"Gentlemen, I am truly sorry to have kept you waiting. I've been busy dealing with the militia's expedition." Charles apologized as soon as he entered.
The room was filled not only with Hans, Pittsburgh's business partner, but also representatives of the great landowners and wealthy merchants from Philadelphia. The Pittsburgh Coal and Steel Consortium's Philadelphia branch had already been established in Philadelphia, and had even taken many futures orders from large coal consumers in Philadelphia. However, the Pittsburgh headquarters of this Coal and Steel Consortium had not yet been officially inaugurated.
One reason was that the Coal and Steel Consortium's business was still small; only the steel sector was on the right track. Coal, due to the canal not yet being open, basically had no large-scale sales. The most important reason was also that Charles himself had no time, and he was not at ease entrusting the Coal and Steel Consortium to others, so it had to wait until he returned from Philadelphia before it could be officially established.
"Esteemed Councilor Godfrey! The militia's western expedition against the natives concerns Pittsburgh's safety, and even more, whether our commercial activities can proceed normally. You are busy working for our interests. We haven't even had a chance to express our gratitude!"
The representatives expressed their understanding, and several even feigned respect by removing their hats and bowing.
"Exactly, only by driving away the natives can we live here in peace," the red-nosed Hans stroked his ruddy nose. "But you guys, weren't you just looking impatient and grumbling? Why the sudden change of tune now?"
"Uh…" The bowing representatives looked embarrassed.
Hans had completely taken Charles' side. He looked down on those posturing representatives. He himself was a shareholder and knew that these representatives, sent by other shareholders, only had the power to supervise Charles, with no influence over himself. So he spoke his mind directly, without giving the other party any face.
"Hahaha! Everyone, don't worry. When we officials do things, ultimately, everything is for everyone's benefit. Just like the establishment of the Pittsburgh Coal Consortium headquarters this time, how are your preparations coming along? Regarding the same consortium with the steel industry. Have you already received authorization?" Charles' words were mainly directed at the representatives from Philadelphia.
"Yes, sir, we have not only received authorization for the Coal Consortium, but also for the Steel Consortium. It's just that currently, our industries in Pittsburgh do not include steel workshops or iron mines, so our help in the Steel Consortium aspect may not be significant."
"Don't worry about that. As long as you discover iron ore and establish steel mills in the future, you can join the consortium and operate consistently according to the company's principles," Charles said nonchalantly.
Pittsburgh was not only a major coal town but also a large iron ore reserve. However, iron ore mining and utilization were not as simple as coal mining. The lands bought by those great landowners and wealthy merchants certainly contained iron ore; it just hadn't been discovered yet. By having them join the Coal and Steel Consortium early, there would be no reason for them to object to integrating into the company's operations once their iron ore was discovered.
He had previously reached an agreement with those wealthy individuals in Philadelphia. Now, asking these representatives was merely to confirm. Since there were no issues, he immediately invited the various town mayors from outside and sent someone to summon the notary, old Sherman. The mayor, acting as judge, would issue the documents, the notary would formally notarize, with several other mayors acting as witnesses, to officially establish the Pittsburgh Coal and Steel Consortium.
The land owned by the shareholders of the Pittsburgh Coal and Steel Consortium accounted for a quarter of the total area of modern Pittsburgh city. Currently, there were nearly a thousand workers, and once the canal opened and the various landowners' coal mines began large-scale excavation, the number of workers was estimated to quadruple.
Currently, the consortium's total industrial output value accounted for about ninety percent of Pittsburgh's total industrial output value. If the agricultural output value of the company's lands could be included, it would also exceed half of the town's total value. It could be said that the current Pittsburgh Coal Consortium basically represented the entire town; every decision and action it made was a policy for the entire town.
The highest person in charge of the company was naturally Charles himself. Hans served as the deputy head of the steel department, and a Philadelphian named Stanley Payne served as the deputy head of the coal department. The company's headquarters was temporarily located in the expanded Pittsburgh Trade Center.
After simple renovations, the main entrance of the Pittsburgh Trade Center now displayed three signs: one for Pittsburgh Bank, one for the Pittsburgh Coal and Steel Consortium, and finally, one for the Pittsburgh Trade Center. As for the original grocery store, after the expansion, it had been moved to another side.
According to Charles' plan, a new three-story comprehensive building would be constructed on the former site of the iron smelting workshop, which had been vacated, to serve as the new company's office. However, the current level of construction for production buildings was too poor, and building such a structure would take a long time to complete.
