William Murdoch: by William Buckle

Note: This is a sub-section of William Murdoch

October 1850. The following paper, by Mr. William Buckle, of Soho, Birmingham, was then read

ON THE INVENTIONS AND THE LIFE OF WILLIAM MURDOCK.

THE late William Murdock was born at Bellow Mill, near Old Cumnock, Ayrshire, in 1754, where his father, an ingenious man, carried on the business of millwright and miller, and also occupied a farm on the estate of the Boswell family of Auchinleck, by whom he was much esteemed for his integrity and ingenuity.

His mother's maiden name was Bruce, and she used to boast of being lineally descended from Robert Bruce of Scottish History. They had several children who died before William Murdock, without sheaving those talents that enabled him by his inventions, in so great a degree, to benefit mankind. So remarkable a man, whose talents and inventions have contributed to the advantage of society, and whose ingenuity was so well known, should not be allowed to go out of the world without some special notice.

Little is known of his habits and pursuits prior to his joining the establishment of Messrs. Boulton and Watt, at Soho, in the year 1777, then in its infancy; but he must before he left his native country have had celebrity, as he was employed to build a bridge over the River Nith, in Dumfrieshire, a very handsome structure., which still exists. His talents were soon justly appreciated at Soho, particularly by the celebrated James Watt, with whom he continued on terms of the warmest friendship to the time of Mr. Watt's death in 1819.

After a short residence of about two years at Soho, Messrs. Boulton and Watt appointed him to superintend the erection and undertake the general charge of their Engines in Cornwall, where he erected the first engine with the separate condenser in that district, and he remained there giving great satisfaction to the mining interest until the year 1798. As a proof of his usefulness, when the adventurers in the mines heard of his intention to leave Cornwall and return to Soho, they used all their endeavours to retain his services, and offered him £1,000 a year to remain in the County, but his attachment to Soho and his Soho friends, could not allow him to comply with their urgent request.

In the year 1785 he married the daughter of Captain Paynter, of Redruth, Cornwall, and he had four children, of whom only one son survives. His wife died in 1790, at the early age of 24 years.

In the year 1798 Mr. Murdock returned to take up his permanent residence at Soho Foundry, and superintended the erection of the machinery there, and occasionally the erection of engines at a distance, amongst which may be mentioned the Engines of the New River Head, Lambeth, Chelsea, Southwark, East London, West Middlesex, and several other Water Works. His energies to further the interests and celebrity of the Soho establishment were not used in vain, for they assisted, in no slight degree, in procuring for it a name celebrated throughout the civilized worlds.

His time there, and for years after, was so completely occupied by his mechanical pursuits, that he had no leisure to devote to any sort of recreation. The rising sun often found him after a night passed in incessant labour still at the anvil, or turning-lathe, for with his own hands he would make those articles he would not trust to unskilful ones.

Mr. Watt, in his Notes on Dr. Robinson's Treatise on the Steam Engine, bears testimony to some valuable improvements by Mr. Murdock ; and others are recorded in a Patent he took out in 1799, which included

1st.— Boring Cylinders by means of an endless screw working into a toothed wheel, instead of spur gear, for the purpose of producing a more smooth and steady motion.

2nd.— Steam Cases for Cylinders cast in one piece fitted to the Cylinder with a conical joint at the top and bottom, instead of being made in separate segments bolted together with caulked joints, according to the previous practice.

3rd.— The Double D Slide Valve in place of the four poppet valves, in Mr. Watt's Double Engine for the purpose of simplifying the construction and working, and saving the loss of steam in the two steam chests at each stroke ; also the Cylindrical Valve for the same purpose, with a revolving motion either continuous, or reciprocating through part of a circle.

4th.—A Rotary Engine was also included in this Patent, which is shewn in Figs. 1 and 2, Plate 15, consisting of two wheels AA, with teeth BB working into each other, and fixed in a case C, which fits close to the sides of the two wheels and the ends of the teeth, these parts being made steam-tight by packing D. The steam is admitted on the upper side at E, and presses on the teeth of the two wheels, driving them round in the direction of the arrows, and passing out to the condenser on the lower side at F. Mr. Murdock had one of these Engines of about a half-horse-power set to work about 1802, at the Soho Foundry, to drive the machines in his private workshop ; it continued there for about 30 years, and often in nearly constant work, and it was found to work well. This Engine is exhibited to the present meeting.

