New World 1620

As the summer harvest gets underway, people get busier.The East River ferries that keep goods and workers between Manhattan neighborhoods and docks in industrial Brooklyn are woefully inadequate after customs anti-smuggling boats are scrapped, and that diesel-powered fishing boat alone is no longer enough.Not only that, but the fishing boat is also responsible for transporting materials and minerals to West Point Town, 80 kilometers away to the north, every three days. Even coal from the Staten Island coal mine needs to be transported by this dilapidated old fishing boat.

In view of the gradual improvement and upgrading of the metallurgical infrastructure in the Brooklyn Industrial Zone, the steel production capacity has increased from the initial 500 tons per month to a theoretical value of 2000 tons, but the problems that have been brought about are the coal in Staten Island and the coal in West Point Town. Iron ore shipments are becoming more and more difficult to feed this big stomach that swells every month.

The inland waterway capacity of the Hudson River became a serious bottleneck to the continued development of today's Manhattan neighborhoods.The continuous sailing made the fishing boat captain Liu Baidong complain to the community committee more than once that even if he himself could endure such hard work, the fishing boat would not be able to.

So as early as a month ago, the dog-headed military divisions of the Ministry of Industry and the Brooklyn Shipyard who had observed serious problems gathered together to offer suggestions.

Someone suggested building human-powered oars or paddle steamers in inland rivers. This bad idea was shot to death on the spot. Now even the recruitment of Indian hired labor has reached a critical point. How about manpower?

A suggestion to build rafts to transport the ore downstream directly from West Point was met with disdain.Let’s not talk about whether the almost disposable wooden raft can undertake such a large amount of transportation tasks, not to mention that such an unreliable transportation method will make the ore dug out with great difficulty. After all, this is not transporting wood from West Point Town.

In the end, Lin Youde, the chief engineer of the industrial zone, and You Qi, the ship designer, jointly launched a plan: to build an inland river steam-powered transport ship.The reason is that the construction of the hull is simple, and the steam unit led by Lin Youde has successfully overcome the production design of the 20-horsepower steam engine.

The steam engine technology recovery project more than two months ago only produced a few horsepower steam pumps, and after several technical and safety improvements, the 10 horsepower steam engine has been used in the urban water supply and drainage system of the Manhattan community. Processing workshops with low power requirements are also used.

The latest engineering progress is that the 20-horsepower steam engine has finally passed the preliminary test. It is not very troublesome to change it to marine power, and it is also used to verify the processing technology of the drive shaft of the marine power unit. It is also enough to manufacture the matching wheels and paddles. As for the accuracy of the process, it can only be improved with time.

You Qi's original idea was to use such a marine steam engine to drive an inland river transport ship, and to prepare technical reserves for future ocean-going sailing ships.Fortunately, Lin Youde also realized that the current power gap was not limited to the machine tool workshops in the industrial zone, so the hatchback understood that the first 20-horsepower marine steam unit was off the assembly line.

Somewhere in the Brooklyn shipyard, a 40-ton river flat was launched from a small slipway a few days ago.Even though the shipyard was seriously short of manpower in order to catch up with the construction of naval warships, it only took less than a week for such a small civilian ship incomparable to the Enterprise.On the contrary, it took a lot of effort to install the latest design of the 20-horsepower steam unit.

Lin Youde, the chief engineer of the industrial zone, carefully checked all the equipment installations, and he gave the order to light the fire until he couldn't find anything that was not pleasing to the eye.

Fatima, an Indian youth who has been proficient in operating the steam pump in West Point Town, was transferred to this inland river transport ship named Donghe 01 as a steam engine boiler operator.

Smart and hard-working Fatima is now able to use Chinese fluently, and even mastered hundreds of Chinese characters under the guidance of Guan Ru, the Chinese sheriff in West Point Town!And his younger sister Dharma has long been a teacher in the Indian kindergarten specially run by the Chinese in the East Side of the Brooklyn Industrial Zone.

