Chapter 641: Revolution in Inland Shipping (Asking for Monthly Pass at the End of the Month)

Chapter 642 The Revolution of Inland Shipping (asking for monthly tickets at the end of the month)

Joseph was still staring at the paddle steamer not far away: "Can that ship sail?"

Borda said uncertainly: "Maybe, I remember Mr. Geoffrey said it can be used, but he used a tugboat to bring it from the upper reaches of the Loire River to the shipyard, and then it has been left there."

"Please ask Mr. Geoffrey to see me."

"Yes, Your Highness."

More than half an hour later.

Joffrey was obviously very nervous in front of the Crown Prince, and nodded: "Yes, Your Highness, it can travel. I drove it from Berry to Nantes."

"Very good." Joseph's eyes lit up, "Can you show me?"

"This," Joffrey was embarrassed, "Your Highness, its steam engine has a problem, as long as it is repaired..."

"How long will it take to repair?"

"Five days. But I don't have enough money for repairs. You know, the price of LJ26H is unconventional, and the repair cost is more expensive."

Joseph nodded: "I will pay for the repairs. So, is the design of this ship mature? Do you have the drawings?"

Joffrey looked a little embarrassed: "Your Highness, I actually designed a frigate driven by a steam engine, but it is not yet completed. And the navy doesn't seem to need that thing. I mean, the 'Light of the Mediterranean' is much more beautiful than my design."

"No, no," Joseph said immediately, "I don't need a warship, I mean, the ship parked at the dock."

Joffrey was stunned for a moment, and nodded hurriedly: "Yes, Your Highness, I have repeatedly improved the 'Poloskafi' for several years, and it is relatively mature."

Today's France can provide him with reliable steam engines, so he did not give up halfway as in history, but successfully built a steam paddle steamer.

Joseph smiled: "This is the kind of boat I need. Mr. Joffrey, you have done a great thing."

"But it is completely inferior to the 'Light of the Mediterranean'..."

"The paddle steamer has a simple structure, is much cheaper than a propeller-driven ship, and is easier to maintain." Joseph said, "So it has its own stage. Oh, can you show me its design?"

Yes, the steam paddle steamer was the overlord of the river transportation field in the 19th century. Even on the eve of World War I, there were still many cheap and durable paddle steamers running on rivers around the world.

Joseph originally planned to have someone design a steam paddle wheel-driven transport ship, but paddle wheel drive and propeller drive are two completely different technical routes. At present, the designers of the Brest Shipyard are busy designing steam warships, so the paddle wheel transport ship has been temporarily shelved.

But now Mr. Joffrey has designed a paddle steamer alone, which is an unexpected surprise.

Not long after, the design drawings of the "Poloskafi" appeared in front of Joseph.

This is a ship with a displacement of 70 tons, a length of 32 meters, and a width of 7 meters. It is equipped with an LJ26H steam engine and a designed speed of 8.5 kilometers per hour. If its two small sails can be used, it can reach a speed of 9.2 kilometers per hour.

Joseph was an outsider, so he turned to look at the Navy Shipbuilding Director, Borda: "What do you think of the design of this ship?"

"Ah, to be honest, the overall design is a bit crude." Borda looked at the drawings carefully, "But the structure is reasonable, and the power layout is also very creative."

Joseph said: "Then based on this, is it feasible to design a small transport ship?" "Yes, Your Highness, you only need to optimize the ship type and adjust the cabin layout, and there is no problem in using it to transport goods."

"Very good." Joseph's expression was like a pie in the sky, "Please dispatch an experienced designer to help Mr. Joffrey improve the design."

"I will do it, Your Highness."

Joseph knew that even if a civilian designer like Joffrey was talented, he would definitely not be able to compare with the top warship designers in engineering practice. The combination of the two is the most efficient.

He looked at Joffrey again: "I hope to see a design that can be put into production within three months. Can you do it?"

The latter did not expect that his "useless" design would be favored by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, and he nodded repeatedly: "Yes, Your Highness, I will do my best!"

Joseph nodded: "If this ship satisfies me, I will invest 1.5 million francs to build a shipyard to produce this kind of ship.

"And you will get 10% of the shares of the shipyard. Oh, the patent of the new ship is still yours."

Joffrey was so excited that his breathing became rapid. The shares plus the patent licensing fee are at least more than 200,000 francs, and he will join the ranks of the rich overnight.

He almost shouted: "I swear, Your Highness, I will never let you down!"

Everyone present was shocked by the Crown Prince's lavish spending of millions.

Borda hurriedly suggested: "Your Highness, this kind of small boat only needs to invest 200,000 or 300,000 francs in the early stage. Do you think it's enough..."

Joseph shook his head decisively and said: "Thank you for your advice, but I need a very high output, maybe 1.5 million is not enough. "

He knew very well how big a shock the steam paddle steamer would cause when it was put into the field of river transportation.

You know, inland river transportation is different from sea transportation. There is almost no wind in the inland river. So most of them are rowing boats, and some are paddle boats. When encountering special river channels, they must be towed by trackers. Not only is the speed very slow, but the labor cost is also not low.

The steam paddle steamer solved these problems very well. The speed of 8.5 kilometers per hour may not seem like much, but it is much faster than human rowing, and it can maintain speed for a long time, unlike the rowers who have to rest constantly.

In addition, the steamship can get rid of the constraints of the trackers. During the peak season of transportation, other ship owners may have to wait for a whole day to wait for the trackers, while the steamship has already arrived at the destination.

This allows the steamship to make two or more trips in the time of an ordinary paddle boat. Although it will burn a lot of coal, it also saves the wages of the rowers and trackers. All in all, the transportation cost of the steamship will be reduced by half compared to the current level!

When a large river transport ship equipped with a 52-horsepower steam engine and a displacement of more than 90 tons is designed in the future, the cost can be further reduced.

This is a complete dimensionality reduction attack.

It can be foreseen that when the French steam paddle steamer is put into production, all ship owners engaged in inland shipping will have to replace new ships, otherwise they will not be able to compete with others.

Joseph did not delay for a minute and immediately asked Borda to recruit professionals to start planning the shipyard.

Historically, building warships has always been a money-losing business, and only civilian ships can make money. Joseph thought that if the profits of the steam paddle shipyard were high enough, he could invest in and control the Brest Shipyard, and by expanding production, significantly reduce the cost of building warships.