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Numerous devices have been employed to help with the chore of fetching water from a well. A well sweep relied on weight and a fulcrum to lift a full bucket up out of the well. A drop pole, rather than a rope, attached the bucket to the well sweep. To lower the bucket down to the water required a hand-over-hand effort to push the pole and bucket into the well. Once the bucket was filled, the counter-weight of the well sweep pivoted downward and provided the energy needed to draw the filled bucket upward.

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