It often happens that a ruler's whim results in a monumental work. The Egyptians built pyramids, the Chinese built an incredible wall, the Romans built aqueducts, and in France they indulged in constructing the Marly Machine. Its purpose was to supply water to the numerous fountains and ponds in the park of the Palace of Versailles, which was located at the inconvenient height of 163 meters above the level of the Seine.
Keep reading, and learn the details of one of the largest machines ever built.
The Need for Water at Versailles
In the 17th century, the fountains of Versailles consumed as much water as Paris. Obviously, a great work was needed to carry water from a place where it abounded (read “the Seine”) to where it had to flow for the delight of the reigning king. The problem was that, in addition to the distance separating the river from the palace, a drop of 163 meters had to be overcome. The only way to transport water from the Seine to the fountains was to undertake the construction of an enormous hydraulic machine, which would become the largest of its time. Again, a ruler's whim gave rise to a gigantic work.
How the Marly Machine Worked
The Marly Machine was incapable of lifting water almost 200 meters by itself. The technology of the time – we are talking about the period between 1681 and 1684 – did not have pumps powerful enough to achieve such a feat, since the “leathers” of the pistons could not withstand a pressure of more than 15 bars. That is why the problem was divided into three parts, each destined to push the water about 50 meters. The total flow was about 1,800 cubic meters per day. The “engine” of the machine was the current of the Seine itself, which drove 14 large toothed wheels that in turn moved the pistons.
Construction and Fate of the Machine
The Marly Machine was built almost entirely of wood and was designed by the Liégeois Rennequin Sualem. In its “guts” were installed 14 hydraulic wheels of 12 meters in diameter. It also had 221 suction and expulsion pumps (64 below, 79 on the first step, and 78 on the second), all working in unison. The works began in 1681 and the machine was ready in 1684. The prodigy was inaugurated by Louis XIV in person. As you can imagine, such a contraption was tremendously noisy, expensive, and difficult to maintain. The wooden parts, which constituted 90% of the structure, suffered constant deterioration. At some point in the 18th century, maintenance tasks were abandoned, and it was finally destroyed in 1817.
The Machine's Successors and Legacy
However, different mechanisms replaced the original Marly Machine. A steam engine – built by the architect Cécile and the engineer Martín – first, and a hydraulic machine, conceived by Dufrayer, the director of the Water Service, in 1959. In 1968, to meet the ever-increasing water needs, Dufrayer's machine was modernized but, in 1968, it was completely dismantled to be replaced by the modern electric pumps that operate today. The Marly Machine, just like the Ship of Theseus, still beats on the banks of the Seine.
