Rudolf Diesel (1858 – 1913) invented the diesel engine. The powerful piece of machinery changes lives and engineering forever. What happened to Diesel on his ill-fated voyage September 1913 is one of the great mysteries of the 19th century.
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Mechanical engineer Rudolf Diesel invents the Diesel engine in 1896 and it evolves rapidly. At first a replacement for stationary steam engines, Diesel demonstrates efficiency of 26.2%, twice as efficient as steam. The engine is an immediate success.
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The Diesel is an internal combustion engine, generating power by burning fuel with air inside the engine. Hot gasses drive a piston and compress air. Fuel is injected into compressed air and elevated temperatures ignite the fuel. Diesels don't use spark plugs.
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There are two types of internal combustion engine today: the spark ignition gasoline engine and the compression ignition Diesel engine. Diesel patents his first compression-ignition engine in 1898, and continues to make improvements.
Diesel fuel is refined from crude oil and biomass materials. At first the engine is too heavy for land use. With adaptations it soon powers trains, tractors, machines and mining equipment; Under the pressures of rising demand, Diesel has a nervous breakdown.
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Diesel experiments with different fuels. In his book titled Diesel Engines for Land and Marine Work, he writes,
"In 1900 a small Diesel engine was exhibited by the Otto company which, on the suggestion of the French Government, was run on arachide [peanut] oil, and operated so well that very few people were aware of the fact.
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"The motor was built for ordinary oils, and without any modification was run on vegetable oil. I have recently repeated these experiments on a large scale with full success and entire confirmation of the results formerly obtained."
On September 29 1913 he embarks on a voyage on the steamship SS Dresden, a British passenger ship on the North Sea route between Harwich and the Hook of Holland. He dines on board and asks for a 6:15 early wake-up call. About 22:00 he retires for the evening.
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The next day it's clear the bed has not been slept in. His cabin is neat, nightshirt laid out on the bed. Ten days later a Dutch crew finds a floating corpse. The body is too decomposed to positively identify.
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In the North Sea, according to forensics experts, a body decomposes beyond recognition in two days. Within a week, being nibbled by sea creatures it's almost completely returned to nature. This one is still floating. Its pockets contain items confirmed as Diesel's by his son.
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The New York Times follows the story with vigor. Headlines include “Dr. Diesel Vanishes From a Steamship” 1 October 1913; then “NO RAY OF LIGHT ON DIESEL MYSTERY: German Inventor Was a Millionaire and His Home Was Happy”(2 October).
“DIESEL FAMILY IN STRAITS: Missing Inventor Said to Have Left Them in Extreme Need” blares from the pages October 13 followed by “DIESEL WAS BANKRUPT: He Owed $375,000 - Tangible Assets Only About $10,000” (October 15).
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The next spring, a speculative headline appears: “REPORTS DR. DIESEL LIVING IN CANADA: Munich Journal Hears Inventor, Supposedly Drowned, Has Begun Life Anew.”
The story is never confirmed.
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Before he left on his final voyage, Diesel gave his wife Martha a package with instructions to open it the next week. She finds 20,000 Marks in cash (120,000 USD today) and records confirming the company is bankrupt.
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A known insomniac, he may have taken a late walk on the deck. An accident is unlikely. Due to the package he left his wife, Diesel is aware something might happen to him.
Whether his death is suicide, murder or a cunning strategy to fake his own death is never known. One thing is certain. The success of the Diesel engine threatens a lot of interests making money from steam power and coal.
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As Diesel’s patents expire, other companies take over his invention and develop it further. Still in wide use today, the Diesel engine is hard to replace. As environmental concern grows, one might eventually come up with a more earth-friendly fuel.
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