It is a matter of history that, as early as 1688, Denis Papin,
Professor of Physics and Mathematics at the University of Marburg,
proposed to substitute steam for powder in the engine invented by
Huyghens, and that in 1695 he published a description of several new
inventions, in which steam played an important part. The Elector Carl,
of Hesse-Cassel, was anxious to be free from the annoyances and
impositions practised upon his boatmen by the authorities at Münden,
and he proposed to avoid that city by constructing a canal connecting
the Weser with the river that flowed through Cassel. Much of the work
was accomplished, and the half finished line of the canal can be
traced even at the present day. Papin was authorized to build a
powerful steam pump by which the supply of water was to be regulated.
A working model of this pump was completed; and the Elector was on the
point of visiting the laboratory to witness its operation, when a
fearful explosion frightened the workmen, and afforded an opportunity
for enemies to intrigue for the expulsion of Papin from the country.
The model was preserved for a long time in Cassel; but at the time of
the French invasion, it disappeared, and no trace of it has since been
found. In writing about his inventions, Papin says, in 1695: "It would
occupy too much space for me to describe in what manner this principle
could be applied to removing water from mines, throwing bombs, sailing
against the wind, and for many other similar purposes; everyone
according to his wants can imagine the constructions that could be
made. I cannot, however, refrain from remarking how much preferable
this power would be to oars for those whose business calls them to the
sea." And further on he says: "The steam cylinders could be employed
for a great variety of purposes." One of the cylinders, which was to
form a part of the pump, was cast at the foundry in Cassel, and after
various vicissitudes has finally become the property of the Historical
Museum in that city, where it will be preserved, with jealous care,
from any further injury. During the recent exhibition of philosophical
instruments in London, this remnant of Papin's invention played an
important part, it having been generously loaned by the authorities
for that occasion. After the flight of Papin from Germany, the
cylinder was used as a receptacle for iron turnings and borings in the
royal works; and after the destruction of those works by fire, it came
into the possession of Henschel, the founder of one of the most
extensive locomotive works in Germany. This man fully appreciated the
value of the historical relic; and when I visited him at the works,
twenty-five years ago, he pointed out with pride to me the inscription
on its side, "Papin's Cylinder," and said that he intended to have it
placed upon a solid pedestal near the gate. His grandson has since
presented it to the city, and its preservation from destruction or
sale is now secured. A copy of the drawing made by Papin of the pump
of which this cylinder was to form a part, and which was published in
1695, has recently appeared in Dingler's _Journal_, and I send it to
you, hoping that you will have it engraved and perpetuated in your
valuable paper. It is a peculiar combination of Savery's invention and
Papin's piston engine, suggested for another purpose, and is a decided
improvement on Huyghens' powder engine.
[Illustration: PAPIN'S STEAM ENGINE.]
A is the boiler for the generation of the steam, provided with a
safety valve (an invention of Papin). On opening the stopcock, C, the
steam passes through B into the cylinder, D, and by its expansion
drives the plunger, E, against the water contained in the cylinder, D,
which is thus forced into the chamber, F, compressing strongly the
air, which in turn expels the water through the pipe, G, to the height
desired. K is a funnel for the fresh supply of water, and at I and H
are valves opening upwards and downwards. After the condensation of
the steam in D, a renewed supply of water, through K, forces the
plunger, E, to the top of the cylinder, ready for the next action of
steam. The strokes of such a pump could not be frequent, and it would
not compare very favorably with the wonderful machinery exhibited in
Philadelphia last summer; but it contains the germ of the idea, and is
worthy of all honor. Having often seen it stated that Papin had
invented a steamboat, I resolved during a recent visit to Germany to
investigate the matter, and especially to search for the
correspondence between Papin and Leibnitz in the library at Hanover.
It will be borne in mind that two hundred years ago, on December 4,
1676, Leibnitz was appointed to take charge of the library in Hanover,
and that he remained in this position until his death in 1716. He
bequeathed his manuscripts to the library; and as he had the habit of
writing upon all manner of loose scraps of paper, it has cost much
labor to assort and classify them.
