RETA Breeze Sept/Oct 2025

The Refrigeration Historian Volume XXXVIII

Time is the master of every man (and woman). Time is an interesting concept. During periods of enjoyment, time speeds ahead. During periods of dread, time slows down. Or, at least, it appears to. Since the beginning of time, immortal man has endeavored to control time. Eventually, society determined the ability to measure time was the limit of their ability. Those who measure time, something that has no beginning or end, hold a special place of relevance for me. The watchmaker is the person capable of giving the common man that ability. Recently, I was involved in a spirited debate on who should be credited as the greatest “watchmaker” in our industry. I wish to cast my vote for perhaps one of the first, Eugene Bourdon. Eugene’s story begins on April 8, 1808, a Friday, in Paris, France. Eugene was born into a family involved in the silk trade. A very lucrative industry at the time. From the time he was a child in primary school, he showed a curiosity for mechani cal things. In addition to his native French, Eugene learned German during a two-year excursion in Nurenberg, Germany. After his studies, Eugene would return to Paris and was schooled in the family business, working with his father until the elder Bourdon’s death in 1830. The years 1830-1832 would find Eugene working as an assistant in an optician’s workshop. In 1832, Eugene moved to his own modest workshop. He tinkered with instruments of a scientific nature: miniature steam engines and watches. The year 1849 would be the pivotal year in Eugene’s career. Prior to this time, gas pressure was measured by use of a manometer. The manometer is essentially a long U-tube containing a liquid. The displacement of the liquid in the tube was an indication of the pressure. This is where the terms “inches of water” and “inches of mercury” originated. The unit is very temperature sensitive. Altitude must also be factored into calculations.

The use of a manometer required a very detailed calculation incorporating all these factors. Obviously, the use of the manometer is somewhat labor intensive. Eugene understood the difficulties of the manometer. He devel oped a mechanism incorporating a some what elastic metal tube bent into a circular shape. The common story of the

Another report credits Eugene’s desire to develop his pressure gauge due to the high number of deaths from over pressur ization of steam engines. There is no doubt that his gauge has saved many many lives since its invention. Many inventions do not stand the test of time. Eugene’s gauge is an exception. The “Order of the Legion of Honour” was awarded to Eugene for his contributions to industry. This award was founded by Napolean Bonaparte in 1802 and is one of the highest honors in France. The award is still given today to a worthy few. It is regrettable that so little is known of Eugene’s lineage. We know he was survived by a son, Joesph Bourdon. Eugene was called before our Lord on September 29, 1884. His earthly remains were laid to rest at the Pere Lachaise Cemetery, a beautiful 110-acre area in Paris. There he rests with some of the greatest thinkers of France, a very fitting place for Eugene. Information for this article included information from historical notes, Wikipedia articles, the Bourdon – Baumer Group website, an excellent article by Hardy Orzikowski, refrigeration archives and other industry articles. The information used to generate this article is believed factual. Should you have any corrections or addi tional information pertaining to this article please forward them to the editor. The Refrigeration Historian wanders around his extensive refrigeration library, lamenting on Refrigeration History, and socializing with “Molly,” varmint eradicator of the archives.

development is that while working on a steam engine, Eugene was attempting to bend tubing without collapsing the tube—an all too common problem for young refrigeration service technicians practicing in the industry today. To prevent the tube’s collapse during bending, Eugene closed one end of the tube and pressurized the other. Then he could bend the tube without collapsing it. The pressure strength ened the tube and allowed for a better fabrication. The more pressure he applied, the harder it became to bend the tube. Eugene saw the potential application of this technique. If the movement of the tip of the curved tube was consistent as the pressure changed. This could be used to build a pressure sensing device. Eugene continued to experiment with different materials and different thick nesses. Eventually developing the tube named in his honor: the Bourdon tube. This led to his development of the Bourdon tube pressure gauge. Eugene obtained his French patent on June 18, 1849. A U.S. Patent would follow on August 3, 1852. In the intervening years, Eugene would be awarded two gold medals at the 1849 World’s Fair. Two years later, Eugene would be awarded the Council Medal at the 1851 World’s Fair. As an interesting side note, the Council Medal was shared with Lucien Vidi, a French lawyer and famous inventor in his own right. Lucien and Eugene were linked not only by the award, but both had also granted licenses to Felix Richard for the production of their inventions.

28 RETA.com

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2025