Chapter 2401 Lotus Born from Fire (Part 2)

In Watt's famous story about boiling a kettle, he was not the first person to discover that steam could make the kettle lid jump up and down. As early as the mid-18th century, there were hundreds of Newcomen steam engines in northern England and England.

Serving the central region, it is still used in some coal mines even today.

The biggest disadvantage of this kind of steam engine is that it is really wasteful in fuel, so it is limited to coal mines where coal is abundant and has 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 siltation in the tunnel can easily cause mining accidents, but this is not the worst.

There is a large amount of gas stored in the coal seams. It will not only suffocate people, but also cause explosions in case of fire. Every worker who goes to the mine to mine coal is risking his life. There is usually one person who serves as a "gas safety officer".

His job is to hold a candle and walk in front.

Originally, London was affected by the warm Atlantic current and westerly winds, making the air humid and foggy. Together with the smoke from burning coal, the two together created London's "famous nickname of the Fog City".

Water vapor will condense when it is cooled. The original boiler of the Newcomen steam engine was a large copper brewing vessel. When the steam was full, it would spray out, creating a vacuum, which would cool the cylinder and then fill it with new water.

The steam must first reheat the cylinder, which is not only inefficient but also causes losses in volume and pressure.

Watt's solution was to set up the condensing device in a separate container and maintain the vacuum with the help of an air extractor, while the working cylinder was kept warm with an insulating jacket. This was a far cry from his later steam engines, but that

When he was still a young man, he had nothing and was impoverished. The cylinder he made did not achieve a satisfactory vacuum effect. As a result, his sponsor, a mine owner, encountered serious financial difficulties and gave up the Watt Singleton.

Patent for condensing steam engine.

These shares were later bought by Matthew Bolton, and Bolton continued to fund Watt's invention. The new machine finally created required only one-tenth of the fuel of the Newcomen steam engine, but the power it produced was too strong, and the power used in the past was

The old transmission device of the Newcomen steam engine could not withstand it, which caused the coal mines that originally used the Newcomen steam engine to spend more to replace the equipment. This was unaffordable for the coal mines with poor sales, so they continued to use low-pressure

The steam engine, despite its lack of power and low maintenance costs.

Richard Trevithick was the son of a mine manager. When he was six years old, his county received the first Watts steam engine, which caused an uproar in the local area and led to his childhood

They all lived in an atmosphere of development and controversy. At the age of 19, he became an engineer in several mines. Two years later, he cooperated with Edward Boole and helped install several Boole steam engines.

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

Edward Bull's specialty was to install the pumps vertically on the main pump rods, and the pistons were connected to these main pumps. This allowed direct lifting, thus eliminating those annoying transmission systems and greatly saving weight. However,

After an investigation, Watt and Boulton concluded that users of this steam engine would have to pay Watt a patent tax because it used Watt's separate condenser.

Boole himself was embroiled in lawsuits, and Trevithick, who helped Boole, was almost involved because Watt and Bolton kept trying to prove his partnership with Boole. This led Trevithick to turn to high-pressure boilers, and in 1802 he obtained a high-pressure steam engine.

After obtaining the patent, he then manufactured this steam engine in various foundries. During this period, French orders kept these foundries busy, not only building the railway track from Orleans to Paris, but also the cast iron bridge to the south of France.

The "Iron Kings" made a lot of money. They heard that Napoleon was going to Belgium, so Trevithick also came. Unexpectedly, he encountered the construction project of Antwerp Port. Then he found a way to be introduced and met Richard

De Edgeworth.

His steam engine was mainly used for rolling steel, and Edgeworth wanted to put it on a train, which was also the same as Liverpool. If there were real steam trains in the future, this kind of track would be used for horse-drawn

will no longer apply, but who knows how long?

Technological innovation requires inspiration, just like the spinning jenny was kicked out by a man. Due to its outbreak and unpredictability, it becomes a black swan event. Before the black swan arrives, we are often affected by our own

Experience imprisonment.

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 supply exceeded demand.

