Original subtitles

THE OLD RANGER: And now,Death Valley Days.

♪♪ [ trumpet ]

Howdy, folks.

I'’m the Old Ranger,

and I have another interesting true story for you

about the historic Death Valley country.

High above the Yuba River

on the west slope of the Sierras

stands the famous old mining camp

of Camptonville, born in the Gold Rush.

There are only a couple hundred folks living there today,

but among them are descendents of the early pioneers.

So to Camptonville I went to get this story for you.

A story I call...

The first thing you see as you enter the town

is this monument with an inscription which begins...

"On this spot in 1878..."

Yes, here'’s where it happened.

The discovery that added more to the wealth of the world

than all the gold of California.

On up the main street I went

and found the man I was looking for.

Here he is. William Groves

of Camptonville, California.

In case you'’re wondering what this object is in front of him,

it'’s the head of an old sewing machine.

What make is it, Bill?

Grover and Baker. Boston 1849.

OLD RANGER: It came around the horn during Gold Rush days

and ended up in Camptonville

in the home of Mrs. Margaret Groves,

this man'’s grandmother.

She was then a bride?

Yes, she and my grandfather came West

from Ohio in 1850.

Well, tell us something about them.

Well, he was a teamster.

There was a lot of hauling in and out of Camptonville in those days.

My grandmother ran a boarding house for the teamsters.

Besides raising a family of five children.

Here'’s a picture of the Groves family.

BILL: That'’s right. My father, Frank, was the middle one.

Now, this sewing machine that'’s come down

through three generations.

What'’s so important about it?

Look, Old Ranger.

I'’m no storyteller. That'’s your job.

[ laughs ] All right.

OLD RANGER: Well, we roll back to the year of 1877.

This is how Camptonville looked at that time.

Below the town are the diggings,

where hydraulic monitors sluiced the gold

from the hillside.

Above the town is a reservoir

which supplies the town with water

and small boys, like Frank Groves,

with an excuse to take a roundabout way

home from school.

There. See, smarty?

You almost fell in.But I didn'’t.

If you had, you'’d have been

sucked into that pipe and drowned.

But I wasn'’t.

I can do anything you can do.

Yeah? Yeah!

Bet you can'’t climb to the top of that tree.

GIRL: Neither can you. FRANK: Oh, no?

See that white rag near the top?

I tied it there.

When you get up there

you can see all over this town.

Past the mills and clear down to the dig ins.

Well, ain'’t you gonna do it?

I haven'’t got time today.

'’Fraidy cat.

Anyhow, it'’s getting late and I'’ve gotta go home.

I dare you.

All right, I'’ll do it.

Well? Go on.

I'’ll help you get started.

Scared, ain'’t ya?

You'’ll never make it.

♪ Rock-a-bye baby

♪ On the treetop

[ screams ]

Hey, come on down.

I can'’t. I'’ll fall.

You hang on, I'’ll go fetch a ladder.

GIRL: Hurry up!

[ crying ]

FRANK: Mr. Pelton!

Mr. Pelton!

Let me have your ladder.Yeah, what for?

Hattie Meek is up a tree.

Grab the back end.

HATTIE: Help! Help! Someone help!

Hurry up!

We'’ll get you, Hattie!

MR. PELTON: Hang on!

I'’m getting awful tired, hurry up!

That'’s a boy. Up we go.

MR. PELTON: Hang on, Hattie.

I'’m coming.

All right, Hattie. Now you do what I tell you.

Now, here. You put this foot down here. Come on.

You'’re doing fine. That'’s it. Good.

Now, there'’s a branch.

Now, the next one.

That'’s the girl. Now we'’re goin'.

Now the next one. Come on.

Come on, Hattie. Now the next one.

There you go, Hattie.

Everything'’s all right now.

She'’s dead.No, she just fainted.

Here, I'’ll carry her home, huh?

She lives right next door to us.

All right, here we go.

I was awful scared.

[ Hattie crying ]

Mercy, what happened to you, Hattie?

Your dress is all torn.

I got stuck in a tree about a mile high.

[ sobbing ] It was awful.

It was all my fault. I dared her.

Oh, Frank.

She'’s none the worse for it, ma'’am.

'’Cept for her clothes.

Mr. Pelton brought a ladder.

Well, you let me take her dress, Mrs. Meek.

I'’ll mend it.I can do it.

No, I feel responsible.

Oh, I tore my petticoat, too.

Oh, and my--Never mind, Hattie.

You'’ve enough mending of your own, Mrs. Groves.

But I do have a sewing machine.

You put extra work on me yesterday.

Now you can make up for it.

Aw, gee. I promised Mr. Pelton

I'’d come down to his shop.

I want you to fill both the wood boxes.

After that, you can set the mousetraps.

