roccoschili 84. Fulton and Watt
84. Fulton and Watt
The moment the name Robert Fulton entered Dugan's ears, long-forgotten memories from his textbooks suddenly surged back into his mind.
He immediately recalled a well-known anecdote from his history textbook: Fulton's idiot.
In an era when sails dominated the seas, everyone regarded Fulton's painstakingly developed steamship as an absurd toy that defied common sense. Court nobles and wealthy seafaring merchants all ridiculed his wild ideas.
Not long ago, Fulton made a special trip to France to meet Napoleon, presenting him with a new steam-powered ocean liner and a forward-thinking design for the Nautilus submarine. Unfortunately, Napoleon adhered to traditional naval warfare thinking, believing that steam-powered ships were simply impossible to achieve, and rejected all the plans.
Having repeatedly failed in France and squandered most of his savings, Fulton had no choice but to travel to London, where he sought investment opportunities. Now, he was down on his luck, riding in a cheap horse-drawn carriage, and his blueprints were almost completely destroyed. He was going through the most difficult low point in his life.
Just now, Dugen was still carrying the arrogance of a noble young master, intending to use the incident of the carriage bumping into something to make things difficult for this Yang Ji guy.
But now that he knew he was Fulton, his frivolous thoughts vanished instantly. The scattered blueprints at his feet were priceless treasures capable of revolutionizing the global shipping landscape.
The Nautilus submarine, in particular, had immense military value.
Originally, Dugan wanted to talk to Fulton about his willingness to invest in him, but then he realized he had to get home before dawn, so he changed his mind.
He turned to Aldo and said, "We'll cover all the repair costs for this coachman, and then leave my contact address with Mr. Fulton."
Aldo was taken aback, wondering what was wrong with the young master.
However, Aldo still did as Dugan instructed, as was his habit.
"Kind sir, thank you for your generosity and kindness!" The driver, who had been feeling uneasy and in a dilemma, was overjoyed and bowed repeatedly to express his gratitude.
Dugan then handed the few drawings he was holding back to Fulton.
"Mr. Fulton, I'm interested in investing in your steamship project," Dugan said earnestly. "But I have to go now. You can find me at that address."
Fulton was completely stunned.
From the United States to France, and then to London, England, he spent months lobbying everywhere, from royalty and nobility to business owners, and without exception, they all denied the feasibility of steamships.
Having been repeatedly rejected and short of money, barely able to gather enough materials to continue drawing, I never imagined that a sudden car accident would lead someone to invest in me after only seeing a few drawings.
Fulton's voice trembled with excitement as he clutched the slip of paper with the address written on it, his eyes wide with disbelief: "Sir, is it true?"
"Of course, I am Dugan Connby!" Dugan stepped into the carriage and sat down steadily.
Aldo cracked his whip again, the white horse snorted, and the carriage continued to speed along the empty street.
When Dugan returned home, the old countess and countess were still not up. Dugan quickly took off his clothes, changed into his pajamas, and went into his bedroom.
Less than an hour later, there was a knock at the door from her mother, Maria.
"Dughan, are you in there? May I come in?"
Dugan deliberately let out a big yawn. "Okay, my mom's in her room."
Mrs. Maria pushed open the door and came in. "What time did you get back last night? I didn't even know!"
Dugan replied with a smile, "When I got back, you and Father were both asleep. So I didn't wake you up."
"Okay, let's get up and have breakfast!"
"OK!"
*******
Now, let's talk about Fulton.
After Dugan's carriage left, Fulton's assistant bent down to tidy up the mess of drawings, wiping away the dust and slightly damaged pieces one by one and rolling them up neatly.
He looked up at Fulton, who was lost in thought, and couldn't help but murmur, "Sir, this may be our best opportunity in months."
From America, he traveled to Europe, passing through France and England, carrying the blueprints for his painstakingly crafted steamship and Nautilus submarine. He lobbied powerful figures and visited wealthy merchants, only to be met with ridicule, skepticism, and rejection. Napoleon dismissed his ideas as fanciful, American industrialists laughed at his delusions, and everyone believed that relying on steam to power ships was an absurd farce that could never be realized.
"Let's go to Mr. Watt's workshop first." Fulton composed himself. Right now, more than the vague investment promises, the technical problems that had been troubling him for so long were the biggest obstacle before the advent of steamships.
Back in 1787, 22-year-old American Robert Fulton was still an artistic youth.
He traveled across the ocean to London to further his painting skills under the tutelage of his fellow countryman, painter Benjamin West.
In 1786, through the introduction of a mutual friend, Fulton was invited to paint a portrait of the legendary steam engine reformer, Watt, on his fiftieth birthday.
In the workshop of the Soho factory in Birmingham, the two began a conversation that would change Fulton's life.
Watt not only patiently demonstrated his steam engine model but also explained its working principles in detail. Fulton, who already had a natural interest in mechanics, found his artistic passion gradually replaced by the allure of mechanical engineering when faced with the core invention of the Industrial Revolution.
Watt greatly admired this bright and studious young American and shared his years of research insights with him. He also introduced him to important figures in British industry and science, such as Matthew Bolton, the Duke of Bridgewater, and the Earl of Stanhope.
These interactions completely changed the course of Fulton's life.
