No Tech Magazine

Floating Citadels, Powered by Wind and Water Mills

2009-11-07T16:18:42+01:00

This engraving, published in 1798, shows the gigantic St. Malo raft, designed in 1791 during the French Revolution. The engraving informs us that this extraordinary structure was 600 feet long by 300 broad, mounts 500 pieces of cannon, 36 and 48-pounders, and is to convey 15,000 troops for the invasion of England. In the midst is a bomb-proof, metal-sheathed citadel.

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The St. Malo raft was supposed to be propelled by means of 4 large paddle wheels powered by 4 windmills. Whenever the wind apparatus should be unavailable, the paddle-wheels could be worked by horsepower. Squadrons of cavalry are seen proceeding at full gallop, passing across the surface, having entered the great floating affair by a set of draw-bridges at one end, which can evidently be lifted up when the process of embarkation is completed. They are deploying round and passing into an arched entrance to quarters provided for them in the basement of the central fortress or citadel. Note the second raft in the distance.

These formidable appliances for the invasion of England were never constructed, of course. The idea originated as propaganda to convince the more gullible section of the French public that the notion of the invasion was to be taken seriously. The English, on the other hand, used these posters to arouse British patriotism and to raise awareness against possible French invasion.

Napoleon Bonaparte wrote to Tayllerand, his Minister for Foreign Affairs, in 1797:

"The government must destroy the English monarchy, or expect itself to be destroyed by these intriguing and enterprising islanders. The present moment offers a capital opportunity. Let us concentrate all efforts on the Navy, and annihilate England. That done, Europe is at our feet."

A contemporary publication, entitled "Recherche sur l'Usage des Radeaux pour une Descente", deals fully with this chimerical means of transport, and gives elaborate statistics to prove the absurdity of the plan, which was not, of course, ever seriously intended by those in authority:

"One of them would require thirty fir trees in length, 900 in breadth and eight in height, in all 216,000 trees; each a foot square, each containing sixty cubic feet, each foot weighing from fifty-two to fifty-five pounds, would make 3120 to 3300 feet, or three horse loads; and the whole would require 618,000 horses or 108,000 carriages and as many carters to bring them from the forest to the sea. The total weight of one raft would be 44,500 tons."

The foreseen invasion never happened. Napoleon abandoned the plan because he realised he could not cross the Channel as long as the powerful Royal Navy was patrolling it. Admiral Jervis of England proved right when he said:

"I do not say that the French cannot come - I only say they cannot come by sea."

Napoleon also seriously considered using a fleet of troop carrying balloons as part of his proposed invasion force. But, his air service chief said the proposed aerial invasion would fail because of the winds. A tunnel was also considered.

Napoleon kept the idea of the invasion alive, but then planned to hit England indirectly, by conquering Egypt, where English trade interests were high. In May of the same year, Napoleon set sail for Alexandria.

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Sources:

"Two Napoleon Relics", a booklet published in 1895
"Napoleon and the invasion of England, Vol.1", a book from 1908.
"Napoleon's planned invasion of the United Kingdom", Wikipedia.
"Anti-Napoleon caricature and propaganda in England 1798-1803", Bogdan Andrei Bernevig.

Related:

Guido Vigevano's wind car: 14th century war vehicle
Wind powered factories: history and future of industrial windmills
A steam powered submarine: the Ictíneo II

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Ran Prieur

2009-11-04T19:54:04+01:00

Radical low-tech blog.

507 Mechanical Movements (1908)

2009-11-04T19:37:30+01:00

"507 Mechanical Movements, embracing dynamics, hydraulics, hydrostatics, pneumatics, steam engines, mill and other gearing, presses, horology, and miscellaneous machinery, and including many movements never before published, and several which have only recently come into use". Henry T. Brown, 1908. Via Doug Berch.

It's Easy Being Green

2009-10-31T10:49:44+01:00

Green-leaf-eco-enviro-logo-compilation (via).

TimberTower: a High-Tech Wind Turbine, Made from Trees

2009-10-30T17:56:46+01:00

Our article on industrial windmills appeared on The Oil Drum and, as could be expected, this generated many interesting comments. One in particular was made by a reader named "anyone", who sent in a link about a high-tech wind turbine placed on a tower made entirely of wood.

So while we suggested to redesign traditional windmills by using modern, high-tech materials, the German company TimberTower proposes the opposite: redesign modern wind turbines by using traditional, low-tech materials.

Large wind turbines are usually made of steel, and while they definitely deliver more energy over their lifetime than it takes to produce them (contrary to small wind turbines), using no energy at all would of course be even better - and cheaper.

Wood is easier to transport (the TimberTower is manufactured out of glued laminated timber panels which are assembled on-site), doesn't need to be mined, has no corrosion issues (think of offshore turbines), and it captures carbon. And while trees bend in strong winds, they usually don't break.

