 To power it the user would run it forward and back a few times, and then lower the intake to the floor and clean the floor until the motor ran down.According to "Thomas' Register of American Manufacturers", sales of manual vacuum cleaners peaked in 1914.In 1914 it lists 18 manufacturers offering hand-operated vacuum cleaners, and only eight in 1916; in 1914 it lists five offering water-powered vacuum cleaners, and only two in 1916.