After the completion of the coal and steel consortium's establishment ceremony, the next step was the financial integration of the various mines and workshops. Charles and the various parties exchanged information and found significant financial discrepancies between the units.
The original businesses were different, and the methods of recording financial data also differed. Hans' workshop, for example, lacked formal accounting personnel, and his ledgers could only be understood by him, making them completely incomprehensible to others.
Therefore, the first task was to unify the accounts and establish a financial department to be solely responsible for the finances of all mines and workshops. This action, in effect, transformed the loose alliance operation into a truly unified operation.
While understanding the financial process, Charles also learned of a long-awaited development: William, who was researching steam engines, had actually managed to build a steam engine with relatively complete performance. He had even submitted a report requesting funds and a ship to experiment with building a paddle-wheel steamboat.
Because the iron smelting workshop was prioritized for relocation, his steam engine research institute was still located in the original workshop, and William and his steam engine were naturally still in town.
Charles immediately called Tom, instructing him to select the largest fishing boat available and tow it to the shipyard at Pittsburgh's newly built dock. He planned to give William the opportunity to test the possible structure required for a paddle-wheel boat, obtain a rough design, and then have shipbuilding workers construct the steamboat according to that design.
He himself, along with the equally curious Diana and Mayor Patrick, who had just attended the company's establishment ceremony, and others, went to the original iron smelting workshop to inspect the steam engine William was researching.
Even at a distance from the workshop, Charles could already see several slender chimneys emitting thick black smoke. Undoubtedly, in Pittsburgh, the only ones burning so much coal were the steam engines in his own workshop.
As soon as he reached the workshop entrance, Charles heard the hissing of steam and the clattering of the weaving machine.
He knew that William still had a fascination with weaving machines. Perhaps because he didn't have a boat, he was back to researching that ridiculous weaving machine.
However, this time Charles did not frown, because even from outside the door, he could clearly hear the rhythmic clatter of the weaving machine. The sound was short and powerful, with virtually no long pauses. Without considering the steam engine's kinetic horsepower, at least in terms of driving speed, it had already reached the level Charles envisioned for a steam engine.
Upon entering the research room, William immediately came over to greet him:
"Esteemed sir, I have, as you wished, built a steam engine as fast as the original water pump. You see, it is now working without any problems!"
Without William's guidance, Charles had already noticed the large machine in the room.
This steam engine was completely different from what William had originally drawn. It had a combustion chamber three times larger overall, a cylinder more than twice as large, a rapidly spinning large flywheel, and a belt driving the weaving machine. All of this had reached an industrial level; at least, this laboratory now looked much like a rudimentary steam engine factory.
Charles was relatively composed in front of the machine; at least he understood that these things were quite simple once their principles were grasped. But Diana and the others who had accompanied him were completely different. Because Charles and Grispan were very secretive, no one else in town had seen William's steam engine.
Now, upon seeing it suddenly, let alone those who had never witnessed such a thing, even those who had seen steam engines before were startled by this rapidly rotating machine. After all, this thing, both in appearance and principle, was completely unlike the common water-pumping steam engine.
Several people walking near the flywheel retreated again and again, fearing they would be caught by it. It was like a person from a primitive society suddenly seeing a moving car.
Charles patted William's shoulder with satisfaction:
"Well done! Well done! William, I am prepared to give you one hundred pounds as a reward for your creation and improvement of the steam engine. I will also submit your improvement to the Continental Congress and the British Patent Office. Firstly, to apply for a patent, and secondly, to let them know that we, the people of the United States, besides Franklin, have many, many excellent inventors."
"Thank you, sir!" William's face flushed red as he looked at Charles excitedly. "Yes! We, the people of the United States, also have many excellent inventors."
"How about it? Our inventor, would you like to name this great machine?" Charles asked with a smile, joking.
"Hehe! We already gave it a name, it's called 'Turns Fast'." William awkwardly rubbed his hands, "But this machine was actually mainly built according to your requirements, sir, and we forgot to ask for your opinion before naming it."
"Turns… Turns Fast?" Charles frowned, repeating the simple name.
Of course, he wouldn't get angry just because a name had already been chosen, but hearing such a common name naturally made him a little annoyed. He had originally planned to name this steam engine "Science One" or "Apogee One."
