Chapter 2401 Fire-born Lotus (Part 2)

In Watt's famous story about the kettle, he wasn't the first to discover that steam made the lid bounce up and down. As early as the mid-18th century, there were probably hundreds of Newcomen steam engines in service in the North and Midlands of England, and even now it is still used in some coal mines.

The biggest disadvantage of this kind of steam engine is that it is a waste of fuel, so it is limited to coal mines with abundant coal and almost no market. Its main function is to lift water. There are a lot of shallow coals in England, but these coals contain a lot of water, and they accumulate in the roadways, which can easily cause mine disasters, but this is not the worst.

There is a large amount of gas stored in the coal seam. It will not only suffocate people, but also cause an explosion in case of fire. Every worker who goes into the mine to mine coal is risking his life. Usually, there will be one person as a "gas safety officer". My job is to walk ahead with a candle.

Originally, London was affected by the Atlantic warm current and the westerly wind, and the air was humid and foggy. Together with the smoke from burning coal, the two together resulted in London's nickname of "Famous City".

Water vapor condenses when it is cold. The original boiler of the Newcomen steam engine was a large copper brewing vessel. When the steam was full, it was ejected, creating a vacuum, which cooled the cylinder and filled it with a new one. The steam first has to reheat the cylinder, which is not only inefficient but also causes volume and pressure losses.

Watt's solution was to set up the condensing device in a separate container, and keep the vacuum with the help of an aspirator, while the working cylinder was kept warm with an insulating jacket, which was a far cry from his later steam engine, but that When he was a young man, penniless and impoverished, the cylinders he made did not achieve a satisfactory vacuum effect, and his patron, a mine owner, also encountered serious financial difficulties, so he gave up the watt single. Patent for condensing steam engine.

These shares were later bought by Matthew Boulton, who continued to fund Watt's invention. The fuel of the new machine finally produced only needs one-tenth of that of the Newcomen steam engine, but the power it generates is too strong, and the old transmission used in the Newcomen steam engine cannot bear it. Coal mines with door steam engines cost more to replace equipment, which was not affordable for coal mines that were not selling well, so they continued to use low pressure steam engines, even though it was underpowered and not cheap to maintain.

Richard Trevithick was the son of a mine manager. When he was six years old, his county ushered in the first Watted steam engine, which caused an uproar in the local area and led to his childhood All spent in an atmosphere of development and debate. At the age of 19 he became an engineer in several mines, and two years later he cooperated with Edward Bull to help install several Boolean steam engines.

Watt never thought of installing a steam engine on a car. He was so pessimistic by nature, and he was not good at finances. Bolton often had to comfort the depressed Watt and help him deal with all financial problems.

Edward Bull's specialty was to mount the pumps vertically on the main pump rods to which the pistons were connected, which allowed for direct lifting, eliminating those nasty drive trains and saving a lot of weight. But Watt and Boulton, after conducting an investigation, concluded that the users of this steam engine should pay Watt a patent tax because it used Watt's separate condenser.

Bull was himself embroiled in a lawsuit, and Trevithick, who helped Bull, was almost drawn into it, as Watt and Bolton kept trying to justify his partnership with Bull. This led Trevithick to turn to high-pressure boilers, and in 1802 he patented a high-pressure steam engine, which he went on to manufacture in various foundries. During this period of time, the French orders kept these foundries busy, not only to build the railway track from Orleans to Paris, but also to build a cast iron bridge to the south of France. The "iron kings" made a fortune. I heard that Napoleon was going to Belgium , So Trevithick also came. Unexpectedly, he encountered the construction project of Antwerp Port, and then he tried a way to be introduced and met Richard Edgeworth.

His steam engine was mainly used for rolling steel, while Edgeworth wanted to mount it on cars, as did Liverpool. If there are real steam trains in the future, this kind of track for horses will no longer be suitable, but God knows how long it will take?

Technological innovation needs inspiration, just like a spinning jenny is kicked out by a man. Because of its eruption and unpredictability, it becomes a kind of black swan event. Before the black swan arrives, we are often imprisoned by our own experience.

Before the Industrial Revolution in Britain, no one thought that cotton would dominate world trade. It seemed so inconspicuous. Later, with the explosive expansion, the demand for cotton increased, even to the point where the supply was in short supply.

In 1790, the cotton produced in the southern United States was 1.5 million pounds, but by 1800, this figure had become 36.5 million pounds, a full increase of 24 times, and the main reason for this increase was the cotton gin invented by Whitney. Without it, the cottonseed is peeled off by hand, and even slavery is only 1.5 million pounds. It is because of it that the production speed becomes so amazing.

