Chapter 642: The Revolution in River Transport
Joseph kept his gaze fixed on the nearby paddlewheel steamer. "Can that boat sail?"
Borda replied uncertainly, "It might be able to. I remember Mr. Geoffroy saying it could, but he used a tugboat to bring it down the Loire River to the shipyard, and it's been sitting there ever since."
"Please ask Mr. Geoffroy to come and see me."
"Yes, Your Highness."
More than half an hour later, Geoffroy appeared before the Crown Prince, visibly nervous. He nodded and said, "Yes, Your Highness, it can sail. I piloted it myself from Berry all the way to Nantes."
"Excellent," Joseph's eyes lit up. "Can you demonstrate it for me?"
Geoffroy hesitated, "Well, Your Highness, its steam engine has a small problem. If I could fix it..."
"How long would the repairs take?"
"Five days. But I don't have enough money for the repairs. You see, the LJ26H parts are very expensive, and so is the repair work."
Joseph nodded. "I'll cover the repair costs. Now, is the design of this boat complete? Do you have blueprints?"
Looking slightly embarrassed, Geoffroy replied, "Your Highness, I actually designed a steam-powered frigate, but it's not finished. And the navy doesn't seem to need it anymore. I mean, the Mediterranean Light is far better than my design."
"No, no," Joseph said immediately, "I'm not talking about warships. I mean the boat docked at the pier."
Geoffroy was taken aback but quickly nodded. "Yes, Your Highness, the Poroscaphe is something I've refined over the years. I'd say it's quite mature."
Thanks to France's improved steam engines, Geoffroy hadn't been forced to abandon his paddlewheel steamer, as he had in history. Instead, he'd succeeded in building it.
Joseph smiled. "This small boat is exactly what I need. Mr. Geoffroy, you've done something remarkable."
"But it's nothing compared to the Mediterranean Light…"
"Paddlewheel steamers are simple in structure, far cheaper to build than propeller-driven ships, and easier to maintain," Joseph explained. "So they have their own stage to shine. Oh, can you show me its blueprints?"
Steam paddlewheel boats were indeed the kings of river transport in the 19th century. Even on the eve of World War I, many affordable and durable paddlewheel steamers were still traversing rivers worldwide.
Joseph had originally intended to have someone design a steam-powered paddlewheel cargo ship, but since paddlewheel and propeller-driven ships followed entirely different design principles, and the Brest Shipyard designers were fully occupied with steam warships, the paddlewheel cargo ship project had been shelved for the time being.
Now, however, this Mr. Geoffroy had independently designed a paddlewheel steamer—a delightful surprise.
Soon, the blueprints for the Poroscaphe were laid out before Joseph.
The vessel had a displacement of 70 tons, a length of 32 meters, and a width of 7 meters. It was equipped with an LJ26H steam engine, with a designed cruising speed of 8.5 kilometers per hour. With its two small sails deployed, it could reach a speed of 9.2 kilometers per hour.
As an amateur in ship design, Joseph turned directly to Borda, the navy's chief ship designer. "What do you think of this ship's design?"
"Ah, to be honest, the overall design is a bit rudimentary," Borda said after carefully studying the blueprints. "However, the structure is reasonable, and the engine placement is quite innovative."
Joseph asked, "Would it be feasible to base a small cargo ship design on this?"
"Yes, Your Highness. With some optimization of the hull shape and adjustments to the cabin layout, it would work perfectly for transporting goods."
"Excellent," Joseph said, his expression akin to someone hit by an unexpected windfall. "Please assign an experienced designer to assist Mr. Geoffroy in refining his design."
"I'll see to it, Your Highness."
Joseph understood that while Geoffroy might be a talented independent designer, he couldn't match the expertise of top naval shipbuilders in engineering. Collaboration between the two would yield the best results.
Turning to Geoffroy, Joseph said, "I hope to see a production-ready design within three months. Can you do that?"
Geoffroy, who never expected his "worthless" design to catch the Crown Prince's attention, nodded repeatedly. "Yes, Your Highness, I will do my utmost!"
Joseph nodded in approval. "If the design satisfies me, I will invest 1.5 million francs to establish a shipyard to produce this type of ship.
"You will receive a 10% share of the shipyard. And, of course, the patent for the new ship will remain yours."
Geoffroy was so overwhelmed with excitement that his breathing grew rapid. Shares plus patent royalties would amount to at least 200,000 francs, instantly making him a wealthy man.
He practically shouted, "I swear, Your Highness, I won't let you down!"
Everyone present was stunned by the Crown Prince's bold commitment of over a million francs.
Borda cautiously suggested, "Your Highness, for such small ships, an initial investment of 200,000–300,000 francs would suffice. Perhaps you might…"
Joseph decisively shook his head. "Thank you for your suggestion, but I need very high production volumes. Even 1.5 million francs might not be enough."
Joseph knew exactly how disruptive paddlewheel steamers would be in the river transport sector.
Unlike sea transport, river transport lacked reliable wind, making it dependent on rowboats and occasional paddle-sail boats. In certain waterways, boats had to be hauled by teams of draft animals or human labor, which was not only slow but also costly.
Paddlewheel steamers solved these problems elegantly. A speed of 8.5 kilometers per hour might not seem impressive, but it far outpaced human-powered rowboats and could maintain that speed for extended periods without the frequent breaks required by oarsmen.
Moreover, steamships eliminated reliance on draft animals. During peak transport seasons, other shipowners might wait an entire day for draft teams, while steamships would already have reached their destinations.
This allowed steamships to complete two or more trips in the time it took a conventional boat to make one. While steamships burned a lot of coal, they saved on oarsmen and draft teams, cutting overall transportation costs by half.
In the future, when larger river cargo ships equipped with 52-horsepower engines and 90-ton displacement were developed, costs would drop even further.
This was a revolution.
Joseph could already foresee that once France began producing paddlewheel steamers, all riverboat owners would have to upgrade their vessels to compete.
Wasting no time, Joseph instructed Borda to assemble a team of experts and begin planning the shipyard.
Military shipbuilding had always been a money-losing endeavor, but civilian ships were profitable. Joseph calculated that if the paddlewheel shipyard proved lucrative enough, he could invest in and take control of the Brest Shipyard, using economies of scale to dramatically reduce the costs of building warships.
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