Fatima checked the operation rules in the manual again. Although many characters were still a bit difficult to distinguish, the careful Lin Youde still helped Fatima to add Chinese characters to the font library.

With the hard work of the fireman, the boiler began to heat up, and the pressure gradually increased to the normal operating range.Fatima decisively turned on the power transmission, and saw the ship shake slightly, and then began to move slowly and obliquely.

The technicians on the ship and the shore began to applaud enthusiastically, and even Fatima blushed with excitement, as if the magical power of the ship's forward movement was created by herself.

After a few days of trial voyage, under the condition of full load, the Donghe 01 inland steam engine ship can sail downstream at a continuous speed of more than 5 knots, while sailing upstream will be reduced to 3 knots. Although it looks extremely slow, it is enough to travel to and from West Point. The task of cargo transportation, and only 4 people are needed including the crew. The European or Indian steam unit operators trained recently can fully meet this kind of manpower demand.

Jiang Zhaolong, the executive committee member in charge of the Brooklyn Industrial Zone, placed an order for the manufacture of ten 10-horsepower inland steam engine ships in one go, and urged Lin Youde to continue to research higher-horsepower output marine steam units.This result made Shi Yige, the person in charge of the shipyard, and You Qi, the ship designer, laugh from ear to ear, and Donghe 20, the first work, became a ferry between the Brooklyn industrial area and the Manhattan community pier.

……

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Friday, November 1621, 7.

Men, women and children in West Point Town are still waiting at the pier as usual, and the twice-weekly inland river transport has formed a pattern of life for hundreds of West Point Town residents.

The small steamer with the sound of chug steam slowly zoomed in from the end of the line of sight. Everyone, including Sergeant Guan Ruzhong, had a look of surprise.

The boats gradually approaching the shore were not Liu Baidong's familiar fishing boat, but a smaller steaming boat, even two boats at a time.The European residents who are used to seeing the steam pump in the iron mine are still looking at this small steamer with Indian crew members with strong curiosity.

"Teacher Guan, I'll replace them...Starting today, several ships will come every day in turn." Fatima unexpectedly appeared in front of Guan Ruzhong in a modern T-shirt style singlet with a smile on her face.His Chinese proficiency is also good, and his shy smile is full of pride and gratitude.

"Okay, good, Fatima! You've grown again!"

The tall Guan Ruzhong patted each other on the shoulder as if he cared for his own brother.The sheriff who has been stationed alone in West Point for a long time has a closer relationship with the European residents, but he only takes special care of this Delaware teenager.In addition to helping at work, Guan Ruzhong also became Fatima's language and life teacher.

I don't know when Fatima began to regard Guan Ruzhong as a father in another sense. Under the latter's teaching, Fatima is moving towards the role of an ordinary Chinese teenager.

"Oh, young man, it's been almost a month since we left, and we meet again!" The one-legged acting mayor, William, a man of English descent, walked over with a bright smile, looked at the canvas-covered warehouse, and spoke Chinese. , deliberately said in a mysterious voice that everyone could hear, "Tell everyone, what good things did you bring today?"

"Blueberry wine, wheat flour, soap..." Fatima took a deep breath, looking at the kind eyes around her, and almost shouted, "There are many more, all of which are the latest products!"

"Haha, our Fatima has become the captain! In the future, our tiles can be sold in Europe!" One-legged William took off his hat and made a gesture of salutation and cheers deliberately, which aroused applause from the surrounding residents .

The economic benefits of exporting to Europe have also radiated to West Point.Today's town is not just a small settlement or an ore transfer station.After enriching dozens of new European immigrants last month, West Point Town also undertakes the production and manufacturing of some primary building materials.

With the help of Manhattan community craftsmen and the abundant clay and gravel resources in the valley, acting mayor William and Pastor Brest organized a group of old residents to fund the establishment of a small brick and tile factory.Such a self-hematopoietic industry has received the private support of Mao Jian, a Chinese tax official in West Point Town.

