The attempted introduction of steam-pumping technology at the Buarcos coal mine, Portugal, in the early 19th century

Abstract

The article focuses on the early years of the Buarcos coal mine, when the Portuguese mineralogist, Bonifácio de Andrada a former Government’s fellow in Paris and also the Freiberg Academy, was appointed the Intendant of Mines (1801). Under the patronage of the influential Minister Sousa Coutinho, he was put in charge of the Buarcos mine. He was knowledgeable on advances made in European mining technology, so to increase coal production he ordered a Boulton and Watt steam engine for mines drainage. This appears to be the first steam engine imported to Portugal for industrial purposes. It was shipped in January 1804 but for the reasons discussed in this article, the engine was never installed. Despite this failed attempt, this less known episode in Portuguese industrial history marks, in a way, the start of the steam era in Portugal.