ABSTRACT
For the first time in human history, waterwheels provided people with the ability to use an inanimate power source for mechanized agricultural processing and basic industrial applications. The smallest grain-grinding water mills of around half a horsepower would mill around 10 times as fast as traditional hand-powered quern-stone milling. The labor savings could be significant. A modest two to three horsepower mill saved the time of 30 to 60 women doing the tedious task of grinding grain by hand [2].