HATTIE: Yoo-hoo, Frank! Come on out and play!

Hey, that'’s Hattie.

Have I gotta work all day Saturday?

Everyone else in this family has chores.

Not Liddy.Lydia'’s only a baby.

Frank, will you please get a move on?

After I finish, then can I go down to Mr. Pelton'’s?

What for?

Just to watch him work.

Seems to be a habit of yours.

Watching other folks work.

I'’m getting the kindling right away.

Whatchya doin'’?

Well, I'’m trying to figure something out here.

A water wheel?Yep, that'’s a water wheel.

Nothing new, is it? No.

They'’ve had water wheels for, oh, for 4000 years.

Since the days of Pharaoh.

And you know the ones we'’re using in the mills

of Camptonville today are no great improvement

over those primitive wheels?

They'’re slow, they'’re clumsy.

Only get a fraction of the power

out of water that they should.

You know something?Mmm?

I'’m gonna be a millwright too when I grow up.

Well, that'’s good.

You make up your mind, and you stick to it.

Like you. Me?

I'’ve tried my hand at everything.

Came out here to California in '’49 from Ohio.

Ohio? So did Ma and Pa.

Dug for gold all up and down the riverbeds.

With no luck.

Then I turned to fishing for a living on the Sacramento.

There wasn'’t much future in that.

Then I came up here to Camptonville,

thinking I might have another try at mining.

But by that time, they'’d started

the big hydraulic operations.

And a fellow with no capital didn'’t have a chance.

You must'’ve been getting pretty old.

36.

Yep, 36 and nothing to show for it.

That'’s when I became a millwright.

You have a lot to show for that.

Well, I helped build most of the big staff mills around here.

And the schoolhouse.

You didn'’t build that.

And you stop wishing it had burned down.

How'’d you know?[ chuckles ] All boys do.

Well, I guess I'’ll close up shop

and call her a day, eh?

So early?Well, it'’s after 6.

Suppertime for you, isn'’t it?

I suppose.You suppose?

Boy, I understand your mom is one of the best cooks in Camptonville.

Yeah, she cooks, all right.

Well, you should see what they sling at us

down at the miner'’s hash house. Mmm.

Hey, Mr. Pelton, why don'’t you

come and board at our house?

Oh, now, I wasn'’t hinting.

No, honest. My mother feeds all the teamsters.

One more person wouldn'’t matter.

You know, that sounds mighty tempting to an old bachelor.

Eat in a real home, eh?

You wouldn'’t have to sit by either of my sisters.

You could sit next to me.[ chuckles ]

I'’ll tell you what.

You ask your mom, and if she says yes,

it'’ll suit me fine.

Oh, boy!

OLD RANGER: And, so, Lester Pelton

became a member of the Groves'’ family.

Time rolls on.

Six months. A year.

'’Till we come to another Saturday morning in 1878.

How did it go, dear?

Oh, this isn'’t straight at all.

The first thing to learn is to keep

your feet moving steadily on the pedal.

Don'’t jerk.

Hello, Mr. Pelton.

What'’s this? Sewing bee?

Not me.[ chuckles ]

Hattie'’s having a lesson on the sewing machine.

Don'’t look at it. It'’s all crooked.

She finds it hard to work the treadle.

I should think she might

with those short little legs.

Runt.Never mind.

My own legs ache sometimes after a long stint.

But then I think, what if I had

to do it all by hand, the way women used to?

I'’m glad I'm a man.

MR. PELTON: Well, men sew too, you know?

They do?

Yes, sir.

It was a man who invented this machine.

Was a tailor who sewed for a living.

Nyah!

Ow!No, you don'’t. You just stop it.

Wait. You just wait.

Oh, no! Frank!

[ whining ] You ruined my hair.

[ sobbing ]

Didn'’t Hattie hear the bell?Here she comes now.

MARGARET: Well, come and sit down, Hattie.

Excuse me.

What makes you walk so funny?Nothing.

Sideways like a crab. [ laughs ]

Ow! Stop kicking.

Frank, behave yourself.

Hey, lookee!

Ink. How did it happen?

I guess it just dropped in the ink well.

Both of '’em?

It was Frank, I saw him.

MARGARET: Frank!

He did it deliberately.

Tattletale.

She has ink spots in back of her dress.

Let me see. Turn around.

[ sighs ] Hattie, your nice merino.

Frank Groves, how could you be so naughty?

It'’ll wash out.

It will not.

The dress will have to have a whole new back put in.

And that'’s a big, fussy job.

I'’m sorry.

MARGARET: If your father was home, you'’d get a good licking.

I ought to give you one, myself.

[ cries ] But I'’m...I'm just too worn out.

My mother could fix the dress, Mrs. Groves.

A dress my son ruined? I wouldn'’t dream of it.

