Among the people, without whose discoveries and developments, scientific and technological progress in the last century would have been impossible, a special place is occupied by the German engineer and inventor Rudolf Christian Karl Diesel, the author of an efficient and economical internal combustion engine. Now it is difficult to imagine what the modern world would be like if this talented inventor had not presented a model of his engine back in 1894.
And it is especially offensive that people living in the modern world cannot personally express their gratitude to one of its creators, even posthumous. The fact is that no one knows how Rudolf Diesel ended his days and where his ashes are buried. It is only known that on September 29, 1913, the inventor boarded the Dresden ferry going from Antwerp to London, after which he disappeared without a trace.
In 1858, one of three children was born into a family of German emi-grants Theodor and Alice Diesel, who settled in Paris, who was given the name Rudolph. The family did not vegetate in poverty - the father, a bookbinder by profession, after meeting his wife, the daughter of famous merchants, was able to organize his own production of leather goods. Although the parents had nothing to do with mechanics, Rudolph from early childhood was in awe of various machines. Well, the most favorite place of "pilgrimage" and a kind of children's university was the Parisian Museum of Arts and Crafts, where he regularly asked his parents to take him on another excursion.
However, the boy's calm and measured life lasted only until the age of twelve, after which he had to immediately plunge into adulthood. In 1870, the Franco-Prussian War broke out, as a result of which, of course, the inhabitants of France with a German origin and a German surname had nothing else to do in the country. The Diesel family business was requisitioned, and parents with three children were forced to flee to England. Left practically without any means of subsistence and unable to provide for the future of their children on their own, the parents had to take a difficult step. At the family council, it was decided that Rudolph needed to go to his historical homeland. Fortunately, not everything looked so scary: in Germany, Theodore had a brother and a wife, who, not having their children,gladly agreed to accept their nephew Rudolf into their family.
Professor Karl Linde actually opened a new path in Diesel's life and gave him the opportunity to realize himself as a scientist, in every possible way supporting him in research
Indeed, the young man developed a very warm relationship with Christoph and Barbara Barnikel. Rudolph quickly settled in a new place, having learned German, and thanks to his calm character, perseverance and curiosity, he quickly won the love of his uncle, who taught mathematics at the local vocational school. Despite the young age of his nephew, Christoph communicated with Rudolph on equal terms, only strengthening his desire to engage in mechanics and technology in the future. In the end, it got to the point that a year later Diesel wrote a letter to his parents, where he stated that he had already clearly defined his future - the future of an engineer. The parents did not mind - the main thing for them was that their child now knows exactly how he is going to earn his living.
As soon as Rudolph became familiar with the German language after his move, he immediately began attending the Royal Vocational School, where his uncle taught. In 1873, he received his primary education, ahead of absolutely all students of the school in academic performance. By this time, the newly formed Industrial School of Augsburg had just opened its doors, where 15-year-old Rudolph immediately applied for admission. And after two years, being again the most gifted student of the school, he is honored with early admission to the prestigious Royal Bavarian Polytechnic Institute at public expense.
In 1893, Rudolf Diesel received his first patent, which secures the ownership of the theoretical foundation and design of the "rational heat engine"
Promotional video:
Naturally, Diesel, being in seventh heaven, gladly accepts the offer, despite the tacit displeasure of his parents. The fact is that they did not expect that their son's fascination with science would drag on for so long and turn into a theoretical plane. Constantly in need of financial assistance, they already wanted to see Rudolph as soon as possible working in some enterprise and finally earning money. However, Diesel managed, as they say, to combine business with pleasure. Since very soon he was awarded a good scholarship, thanks to which he was not only able to support himself, but also to provide financial assistance to his parents, which they were extremely happy about. And, in addition, thanks to his amazing ability to work and ability to plan working hours,Diesel managed to enjoy his other favorite pastimes - reading and music. Such personality traits very strongly attracted people to Rudolph throughout his life.
