Cannons from Ipanema: technology, industry, logistics, and politics in 1840

ABSTRACT Unpublished documents from 1840 describe the fabrication of three cannons - a technical fact to be remembered due to its uniqueness, the technical challenges and the detailed descriptions provided by major João Bloem, the director of the Fábrica de Ferro de Ipanema, and the difficulties after the 1842 Liberal Revolt. The expansion of the sugar industry in São Paulo is concurrent with the investments in cast iron machines and components used to grind sugarcane for hundreds of sugar mills from Sorocaba to the South of Minas Gerais, made during Feijó Regency. The iron cannons were the only ones made in Brazil; they were cast, milled, and submitted to firing tests with gunpowder charges three times higher than the regularly used. Although iron foundries spread to many Brazilian cities, they all used imported cast iron, for until the end of the 19th century Ipanema was the only place where the raw material, cast iron, was produced from iron ore. The casting of cannons demonstrates the presence of sophisticated metallurgical and technical competence, related to the investments of the Regency period and the intention to regain the original objective of producing military supplies in that plant. This experience and the developed competences led the director to propose a subsidiary in Juquiá, near the port of Iguape, which was not accepted by the Navy ministry. In presenting the history of these cannons, this paper discusses some of the situations that hindered the dream of bringing the first industrial revolution to Brazil.摘要：1840年的未公开文献记载了三门火炮的制造过程——这一技术史实因其独特性、所面临的技术挑战，以及伊帕内玛铁厂（Fábrica de Ferro de Ipanema）总监若昂·布勒姆（João Bloem）少校的详细记述，还有1842年自由党起义后的诸多困境，值得被铭记。圣保罗州的蔗糖产业扩张，与费霍摄政时期（Feijó Regency）为索罗卡巴至南米纳斯吉拉斯州数百家糖厂制造甘蔗研磨用铸铁机械及部件的投资同步推进。这批铸铁火炮是巴西本土制造的唯一一批火炮：它们经铸造、铣削加工，并以高于常规用量三倍的火药装药进行射击测试。尽管巴西各地陆续出现铸铁铸造厂，但彼时所有工厂均使用进口铸铁——直至19世纪末，伊帕内玛仍是唯一可从铁矿石冶炼出铸铁原材料的产地。火炮铸造彰显了当时成熟的冶金与技术实力，这与摄政时期的投资以及该厂重拾生产军用物资初始目标的意图息息相关。此番经验与所掌握的技术能力，促使该厂总监提议在伊瓜佩港（Port of Iguape）附近的茹基阿（Juquiá）设立分厂，但该提案未获海军部批准。本文在梳理这批火炮的历史时，同时探讨了诸多阻碍巴西引入第一次工业革命梦想的现实困境。