Using a timber tower for a 100 metre high wind turbine can save approximately 300 tons of sheet steel, writes the company at their website. One "TimberTower" also ties up approximately 400 tons of CO2. They say they can build them as high as 200 metres. Serial production should start in 2010. More: TimberTower. Related: wooden pipelines, wooden bridges.

City Life - Lessons in Vanity

2009-10-30T11:32:32+01:00

"Already in the western world and Japan millions of city-dwellers and suburbanites have grown accustomed to an almost hermetically sealed and sanitized pattern of living in which very little of their experience ever impinges on non-human phenomena. For those of us born to such an existence, it is all but impossible to believe that anything is any longer beyond human adjustment, domination, and improvement. That is the lesson in vanity the city teaches us every moment of every day. For on all sides we see, hear, and smell the evidence of human supremacy over nature - right down to the noise and odor and irritants that foul the air around us. Like Narcissus, modern men and women take pride in seeing themselves - their products, their planning - reflected in all that they behold. The more artifice, the more progress; the more progress, the more security. We press our technological imperialism forward against the natural environment until we reach the point at which it comes as startling and not entirely credible news to our urban masses to be told by anxious ecologists that their survival has anything whatever to do with air, water, soil, plant, or animal."

Quoted from (again): "Where the Wasteland Ends", Theodore Roszak, 1972. (Amazon link).

Hand Powered Table Saw

2009-10-26T23:55:59+01:00

The Jointmaker pro R2 is a great example of a modern tool being high-tech and low-tech at the same time. And it's already sold out. Video here.

Electric Wooden Car

2009-10-25T16:03:19+01:00

Here it is.

Plastics in the World of Tomorrow - Plastics in the World of Today

2009-10-24T02:22:34+02:00

Plastics in the world of tomorrow (1944).
Plastics in the world of today (October 2009).

Kite Power

2009-10-23T11:17:44+02:00

Italian company Kite Gen is building a full-scale 3 megawatt version (video) of its promising wind turbine concept, we learn from MetaEfficient. A large kite is drawn upward to altitudes around 800 metres, where average wind speeds are four times as strong as they are near ground-based wind turbines. The kites power turbines by rising and flying back to gound level continuously. The retrieval phase is said to require a small fraction of the power that is generated during the flight. A first prototype was built in 2006. One of the recent improvements is an automatic launching system, powered by fans. The technology generated an interesting discussion at the Oil Drum last summer. Previously: Floating windmills - energy from the clouds. Related: Kiteboating & Kite Aerial Photography.

Low-tech Indoor Truck

2009-10-21T16:14:37+02:00

The Monark Transport kick-scooter is a fast and healthy way for staff to easily move supplies and tools around large indoor spaces. Its load capacity is 150 kg (330 lbs) and it can be equipped with a second platform level and a platform edge rim.

Streetcar Scooter

2009-10-20T18:04:34+02:00

Found at the Italian Motoblog. Probably a service vehicle for trams/streetcars.

Construction in Reverse

2009-10-17T23:45:00+02:00

"Deconstructing, as opposed to demolishing, abandoned buildings will revitalize our cities by reducing waste, creating green jobs, and providing high-quality recycled materials for new construction". Read. More.

The Panorama of Professions and Trades (1837)

2009-10-17T21:20:52+02:00

What do you want to be when you grow up? In the 19th century, this question was easier to answer than it is today. There were 87 possibilities, according to Edward Hazen, author of "The Panorama of Professions and Trades" (1837). The book was also published as "Popular Technology; Professions and Trades" in 1870, Part 1 and Part 2 - these are better scans. Every profession is explained and illustrated. Find the table of contents below. Via Doug Berch, musician and dulcimer maker.

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How To Make Everything Yourself - Online Low-Tech Resources

2009-10-12T16:03:52+02:00

Energy Bulletin pointed us to the website of Practical Action (previously known as the Schumacher Centre for Technology & Development), an online resource devoted to low-technology solutions for developing countries. The site hosts many manuals that can also be of interest for low-tech DIYers in the developed world. They cover energy, agriculture, food processing, construction and manufacturing, just to name some important categories.

We would like to add to this the impressive online library put together by software engineer Alex Weir. The 900 documents listed here (13 gigabytes in total) are not as well organised and presented as those of Practical Action, but there is a wealth of information that is not found anywhere else. The library is also hosted here (without search engine).

Other interesting online resources that offer manuals and instructions are Appropedia, Howtopedia and Open Source Ecology. These are all wiki's, so you can cooperate. The Centre for Alternative technologies has many interesting manuals, too, but the majority of those are not for free. Previously: The museum of old techniques / A do-it-ourselves guide.