Chapter 590: The Contributors to France's Steam Engine Technology
For mechanical devices, widespread use is essential to expose and address flaws, leading to eventual refinement into mature products. However, high-power steam engines, like the LJ52, had extremely limited applications at the time.
Mining and pumping water didn't require such power.Paddle-wheel transport ships were still in development.Trains? A 50-horsepower engine was far from sufficient—it would need at least 200–300 horsepower for the first practical locomotives.
This meant the LJ52's iterative improvement would inevitably be slow.
Joseph understood this and, though dissatisfied, nodded.
"Two years—barely manageable. The future of the steam engine depends on you. Let me know if you need anything."
Seeing the prince's apparent discontent with the timeline, Sandell hesitated before speaking up:
"Your Highness, if you assign one particular person to the United Steam Engine Company, I think we might achieve your goals within a year."
Joseph's interest piqued instantly. "Oh? Who are you referring to?"
"Richard Trevithick—a young British engineer."
Before Sandell could elaborate, Murdock, standing behind him, frowned and jabbed him in the back. Sandell ignored this and continued:
"He's currently in Paris, applying to the Talent Committee. Unfortunately, the committee only gave him a 'pending review' status."
In the Talent Committee's system, "pending review" meant the applicant had not yet met the criteria for a high-level talent designation. Typically, such candidates needed to publish a significant paper in Natural Science Magazine or create an impactful invention to secure an invitation.
Trevithick. Joseph squinted. The name sounded familiar.
Sandell added, "Despite being only in his twenties, his theoretical foundation is solid. He even holds a unique patent for a high-pressure steam engine.
"In fact, Your Highness, earlier this year, he built a vehicle powered by his steam engine. Although it only traveled 200 meters before breaking down..."
Joseph's eyes widened at the words steam-powered vehicle. Could this be the same Richard Trevithick who pioneered the world's first locomotive?
Most people in later generations knew George Stephenson as the "Father of Railways," but Trevithick had actually built a passenger-carrying locomotive eight years earlier. Unfortunately, its performance was poor, and it even damaged the tracks, leading to widespread ridicule.
A proud "rich kid," Trevithick couldn't tolerate the criticism. He abandoned his experiments, declaring, "Though it has great potential, its failure has robbed me of the courage to continue."
In contrast, Stephenson's humble background gave him the perseverance and patience to refine the concept, eventually creating the first truly practical locomotive.
To think Trevithick had come to Paris! Clearly, Joseph's talent recruitment initiative was bearing fruit.
During this era, the aristocracy and landowners were most revered, while technical innovators were largely overlooked. Inventors often had to fund their experiments out of pocket, enjoying less social status than even merchants. France's Talent Committee, offering resources and substantial benefits to researchers, was an irresistible draw for scientific minds.
Recruiting Trevithick
Excited, Joseph said, "Can you find him? France needs talent like this!"
Inwardly, he breathed a sigh of relief that the Talent Committee hadn't outright rejected Trevithick. Moving forward, Joseph resolved to personally review committee applications. Yet he understood their caution—Trevithick was young and hadn't achieved notable success.
Sandell nodded. "He approached me previously. The Talent Committee likely has his address."
Joseph turned to Éman. "Write to the Talent Committee in my name. Make sure they retain this Mr. Trevithick."
"Yes, Your Highness."
This was the man who had outpaced the so-called Father of Railways! Trevithick's expertise in high-pressure steam engines was invaluable—he'd been crafting them by hand in his twenties.
Once steam engines were perfected, Joseph planned to fund Trevithick's experiments on railways. With the prince's backing, the engineer's fragile ego wouldn't face ridicule. Without such setbacks, Trevithick might indeed build the first practical train!
Joseph then asked Sandell with curiosity:
"What did Trevithick want from you?"
"He presented his new high-pressure steam engine design," Sandell replied, "hoping we'd invest in its production."
Joseph raised an eyebrow. "Why doesn't he produce it himself? He should be able to afford it."
Murdock, having given up opposing the idea, explained:
"Credit that to our dear Mr. Watt. He's used his patents to strangle all high-pressure steam engine developments. Trevithick can only legally produce his designs outside of Britain."
Joseph nearly burst into laughter. He resolved to send Watt a commemorative banner:
"To James Watt: A Pioneer Who Inadvertently Boosted France's Steam Engine Technology."
Watt's patents had driven talents like Murdock, Sandell, and Trevithick straight into France's welcoming arms. His contributions to French innovation were unmatched!
Historically, Britain's high-pressure steam engines had stagnated until Watt's patents expired in the early 19th century. Despite this delay, Britain's technical advantage remained overwhelming, allowing it to lead the Industrial Revolution.
But now, things were different.
With Trevithick's expertise and France's proactive support, Joseph was confident that France could pioneer railways and accelerate the Industrial Revolution.
The Mediterranean's Light
Shortly after the steam engine's successful test on the Inflexible, a breakthrough was made in designing a new frigate.
In the shipyard's design lab, chief designer Sané unfurled the schematics and addressed Joseph and a group of high-ranking naval officers, including Navy Minister Marquis de Castries:
"Gentlemen, this is the Mediterranean Light, a high-speed steam-powered warship fully conceptualized by His Highness the Prince."
Joseph felt a pang of embarrassment. He had merely shared his knowledge from model ships he'd built as a hobby. Details like steam engine placement, coal storage, and paddle rudders were passed to Sané, who had done all the heavy lifting.
From Sané's perspective, however, crediting Joseph was entirely accurate. Steam-powered ships were an uncharted domain for him. Without the prince's guidance, figuring out the optimal design through trial and error could have taken two to three years.
The prince's suggestions weren't just useful—they were brilliant.
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