Now that it had already been named by its creator, William, he naturally felt awkward changing it. He might think the name they chose was vulgar, but who knew if they might find his proposed name even more vulgar.
The steam engine's excellence was mainly due to Charles' improved concepts. The weaving machine, however, was primarily William's own creation. Since naming the steam engine didn't work out, he lost interest in having him name the weaving machine. After muttering a few times, he simply gave William and his team a positive assessment:
"This name is good too. I agree."
"Actually, we also named this weaving machine."
"It's not called 'Weaves Fast,' is it?" Charles asked somewhat nervously.
"Yes, it's called 'Weaves Fast'! How did you know, sir? What do you think of this name?"
Charles touched his forehead, sweating profusely in his heart. Your naming skills can only follow this fixed pattern. In the future, I must be the first to name the steam paddle-wheel boat, otherwise, it will probably be named "Runs Fast," which would truly be laughable.
"Haha! They're all good. How about this: from now on, whoever designs or invents something new will be the one to name it, as a reward for their invention and creation, making it a company tradition. What do you all think?"
"Good!" everyone responded in unison, especially the people in the steam engine research lab.
Charles was speechless again. With this tradition established, he estimated how many strange experimental names would emerge in the future. He had originally thought they would be humble and let him, as the leader, name it, and then he would magnanimously decline, and they would finally humbly agree to name it themselves.
Who knew they would be so direct; he was just being polite, and they happily accepted. He had no choice but to try and change his mindset and gradually adapt to their naming style.
Afterward, William reported in detail to Charles on the efficiency of this steam engine and the output of the weaving machine.
"Alright, William. I've seen the performance, so there's no need for further detailed introduction. I want to ask, do we now have the capability to mass-produce these steam engines? It's not that the performance of every machine produced is different, requiring a certain success rate, is it?"
"Don't worry, sir, we have tested it many times and are very familiar with the manufacturing of this type of steam engine. The several units we've built can all be used to drive weaving machines. We have also obtained formal blueprints, and it can definitely be mass-produced. Newly built steam engines will only require a slight adjustment at most, and their performance will be excellent," William assured Charles, patting his chest.
He would be smiling in his dreams tonight. He, who was once a coal miner, had now not only become an inventor but was also highly regarded by noble figures like the Mayor and Continental Congress Representatives. The expression on his face fully displayed his inner feelings.
"Alright! Then let's build dozens of steam engines according to the blueprints first. I'll make sure you get the steel. The trading center had already purchased a large quantity of cotton, and many surrounding farmers are still growing cotton. Previously, Pittsburgh had no textile capability, so cotton had to be shipped to the eastern coastal regions for sale, where prices were very low.
Now, by weaving cotton into cloth with textile machines, not only are we spared the trouble of buying cloth from the east, but we can also weave cotton into cloth and transport it back to eastern towns via the canal for sale.
Additionally, these textile machines can be used to weave other fabrics liKielen and ramie, meeting the daily needs of the townspeople. If developed well, Pittsburgh might even become a small textile center," Charles said with a smile.
With the steam engine finalized, Pittsburgh's industrialization could begin. Although the First Industrial Revolution had already started in Britain, making Pittsburgh not particularly advanced globally, within America, or rather, in regions outside Europe, Pittsburgh's industrialization was definitely the fastest.
Moreover, with his clear guidance, its industrial development direction would be the most focused. Adopting the textile industry as the core for the first technological revolution was a path proven correct by British historical development.
Charles admitted he had no new tricks, so he decided to follow Britain's old path, promoting the application of steam engines and advancing the industrialization process through the development of the textile industry.
To leapfrog Pittsburgh from a slave society to an industrial society—compared to that, this was the true Great Leap Forward.
Patrick, who had accompanied them to visit, overheard the conversation between Charles and William. He quietly began to ponder.
When their discussion concluded, he walked over to Charles and asked, "Charles, can you sell me a few of your steam engines and textile machines?"
"What? What did you say?" Charles asked loudly.
Due to the roaring of the machinery, he couldn't hear what Patrick said at a normal volume. He and William had been shouting at each other earlier. This was also why Patrick and others could hear their conversation; otherwise, matters involving commercial information wouldn't be easily overheard by others.
"I said, I want a steam engine! I want to buy a steam engine!" Patrick repeated loudly.
"What do you want a steam engine for?" Charles was taken aback.