In 1790, the cotton produced in the South of the United States was 1.5 million pounds, but by 1800, this number became 36.5 million pounds, a full increase of 24 times. The main reason for this increase was the cotton gin invented by Whitney. If

Without it, all cotton seeds are stripped off by hand, and even slavery would cost only 1.5 million pounds. It is precisely because of it that the production speed becomes so amazing.

However, the inventor himself almost went bankrupt. The U.S. government gave him an order for 10,000 muskets before he could resume business. Long before the Americans proposed the initial plan to acquire New Orleans, Jefferson had already sent an expedition there.

Exploring westward, they reached the Pacific coast and traversed across North America.

Another team traced the source of the Mississippi River northward, and then gradually westward, but they did not reach the seaside, but discovered the Rocky Mountains.

In order to defend against Napoleon, Britain kept its elite in Europe. After the American Revolution, only some of its troops remained stationed in the Americas. In addition to the area east of the Mississippi River ceded by the Seven Years' War, there were also some in Canada. The fur trade between Americans and Indians

It was on the verge of extinction before the American Revolution, and it collapsed completely during the war. Washington signed the "Eternal Peace" and the "Non-Intervention Act" with the Indians in 1790, before Whitney invented the cotton gin.

Although the cotton gin will destroy the fibers of cotton, there is a huge demand among civilians. The more fragile it is, the more people have to buy new ones. If the light bulbs never break, who will the lights produced by the light bulb factory be sold to?

Woolen cloth?

Jefferson wanted to establish a large agricultural country, which required a lot of arable land. In order to obtain Louisiana, the Americans even offered conditions and were willing to side with France in the subsequent war.

There has always been a voice that the peace between Britain and France will not last long. Louisiana is more valuable to the United States than France. In any case, cotton will be sold to Britain in the future. If France really takes possession and will not let go, the Americans will definitely not hesitate to fight.

.

The Constitution stipulates that the president has no power to purchase land. 100 million francs is almost 15 million in US dollars. The United States already owes so much debt and has to bear more debt. New England is the first to quit and is clamoring for independence. Yes.

For them, the land in the West is not as beneficial to them as European trade, and most of the Republicans support pioneering in the West, so that the power of the Republican Party can be expanded. John Adams was born in Massachusetts, grew up in Massachusetts, and studied at Harvard

graduated.

Jefferson was a Virginian and went to a church school. These were not important. He and Hamilton had different opinions on the capital issue, and finally settled on Washington, a city near Virginia.

"To sum up, there is a lot of noise going on in government departments in all countries right now, and do you think this can be stopped?" Edgeworth asked.

"No." Georgiana sneered.

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

She thought for a moment.

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

"Been there."

"Have you ever been to Henry VIII's Mound?"

Edgeworth nodded.

"It is the commanding height of Richmond Park and you can see the roof of St. Paul's Cathedral. I heard that Henry VIII stood on that mound and watched the signal from the cathedral to confirm that Anne Boleyn was dead."

She said softly, "Divorce is really difficult. For this reason, he changed the state religion. Unfortunately, Anne Boleyn, whom he paid so much to marry, still did not satisfy him."

"That's it?" Edgeworth asked.

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

Edgeworth was silent.

"You heard the rumours, I heard the rumours, 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 bitterly, "The first time is the hardest. It won't happen again. I don't want to try. I just tried my best to get peace. If no one wants peace, then continue the war you want."

, as long as you can stop blaming all the faults on me in the future."

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

"Have you ever thought about this possibility? I just want to find a real family." She said softly, "There are not so many calculations, and I just want to do the right thing. Thank you for telling me so much, Richard, you

Do you want to continue your research on vehicle-mounted steam engines?”

"Actually, I just want to introduce him to you." Edgeworth said. "You are looking for talents, and he is looking for sponsors. Have you ever thought about the possibility that it is not just you who wants to do the right thing?"

"The final outcome may have been terribly wrong. I recommended a young man, but his invention was still used in the war."

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

He was suddenly stunned when he said this.

Georgiana smiled. "This is the answer to the question you asked me before."

"Did you design this?" Edgeworth asked in shock.

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

He shook his head.

"Then I can only tell you that this is all destiny." She smiled and said, "Don't forget, according to rumors, I am a 'prophet'."
Chapter completed!