to be together [Music] five men can develop quite a thirst and it wasn't long before that cooler needed replenishing [Music] la [Music] what was the matter with Dawn anyway but any idiot ought to know better than to flood a [Music] motor how could we have been so stupid overloading drinking walking around as if we were on dry land well we can do one thing right we can stay with the [Music] boat there but for the grace of God go any one of us old or young carelessness and accidents have no [Music] favorites boys and water and rafts seem intended by nature to go together but man-made Lakes like these in the Tennessee Valley cover ground which only yesterday was dry [Music] land a bit of road with deep ditches and a roaded creek bed a farmyard with fences well or sistern [Music] and when the water is unknown but who can expect a boy to follow the long-faced warnings of his elders [Music] perhaps here is a boy who will follow warnings now remember the nature of the bottom the danger of drop offs is there but for the grace of [Music] God that day at the lake mother dad and Jimmy knew I was a good swimmer why did I have to prove it they knew I could swim to the island I'd done it before but it would be exciting without the boat almost like a dare [Music] mother and dad were good Scouts I didn't mean to worry them the island seems terribly far but it was even further to go back a why why do people do such things risk the chance of death when life is so full and sweet [Music] [Music] there but for the grace of God Dangerous Waters huh it looked smooth enough to me yes the water did look smooth enough and there were other boats up there but there were several things our friend did not know he had no real understanding of the terrific power of the head of water pressing against the dam he did not know that one of the generators was condensing simply running at no load to help balance the electrical output of other generators but with no water passing through he did not know that the calm spot lay directly over the Outlet of the condensing generator an outlet capable of flooding an acre 15 ft deep with 20,000 tons of raging water in a single minute and he did not understand that the marvelous efficiency of a modern power system depends on rapid automatic operation of switches power lines Gates and generators a generator may go into operation with no no time for warning [Music] yes there were many things he did not understand and ignorance is bliss indeed meanwhile 500 mil away [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] yeah la [Music] [Music] the construction of dams and the creation of lakes can give us some of the world's finest play places but play safe understand that safety regulations signs and warnings are meant to help you enjoy yourself in swimming and boating you cannot always live and learn you may have to learn in order that you and your family may live Waters below tributary dams may rise suddenly it is safer to wait out a wind in a quiet Cove than risk death trying to make home take time to read and understand the simple safety precautions and do not play the [Music] [Music] fool in water safety experience is not the best teacher but we can learn from the experiences of others be waterwise think and live [Music] [Applause] the