Chapter 664 Speed Race
Chapter 665 Speed Race
The chimney of the "Poloskafi", the world's first steam paddle steamer put into practical use, spewed out inky black smoke. Then, the hull trembled slightly. The huge wooden wheel on the side gradually accelerated its rotation, knocking in the Seine, making a rhythmic "pa pa" sound.
This ship is very different from Joffrey's original design.
The hull lines are more reasonable to increase stability and reduce resistance. The boiler and transmission system have been greatly optimized, increasing the effective power by as much as 20%. The internal structures such as the cargo hold and the cockpit are no longer as sloppy as before. While ensuring strength, the space is used to the extreme.
No matter how talented the civilian designers are, they are far inferior to the design capabilities of the military industry system under the blessing of the state machine.
What the latter needs is just a flash of inspiration from the former.
After having inspiration, they can quickly bring you extremely refined industrial products.
The "Poloskafi" circled the river, showing its elegant figure, and then docked at the pier again.
Joseph and more than a dozen followers boarded the ship along the gangway. Behind him, more nobles followed the "Poloskafi" excitedly and curiously.
Yes, Joseph, who knew the importance of publicity, how could he miss this rare opportunity of the first voyage of the steamship?
The wine is fragrant, and the whole world must know it as soon as possible, and then people will rush to give money.
Not long after, the paddle wheel of the "Poloskafi" turned again, and amid the cheers of the onlookers, it came to a very long banner in the center of the river.
There were already 17 or 18 ships moored here, of different sizes, including paddle boats and pure rowing boats.
And the words on the banner that was half the width of the river were - the first Seine River freight ship race.
The prize money for this competition held by the Palace of Versailles was as high as 30,000 francs, attracting almost all ship owners in France to participate. Of course, most of the ships were eliminated in the previous qualifying rounds, and those who could appear here were basically well-known strongmen in the shipping industry.
Hundreds of reporters from various countries came. They hired a large number of horse-drawn carriages and gathered on the shore, ready to follow the whole process.
Speaking of which, ships of this era, even steamships, were not as fast as horses.
On the front deck of the "Poloskafi", Joseph raised his pistol and pulled the trigger.
The loud "bang" echoed on the river. All the participating ship owners were so excited that their eyes were red, and they shouted to command the crew to drive the boat forward.
Each ship carried 20 tons of cargo and more than 50 passengers, and the ship that arrived at the port of Le Havre first and returned to Paris would win a prize of 30,000 francs.
Five or six smaller paddle boats left in a dusty dust, leaving all opponents behind, and soon disappeared.
On the "Poloskafi", Joseph looked at the various garbage floating on both sides of the ship and resisted the urge to cover his nose. After all, there were many nobles and reporters around.
Although the sanitation of the Seine has been greatly improved after the continuous governance of the "Beautiful Paris" movement in the past few years, the smell is still very irritating when you are on the water.
Well, in fact, until the 21st century, this problem has not been completely solved...
Joseph took the perfumed handkerchief from Camelia, covered his mouth and nose, and kept muttering in his heart: After this game is over, the European inland shipping market will be dominated by steam paddle steamers. And, the fine for "dumping excrement into the Seine" will be doubled!
Until leaving Paris, a large number of people stood on both sides of the Seine to watch and waved and cheered.
This game has opened the odds: the "Silver Eel" with the highest odds has an odds of 1 to 15, and the "Poloskafi" has an odds of 1 to 3.5, which is not low.
In fact, almost no one bet on the "Poloskafi" to win.
So Joseph estimated that this competition would not only save money, but also make a profit of hundreds of thousands.
The stench on the river surface finally faded. Joseph looked around with a telescope, and the "Poloskafi" was basically in the middle.
It is estimated that some reporters have started to write a press release that "steamboats are useless".
However, before the participating ships sailed to Vernon, a small town more than 70 kilometers away from Paris, the ships in the front began to slow down.
These small boats were able to lead by rowing desperately. At this time, the rowers were almost exhausted.
And several larger paddle boats, together with the "Poloskafi", surpassed them and became the first echelon.
After another 4 hours, the steam paddle steamer still maintained a speed of 8.5 knots without emotion, leaving all opponents behind.
Only three galleys, the "Treasure in the Mountain" and the "Seven Birds", managed to catch up after entering Normandy, replacing all the rowers at all costs.
Camelia ran back and forth between the deck and the captain's room very diligently, informing the Crown Prince of the latest status of the ship, and occasionally went to the second cabin to bring coffee to poor Perna and comfort her for a while.
Well, Perna also came, still severely seasick. She didn't know herself, maybe she subconsciously expected to get the Crown Prince's careful care like the time she went to North Africa the year before.
At 6 pm, the "Poloskafi" passed Rouen, and no other participating ships could be seen on the river.
Not surprising at all, in the absence of wind, steam-powered ships are almost invincible.
Joseph, surrounded by a group of nobles, went to the restaurant on the ship to prepare for the dinner.
The maid was busy going to the kitchen to confirm the dishes. If the chef on the ship was not good enough, she would have to cook it herself - the first task given to her by Her Majesty the Queen was to take care of the diet of the Crown Prince.
What she didn't know was that at this moment, in the corner of the cabin, a pair of resentful eyes were staring at her.
If Camelia saw the face under the pink wide-brimmed hat, she might remember that this person's name was Annemarie Herriot - the noble lady who had bid with her for the true love ticket in Notre Dame de Paris.
"Damn Austrian bitch!" Herriot stared at her and gritted his teeth.
She used to be very conceited. She was born in the Palace of Versailles. She was outstanding in appearance. Her family was a count who had been passed down for more than 200 years. Her father was very rich. In the past, everyone around her would flatter her, praise her, and greet her with a smile.
However, the Austrian bitch humiliated her severely in Notre Dame de Paris. But that bitch was much prettier than her, richer than her family, and able to serve the Crown Prince!
That day, after returning from Notre Dame, she was overwhelmed by jealousy and resentment, and even her personality became gloomy.
And today, she used a lot of connections and spent a huge amount of money to finally get the opportunity to be on the same ship with His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, but she saw that woman again!
She felt her chest spasm.