If you proceed to the next display, you will find an oddly-shaped but finely crafted valve; some mechanical drawings; an ancient contract; and a framed pen-and-ink drawing of the Beaune workshop.
Auguste Beaune soon discovered that the American market for Calvados-style apple brandy was limited. Absent refined tastes, local citizens tended to use the stuff as hair tonic, pain remover or weed killer; these uses were highly creative, but did not command a high price. While Auguste found that he could sell as much cider as the Conestoga wagons could carry, his cellars were full to overflowing with barrels of unsold apple brandy.
As a confirmed tinkerer, Auguste constantly improved his distilling equipment, and in so doing he developed a specialized valve, known as the Beaune Valve. He promptly applied for a patent which was granted the following year. Precisely what the Beaune Valve does that is different or better than any other valve is a mystery. Suffice to say that it looks different; and it is patented. This was all that Auguste Beaune needed to sell it for use in the burgeoning steam locomotive industry.
Traveling to locomotive manufacturers around the country with a valise full of Beaune valves, a trunk full of apple brandy, and an attractive young assistant named Daisy Birtwhistle, Auguste made his pitch. He was a persuasive salesman. Plying his marks with apple brandy, he and Daisy encouraged them to pick up a valve, examine its fine craftsmanship, and look for themselves: see, it's different! And it's patented! Daisy would then invite the customer to her room to "examine some technical drawings", after which the customer was invariably persuaded.
The directors of the Juniata Works were intrigued; as a rapidly growing locomotive manufacturer, they sought a reliable supply of well-crafted valves that were, well, different. Negotiations extended many months, requiring multiple visits to the Works for persuasion, and many personal review sessions with Daisy. Finally, the directors agreed to an exclusive contract with Beaune Valve Company, and from that day forth every locomotive produced by the Juniata Works was equipped with Beaune Valves.
It was a triumph of American ingenuity.
As it turns out, Auguste Beaune was either prescient or lucky. Rail traffic boomed. Daisy continued to travel the country, meeting with railroad managers and explaining the benefits of the Beaune valve, usually in private session. Soon, every railroad manager wanted locomotives equipped with Beaune valves. Sales of locomotives produced by the Juniata Works rose exponentially. And now Auguste had a new problem: how to meet the demand for Beaune valves.
This was a problem not readily solved through resort to Daisy Birtwhistle's persuasive abilities.