Now that Locomotive Steam Engines have become so extensively used, it is proper to record that the first was made by Mr. Murdock, upon the principle of the non-condensing engine, described in the 4th Article of Mr. Watt's Specification of 1769, (since adopted in all engines for that purpose), and this engine was seen in 1784 by persons still living, drawing a small model waggon round a room in his house at Redruth, where he then resided.

This original Locomotive Engine was frequently exhibited by him to friends, at his house, at Handsworth, up to the time of his death ; it is still in working order, and is exhibited to the present meeting, being now 66 years old. It was constructed entirely by his own hands. The Engine is shewn in Figs. 1 and 2, Plate 16. The Boiler A is made of copper, with the flue B passing obliquely through it, and is heated by the spirit lamp C; the Cylinder D 0.75inch diameter and 2 inches stroke, is fixed in the top of the boiler, and the piston rod is connected to the end of the Vibrating Beam E, to which is attached the connecting rod F for working the crank of the driving wheels G, H is a double cylindrical Slide-valve worked by the beam E, which strikes the shoulders H on the valve spindle, and the steam is exhausted through the hollow spindle of the valve passing out near the top. One of the wheels only is fixed upon the crank axle, and a single wheel is placed in front working in a swivel frame to allow the engine to run in a small circle.

At the time that Mr. Murdock was making his experiments with his Locomotive Engine, he greatly alarmed the clergyman of the Parish of Redruth. One night, after returning from his duties at the mine, he wished to put to the test the power of his engine and as railroads were then unknown, he had recourse to the walk leading to the church situate about a mile from the town. This was rather narrow, but kept rolled like a garden walk, and bounded on each side by high hedges. The night was dark, and he alone sallied out with his engine, lighted the fire or lamp under the boiler, and off started the Locomotive with the Inventor in full chase after it. Shortly after he heard distant Despair — like shouting it was too dark to perceive objects, but he soon found that the cries for assistance proceeded from the worthy pastor, who, going into the town on business, was met in this lonely road by the fiery monster, whom he subsequently declared he took to be the Evil One in propria persona. Whoever has been on one of our modern railroads on a dark night, and seen an approaching train—now no novelty — may easily imagine what effect the awful sight would have on the nerves of an elderly gentleman of the last century ; and although the Demon was of small dimensions, yet it was a total stranger, and quite unlooked for, in such a locality.

Mr. Murdock is still better known to the public, and most deservedly so, by his invention of applying the light of Gas from Coal to economical purposes.

In the year 1792 he employed Coal Gas for the purpose of lighting his house and offices at Redruth, in Cornwall ; and this appears to have been the first idea of applying the light to useful purposes, although the gas had been discovered and obtained both naturally and artificially more than half a century before.

Mr. Murdock at that time manufactured the gas in an iron retort, and conveyed it in pipes to the different rooms of his house, where it was burned at proper apertures or burners. Portions of the gas were also confined in portable vessels of tinned iron and other materials, from which it was burned when required, forming a moveable gas light. He had a gas lantern in regular use, for the purpose of lighting himself home at night across the moors from the Mining Engines that he was erecting, to his house at Redruth. This lantern was formed by filling a bladder with gas, and fixing a jet to the mouthpiece of the bladder, which was attached to the bottom of a glass lantern, with the bladder hanging underneath.

After various experiments, by which he proved the economy and convenience of light so obtained, compared with that from oils, resinous, or animal substances, he perfected his apparatus, and made a public exhibition of it, by lighting up the front of Mr. Boulton's Manufactory, at Soho, on the occasion of the general illumination for the peace of Amiens, in 1802. He subsequently lighted up some Cotton Mills, at Manchester, beginning with that of Messrs. Phillips and Lee; and he published a paper describing the advantages in the Philosophical Transactions for 1808, for which the Royal Society presented him with their large Rumford Gold Medal.

