Creating an Industrial Empire in 19th Century Parallel World

Poul and Jonathan had been working in the same old, drab office for years. Every day, they would walk into the cramped space with its low ceilings, dim lighting, and dull walls, feeling uninspired and unmotivated. But that all changed when the company moved into a brand-new main office.

One month had passed since the big move, and Poul and Jonathan were still getting used to their new workplace. Gone were the gloomy surroundings that had plagued them before. Instead, they were greeted with a space that was both grand and luxurious.

With its high ceilings and wall-sized windows, the new office was flooded with natural light, making it a joy to work in. The interior design was sleek and modern, with every detail carefully crafted to inspire creativity and productivity.

As Poul and Jonathan settled into their new surroundings, they couldn't help but feel grateful for the change. They knew that this new office would not only improve their working lives but also the quality of work that they produced.

Speaking of their work produced, the industrialist duo are working on something.

Jonathan stood up from his desk and approached Poul's desk.

"Take a look at this," Jonathan said, handing over a blueprint that he had been working on for a month.

Poul set aside the letter he was reading and grabbed the blueprint.

Poul perused the schematic diagram of the technology Jonathan has been drawing. Based on the drawing and the diagrams drawn in the blueprint, he can tell that it was a tunnel boring machine, the equipment they'll need to build tunnels along New York.

With his trained eyes quickly analyzed the technical aspects of the tunnel-boring machine.

"So this is the tunnel boring machine that we are going to use huh?"

"Yep, that's it," Jonathan confirmed. "So, what do you think?"

"What type of cutting teeth did you choose for the cutting wheel?" Poul asked.

Jonathan furrowed his brow, surprised by Poul's question. "Uh, I went with a combination of disc cutters and roller cutters, to maximize the machine's ability to dig through different types of soil and rock."

Poul nodded, "Interesting. And what about the ventilation system? I know that can be a major challenge in tunneling projects."

Poul's comment about the ventilation system in tunneling projects struck a chord with Jonathan. He knew that it was indeed a major challenge in tunneling. In the late nineteenth century, tunneling projects were halted due to the lack of proper ventilation systems resulting in several workers falling ill and even dying due to poor air quality. Poul knew that they had to get this aspect of the tunnel-boring machine right.

He leaned over Poul's desk, studying the blueprint with renewed interest. "You're right," he said. "Ventilation is a critical aspect of this project. Without proper ventilation, we could be putting the workers' health and safety at risk."

Poul nodded in agreement, his own experience as a mechanical engineer telling him just how important it was to ensure that the tunneling operation was safe and efficient. He doesn't want to repeat the same mistake their ancestors did in the past.

"Exactly," he said. "So, what have you got planned for the ventilation system?"

Jonathan grinned, happy to share his ideas with Poul. "Well, I've been looking into a few different options. One idea is to use a combination of fans and ducts to circulate the air throughout the tunnel. We could also install air locks at regular intervals to prevent the spread of contaminants."

Poul listened intently, impressed by Jonathan's forward-thinking approach. "That sounds like a solid plan," he said. "Have you considered any other options, though? I know that there are some cutting-edge ventilation concepts out there that we could look into."

Jonathan leaned back, considering Poul's question. "No, I haven't," he admitted. "But I'm always open to exploring new ideas. Do you have anything specific in mind?"

Poul pondered for a moment, and then moments later, he spoke.

"Well, there's this technology called the Venturi Effect," he began. "It's a type of ventilation system that uses high-pressure air to draw in fresh air from outside while expelling stale air from the tunnel. It's been used successfully in a few tunneling projects back in our world, and it could be worth exploring for our project as well. I'm sure of your experience in civil engineering, you'd know how to apply it in this world right?"

"We are going to need a high-pressure air supply, a series of ducts or tubes, and a constriction or nozzle to force the air through. A mechanism for controlling the flow of air would also be necessary, such as a valve or damper, to regulate the amount of fresh air coming in and stale air going out. Additionally, sensors and control systems could be incorporated to monitor and adjust the ventilation system as needed to maintain air quality and prevent the buildup of contaminants. But since we are in the late nineteenth-century era, I think we'll have to make our own custom sensors."

Poul clicked his tongue in agreement. "Yes, we'll have to improvise and use the resources available to us. Well, if it makes the construction process safer, it's worth an investment. We can't afford to have a backslash while we are doing the project, this is tens of millions of dollars worth of a project."

"I know. I'll debrief Timothy about the tunneling project. We are going to need his expertise and eventually lead a team focused on building that machine," Jonathan said and continued. "Now what about the electric locomotive, have you already designed one?"

"I already did, it's going to be based on R62A, a subway train that was used in New York City in the 1980s," Poul replied. "It's perfect for our project since we won't have to deal with emissions or fumes. I've made some modifications to the design to fit the narrower dimensions of the tunnel, and I've also made it lighter to reduce the load on the track."

"But it's made of aluminum, Poul. I heard that aluminum in this era is expensive because there's not been an efficient method to produce it yet," Jonathan interrupted.

"Well, we are going to produce our own aluminum," Poul said as if stating the obvious.

He continued. "You know what we always do right? When something is unavailable because of the time era, we will just have to make it. There's already an existing process here in this world that produces aluminum, it's called the Heroult process. But the process in this time period is inefficient because of its reliance on electricity, which is not yet widely available. The Heroult process relies on a large amount of electric current passing through a molten mixture of aluminum oxide and cryolite to separate the aluminum from the oxygen.

"The solution is simple: instead of direct current, we will use alternating current, which will reduce energy consumption and increase the efficiency of the process. Not only that, we can make some modifications to the reactor design to improve the heat transfer and to ensure uniform mixing of the molten mixture.

"With these modifications, we should be able to produce high-quality aluminum at a lower cost and with less energy consumption than the current process we have right now."

"Okay, if that's what you say, then we'll go for that. Does that mean we will have to build our own aluminum production plant?"

"Of course, and steel also. The metro station that we are going to build for New York and for the future skyscraper projects."

"That means going against Carnegie, you heard stories about him, right? He once put one steel company out of business by buying out all their competitors and undercutting their prices," Jonathan said.

"And he is going to fail miserably shall he ever try to do the same tactic to us," Poul said, smirking. "Okay, let's stop this discussion for today as we will have to visit the engine company factory that we acquired."

"Oh, it's this day huh? I'll inform Amelia to prepare the carriage."