During his studies at the Polytechnic Institute, Diesel had one of the turning points in his life. One of his teachers was a famous engineer - Professor Karl Linde, who was engaged in the development of refrigeration equipment. In 1879, Rudolph fell ill with typhoid fever and could not pass the professor's exam on time with his class. Having recovered and waiting for the next opportunity for certification, Diesel, without wasting time, goes to gain experience in engineering practice in Switzerland, where he gets a job at the machine-building plant of the Schulzer brothers. A year later, he returned and successfully passed the exam for Linde, impressed with the acquired knowledge and experience. This was the professor's last year of work at the institute, since he decided to engage in applied research at the Linde Refrigeration Generators company he organized. And of coursehe could not just say goodbye to his capable student, inviting Diesel to his work, immediately giving him the post of director …
The very first of several prototypes of the Diesel engine, in which flaws appeared that the inventor could not have foreseen in theoretical studies
Законы термодинамики, которые преподавал Линде в институте, полностью захватили сознание Рудольфа. Становясь старше и все чаще философствуя над устройством мира, он справедливо приходил к выводу, что именно они способны изменить все общество. Главную проблему он видел в источнике энергии для производства. Начавшая идти в то время семимильными шагами индустриальная революция держалась исключительно на громадных паровых двигателях, коэффициент полезного действия которых редко превышал десяти процентов. Столь затратное производство лишь удорожало продукцию, а содержать его могли только крупные заводы и фабрики, уничтожая тем самым весь остальной средний и малый бизнес. Поэтому ситуацию могло уравновесить исключительно создание компактного, легко приспосабливаемого под любые условия и производственные нужды источника энергии.
Work in Linde's company lasted ten years, during which Diesel improved the mechanical refrigerator invented by Linde, the principle of operation of which was that with the help of a mechanical pump the refrigerant, ammonia, was evaporated and condensed. In parallel, with the full support of the professor, he conducted numerous experiments to create an efficient heat engine, that is, a mechanism that would convert heat into mechanical energy according to the laws of thermodynamics. Or, in other words, would use the dependence of the thermal expansion of matter on temperature.
In 1896, Rudolph Diesel proudly unveils a finished copy of his operable 20 hp engine. s., which today is exhibited at the Engineering Museum in Augsburg
At first, as this very substance or working fluid, Diesel tried to use ammonia used in the production of refrigerators. But the fuel was a kind of powder obtained from coal. No wonder - Germany is famous for the richest deposits of this type of mineral. The experiments consisted of attempts to compress the working fluid in the chamber in such a way that when it was combined with the fuel, the temperature required for ignition was created - that is, without using a spark plug. However, practice did not want to go in parallel with theory - all kinds of variations with changes in physical conditions did not lead to any significant preponderance over the existing ineffective steam engines.
Moreover, in one of these experiments, a car explosion occurred, which almost led to fatal consequences. Diesel had to spend many months in the hospital, and his vision problems remained for the rest of his life. After recovering from health, in the late 1880s, Linde invited Rudolf to head the branch of his company in Berlin, as well as to take part in some commercial projects. Diesel, who had already acquired a wife and three children by that time, gives his consent, but his thoughts were completely seized by a recently arisen idea …
Rudolf Diesel at the presentation of his engine in 1896, surrounded by leading scientists and engineers in Germany
Somehow Diesel, unexpectedly even for himself, discovered an amazing thing. He got hold of a pneumatic cigar lighter. In a small glass tube was a rod - a wick that is used to carve fire. With the help of the piston, the air in the tube was compressed, and the wick began to heat up. We can say that this mechanism also ignited the entire consciousness of the inventor. It turns out that everything is simple: you need to thoroughly squeeze the air, which as a result will be heated to the required temperature, and then combine it with fuel, which will ignite.
Having moved to Berlin, Diesel immediately took up the implementation of his idea, and in 1893 received his first patent, which secured the ownership of the "rational heat engine". He also publishes a book next, where he describes in detail the theoretical basis and design of the "rational heat engine". By the way, at first, Diesel called the invented power plant "atmospheric gas engine", but this definition did not take root, later turning into just the name of the inventor. After a while, Rudolph leaves Linde's company and organizes his own company. And over the next three years, he makes several prototypes, gradually improving them and correcting shortcomings that he could not have foreseen in theoretical research.
By the beginning of the twentieth century, with his persistence in achieving this goal, Rudolf Diesel made rich not only himself, but also his wife and three children
Ultimately, on New Year's Eve 1897, Diesel is proud to present a copy of its workable engine. It was a three-meter iron cylinder in which a piston moved a flywheel. Developed power reached 20 liters. with., and the efficiency was almost 30%. Of course, these were not the 75% declared in theoretical calculations, but this did not play absolutely any role, since in any case, this invention was not equal in its effectiveness. The Diesel engine worked continuously for more than half a month, finally becoming a tangible trophy of many years of searching for the designer. True, Rudolph's idea that his energy source would help a small producer get on his feet was not destined to come true at first. For the sensation of the outgoing 19th century, representatives of big business stood in line.
