Jin Feng smiled and gestured to the boatman who was adding coal.
The boatman immediately threw a few shovels of coal into it, while the two boatmen next to him shouted and pulled the bellows.
Puff! Puff!...
White smoke emitted from the top of the steam engine, the sound became louder and louder, the speed became higher and higher, and the ship's speed became faster and faster.
"This this……"
Hong Taoping stood on the deck, looking at the waves pushed away by the bow of the ship, with a very wonderful expression on his face.
Before, Jin Feng said that it would only take a few days to return to Jinchuan from the East China Sea. Hong Taoping didn't believe it at all, but now he believes it.
At this time, the speed of the ship was almost the same as that of a war horse trotting on land, and it was still accelerating. Obviously, the current speed was not its top speed.
The most important thing is that the machine will not get tired. As long as you add firewood and water, it can work continuously.
laugh!……
The safety valve on the boiler was pushed open by the steam, and Jin Feng quickly asked the bodyguard to reduce the speed of the bellows.
"You should pay attention to this scale. Normally when lighting a fire, keep the scale floating in the green range. When the scale falls back, add more firewood. When it reaches red, the valve will start to steam, and you must turn off the fire. Remember?"
Jin Feng solemnly explained to the boatman pulling the bellows: "I will arrange for people to check from time to time. If you are found to be operating in violation of regulations, you will be deducted five days of wages for one time. If you are found for the second time, you will be fired immediately!"
In fact, this valve is just a warning valve. Jinfeng also designed a pressure relief valve to ensure the safety of the boiler to the greatest extent.
But in order to prevent the boatman from being careless and not taking it seriously, he deliberately said something serious.
The boiler is too important. Once it explodes, it will be a huge safety accident. It must be left in the hands of our own people, so we paid a high price to find a few people from the Lifu team brought by Mancang to do this job.
Ever since the incident between the chef and Wei Laosan happened, Jin Feng has become much more cautious.
In order to ensure maximum safety, Jin Feng also selected three people from among the female apprentices in the warehouse to serve as the squad leaders of the boiler class and work in turns.
Sichuan and Shu are a vacation destination that many people yearn for. They think that Sichuan and Shu people will enjoy it, but they are also the most hard-working group of people.
The hardships faced by the army of gangsters in the mountain city in the previous life are beyond the imagination of ordinary people.
This is the case for these boatmen. They are all from Xihewan and Guanjiawan, but due to various reasons they failed to pass the examination and were unable to join the escort team. They could only work as porters for the Chamber of Commerce.
Although Jin Feng's wages for porters are not low, they are much less than those for escorts who have to go on a desperate mission at any time.
Now Jin Feng has given them double the wages of escorts. They are very satisfied and cherish their current jobs.
Seeing Jin Feng's serious expression, several boatmen nodded repeatedly.
The boiler stabilized and the ship's speed gradually stabilized.
Jin Feng roughly tested it and found that the top speed of the steamship can reach 20 kilometers per hour, and the normal speed is about 15 kilometers per hour.
If you don't consider other factors and just focus on speed, ideally you can get back to Sichuan in a few days.
"Ms. sir, you are so amazing!"
Tang Xiaobei held Jin Feng's arm and said with admiration: "With this kind of ship, it will be much more convenient for the Chamber of Commerce to transport goods in the future!"
"We will use this kind of ship to fight pirates in the future. The pirates will never be able to escape again!"
Iron Hammer waved his fist, his face flushed with excitement.
"Master, master, can this machine be modified so that it can be used on a lathe?"
Wan Heming pulled Jin Feng's sleeve, raised his head and asked, "The horse-drawn lathe smells too bad. Sometimes it just stops after turning."
"Of course, this kind of machine can be used in many places. It can be used on ships, carriages, and spinning wheels!"
Jin Feng rubbed Wan Heming's head happily: "Think about how to change it in the past few days, and then draw a picture for me." Bayi Chinese website
Wan Heming is indeed talented in the art of craftsmanship. Mancang is still in the dark, but he has already thought of applying steam engines to other places.
"Okay Master, I will paint when I get back in the evening."
Wan Heming nodded heavily.
Hong Taoping looked at the excited Wan Heming, and then at the calm-looking Jin Feng, and felt huge waves in his heart.
The Hong family has been building ships for generations, so he is well-informed, but he never thought that one day ships could be driven by boiling water.
He originally thought that Dakang's shipbuilding industry would be reshuffled, but judging from Jin Feng's appearance, I'm afraid many industries will be subverted.
In fact, Jin Feng's face was calm, but his heart was not calm at all.
In fact, steam engines are big and clumsy, have low thermal efficiency and cause high pollution. Jin Feng originally wanted to skip the steam engine and directly develop an internal combustion engine that is smaller in size and has higher utilization rate, just like he skipped the matchlock gun and directly developed the internal combustion engine. Like a flintlock gun.
Unfortunately, the plan could not keep up with the change. Before he could find oil or make a sufficiently precise machine tool, the fourth prince started to make a fuss, and he had to make a steam engine as an emergency.
In previous history, the large-scale use of steam engines ushered in the first industrial revolution and the Age of Discovery.
It was precisely driven by powerful power that the ships of the Western powers were able to cross the oceans on a large scale and carry out colonial plunder all over the world.
After a series of unexpected events, Jin Feng's mind has changed.
He decided to mass-produce a batch of steam engines after returning and equip them on various equipment as soon as possible.
Especially lathes and milling machines, once they are equipped with steam engine drives, they can reach a higher level and may be able to mass-produce firearms.
Nowadays, Dakang is at war, and countless people die every day. If you want to quell the war as quickly as possible, firearms are the best choice.
Jin Feng was thinking about his future plans when the sound of a hammer came to his ears: "Old ghost, look quickly, is that Red Silt Reef?"
"It's Red Silt Reef!" One of the escorts sighed: "The last time we came here, we didn't catch the east wind and walked for four days to get there. Now we're here in less than an hour. It's so fast!"
"It's almost done, let's go back!"
Jin Feng turned the rudder, circled the red silt reef, and began to return.
Experienced drivers who run long distances all know that the car usually breaks down within the first hour after departure. If the car does not break down in the first hour, there are generally few problems on the road.
Of course, nails and particularly bad road conditions do not count.
The steam engine has been running smoothly for more than an hour. If it can go back smoothly, it means there is no major problem.
In fact, for Jin Feng, a doctor of science and engineering, the principle and structure of the steam engine are very simple. Although it is the first time to make it, he has skipped the exploration process in his previous life and reached a very mature level.
If it weren't for lathes and milling machines that can't reach the accuracy, they can still go to a higher level.
When we went back, we caught up with the east wind and the ship's speed was faster. We returned to the dock in twenty minutes less than when we came.