These steam engines would eventually be sold, but the technology was not yet mature, and he had no plans to launch them on the market on a large scale. However, if Patrick's reason for buying was reasonable, he wouldn't mind selling a few first. After all, only by collectively improving the living standards and productivity of the surrounding people could Pittsburgh's overall prosperity be enhanced.
Moreover, the industrialization of Pittsburgh, and even the entire United States, could not be driven by him alone. The help of one more person meant one more cooperation, one more opportunity.
"Didn't you say these steam engines and textile machines can weave cloth for sale? I happen to have a cotton field, and selling raw cotton doesn't make much money. It would be better to buy textile machines and weave cotton cloth myself to sell."
Charles smiled and glanced at Patrick.
"That's no problem! However, I think with just a few textile machines, how much cloth can you weave? How much money can you make? Why not join my cotton textile plan? You provide the money and people, and I'll provide the technology and materials. We can run a cotton mill together."
He was preparing to draw Patrick into his economic circle.
Political cooperation is always temporary; economic ties are much more long-term. Aside from being somewhat greedy, Patrick is quite capable in various aspects. If he is willing to cooperate, he is naturally willing to accept him.
"Good! No problem. I also have a factory site. I already selected a piece of land during the last expansion of Pittsburgh, and the buildings are mostly complete now. Originally, I planned to rent it out as a warehouse, but now it can be our factory," Patrick immediately agreed.
"Good! Then we will jointly operate this cotton textile business from now on."
Charles smiled and extended his hand, shaking Patrick's hand firmly.
His current ventures were too extensive, making it difficult to manage many industries effectively. However, all these industries were interconnected, and no aspect could be neglected. The textile industry, a light industry, not only concerned the production and daily lives of ordinary residents but also served as a major sector for employment.
For Pittsburgh to develop, not only must all industries flourish, but residents' income and living standards are also very important, and the textile industry is undoubtedly one that can balance both.
The summer of 1776 in Pittsburgh was definitely a summer filled with constant amazement.
On the morning of the second day after visiting the spinning machines, the town residents saw a large fishing boat, moved overnight onto the temporary dry dock at the pier. Subsequently, workers from William's laboratory moved an earlier assembled steam engine onto this sixteen-meter-long fishing boat.
Then, several carpenters and textile machine workers carried two small paddle wheels and began to modify the boat with a lot of hammering and sawing.
As this boat was merely experimental, the modification process was naturally very fast. By sunset on the second day, the renovation of the entire boat was preliminarily considered complete. However, in reality, this modification had many shortcomings. For example, there was no fixed place for coal or passengers.
Because the boat was small, the steam engine could not be placed at the stern, so it was installed in the middle of the boat, which then prevented people at both ends of the boat from moving around, and so on.
Many similar problems arose, but no one could be blamed. Charles, of course, didn't know much about shipbuilding, and William was encountering it for the first time, so such a situation was quite normal. Moreover, this was not a bad thing; on the contrary, it could be considered an achievement gained even before this experiment began.
Because these very problems were the areas that absolutely needed improvement for the next formal shipbuilding.
On the morning of the third day, the sun was bright, and everyone in Pittsburgh who was free gathered at the Ohio River port.
This port, with a slightly swifter current than usual, now held only one relatively large fishing boat, the "William," which had been modified by William and other steam engine repair workers.
The current appearance of the "William" could almost be described as ugly.
She was originally a super large fishing boat specially made by Jonathan at Charles' request. Because she had no sails and relied entirely on manual paddling for propulsion, she was very impractical.
After she was built, she was never properly used; even the small two-person fishing boats rented by canal workers were preferred. After Scarlet Manor arrived in Pittsburgh, she remained docked at the pier, with no one willing to use her.
Besides being large and long, her appearance was not particularly beautiful, and now with a large iron can-like steam engine suddenly added in the middle, those who saw her naturally found her even more hideous.
People's current perception was that beautiful ships were sailing ships. In fact, the more sails and the larger the ship, the more beautiful it was. This large fishing boat, with a steam engine installed in the middle, completely separated the front and back of the boat, with only a slender chimney standing alone in the center, making those accustomed to masts feel very uncomfortable.
As for the two wooden paddle wheels on either side of the midship, they further broke the overall aesthetic of the boat, making people think a waterwheel had been moved onto the ship.
These people had originally come to watch the excitement after hearing rumors that Charles would experiment with a ship that could sail automatically without sails. Now, seeing only such a strange-looking vessel, they naturally couldn't help but discuss it.