By the 40th anniversary of Rudolph, what, in fact, most dreamed of his parents, happened - he became rich, very rich. Dozens of engine licenses were sold to German and foreign manufacturers, shipbuilders and power plant and water pump equipment manufacturers, and the companies pledged $ 1 million. Actually, now in any production, the installation of steam engines was considered bad form, since Diesel engines were at least four times more economical.
Rudolph Diesel gained fame all over the world, becoming on a par with the most famous people of the early twentieth century (pictured with Thomas Edison)
Moreover, the issue with the used fuel was resolved. Coal dust, which Diesel initially wanted to use, was excluded, because, due to its high abrasive qualities, it quickly wore out the engines. And the expensive kerosene that followed it was successfully replaced with cheaper oil. Although it is worth noting that the inventor hoped to the last that agricultural products would also act as fuel, because he still believed that his engine should work for the benefit of all countries, regardless of the availability of natural resources. However, it must be said that it was oil that became the reason for attacks on Diesel by competing inventors and conservative circles in Germany. After all, it was originally declared just the use of coal dust as fuel, which the country is rich in. Clear,that for the German producers themselves, the oil that had to be imported was more expensive. As the researchers suggest, this became a time bomb in Diesel's life …
In addition to industries and power plants, engines began to be widely used in transport. The first to acquire them were ships, which no longer needed dozens of stokers, and the cruising range of the ships increased significantly. After they began to be installed on locomotives. It is noteworthy that the first company to do this was the Swiss engineering plant of the Schulzer brothers, where Diesel once had an internship, and the production experience gained there actually allowed him to begin the gradual realization of his dream together with Professor Linde. Later, there were "diesel trams" … in the queue was gaining crazy momentum in the automotive industry.
The German society does not forget about who he is Rudolf Diesel, perpetuating the memory of the great inventor even on postage stamps
In the mid-1900s, Diesel personally began experimenting with building a compact engine that could be fitted to a car. Unfortunately, his desire was far ahead of its time. In an effort to reduce the mass of the power unit so that it could compete with gasoline engines in its efficiency and economy, its reliability fell proportionally. Therefore, numerous tests led only to failure. Rudolph was very worried about this, because he had a new field for activity, and he could not achieve success in this field. In the end, he had to abandon this idea, the successful implementation of which will appear only eleven years after Diesel's death …
The very same life of the designer after the implementation of his creation has changed a lot. A huge fortune that has practically fallen from the sky and fame break something in it - Rudolph ceases to directly participate in further work on the modernization of his engines. He plunges into the world of commerce, however, as often happens, an inventor and a merchant cannot get along in one person, and therefore all his enterprises will face the unenviable fate of bankruptcy. As already mentioned, Diesel was not much favored in his home country, but abroad he was greeted with all the respect befitting a high-ranking person - social receptions, receptions, lectures "named after himself", as well as the most tempting offers of cooperation. However, such differences between friendliness and dislike strongly affected Rudolph's mental balance. From the calma balanced person, he turned into a twitchy and suspicious person. At some point, his wife almost forcibly took him to a psychiatrist. His actions, with their uncharacteristic nature, greatly surprised those close to him, however, further events show that he seemed to be guessing about something.
In 1953, the German Inventors' Association established the Rudolf Diesel Gold Medal, which is awarded for inventions that have made a significant contribution to the development of the economy and entrepreneurship.
In the early 1910s, German coal magnates are preparing to inflict a crushing blow on Diesel and its engines - in a few years since the worldwide spread of its invention, oil has almost doubled in price, and the "national" mineral is rapidly losing its position. The "accusations" of incompetence and technical miscalculations in his book were supposed to be brought to the public by one generously sponsored German professor. This was secretly told to Rudolph by an acquaintance who worked in the publishing house that was publishing this book. Being an exceptionally learned person who absolutely did not know how to fight in political “showdowns”, Diesel understood that he would not be able to defend his positions, which would entail the collapse of his career and the work of his life.
