The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel

[Irish Rover]

I know this should probably be in the Book thread but IMHO it's worth the greater exposure it might attract here. I'm about a third of the way through it and so far it's a great read.

 

[Poignard]

THE MYSTERIOUS CASE OF RUDOLF DIESEL | Kirkus Reviews

 

[LittleSister]

There is/was a good BBC World Service short programme/podcast 'The Diesel Engine', part of a series on inventions that changed the world, which included an account of Rudolph Diesel's research and development, endeavours to promote the technology, and his demise.

(I have a copy I downloaded, along with others from that series, from the BBC a few years back, but can't currently find it on what is now BBC Sounds.)

 

[capnsensible]

Imagine if he had this real German surname.....Wolfeschlegelsteinhausenbergerdorff

Where would we be?

 

[LittleSister]

Imagine if he had this real German surname.....Wolfeschlegelsteinhausenbergerdorff

Where would we be?

Perhaps he did, but then it was compressed.

 

[rotrax]

IIRC, one of his early experiments used powdered coal as a fuel.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

IIRC, one of his early experiments used powdered coal as a fuel.

I wish you hadn't said that, it has brought back unpleasant memories. I was part of a team that converted a gas fired brick kiln to a coal dust fired one. I think I have got all the coal dust from behind my ears now it was nearly 40 years ago.

 

[mjcoon]

I wish you hadn't said that, it has brought back unpleasant memories. I was part of a team that converted a gas fired brick kiln to a coal dust fired one. I think I have got all the coal dust from behind my ears now it was nearly 40 years ago.

Did you resist getting wet behind the ears? ;-)

 

[Poignard]

Coal Dust Powered Steam Engines

 

[capnsensible]

I wish you hadn't said that, it has brought back unpleasant memories. I was part of a team that converted a gas fired brick kiln to a coal dust fired one. I think I have got all the coal dust from behind my ears now it was nearly 40 years ago.

Have a shower.

 

[capnsensible]

Perhaps he did, but then it was compressed.

Sucked banged and blown too?

 

[penfold]

What's mysterious about it? A depressed man flung himself off a cross-channel ferry. Sad but not very mysterious.

 

[Irish Rover]

What's mysterious about it? A depressed man flung himself off a cross-channel ferry. Sad but not very mysterious.

Thanks. I guess that clears that up, eh? It's a pity Douglas Brunt didn't know you were an eye witness. He could have saved himself a lot of bother and research.

 

[RivalRedwing]

The book is released in the UK on the 12th of October (according to one well-known online retailer)

 

[davidej]

I read somewhere that he committed suicide because his engines were being used to propel the Kaisers U boats. Is this right?

 

[38mess]

A diesel would still be a diesel by any other name

 

[penfold]

Thanks. I guess that clears that up, eh? It's a pity Douglas Brunt didn't know you were an eye witness. He could have saved himself a lot of bother and research.

Occam's razor; his income from licencing his patents was ending and he was about to become very poor.

 

[capnsensible]

A diesel would still be a diesel by any other name

Laudenbangerboomensmokenspitzer?

 

[Frogmogman]

I have to say, the review I read of it in the Washington Post didn’t particularly inspire me to want to read it.

The gist of the review was that the author had taken a few historical facts and woven them into a fairly far-fetched hypothesis.

 

[Irish Rover]

I have to say, the review I read of it in the Washington Post didn’t particularly inspire me to want to read it.

The gist of the review was that the author had taken a few historical facts and woven them into a fairly far-fetched hypothesis.

That's a point of view and it may well be true but I'm enjoying the read, nonetheless.