Bringing the Railway to Daming

Chapter 93: Cause of the accident, condolences to the injured [Please read]

Seeing that there was no smoke coming out from behind the research institute, Liu Kuan breathed a sigh of relief - at least the boiler explosion did not further cause a fire.

Seeing that there was still only one general flag among the imperial guards outside the research institute, and they seemed relatively calm, Liu Kuan felt inexplicably at ease.

After Liu Kuan dismounted, he walked straight into the yard.

He often came to inspect, and the guards in charge of the various squads all recognized him. As for Zhu Di, he was even more well-known in the army, so no one stopped him.

After entering, Liu Kuan saw no one in the front yard, so he went straight to the backyard.

When Zhu Di saw this, he signaled the two guards following him to run forward.

It seems that he is clearing the way, but in fact he is in danger, which endangers Liu Kuan.

When I arrived at the backyard, I finally saw someone. It was Fan Qin, several officials, and a group of craftsmen who were packing up things.

A medium-sized cast steel boiler lay tilted on the floor of the shed, with a radial gap on its side. It was no longer emitting any heat.

The brick and stone ground was covered with stagnant water and traces of steel scratches.

Seeing Liu Kuan and others come in, Fan Qin and others hurried over and saluted.

"Liu Fulang..."

Liu Kuan waved his hand and asked directly, "What are the casualties? Where is Guo Tianwen?"

Fan Qin said, "One of the firemen was seriously injured and is likely disabled. Guo, the supervisor, and three other craftsmen who were closer to the boiler were also injured, but none of them were seriously injured."

Liu Kuan finally felt relieved when he learned that no one was killed.

Then he frowned and asked, "Do you know the cause of the boiler explosion?"

Fan Qin said, "Master Guo muttered something when he was carried away for treatment. Unfortunately, I was in a hurry to deal with the situation and didn't hear clearly."

Fan Qin sounded a little nervous while speaking, worried that Liu Kuan would vent his anger on him.

Fortunately, Liu Kuan did not do that, but went to the boiler to observe.

After looking for a while, Liu Kuan frowned even deeper - although he had read a lot of information related to steam engines, he had no practical experience, so he couldn't figure out anything.

It is estimated that the most likely cause is a combination of factors such as excessive water pressure during the test, overheating of the boiler, and poor boiler quality.

Turning back, he asked again, "Where were Chief Guo and the others sent for treatment?"

Fan Qin said, "He was first sent to Zhang's Medical Clinic in the south. Later, following Doctor Zhang's advice, he sent someone to take the seriously injured Xiao Gao to the Medical College."

"Did Xiao Gao send someone to accompany you?"

"Two people were sent."

Liu Kuan nodded, and immediately left the Power Research Institute in a hurry and went to Zhang's Clinic.

Liu Kuan knew this clinic, which was located not far from the military camp. It mainly treated injuries and trauma, and the doctors in the clinic also worked part-time as military doctors.

As soon as Liu Kuan left the hospital, Zhu Di followed him and said, "I'm familiar with Zhang's Clinic. It's not far away, but not close either. It's better for us to go there on horseback."

Knowing that no one was killed, Liu Kuan calmed down a bit and said, "Then I will trouble your Highness the Prince of Yan."

Zhu Di said with a smile: "I am your uncle, why should I be so polite?"

Liu Kuan was actually five years older than Zhu Di, but Zhu Huilan was younger than Zhu Di, so she could only call Zhu Di uncle.

Perhaps knowing that the matter was not urgent, Zhu Di did not ride his horse as fast as before, but asked about the boiler on the way.

"Is this boiler prone to explosion?"

Liu Kuan said, "Guo Tianwen has the information I gave him. The boiler and other steam engine-related technologies are very mature. As long as the craftsmen can keep up with the skills and build them perfectly, the chance of explosion should be very small."

"But it was difficult to do this because the Ming craftsmen had no experience in building steam engines and no relevant industrial foundation. Everything was started from scratch."

"Plus, explosions often involve a number of complex factors, making it difficult to prevent explosions during the testing phase."

"Luckily, I had the institute establish comprehensive safety regulations for the experiment from the beginning. Otherwise, a boiler explosion would have caused far more than just one serious injury and a few minor injuries."

Zhu Di nodded as he listened.

He also looked at the exploded boiler. It seemed to be made of fine steel, but it was blown into such a state that there were broken iron pieces embedded in the courtyard wall, which showed how powerful the explosion was.

It was fortunate that only a few people were injured.

"I heard from my elder brother that this steam engine can be used not only on trains but also on ships, allowing them to sail without sails or oars." Liu Kuan said, "That's not accurate. The steam engine replaced oxen and horses for carriages, and rowers for ships."

