Harry Potter’s Morning Light

   Chapter 2401 Fire Lotus (middle)

In   Watt's famous story about a kettle, he wasn't the first to discover that steam could make the lid jump up and down. As early as the mid-18th century, there were several hundred Newcomen steam engines in service in northern and central England, and it is still used in some coal mines even today.

  The biggest disadvantage of this steam engine is that it is really wasteful in fuel, so it is limited to coal mines where coal is abundant and has little sales. Its main function is to lift water. England has a lot of shallow coal, but these coals contain a lot of water, and they accumulate in the roadway, 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 down to mine for coal is risking his life. Usually, there will be one person who acts as a "gas safety officer". His job is to walk in front with a candle.

  London was originally affected by the warm Atlantic current and the westerly wind, the air was humid and foggy, and the smoke produced by burning coal, the two together resulted in the nickname of London's "famous far and near" fog.

Water vapor condenses when it cools. The original boiler of the Newcomen steam engine was a large copper brewing vessel. When the steam was full, it spewed out, creating a vacuum, which allowed the cylinder to cool, and then filled with new The steam first reheats the cylinder, which is not only inefficient, but also loses volume and pressure.

Watt's solution was to set up the condensing unit in a separate vessel and maintain a vacuum with the help of an aspirator, while the working cylinder was kept warm with a thermal jacket, a far cry from his later steam engines, but that When he was a young man, he had nothing and was destitute, and the cylinders he made did not achieve a satisfactory vacuum effect, and his sponsor, a mine owner, encountered serious financial difficulties and gave up the watt order. Patent for condensing steam engine.

   These stakes were later bought by Matthew Bolton, who continued to fund Watt's invention. The new machine fuel that was eventually produced required only one-tenth the fuel of the Newcomen steam engine, but it produced too much power for the old transmissions used in the Newcomen steam engine. Mine with a steam engine cost more to replace equipment, which is unaffordable for mines with poor sales, so they continued to use a low pressure steam engine, although it was underpowered and not cheap to maintain.

Richard Trevithick, the son of a mine manager, received the first Watted steam engine in his county when he was six, causing a local uproar that led to his childhood All were spent in an atmosphere of development and debate. At the age of 19 he became an engineer for several mines, and two years later he cooperated with Edward Boole to help install several Boolean steam engines.

  Watt has never thought of putting a steam engine in a car. He is so pessimistic by nature and is not good at finances. Bolton often has to console the depressed Watt and help him deal with all financial problems.

  Edward Bull's specialty was having the pumps mounted vertically on the main pump rods, and the pistons attached to these main pumps, which allowed direct lift to be used, saving those pesky drivetrains and saving a lot of weight. But Watt and Bolton, after their investigation, concluded that the user of this steam engine would have to pay Watt a royalty because it used Watt's separate condenser.

   Bull's own lawsuit, and Trevithick, who helped Bull, nearly got involved, as Watt and Bolton kept trying to prove his partnership with Bull. This led Trevithick to turn to high-pressure boilers, and in 1802 he patented the high-pressure steam engine, which he then built in various foundries. During this time, the French orders made these foundries overwhelmed, not only building the railroad tracks from Orleans to Paris, but also the cast iron bridge to the south of France. The "Iron Kings" made a fortune and heard that Napoleon was going to Belgium. , So Trevithick also came, but he did not expect to encounter the construction project of the port of Antwerp, and then he found a way to be introduced and met Richard Edgeworth.

   His steam engine was mainly used for rolling steel, and Edgeworth wanted to put it on his car, the same as Liverpool did. If there are real steam trains in the future, this kind of track for horses will no longer work, but God knows how long it will take?

  Technological innovation needs inspiration, just like Jenny's spinning machine was kicked out by a man. Because of its eruption and unpredictability, it is a kind of black swan event, before which 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 unremarkable. 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 number had become 36.5 million pounds, a 24-fold increase, and the main reason for this increase was Whitney's invention of the cotton gin, if Without it, the cottonseeds are all 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 almost went bankrupt, and the US government gave him an order of 10,000 muskets to get him back into business. Long before the Americans proposed the original plan to acquire New Orleans, Jefferson had sent an expedition to the west, reaching the Pacific coast and traversing the entire length of North America.

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

   In order to defend Napoleon, the British kept their elites in Europe. After the American Revolution, only some troops remained in the Americas. Except for the eastern part of the Mississippi River ceded by the Seven Years War, there were also 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 "Perpetual Peace" "Non-Intervention Act" with the Indians in 1790, before Whitney invented the gin.

Although the cotton gin destroys the fibers of the cotton, it is in great demand among the common people. The more fragile it is, the more people will have to buy new ones. If the bulbs never fail, to whom will the bulbs be sold? Woolen cloth?

  Jefferson wanted to build a large agricultural country, which required a lot of arable land. In order to get Louisiana, the Americans even offered conditions, willing to stand on the side of France in the ensuing war.

   There has always been a voice that peace between England and France will not last long. Louisiana is more valuable to the United States than France. Anyway, the 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 power to buy land. Converting 100 million francs to US dollars is almost 15 million. The United States already owes so much debt, and it has to carry more debts. New England quit first, clamoring for independence. For them, the land of the West is not as beneficial to them as the trade of Europe, and the Republicans who support the pioneering of the West are mostly Republicans, and the power of the Republicans can be expanded. John Adams was born in Massachusetts, grew up in Massachusetts, and was in Harvard. Graduated from reading.

  Jefferson was a Virginian and went to a mission school. These are not the focus. He and Hamilton had different views on the capital issue, and finally settled in Washington, near Virginia.

   "All in all, all the government departments in all countries are making a fuss right now, and, do you think you can stop this?" Edgeworth asked.

   "No." Georgiana sneered.

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

   She thought for a moment.

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

   "I've been."

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

   Edgeworth nodded.

"It's the commanding heights of Richmond Park. You can see the roof of St. Paul's Cathedral. I heard that Henry VIII was standing on that mound, watching the signal from the cathedral, confirming that Anne Boleyn was dead." She said softly, "Divorce is really hard, so he changed the state religion, but 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 then it won't be." Georgiana sighed, "How many wives did Henry VIII marry?"

   Edgeworth fell silent.

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

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

She smiled wryly, "The first time is the hardest, and it won't be in the future. I don't want to try. I just tried my best to get peace. If everyone doesn't want peace anymore, then continue the war you want. , as long as you don't put all the faults on me in the future."

   "Sorry, what does that mean?" Edgeworth asked.

"Have you ever thought about the possibility? I'm just looking for a real family." She said softly. "Not so much calculating, and, just want to do the right thing. Thank you for telling me so much, Richard, you Want to continue your research on on-board steam engines?"

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

   "The final outcome may be outrageously 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?"

   He suddenly froze when he said this.

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

   "You designed 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, it's all fate." She smiled and said, "Don't forget, according to the rumors, I am a 'prophet'."

   (end of this chapter)