The Retort first employed by Mr. Murdock was made of Cast-Iron, of a Cylindrical form, and of small size, placed vertically in a common portable furnace, as shewn in Fig. 3, Plate 15. The inconvenience of removing the coke from this vertical retort led to the adoption of a horizontal cylinder, as shewn in Fig. 4, which represents the retort used by Mr. Murdock in 1802 : these retorts were of cast-iron, from 12 to 20 inches diameter, and from 3 to 7 feet in length. Fig. 5 shows the form of retorts that he first mod at Messrs. Phillips and Lee's Mills, it is nearly similar to the earliest form shewn in Fig. 3, but larger in size, holding 15 cwt. of coal, and an iron cage (A) was adopted to facilitate the discharge of the coke ; this cage was let down into the retort previously to charging it with coal, and was afterwards lifted out by means of a small crane, when the process of distillation was completed, bringing out with it the whole of the coke.

Mr. Murdock also tried other forms of retorts, of which Fig. 6 is an example, having two openings in them, one at the top for changing it with coal, and another at the bottom for withdrawing the coke; but these were found to be more expensive in cost and working, and he adhered ultimately to the simple horizontal retort, Fig. 4, which came into general use, and continued so, with little alteration in principle up to the present time.

His experiments also led him to increase the intensity of the heat employed, and the rapidity of the process of distilling the gas, as he found from his long-continued experiments that he obtained a greater quantity of gas from the same quantity of coal with less liquid product and coke, and in greater illuminating power of the gas, when the retorts were heated to a bright red heat, than at any lower or higher temperature.

Mr. Murdock took out a patent in 1810 for boring Stone Pipes for Water, and cutting Columns out of solid blocks of stone. Instead of boring out the whole inside contents of the pipe, a solid cylindrical core of 0.5 inch less diameter than the inside of the intended pipe, is cut out of the centre of the block of stone by is cylindrical crown saw ; or a column is formed by a similar process of cutting it out in its finished form from the centre of the block, leasing the rest of the stone in the form of is pipe; the cores of the larger pipes being available for columns, thins effecting a saving of labour and material.

The apparatus consisted of is thin iron cyliner of the size required, having an iron or copper ring forming the circular saw fixed at the buttons either smooth or with saw teeth, and the head of the cylinder slides down a verticle spindle with a feather fitting a groove in the spindle to prevent it turning round. The cylinder is supported by a cord or chain attached to the head, and passing up through a hole along the centre of the spindle, which is hollow at the upper part. This cord is carried over a pulley, and by this means the cylinder is lowered as the saw advances, and the saw is pressed down by weights placed on the head. The cylinder is driven round with a reciprocating rotative motion, by a rope I passing round a pulley fixed on the top of the spindle, and pulled alternately by a man at each end or by other power.

A stream of water or sand is poured regularly into the top of the cylinder from a trough to supply the saw, and the water rising to a head in the interior of the cylinder forces its way under the bottom of the saw, and rises up outside the cylinder, overflowing at the top, and thus continually clears the saw by washing away the sand and grit, and carrying it up the groove cut in the stone ; when the depth of the bore exceeded 6 or 7 feet a readier outlet for the water and the sand was made by boring a small hole in the side of the pipe, which was afterwards plugged up.

A Machine was constructed at Soho Foundry on this plan, where it was set to work, and also at Mr. Rennie's Works in London : the first pipe bored was of marble, and proved quite successful. The patent was subsequently sold to a Company in London, with the object of supplying water of greater purity, by conducting it through stone instead of iron pipes, which scheme was ultimately abandoned.

Mr. Murdock in 1802 applied the compressed Air of the Blast Engine employed to blow the cupolas at the Soho Foundry, for the purpose of driving the lathe in the pattern shop, by using it to work a small Engine with a 12 inch cylinder and 18 inch stroke, which was connected to the lathe, the speed being regulated as required by varying the admission of the blast. This engine continued in effective use for about 35 years, and was only discontinued on the occasion of an alteration of the shop.