On making my application to the librarian to be permitted to see the
correspondence between Papin and Leibnitz, my request was at once
granted; and a table having been assigned me, I was able to examine
these precious relics at my leisure. I was also shown a copy of an
original treatise on the steam engine by Papin, which contained
numerous marginal notes by Leibnitz. In one place, Leibnitz criticized
Papin's method for condensing steam, and makes a drawing on the
margin, showing a piston and valve which he thought would be more
practical. It is somewhat remarkable that the Germans have not caused
a fac-simile of this little volume to be published. After considerable
search, I found a copy of the original letter addressed by Papin to
Leibnitz in 1707, asking Leibnitz to assist him in obtaining the
consent of the Hanoverian Government to navigate the river Weser with
a sidewheel steamboat. The letter was dated July 7, 1707, and
contained among other interesting passages the following sentence:
"The new invention will enable one or two men to accomplish more
effect than several hundred oarsmen." It is evident that Leibnitz was
deeply impressed by Papin's letter, and he supported the simple and
reasonable request contained in it by the following petition addressed
to the Councillors of State. This communication from Leibnitz bears
two indorsements, one by the clerk of the council, "_pro memoria_
respectfully, in reference to the passage of a ship from the river
Fulda into the Weser;" the other is in the handwriting of Leibnitz:
"Papin's sidewheel ship." This last indorsement is of great value, as
indicating the fact that Papin proposed to apply side wheels for the
propulsion of his new invention. The following is a translation of
Leibnitz' letter, the original of which I saw in the library:
"Dionysius Papin, Councillor and Physician to his royal highness the
Elector of Cassel, also Professor of Mathematics at Marburg, is about
to dispatch a vessel of singular construction down the river Weser to
Bremen. As he learns that all ships coming from Cassel, or any point
on the Fulda, are not permitted to enter the Weser, but are required
to unload at Münden, and as he anticipates some difficulty, although
those vessels have a different object, his own not being intended for
freight, he begs most humbly that a gracious order be granted that his
ship may be allowed to pass unmolested through the electoral domain,
which petition I most humbly support.
G.W. LEIBNITZ.
"Hanover, July 13, 1707."
This letter was returned to Leibnitz with the following indorsement:
"The Electoral Councillors have found serious obstacles in the way of
granting the above petition, and, without giving their reasons, have
directed me to inform you of their decision, and that in consequence
the request is not granted by his Electoral Highness.
H. REICHE.
"Hanover, July 25, 1707."
This failure of Papin's petition was the deathblow to his effort to
establish steam navigation. A mob of boatmen, who thought they saw in
the embryo ship the ruin of their business, attacked the vessel at
night and utterly destroyed it. Papin narrowly escaped with his life,
and fled to England, where he endured great hardships and poverty, and
all traces of him were soon lost, so that it is uncertain in what
country he finally died or where he was buried.
This remarkable man was driven out of France on account of his
Protestant faith, and found a refuge in Germany; here he was again
persecuted on account of the injury that ignorant and jealous people
believed his inventions would inflict upon the industries of the
country; and when the climax of steam engines for pumping water and
propelling ships was reached, the enlightened government of the period
"found serious obstacles" in the way of granting him protection, and,
without condescending to state what those "objections" were, secretly
instigated the mob to make an end of the trouble. It is another
instance, unfortunately too often repeated in history, of the mischief
men dressed up in a little brief authority can work upon their
generation. If Papin had been permitted to navigate the Weser with his
ship, and to carry it to London, as was his intention, it is possible
that we should have had steamboats one hundred years earlier than they
were given to us by Fulton. The plan proposed by Papin was highly
impracticable; but a knowledge of what Savery had done in the way of
steam machinery, aided by the shrewd suggestions of Leibnitz, combined
with the practical assistance of Englishmen, would, no doubt, have
enabled him to improve upon his invention until it had obtained
sufficient credit to be secure against the misfortune of being
totally forgotten. After the lapse of 100 years from the date of
Papin's invention, when the first steamboat was put upon the river
Rhine, the vessel was fired into by concealed marksmen on shore, and
navigation was more dangerous than it is now on the upper waters of
the Missouri in times of Indian hostility. It was only after
stationing troops along the banks of the river to protect the boatmen
that the government, fortunately more enlightened than in the days of
Leibnitz, was able to establish steam navigation on a secure footing.
I have thought it worth while to make this contribution to the history
of steam navigation, particularly as I have been able to authenticate
a portion of it by reference to original documents.
Columbia College, New York city, January, 1877.
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