"So, ships could use both steam engines and sails at the same time, which later generations called a wind-steam hybrid power."

Zhu Di didn't fully understand what he said, but his eyes lit up. He said, "Then the boat should be much faster than a pure sail or paddle boat, right?"

"Much faster."

Zhu Di laughed. "Well, if we have the kind of boats my brother-in-law mentioned, wouldn't it be possible to reduce the time I spend at sea when I go to my fiefdom?"

Liu Kuan said, "Then Your Highness must wait patiently for the Ming Dynasty to build a steamship."

"How long do you think it will take the Ming Dynasty to build a steamship?"

"It will take at least seven or eight years, maybe even more than ten years."

"so long?"

Zhu Di was disappointed.

He wanted to ask something else, but he saw that they had already arrived at Zhang's Clinic, so he had to let Liu Kuan go.

As soon as Liu Kuan entered, he saw Guo Tianwen and a clerk supporting him standing in the hall and about to come out.

Guo Tianwen was seen with disheveled clothes and a lot of mud on his face. One of his arms was tied with white cotton cloth, one cheek was scratched, and he was walking with a limp.

Liu Kuan was a little angry with Guo Tianwen - after all, he had repeatedly reminded Guo Tianwen to pay attention to safety, but an explosion still happened.

But seeing Guo Tianwen's expression, he didn't want to say anything harsh right then and there, so he asked, "How's Mr. Guo's injury? Is it serious?"

Guo Tianwen saw Liu Kuan, but he looked ashamed. He said, "It's nothing serious. Fortunately, I was wearing protective clothing at the time. It was just my left arm that was cut by the broken metal pieces, and I twisted my ankle when I fell."

Seeing that he didn't look seriously injured, Liu Kuan asked again, "Where are the craftsmen? And do you know anything about Xiao Gao's injury?"

Hearing Liu Kuan mention Xiao Gao, Guo Tianwen felt even more guilty.

"Xiao Gao's left arm is likely broken, his face is disfigured, and he has burns on his legs. His life may be in danger... Master Yue and the others also suffered burns and cuts, but not as severe as Xiao Gao's."

Liu Kuan didn't ask any more questions and went straight to the doctor in the clinic to visit the three injured craftsmen.

Just as Guo Tianwen said, although the three craftsmen suffered many injuries, none of them were serious, except for one of them who was slightly disfigured.

After the accident, the three craftsmen were very nervous. When they saw Liu Kuan, they all stood up from their seats and saluted.

Liu Kuan quickly stepped forward to support the one who looked the most seriously injured, and said, "Since you are all injured like this, please don't be so rigid about etiquette. Sit down quickly."

After they sat down, Liu Kuan asked about their injuries one by one. Then, standing next to the disfigured Master Yue, he said gently, "The three of you can relax and recover. Your wages will be paid as usual. As long as you are not the primary responsible party for the accident, you can continue to work at the institute after you recover."

"Also, your medicine expenses and subsidies will be generously distributed by the department, and we will not let you down."

At this time, craftsmen not only had a low status, but were also often blamed by officials when accidents occurred.

Although the rules and culture of the Power Research Institute are completely different from other places and the treatment is generous, this is the first time an accident has occurred.

Therefore, the three of them were worried that they would be scolded by Liu Kuan and Guo Tianwen, or even be handed over to the authorities as the "culprit" of the accident.

I'm afraid that not only will I lose this well-paid job, but I might also end up in jail.

After hearing what Liu Kuan said, they immediately felt relieved and were very grateful.

"Thank you, Master Liu!" Master Yue was so moved that he shed tears. He stood up and bowed again, saying, "After such a disaster, Master not only did not blame me, but took such good care of me. I am truly ashamed..."

Liu Kuan had to help him up again and comfort him with a few words.

Afterwards, Liu Kuan started communicating with Dr. Zhang from the clinic.

He felt relieved when he learned that Doctor Zhang had participated in an informal medical exchange meeting organized by the Imperial Medical College and knew many measures to avoid wound infection. He also treated Guo Tianwen, Yue Dajiang and others according to these anti-infection measures.

After leaving the clinic, Liu Kuan saw that Wang Guangyue, Li Xiaoer and the others had not yet followed him, so he said, "I'm afraid I'll have to trouble His Royal Highness the Prince of Yan to take me to the medical school again."

Zhu Di smiled and said, "It's not a big deal. I don't have much to do in Beijing anyway."

So the group rode on horseback to the Imperial Medical College on Liren Street.

Thinking of Liu Kuan's words and deeds in the clinic, Zhu Di couldn't help but say halfway: "I didn't expect my brother-in-law to be so kind to the craftsmen."

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(End of this chapter)