Just a year before his death, Rudolph completely changed. In addition to the expected "exposure", there was another blow - the multimillion-dollar fortune no longer existed, the reason for which was unjustified commercial games and the outbreak of the economic crisis. With the remaining money, Diesel, together with his wife, begins to make voyages from country to country, visiting old friends, acquaintances, teachers, who later noted that all communication was reduced to gratitude for everything and goodbye … And in the early fall of 1913, Rudolph received an invitation from the English Royal car club to hold several lectures. The inventor begins to prepare for the trip …
He began by inviting his eldest son to visit his parents' house, which was left without a servant. There he, as if by chance, showed where what is, what documents and where they can be found "if something happens." As the son later recalled, there was a lump in his throat, and the foreboding of trouble was intensified by the picture of the papers burned in the fireplace, which was absolutely not typical for his father. And after a while, Diesel handed his wife a suitcase and strictly ordered not to open it until the beginning of October. Later, the wife will find twenty thousand marks in it …
So how did Diesel go missing?
It was like this: not long before this incident, Diesel received an invitation to come to England in order to inaugurate a new plant by one of the British companies that produced his engines. Those who saw him before leaving claimed that the engineer was in high spirits - the great inventor, although he possessed many patents, was not a good businessman, and by 1913 he was on the verge of ruin (which, incidentally, was facilitated by the incipient economic crisis) … The opening of a new plant in England could improve his financial affairs.
Moreover, some of Diesel's acquaintances later recalled that he allegedly told them that the invitation had been sent to him personally by Winston Churchill, who at that time was already heading the Admiralty. The energetic Duke of Marlborough was about to rebuild the entire English fleet, and he allegedly needed the inventor as a technical consultant. It is difficult to say whether this is true or not, since Churchill never told anyone about his desire to meet with Diesel.
Another oddity is that … there is still no reliable evidence that it was Rudolf Diesel, and not a man like him, who ascended that day on the ramp of the Dresden ferry. Strange as it may seem, but the inventor's name was not included in the lists of his passengers. Therefore, the version that it was, after all, he was based only on the testimony of engineers Georg Grace and Alfred Lukman, who were heading to England with Diesel, as well as the ship's steward.
Grace and Lucman said that after sailing, Diesel invited them for a walk on deck, and after all three went down to the wardroom for dinner. During the meal, the inventor was very lively, constantly talking about new proposed modifications to his engine, as well as the bright prospects for cooperation with the British.
At about 10 o'clock in the evening, Rudolf Diesel finally bowed to his colleagues, after which he went down to his cabin. Before opening the door, he stopped the steward and asked to wake him up in the morning at exactly 6.15. Nobody else saw the inventor. In the morning, when they missed him and broke down the cabin door, it turned out that Diesel took out his pajamas from the suitcase and laid them on the bed, and also took out a watch from his pocket, wound it and hung it on the wall next to the bed.
Further polls revealed that no one had seen the inventor leave his cabin that night. The porthole was also closed. This circumstance made the initial version of the police about suicide very vulnerable - the servants of the law suggested that the psyche of Diesel, who was a suspicious person, could not stand the heavy premonitions of imminent bankruptcy, and he simply drowned himself. However, how could the suicide, getting out of the window, close it behind him, and from the inside?
Also, the investigators found it very strange that a person who was about to commit suicide prudently winds the clock, and also asks the steward to wake him up at the exact time indicated. By the way, the suicide note was not found in the cabin either. Moreover, the testimony of Grace and Lucman indicated that the inventor was in a good mood all evening. And after dinner, as it was established, Diesel did not communicate with anyone except the steward.
Another version, put forward by the investigation, said that, perhaps, Diesel went out for a walk at night, stood at the side, and then he suddenly had a heart attack. The unfortunate man was overboard and could not even call for help. This version was supported by the fact that the inventor's cloak and hat were found on the deck in the morning. However, the arguments against were much more weighty: the height of the Dresden's sides was more than one and a half meters, and even a healthy person could hardly climb over them. In addition, Diesel's family, friends and personal physician as one stated that the inventor never had heart problems.
It was also suggested that the inventor could have been killed - for example, on the instructions of competing companies that produced gasoline carburetor engines (Diesel's invention, which ran on cheap fuel oil and diesel fuel and was safer, took away a significant segment of the market from them). Or the special services of imperial Germany had a hand in the murder, which did not want the British, their potential opponents, to modernize the fleet on the eve of a possible war. But who, then, was the killer?
Recall that Diesel talked that evening with only three people - Grace and Lucman and the steward. They all had one hundred percent alibis, confirmed by many other people. And more about the fact that the great inventor was riding on the ferry, as it turned out later, none of the passengers and crew members knew - the name was not on the lists! In addition, it was necessary to find the body and examine it for the possibility of a violent death, since the study of the cabin, corridor and deck did not give any evidence on which one could suspect murder.