"Li! Why is this boat so ugly?" countess Diana shook Charles' hand. "This is truly the ugliest boat I have ever seen!"
"Haha! The boat's appearance is a bit lacking, but its performance later will definitely catch your eye!" Charles comforted her softly.
In fact, let alone these people, even Charles himself thought the boat was too ugly. Although he knew that future ships would definitely develop into steam engine ships, seeing the ugly appearance of the "William," he still couldn't help but frown. He even secretly regretted not using a propeller for propulsion; installing these paddle wheels was simply ruining the boat.
The most beautiful ships in the world are still sailing ships! This is something people recognize even in the 21st century.
As for seeing the "William," Charles couldn't help but add, the ugliest ship in the world is a paddle-wheel steamship!
At ten o'clock sharp, Charles and the other respectable figures of the town had all arrived at the port. Yesterday, Diana had already christened the boat by smashing a precious bottle of champagne against its bow. Today, Charles only needed to officially announce the start of the trial voyage.
"William! Prepare to set sail!"
At the command, William, who was already prepared, immediately started the fire. A thick plume of smoke billowed from the ship's chimney. The onlookers at the port eagerly watched the strange-looking steamboat, wondering how it would start.
Minutes ticked by, but the anticipated movement of the steamboat did not occur.
Charles' heart sank. He suddenly remembered that a steam engine boat was not like a sailing ship, which could start moving as soon as the sails were unfurled. A steam engine had to boil water first to generate power. Although the "William" used relatively little water for its steam engine, it would still take at least ten minutes to boil. Making these bored spectators wait for ten minutes would surely make them laugh.
Before Charles could take any remedial measures, the nearby town mayor, Patrick, couldn't help but be the first to ask.
"Charles! Is this boat just going to keep burning fire like this?"
"Hahahaha…"
The onlookers around burst into laughter, and some bolder individuals began to whisper:
"Didn't they say this boat doesn't need sails or oars, and it would move by itself?"
"Yes, it's not using sails or oars now, but it's just not moving!"
"It's been several minutes since they said it would start. It's still just spewing smoke. Are they trying to burn the boat?"
These words were heard by Charles and William on the boat, and they immediately exchanged awkward glances. William dared not refute the ridicule of those people and could only anxiously urge his assistant to quickly add more coal to the combustion chamber, making the fire burn hotter and hotter. However, besides the smoke becoming thicker, the entire boat still showed no reaction.
"Haha!" Charles was also too embarrassed to turn back and say anything to the common people. He turned to Diana and others, who were looking at him with similar confusion, and said,
"This steam engine needs to boil water first to use the steam to drive the paddle wheel. This is just the firing stage; we still need to wait a bit longer. In about ten more minutes, the boat will be able to move."
The VIPs standing beside Charles, like Mayor Patrick, naturally didn't understand the principles of a steam engine, but they did understand that the boat could only move after the water boiled. So, they continued to watch the continuously smoking steamboat with expectant expressions.
However, the surrounding residents, who were mostly bored and came to watch the excitement, or some who had specifically stopped their work to come, were not pleased. Seeing only continuous burning on the boat and no sign of the legendary "big" boat moving by itself, they immediately lost interest. After a few quiet jeers, many turned and left.
Minutes passed, and the murmuring of the surrounding crowd grew louder.
Just as Charles himself was about to lose patience, he heard a "hiss." A faint wisp of steam emerged from the steam engine, and the paddle wheel actually turned slowly once.
The surrounding chatter abruptly ceased.
Everyone stared, dumbfounded, at the "William," which had slowly drifted a little towards the center of the river.
"Hiss!"
A second sound followed, and the paddle wheel slowly turned again, pushing the steamboat further forward. Fortunately, before the experiment, the bow of the boat had been aimed towards the river channel with oars, so no temporary adjustment of direction was needed.
As the "hissing" sounds became faster and faster, the "William" slowly moved towards the center of the river. Such obvious movement naturally immediately drew the attention of both the operators and the onlookers.
William loudly called out for people to "Add coal!" and "Turn the rudder!" His voice was filled with indescribable excitement and pride.
The stern control personnel immediately cooperated by turning the rudder, adjusting the ship's course to sail upstream against the current.
Amidst the "hissing" sounds, the "William," emitting thick smoke, paid no heed to sailing against the current. Its two paddle wheels churned up large amounts of white spray, and the entire ship sped faster and faster upstream, quickly disappearing from everyone's sight.