On this day in history, September 29, 1913, Rudolf Diesel, creator of the engine that carries his name, vanishes from the steamship Dresden while traveling from Antwerp, Belgium, to Harwich, England. On October 10, a Belgian sailor onboard a North Sea steamer noticed a body afloat in the sea; after investigating, the body was, in fact, Diesel’s. There was, and continues to be, a lot of mystery around his demise: It was formally deemed a suicide, but many individuals believed (and still believe) that Diesel was assassinated.
When Diesel died, he was traveling to Britain to attend the opening of a new diesel-engine plant – and to meet with the British navy about using his engine in their submarines. Conspiracy theories circulated almost instantly: “Inventor Thrown Into Sea to Stop Sale of Patents to British Government,” read one caption: another stated that Diesel was “Murdered by Agents from Big Oil Trusts.” It will never be known what transpired on that voyage on September 29, 1913.
The engine with his name started a new episode in the Industrial Revolution. Still, German engineer Rudolf Diesel, who grew up in France, initially believed his invention would benefit small companies and artisans, not manufacturers. In fact, diesel engines are common in vehicles of all varieties, particularly those that have to pull heavy weights (trucks or trains) or the type of work done on farms or in a power plant.
His impact on so is clear today for this one improvement to an engine. But his demise more than a century ago remains a mystery.
In 1858 Rudolf Diesel was born in Paris, France. At the beginning of the Franco-Prussian War, the family was sent to England in 1870. Afterward, Diesel went to Germany to study at the Munich Polytechnic Institute, where he surpassed his fellow students in engineering. After graduation, his interest lay in engine design, though, and throughout the next few years, he began investigating several theories. One involved finding a way to help small businesses contend with big companies with the funds to use steam engines. He also wanted to use the laws of thermodynamics to build a more effective engine.
Rudolf Diesel created a solar-powered air engine plus a great many heat engines. In 1892 he applied for and received a developmental patent for his diesel engine. In 1893 he wrote a paper describing the internal combustion engine.
Diesel made enhancements and, in 1896, showed another model with a hypothetical efficiency of 75 percent, in contrast to the 10 percent effectiveness of the steam engine. Work resumed on creating a functioning model. In 1898 Rudolf Diesel was given U.S. patent #608,845 for an internal combustion engine.
Small businesses could utilize his invention, but the industrialists adopted it enthusiastically. His engine took off instantly, with applications far and wide that encouraged the Industrial Revolution’s quick advancement.
After he died, diesel engines became commonplace in automobiles, trucks, ships (after World War II), trains (beginning in the 1930s), and more – and they still are. Today’s diesel engines are refined and improved versions of Rudolf Diesel’s original concept.
Diesel was a millionaire by the end of the 19th century, but lousy money management left him with a huge at the end of his life.
On September 29, 1913, Diesel ate dinner on board the ship and went to his cabin around 10 p.m., with a wake-up call in place for 6:15 a.m. Unfortunately, though, he was never seen alive again. The following day his cabin was vacant, and his bed had not been touched, although his nightshirt was nicely laid out, and his watch had been left near the bed. His hat and overcoat were neatly folded beneath the after-deck railing.
Ten days later, the Dutch ship Coertsen discovered the body of a man floating in the North Sea near Norway. The corpse was in such an advanced state of decomposition that it was indistinguishable, and they never brought it aboard. Instead, the crew recovered personal items like a pill case, wallet, ID card, pocketknife, eyeglass case, etc., from the dead man’s clothing and returned the corpse to the sea. On October 13, these items were identified by Rudolf’s son Eugen Diesel, as being those of his father. On October 11, it was recounted that a boatman found Rudolf Diesel’s body at the mouth of the Scheldt Estuary, but he was compelled to toss it overboard due to bad weather.
Some feel he committed suicide over severe debts due to terrible investments and ill health, a knowledge that did not surface until after his death.
However, theories immediately began that he was thrown overboard. A newspaper at the time hypothesized that “Inventor Thrown Into the Sea to Stop Sale of Patents to British Government.” World War I was close, and Diesel’s engines had gotten into Allied submarines and ships – though the latter were primarily in World War II.
Rudolf Diesel promoted using vegetable oil as a fuel, putting him at odds with the fast-growing petroleum industry and leading to the notion that he was “Murdered by Agents From Big Oil Trusts.” Or he could have been killed by the coal industry because steam engines ran on tons and tons of coal. These theories kept his name circulating in the news media for years. They even involved an assassination attempt by German spies to prevent his divulging particulars about the development of the U-boat. Other narratives popped up over the years, with some interpretations stating he had left his wife with a bag full of money and documents detailing his debt, along with directions not to open it until one week after he vanished and that he had marked the date in his journal. Some people even asserted they had found him alive and well in Canada.
Diesel’s demise may never be fully clarified, but his mark on the industrial world remains undeniable.
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