Chapter 497: 2 Francs vs. Life
After returning from Silesia, Perna learned that Camellia had become Prince Joseph's maid. For some reason, this gave her an inexplicable sense of crisis.
Thus, she began unconsciously sticking close to the Prince, as if trying to guard against something.
Once they entered the distillation workshop, it was Murdoch, the technical expert, who explained everything to Joseph:
"Your Highness, you see, this cylindrical object here is the dry distillation still I invented. The ring-shaped thick iron pipe around it is the furnace, used to heat the coal inside the still...
"Oh, before entering the still, the coal must be crushed to a specified size. The crushing workshop is across from here...
"After the coal undergoes high-temperature distillation, it will turn into coke and produce a large amount of coal gas. This process takes about 10 hours...
"Afterwards, we extinguish the fire, take out the coke from the still, replace it with new coal, and light it again..."
He pointed to a thick brass pipe above:
"The produced coal gas is sent here to the cooling chamber. But this gas still can't be used yet. It has to pass through several layers of cloth to remove ash and cinders...
"Then, the gas is filtered through multiple layers of paper to remove oily particles...
"Next, the gas goes through the scrubbing tower. Oh, that's the tallest 'stone column' on the east side.
"Inside are many wooden grids filled with lime water, which removes sulfur from the gas. You see, sulfur, when burned, causes people's eyes to tear uncontrollably...
"And in the scrubbing lime water, a lot of ammonia dissolves. It was Mr. Lavoisier who reminded me to collect this valuable ammonia..."
Joseph was stunned. No wonder the technology for distilling and producing coal gas could be patented.
In theory, the process seemed simple—just heating coal in an oxygen-free environment—but in reality, the production process was incredibly complex. Skipping even a single step would make the gas unusable.
Take, for example, Murdoch's mention of sulfur removal. If you didn't think about that at first, by the time your distillation plant was built, the gas going to the lamps could make people cry all day. The millions spent on building the plant would go down the drain.
Without talents like Murdoch or Lavoisier, even if he brought advanced modern technical theories, they would remain on paper, without generating a single penny of profit.
Suddenly, Joseph remembered his previously planned "Talent Introduction Program," which had been sidelined due to his busy schedule. It seemed like it was time to put it back on the agenda.
As they ventured deeper into the distillation workshop, Joseph couldn't help but frown. The air was thick with smoke and dust. Visibility was reduced to just three meters ahead, and the sharp, stinging smell of coal ash made it almost impossible to breathe.
He quickly turned to Aymond and said, "Get me a mask."
"A cloth to cover your mouth?" Aymond looked confused.
Joseph frowned. He didn't know the exact word for "mask," so he used "cloth to cover the mouth" instead.
"Ah, you mean like the ones doctors wear on their mouths..."
Upon hearing this, Aymond glanced back at Perna, who also shook her head in confusion.
It then occurred to Joseph that he had never seen Perna or Dr. Lamarck wearing masks. Could it be that such a thing hadn't been invented yet?
He pulled Perna over and made some gestures: "It's like a square piece of cotton cloth, with strings on both sides to hang on your ears."
Seeing that Perna still shook her head, he gave up entirely. It was truly an era without masks...
However, the workshop manager, Duras, pulled a rag-like object out of his pocket and handed it over: "Your Highness, are you trying to cover your nose and mouth?"
"Ah, yes."
Duras quickly demonstrated: "Like this, cover your face."
Joseph put the "rag" on his face, and his nose and throat felt slightly better. Only then did he notice that some workers were also covering their faces with similar triangular rags, looking like bandits about to rob a bank.
He frowned. In such a work environment, without proper masks, these workers would develop lung diseases very quickly.
Some of the workers were even younger than him...
Though working conditions were poor in the early stages of the Industrial Revolution across various countries, now that he had seen it, he couldn't ignore it.
He first stepped out of the stifling distillation workshop, quickly removed the cloth from his face, and took deep breaths of the outside air. Then, he said to Duras, "There's something called a mask that can effectively reduce the amount of dust workers breathe in.
"Please arrange for a tailor to make a batch as soon as possible. From now on, all workers must wear masks while working."
He gestured for Aymond to fetch paper and a pen, and sketched a medical mask from his time: "Take four layers of cotton gauze, sew the edges, attach strings on both sides, and add a metal wire on top. When worn, the strings hook over the ears, and the wire presses against the nose..."
As Duras listened, his face turned pale, and he stammered: "Your Highness, this thing you're describing, this mask, would cost at least 2 francs each. There are over 200 workers in the distillation plant... The expense... or maybe the workers could buy their own?"
So expensive? Joseph was puzzled, but quickly understood—the cost of cotton was high in this era.
Most people could only afford one or two cotton garments in their lifetime, usually wearing linen instead. The metal wire, custom-made to fit the masks, would also be costly without large-scale industrial production.
He sighed helplessly. "I'll cover the cost. Just get the masks made and distribute them to the workers."
"Ah! Thank you for your generosity and kindness!" Duras exclaimed, quickly adding, "But, Your Highness, we can't let you pay for it. It should come from the company's funds."
"Don't argue," Joseph said. Remembering the harsh working conditions, he added, "From now on, every six months, workers will undergo health check-ups. Any issues must be treated early. I'll figure out the cost for the check-ups; you just need to organize the workers."
After thinking for a moment, he added, "And don't dismiss workers over health problems."
The Industrial Development Fund was the largest shareholder of the coal gas distillation plant, and since he controlled the fund, he had the power to influence the company's policies.
Duras was astonished. He had never seen an aristocrat so concerned about workers, and hurriedly offered a flurry of praises and thanks.
Joseph knew that providing workers with basic health and living guarantees was essential for industrial development to remain stable and sustainable. It would also reduce the likelihood of worker uprisings.
Of course, no capitalist would willingly offer such guarantees—it would cut into their profits. Legislation would be needed to address this issue.
Protecting workers' rights might seem like it would raise industrial costs, increase product prices, and reduce competitiveness. But in reality, only workers treated as humans could produce quality goods. Workers treated like livestock could never drive industrial progress.
(End of Chapter)
Friends, if you want to read chapters in advance, subscribe to my patreon.
Read 20 Chapters In Advance: patreon.com/johanssen10