Steam-Pumped Iron Mine is a type of iron resource building in Napoleon: Total War.
Description[]
Being able to pump water out of a mine increases productivity and therefore the wealth it produces.
As soon as a mine shaft drops below the water table, flooding is a constant danger to life and profits. Pumping or lifting the water allows the miners to reach richer, deeper mineral seams. A stationary steam beam engine can lift enough water to make it economically sensible to dig deep shafts. The greater availability of iron also makes the recruitment of all land units significantly cheaper. However, these new inventions are not welcome among the lower classes. They quite rightly fear being replaced with machines, and are unhappy as a result.
Historically, Thomas Newcomen was the first to develop a practical "atmospheric" engine for draining deep mines sometime around 1710. His design had some problems and was inefficient, but it worked well enough to be widely adopted where coal was easy to obtain. James Watt's beam engine design was altogether more efficient, and it formed the basis of all steam engines built afterwards. He was also lucky in his choice of working partner: Matthew Boulton proved to be an astute business manager and lobbyist. Boulton even persuaded the British Parliament to extend the steam engine patent, guaranteeing the pair further profit!
General Information[]
Pays for self in 45-71 turns, including build time, or when 33,333 gold has been spent on land units in the region, or a combination of both. 33,333 gold is a large sum of money for most of the campaign, but the combination of the money brought in by the wealth generated and recruitment benefits can ultimately be profitable, particularly if the mine is built in a region that recruits many units.
The Peninsular Campaign[]
In The Peninsular Campaign, steam-pumped iron mines require 1,000 gold and 4 turns to build.