Guan Ruzhong and Mao Jian are now the pillars of the development of West Point Town.They all seem to have some kind of ideal, and regard this self-imposed exile as a free experimental field, and carry out construction that is completely different from the Manhattan community.

This not only opened the first advantageous industry in West Point Town, but also opened the first private workshop in the entire Manhattan community.For the Manhattan community that is still a large state-owned enterprise model, this cannot but be said to be a kind of irony.

Except for brick and tile building materials, it no longer relies on the Brooklyn industrial area, and the tiles produced in West Point have taken the mid-to-high-end route from the beginning.Exquisite, delicate and sturdy, the Dutch residents with the national tradition of European handicraft skills have integrated their aesthetics and life hopes into this product that should belong to the Chinese people.

West Point Town tiles have surprised the "rich" in the Manhattan community since it came out. Even Dong Jiunan has received many orders for high-end tile home decoration.

For every 1 pieces of tiles, the shareholders of the West Point Town Tile Factory jointly offered a high price of [-] Spanish silver dollar, but the residents of the Manhattan community who were not short of money ordered a large number of them almost without blinking an eyelid, which made William and others who were worried about asking too much. Everyone burst into laughter.

Soon, even the interior renovation of the community board building was embracing West Point tiles.More orders made the production plan of the tile factory in West Point town almost half a year later!It is said that even Ren Changle, the general accountant in charge of European trade, specifically asked about this matter.

A total of more than 70 tons of materials from two small steamers were transported to West Point Town, most of which were necessary for public construction, followed by food for the Pequot prisoners of war in coal mines and iron mines, and the remaining tons of daily necessities The goods were sold at reasonable prices to two small grocery stores run by Europeans in the town, in order to trade with the residents and the nearby Mohegan Indians.

At night, at the home of Mayor William in West Point Town, a private dinner party was going on.

The whitewashed walls are covered with beautiful light-colored tiles, and the floor is covered with dark red carpets imported from Europe. Several sets of simple wooden furniture are neatly arranged around, and several exquisite kerosene lamps illuminate the restaurant extraordinarily brightly.There are nearly ten dinner plates lined up on the oak dining table, filled with rich delicacies such as grilled fish, roasted pork with potatoes, broth, white bread, etc. It seems that the frugal William family has put a lot of thought into it.

This kind of home environment has become a common standard for townspeople in West Point Town. Even other European immigrants who have just arrived in West Point Town less than a month live in clean and stable mixed-wood houses.

Apart from Mayor William and his wife, Pastor Brest, old acquaintance Sheriff Guan Ruzhong, tax officer Mao Jian, and the town’s Land Guard Second Lieutenant Cheng Peng, all those who participated in the dinner will stay overnight in West Point Town Fatima, the captain of the small steamer.

"Come, let's taste the newly brewed cider. This is the unique craft of my ancestors! The wild apples here don't taste very good, but the wine produced is extraordinary!" Mayor William came from under the table with a mysterious smile. He took out a bottle of fruit wine, "I'll let you taste my family's wine when the vineyard is ready to produce next year!"

"William, your wife has a temper tantrum during pregnancy, do you still dare to drink?"

Mao Jian, a Chinese youth and tax official, stared at the wine bottle in the other party's hand, politely nodded to Mrs. William who was pouring the wine for him, and joked loudly on purpose.

"Haha, the men who drink are the most exciting!" William laughed out loud, making the face of the middle-aged woman who poured wine for everyone in the restaurant turn red.

"William, I suggest you take Harley to the community center hospital for a routine checkup. The climate here is humid, which has a great impact on your health, and there is no room for mistakes in the early stages of pregnancy." Guan Ruzhong sipped the fruit wine and showed a sincere smile.

Looking at her husband, the middle-aged Harley quietly exited the restaurant embarrassingly, while the expression on William's face at this moment seemed a little nervous.