In 1793, he officially abandoned painting and devoted himself to mechanical inventions, especially focusing on the research of steamships.
After the two had packed up, they changed into a clean short-distance carriage and headed straight for Watt's Machinery Works on the outskirts of London.
By this time, James Watt was already a renowned figure. After decades of improvements and innovations, his steam engine had completely overwhelmed traditional European mechanical power equipment. The workshop was filled with the roar of machine tools, the clatter of gears, and various improved prototypes and precision parts. It was the most advanced power machinery research and development center in the entire Britain and even Europe.
Despite being over sixty, Watt was still in good spirits, his fingers calloused from years of working with machinery. He was delighted to see his old acquaintance Fulton and warmly welcomed him.
He took the complete set of steamship design drawings from Fulton, bent down to carefully examine them, and used a magnifying glass to examine them inch by inch, occasionally writing and drawing on the draft paper.
After a long while, Watt straightened up and said, "Mr. Fulton, there are no problems with your hull design, transmission structure, and propulsion system. The concept is advanced and the design is ingenious, perfectly suited for water navigation. The problem with your steamship's repeated failures lies in the fact that you have been using the outdated Newcomen steam engine."
Watt gestured to his apprentice to bring two small prototype models and place them on the table.
The old-fashioned Newcomen steam engine was a single-acting, low-pressure steam engine with only a single cylinder. It relied on coal to heat and generate steam, which pushed the piston upward once. Then the steam condensed and depressurized, and the piston fell back to its original position by gravity. The entire process was intermittent, with the piston pushing and stopping intermittently, and the power output could not be continuous.
Watt's improved steam engine was equipped with an independent, separate condenser, which completely solved the problem of repeated heating and cooling of the cylinder in the old machine. At the same time, it achieved double-acting piston work, and steam could alternately push the two ends of the piston, continuously outputting power throughout the entire round trip without interruption or waste.
Watt continued explaining, pointing to the pipe structure of the model. The Newcomen steam engine had a rudimentary structure with exposed cylinders. It would dissipate heat quickly after each operation, resulting in a large amount of heat energy being wasted. Its thermal efficiency was extremely low. Of the ten parts of coal burned, less than ten percent could be converted into power, with the rest being wasted.
Loading so much coal onto a ship would be a burden in itself, and would also consume a huge amount of coal and have a very short range.
The improved model from Wante, through its sealed insulation structure and precise steam control system, increases thermal energy utilization by more than four times, and significantly reduces coal consumption under the same power.
Finally, the Newcomen steam engine was bulky, vibrated violently, and had inconsistent power output, making it only suitable for rudimentary operations such as pumping water in land mines.
Once installed on the hull, the intermittent power will cause the ship to rock and become out of control, with fluctuating speed, making it impossible to sail stably and unable to withstand the wind and waves at sea.
Watt's improved steam engine, with its uniform and stable power output and compact and ingenious design, could be linked with various transmission devices such as gears and propellers, precisely matching the ship's navigation needs and driving the hull forward at a constant speed.
Finally, Watt confidently told Fulton, "With my improved new steam engine and a few minor adjustments to your hull structure, your steamship can achieve stable long-distance voyages and completely overturn traditional sailing ships."
Watt stated confidently, "Technically, there are no difficulties."
But Fulton wasn't happy. He asked, "Mr. Watt, how much would it cost to customize a modified steam engine suitable for ships?"
Watt smiled faintly upon hearing this. Even close brothers should keep clear accounts, so he said bluntly, "Customizing a marine-specific engine requires redesigning the structure, optimizing the transmission system, and enhancing its waterproof and wave-resistant performance. The process is complex and the materials are expensive. In addition, there are labor and R&D costs, which will require a considerable amount of funding. I can take full responsibility for the technical modifications and prototype production, but the funding must be in place in full."
Fulton fell silent.
After years of wandering around Europe, he had already exhausted his personal savings, and several failed experiments had left him heavily in debt.
However, Fulton's eyes suddenly lit up, and he quickly asked Watt, "Mr. Watt, this morning I ran into a young master from the Connaught family, Dugan, who promised to fully invest in my steamship project. Have you heard of him?"
Upon hearing the name "Dughan Connby," Watt's tone was clearly dismissive: "Dughan Connby? Who in London hasn't heard of him?"
"The Connaught family is prominent and wealthy, but Dugan Connaught is a notorious playboy in London," Watt admitted.
Looking at Fulton, who was full of anticipation, he kindly advised, "Mr. Fulton, I advise you not to have any hope. This young master Dugan made a promise on a whim, nothing more than a nobleman's idle pastime. He probably just wants to make fun of you because you're down on your luck. If you actually go to visit him, you'll most likely only humiliate yourself and waste your time."
Upon hearing this, the assistant's hopes were instantly dashed, and he sighed softly, "Are we going to waste our time again?"
Fulton, however, was not so pessimistic. He said, "Thank you, Mr. Watt. I understand your concerns."
"Everyone sees my steamship as a fool, and the powerful and wealthy regard my ideals as a joke. I'm used to it!" Fulton pulled out the slip of paper with the address written on it. "Even if there is only a sliver of hope, even if I am humiliated when I visit, I will never back down."