Chapter 497: Two Francs vs. Life
Perna returned from Silesia and learned that Camelia had become the Crown Prince's maid. For some reason, she felt an inexplicable sense of crisis.
Thus, she unconsciously began to stay as close to the Crown Prince as possible, as if guarding against something.
Once they entered the distillation workshop, the technical expert Murdoch took over, explaining to Joseph: "Your Royal Highness, you see, this cylindrical apparatus is the retort I invented. The thick iron pipes encircling it are actually the furnace, used to heat the coal inside the retort..."
"Oh, before entering the retort, the coal must first be crushed to a specified size. The crushing workshop is just opposite..."
"The coal undergoes high-temperature dry distillation, coking and producing a large amount of coal gas. This process lasts for ten hours..."
"Afterward, the fire must be extinguished, the coke removed from the retort, new coal loaded, and the fire relit..."
He then pointed to a thick brass pipe overhead:
"The produced coal gas is sent from here to the cooling chamber. However, this gas is not yet ready for use; it must undergo several layers of cloth to remove slag, filtering out ash and other residues..."
"Next, the coal gas passes through multiple layers of paper to filter out oily particles..."
"Inside, there are many wooden grates filled with limewater, which removes sulfur from the coal gas. You know, burning sulfur makes people tear up endlessly..."
"And in the limewater used for scrubbing, a lot of ammonia gas dissolves. Mr. Lavoisier reminded me that this expensive ammonia gas should be collected..."
Joseph was thoroughly bewildered. No wonder the technology for distilling and producing coal gas could be patented.
It sounded simple enough—just dry-burning coal in isolation from air—but the actual production process was extremely complex; miss a single step, and you wouldn't get usable coal gas.
For example, the desulfurization Murdoch mentioned: if it wasn't considered from the start, and your distillation plant was built, the coal gas sent to the gas lamps might make people cry all day. In that case, the million-franc construction cost would likely be wasted.
Without talents like Murdoch and Lavoisier, even if he could bring advanced technological theories from a later era, they would likely remain mere concepts on paper, unable to generate even a single sou of profit.
He suddenly recalled the "Talent Acquisition Program" he had previously planned. He had been too busy to advance it, but it seemed he would have to put it on the agenda now.
As they ventured deeper into the distillation workshop, Joseph couldn't help but frown. The surrounding smoke and dust grew thicker and thicker; he could no longer discern objects three meters away. At the same time, the acrid, foul smell of coal ash constantly irritated his nostrils, making it almost impossible to breathe.
He quickly turned to Eman and said, "Please give me a mask."
"A mouth-covering cloth?" Eman asked, looking bewildered.
Joseph frowned. He didn't know the proper word for "mask," so he'd used "mouth-covering cloth" instead.
"Ah, like the kind doctors wear over their mouths..."
Hearing this, Eman quickly looked at Perna behind him. She, too, shook her head with clear eyes.
Only then did Joseph recall that he had never seen Perna or Dr. Lamarck wear masks. Could it be that such a thing hadn't been invented yet?
He pulled Perna closer and gestured. "It's a piece of cotton cloth, square, with strings on both sides to hang over your ears."
Seeing Perna still shake her head, he gave up completely. 'It truly is an era without even masks...'
The manager, Delas, on the other hand, pulled a rag-like object from his pocket and offered it. "Your Royal Highness, you wish to cover your mouth and nose, yes?"
"Ah, yes."
Delas immediately demonstrated, "Like this, over your face."
Joseph put the "rag" over his face. His nose and windpipe finally felt slightly relieved. Only then did he notice that some workers also covered their faces with similar triangular scraps of cloth, like highwaymen preparing for a job.
He couldn't help but frown. 'In this kind of work environment, without masks, they'll surely get pneumoconiosis very quickly!'
Some of these workers were even younger than him...
Although factory conditions were generally harsh across the world in the early stages of the Industrial Revolution, since he had witnessed it, he couldn't simply ignore it.
He first retreated from the sweltering distillation workshop, tore off the face covering, and deeply inhaled the outside air. Then he told Delas, "There's a thing called a mask that can relatively effectively improve the situation for workers inhaling dust and smoke.
"Please find a tailor as soon as possible to custom-make a batch. From now on, all workers must wear masks to perform their duties."
He motioned for Eman to bring paper and pen, then drew a diagram of a modern medical mask. "Use four layers of cotton gauze stacked together, sew the edges, attach strings on both sides, and fasten a piece of wire across the top. When wearing it, the strings tie around the ears, and the wire presses against the bridge of the nose..."
Delas listened, his face practically turning green, and stammered, "Your Royal Highness, this item you speak of—ah, a mask—would cost at least two francs each. The distillation plant has over two hundred workers; the expense... or perhaps the workers could purchase them themselves?"
'That expensive?' Joseph wondered, but immediately understood why. Cotton was far from cheap these days.
An average person might only afford one or two cotton garments in their lifetime, usually wearing linen clothes. And wire—to custom-make it to the specific size and hardness required for masks, without the possibility of industrial mass production, the price wouldn't be low either.
He sighed helplessly. "I'll cover the cost. Please have the masks made and distributed to the workers as soon as possible."
"Ah! Thank you for your generosity and benevolence," Delas quickly said. "However, we cannot let Your Royal Highness pay for this; it should be deducted from the company's accounts."
"There's no need to refuse," Joseph said. Recalling the difficult working conditions, he then instructed Delas, "From now on, conduct a health check for the workers every six months. If any health issues are found, treat them as early as possible. Oh, I'll find a way to cover the examination costs; you just need to organize the workers to cooperate."
He thought for a moment and then added, "But workers must not be arbitrarily dismissed due to health problems."
The Industrial Development Fund was the largest shareholder in the coal gas distillation plant, and Joseph had full authority over the fund, meaning he could completely dictate the rules and regulations there.
Delas was utterly astonished. He had never encountered a superior who cared so deeply for the workers. He quickly offered a flurry of praise and thanks.
Joseph knew that workers needed basic living and health guarantees for industrial development to be stable and sustainable, and to prevent worker unrest.
However, no capitalist would voluntarily provide such guarantees, as it would reduce their profits. Therefore, this issue needed to be addressed through legislation.
Protecting workers' rights might seem to increase industrial costs, leading to higher product prices and reduced competitiveness. But in reality, only workers treated as human beings can produce quality products. Workers treated like livestock cannot drive industrial development.
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