However, the inventor himself nearly went bankrupt, and the US government gave him an order for 10,000 muskets to get him back in business. Long before the Americans made the original proposal to acquire New Orleans, Jefferson had sent an expedition westward that reached the Pacific coast and traversed across North America.

Another team traced north to the source of the Mississippi River, and then gradually went west, but instead of reaching the sea, they discovered the Rocky Mountains.

In order to defend against Napoleon, Britain left its elite in Europe. After the American Revolution, only some troops remained in the Americas. Except for the area east of the Mississippi River ceded by the Seven Years War, there were some in Canada. The fur trade between Americans and Indians was on the verge of extinction before the American Revolution, and it collapsed completely during the war. Washington signed the "Eternal Peace" and "Non-Intervention Act" with the Indians in 1790, before Whitney invented the cotton gin.

Although the cotton gin destroys the fibers of the cotton, there is a great demand among the common people. The more fragile it is, the more people have to buy new ones. If the bulbs are always good, who will sell the lamps produced by the bulb factory? Woolen cloth?

Jefferson wanted to establish a large agricultural country, which required a lot of arable land. In order to get Louisiana, the Americans even made a condition that they were willing to stand on the side of France in the next war.

There has always been a voice that peace between Britain and France will not last long. The value of Louisiana to the United States exceeds that of France. Anyway, cotton will be sold to the United Kingdom in the future. If France really does not let go, the Americans will definitely not hesitate to fight.

The constitution stipulates that the president has no right to buy land. 100 million francs converted into US dollars is almost 15 million. The United States already owes so much debt and has to bear more debts. New England quit first and clamored for independence. For them, the land in the west is not as beneficial to them as the trade in Europe, and most of the supporters of pioneering in the west are the Republican Party, which can expand the power of the Republican Party. John Adams was born in Massachusetts, grew up in Massachusetts, and studied at Harvard Graduated from school.

Jefferson was a native of Virginia and studied in a church school. These are not the main points. He and Hamilton had different opinions on the issue of the capital, and finally settled in Washington, near Virginia.

"All in all, governments in all countries are arguing all over the place right now, and, do you think you can stop this?" Edgeworth asked.

"No." Georgiana sneered.

"Then why are you still doing it?" Edgeworth asked.

She thought about it.

"Have you ever been to Richmond Park?" asked Georgiana.

"Been there."

"Then have you ever been to Henry VIII's mound?"

Edgeworth nodded.

"It's the commanding height of Richmond Park. You can see the roof of St. Paul's Cathedral. I heard that Henry VIII was standing on that mound. He watched the signal from the cathedral and confirmed that Anne Boleyn was dead." She said softly, "Divorce is really difficult. For this reason, he changed the state religion. It's a pity that Anne Boleyn, whom he paid so much to marry, still didn't satisfy him."

"That's it?" Edgeworth asked.

"The first time is the hardest, and it won't happen in the future." Georgiana sighed, "How many wives did Henry VIII marry?"

Edgeworth was silent.

"You've heard the rumours, and I've heard the rumours, that I'm not going to replace Josephine, that would make me a second Anne Boleyn."

"I believe Bonaparte is not Henry VIII," said Edgeworth.

She smiled wryly, "The first time is the hardest, I won't do it again, I don't want to try, I just tried my best to get peace, if everyone doesn't want peace, then continue the war you want , as long as you don’t blame me for everything in the future.”

"Excuse me, what does that mean?" Edgeworth asked.

"Have you ever thought about this possibility? I just want to find a real family." She said softly "Not so calculating, and, just want to do the right thing. Thank you for telling me so much, Richard, you Do you want to continue the research on the vehicle-mounted steam engine?"

"Actually, I just wanted to introduce him to you," Edgeworth said. "You're looking for talent, he's looking for sponsors, and has it ever occurred to you that it's not just you wanting to do the right thing?"

"In the end, it might be wrong. I recommended a young man, but his invention was still used in war."

Edgeworth shook his head, "How do you know if you don't try?"

When he said this, he suddenly froze.

Georgiana smiled. "That's the answer to that question you asked me earlier."

"Is this what you designed?" Edgeworth asked in shock.

"If I told you that everything is a coincidence, would you believe it?"

He shook his head.

"Then I can only tell you that this is all arranged by fate." She smiled and said, "Don't forget, I am a 'prophet' according to the rumors."