Guan Ruzhong, who has known each other a lot, knew that William and his wife had suffered multiple miscarriages since they got married and failed to give birth to a child, so Guan Ruzhong also took this opportunity to make a well-intentioned suggestion.

"God bless...it's a hard choice..." William drew the cross on his chest, his expression even more difficult.The priest Brest sitting next to him was silent.

In Europe in the 17th century, there were still extremely rigid traditions for the maintenance and social behavior of pregnant women.It is an extremely outrageous thing for a husband to let his pregnant wife go to a strange place to be examined by a strange doctor.

"Mr. Mayor, Mr. Guan often taught me that science is the highest civilization." Fatima, an Indian teenager whose face was flushed by the strong fruit wine, suddenly said something aside.

He didn't express any clear objection or approval, and William just looked nervously at the priest Brest beside him.

The former silver cross necklace had been given to He Yu, the second lieutenant of the Land Guard. Now Pastor Brest was holding a new wooden cross necklace in his hand, and his face gradually became more relaxed from the calmness at the beginning.

"God cares about us. Halle and the child represent our future. The merciful God must be happy to see more people love each other." Brest finished speaking softly and raised his glass.

"Okay! Mr. Sheriff, I will take Harley to the community hospital for an examination tomorrow!" Seeing that Pastor Brest said it was nothing, William let go of his nervous heart.

The most important topic has passed, and everyone in the restaurant has entered a state of drinking and feasting. William, who was so happy and drunk, even sang a strange song, which caused Guan Ruzhong and Mao Jian to spit.The curious Fatima carefully observed everyone's words and deeds, and she was the one with the most restrained behavior.

And William's wife, Halle, did not know when she returned to the restaurant and continued to pour wine for everyone. Under the strong request of everyone, she sat at the table with everyone and accepted everyone's blessings.

When the atmosphere of the dinner party was at its peak, there was a sudden knock on the door from the living room next door.This anomaly interrupted everyone's interest.

Harry quickly got up and left, and after a while, walked into the restaurant with a young man.

"Danielson, aren't you on duty at the mine? Why did you run back to the town? What happened?"

William was taken aback for a moment, and then Guan Ruzhong also stood up. He intuitively felt that something important had happened.

"The mine...something happened at the mine..." Danielson said out of breath, wiping his sweat with his dirty sleeve.

"A prisoner of war?" Not only Guan Ruzhong, but also Cheng Peng, the second lieutenant of the Land Guard Stationed in West Point Town, stood up.

"It's not...it's the Mohawks...they got in with people and burned down a factory building." The Dutch guy said a situation that was more troublesome than the prisoners of war making trouble.

"Damn it! I knew these Morocco people were not easy to get along with!" Guan Ruzhong suddenly said harshly, hitting the table with his fist, scaring William's wife Halle out of the restaurant.

"Is there a lot of people?" Pastor Brest glanced at Harry's leaving back, and then pulled the Dutch guy to his side, his voice low.

"No, I don't know! There was some commotion among the prisoners of war, which was controlled by Bloom and the others. But because they had to allocate manpower to fight the fire, Bloom and the others locked up the labor camp at first, but they didn't know where the fire came from. Appeared in the labor camp, many workers were injured."

Danielson drank a glass of fruit wine and finally calmed down. A trace of smoke could be seen faintly on his face.

"Danielson, take a break and eat something...William, organize a group of residents and bring weapons, I will take them to the mine immediately!" Guan Ruzhong made a decisive decision, and the men in the room were silent Listen, "Cheng Peng, your people don't move, stay on the highest alert."

Finally, Guan Ruzhong turned his attention to Fatima, who had been silent all this time: "Fatima, you should return to the community immediately and report to the people there. We need support, and we need the fastest speed!"

Instead of answering, she nodded firmly, and Fatima rushed out of William's house.

I hope nothing serious will happen this time... Looking at the night sky in the northwest outside the window, Guan Ru center prayed for a while.