I'’ll do it myself. Tonight.

[ exhales ]

[ sighs ]

[ sighs ]

[ door opens, closes ]

Mrs. Groves?

Mrs. Groves?

Oh, my goodness. I must'’ve fallen asleep.

[ chuckles ] It'’s after midnight.

I just came in, I was down at the shop tinkering.

Say, you better put up your work and get to bed.

[ sighs ] I can'’t do that.

I'’ve got to finish this dress.

MR. PELTON: Oh, not tonight.

Hattie'’s mother is coming home tomorrow.

I don'’t want her to find the dress in this state.

You'’re worn out, Mrs. Groves.

I'’m all right.

MR. PELTON: I wish I could help you.

Don'’t you worry about me.

There must be some way to make it easier.

OLD RANGER: We pick up the course of our story

a few weeks later.

Weeks, during which Lester Pelton has done

a lot of mysterious tinkering in his shop.

And we jump to a day in the Summer of 1879.

All right, now. Frank, hand me that wrench.

It'’s a good thing Ma's in the kitchen making currant jelly.

She'’d be out here and see it.

That'’s why I picked this morning.

[ grunts ]Mrs. Meek is coming over,

and we'’ll get it all rigged up.

Whoa, you told her?

I just said we had a surprise for Ma.

Oh.I didn'’t say what.

Gee, where'’s the wheel?

It'’s hidden around the corner of the house.

I'’ll go get it.

What if it don'’t work?

Oh, it'’ll work. No "what if" about it.

Sure a lot of trouble you went to.

You know, nothing'’s too much trouble, Frank,

if it makes things easier for womenfolk.

Don'’t you forget it.

What about the menfolk?

Yep, them too.

MARGARET: Frank! Oh, Frank!

It'’s all set.I'’m out here, Ma.

On the porch.

I need some more sugar for my jelly.

Will you go dow...

...my machine.

What'’s it doing out here?

It'’d be too wet in the house.

Wet? What'’ve you done to it?

What is all this contraption?

Well, this is something I rigged up so you can sew

without working that treadle.

It'’ll work all by itself.

Well, with the help of water.

Now, look. See there'’s a wheel inside here.

I put a case around it to keep it from splashing, you see?

Now, the water comes in through this small nozzle.

Goes in through-- Well, let me show you.

It'’s easier than trying to explain.

Okay, now you-- You sit down right here.

Isn'’t this wonderful?

All I'’m doing is just guiding the needle.

Can hardly believe it.

FRANK: Yep, her feet ain'’t even touching the treadle.

Get away from my skirt, Frank.

I wish I could try it.

Think of the boon it'’ll be

when you'’re working on men'’s heavy clothes.

Mr. Pelton, you'’re a genius.

How'’d you ever think up such a thing?

He'’s been tinkering for ages down in his shop.

Water power'’s been an obsession with me

ever since I came to California and worked around these rivers.

MARGARET: This wheel is just perfect.

No. No, it could be improved.

I don'’t see how.

Well, you see, there'’s still a lot of power

in this little stream of water we'’re not using.

We'’re getting all we need.

Well, for a little machine like this, yes.

But, now what about the big machinery

in our mines and our mills?

You think of all that potential power locked up.

Going to waste.

I'’m no engineer,

but I'’m gonna keep on experimenting

until I'’ve found the answer--

a wheel that gets the utmost out of water.

Why, by George, I have got it.

I'’ve got it!

This partition does the trick.

Now, the water splits as it hits the cups

and you get a force from two streams instead of one.

It'’s the secret I'’ve been looking for.

OLD RANGER: Events moved fast after that for Lester Pelton.

Working feverishly in his shop,

he produces his first model of a so-called "splitter wheel."

From there to bigger and better models.

Turned out in a nearby foundry.

1880. Pelton receives a patent on his invention.

1883. Competitive tests

at the great Idaho-Maryland Mine.

The Pelton Wheel wins hands down.

Orders come in from other mines, from mills.

They all want Pelton Wheels to operate their machinery.

And then, something nobody has ever dreamed of--

the Pelton Wheel is hitched up to a dynamo.

Hydroelectric power is on it'’s way.

Today, the world over in hydroelectric plants,

huge Pelton wheels convert rushing water

into heat and light and power.

Each wheel, with it'’s divided cups

a monument to the obscured tinkerer

whose invention revolutionized industry

and brought incalculable benefits to every one of us.

So there'’s the true story

of the invention of the Pelton water wheel

and the part your grandmother'’s

sewing machine played in it, Bill.

It'’s wonderful that your family has preserved

such a valuable memento.

And thank you so much, Bill,

for coming on our Death Valley Daysshow

to help us tell the story of the wheel of fortune.

Thank you, Old Ranger, for having me.