Looking ahead, the body was never found. True, a little later, several Belgian fishermen told the police that in the early morning of September 30, 1913, they went fishing and caught the body of a well-dressed gentleman at the mouth of the Scheldt River. After consulting, the fishermen decided to take him to Ghent, but they were prevented by a sudden storm. Deciding that the spirits of the sea were angry because they took away from the element its legal prey, the fishermen threw the body back into the waves.
However, before that, two rings were removed from the drowned man's finger, which the skipper gave to the police. These rings were presented to the inventor's son, who admitted that they were very similar to those worn by his father. However, there were no engravings on them, by which it was possible to accurately determine the owner (one was an engagement ring, the other was a ring with a stone, but without the name of the owner). The jeweler from whom Diesel bought this ring admitted his work, but noticed that many ordered similar rings from him.
So, as you can see, it is impossible to say for sure that the drowned man caught by Belgian fishermen during his lifetime was the inventor of the diesel engine. Therefore, until now, no one knows where the remains of Rudolf Diesel lie. And the circumstances of his disappearance over the past nearly a hundred years have not become clearer. In the German police, the inventor is still listed as missing.
As for the version of Diesel's murder by competitors or special services, it, like all hypotheses relating to the so-called "conspiracy theory", has one typical flaw. It is completely incomprehensible why it was necessary to kill the inventor, whose "brainchild" has long been produced at all factories in the world, including British ones. The engine device was known to thousands of engineers and technicians, who could assemble it themselves and, if necessary, improve it (by the way, it was with their help that Churchill was still able to modernize the British fleet). It only made sense to kill Diesel before the engine went into mass production.
In addition, it is difficult to suspect hired killers or special services employees of such blatant unprofessionalism - after all, it turns out that the person was eliminated so that the next day the whole world learned about it. Why was it necessary to act out this entire ridiculous performance? It was much easier to kill Diesel before boarding "Dresden" and have his body found in the port slums with signs of a robbery. Then no one would have doubted that the inventor had become a victim of his own indiscretion - after all, the most ill fame went about the robbers of the Antwerp port.
In general, if you carefully study some of the details of this story, it will become clear that the disappearance of Diesel was primarily beneficial … to Diesel himself. His financial affairs at that moment were indeed in a deplorable state, everything went to court and debt prison. Maybe the genius inventor just decided to hide from creditors in such an interesting way? That is, in fact, he did not take any ferry (which is why his name was not on the lists), did not have dinner with friends, and did not ask the steward to wake him up. He had previously discussed the testimony with friends, and the steward could well have been bribed.
This explains the fact that, apart from these three, no one remembered that Diesel was present on the ferry (the same steward was serving at dinner) - and one more incomprehensible thing. The fact is that not a single item was found in the inventor's cabin, about which it could be said with confidence that it belonged to Rudolf Diesel - no documents, no wallet, no notebook, no drawings. The found watch was without the name of the owner, a cloak and a hat - too. The fact that these are Diesel things is known only from the testimony of Grace and Lukman - well, their price, if you follow this version, is very low.
There is another interesting point - after the disappearance of the inventor, his family was able to cope with financial difficulties and pay off debts. Afterwards, his family said that they had sold some of the inventor's patents. However, if we remember that a fierce judicial war was going on for them at that time, hardly anyone would have bought them for a high price. So where did the family that lost its breadwinner come from?
So, if you put all the facts together, it turns out that the great inventor could well stage his own disappearance. He spread rumors that he was going to England, instructed two of his acquaintances, who really went there, on how to behave, and they, in turn, bribed the steward. The latter brought several things to the empty cabin, left his hat and cloak on the deck, and then announced the disappearance of the passenger.
And although later many said that in the evening they saw a third passenger in the company of Grace and Lucman, no one (except, again, the steward) knew who it was. That is, perhaps on the ship there was some third acquaintance of the inventor who "played" the role of Diesel, and then simply went to the bottom and did not give evidence to the police. As for the find of the Belgian fishermen, the ring was identified by Diesel's son - and he was obviously privy to his father's plans. In fact, they could have belonged to anyone - and it is not at all a fact that their owner was fished out of the sea on September 30, and not earlier.
It is also possible that later Diesel, under a false name, left for some country and got a job as an engineer at one of his factories. Perhaps he settled in Russia - the inventor had a long-standing business relationship with our country. And when he helped his family pay off debts, he most likely continued to work on improving his engine - but under a different name.
Recommended for viewing: Rudolf Diesel. Leave to return. Geniuses and villains