He also constructed a Lift worked by compressed air, for the purpose of raising and lowering the castings from the boring mill to the level of the Foundry and Canal bank, which continued in constant use for about 30 years, and consisted of a piston working in a cylinder 10 feet diameter in water, with a lift of 12 feet, and raised by forcing in air from a small blowing cylinder 12 inches diameter, 18 inches stroke, which was worked by the gearing in the boring mill.

Mr. Murdock also applied compressed air to ring the bells in his house. A small brass cylinder, 1 inch diameter, was fixed against the wall of his rooms, having a piston in it, with an iron knob at the top, and a 1-inch tube was carried from the bottom of the cylinder to the bell, terminating in a similar cylinder and piston with a clapper projecting from it, which struck the bell when the piston was driven outwards by the first piston being pushed down ; he had a range of them communicating with the rooms in his house, and these are still in existence, after having worked satisfactorily for 35 years. Sir Walter Scott having once heard a description of them, was so much pleased with the plan, that he had his own house at Abbotsford fitted up in a similar manner.

An accidental circumstance that Mr. Murdock observed of some iron borings and sal-ammoniac getting mixed together in his tool chest, and rusting his saw blade nearly through, led to the invention of the Cast-Iron Cement, that has since become so universal and important an assistance in the construction of engines and machinery, and became a very extensive manufacture at the Soho Works. He made several experiments on the projectile power of High- pressure Steam, and a specimen has been preserved of a lead ball that he fired from a Steam Gun against the wall of the Soho Foundry ; this ball is now laid before the meeting, it is 1/ inch diameter, and it bears the date of the experiment 1803 engraved upon it.

So completely was he absorbed at all times with the subject he had in hand, that he was regardless of everything else. When in London explaining to the Brewers the nature of his substitute for Isinglass, he occupied very handsome apartments ; he, however, little respected the splendour of his drawing-room, and fancying himself in his Laboratory at Soho, proceeded with his experiments quite careless and unconscious of the mischief he was doing.

One morning his landlady calling in to receive his orders, was horrified to see all her magnificent paper-hangings covered with wet fish skins hung up to dry ; and lie was caught in the fact of pinning up a cod's skin to undergo the same process. Whether the lady fainted or not is not on record, but the immediate ejectment of the gentleman and his fish was the consequence.

In the year 1815 Mr. Murdock erected an Apparatus of his own invention, for heating the Water for the Baths at Leamington, by a circulation of Water through pipes from a boiler, a process since adopted extensively for heating Buildings. The first building heated in this way was the conservatory of his son, at Handsworth ; the apparatus of which he erected about the same time, and it remains in use to the present day. The heated water is conducted around the conservatory by a pipe leading from the top of the boiler, which returns to the boiler, and delivers the cold water in at the bottom ; the hot water by its diminished specific gravity rises to the top, and its place is occupied by the cold water rushing in at the bottom, and the current is increased as more heat is applied to the boiler, acting on this principle a rapid current is soon obtained through the pipes.

During the erection of the apparatus at Leamington, Mr. Murdock met with a severe accident, which for some time threatened to prove fatal; a ponderous cast-iron plate fell upon his leg above his ankle, and nearly severed the lower part of the leg. The severe injury he received confined him a long time at Leamington, when it was thought safe to remove him, as he could not bear the motion of a carriage the Committee of the Birmingham Canal Co. kindly placed their excursion boat at his disposal, in which he was removed to Birmingham. The fracture, however, was of so severe a nature that it was long before he could walk, and indeed he never completely recovered from the effects of it.

In his latter years his faculties, both corporeal and mental, experienced a gradual decay, and he lived in absolute retirement. He died on the 15th November, 1839, aged 85 years, and his remains were accompanied by several old and attached friends, and the Soho workmen, to their last abode in Handsworth Church, and are there deposited near those of Mr. Boulton and Mr. Watt. A Bust by Chantrey serves to perpetuate the remembrance of his manly and intelligent features.

MR. BUCKLE exhibited to the meeting the original Locomotive, which had been lent for the purpose by Mr. Murdock's son, Mr. John Murdock, of Handsworth, near Birmingham, and the locomotive was set to work before the meeting.

MR. MIDDLET0N, who in his youth had been for many years at Soho Foundry at the same time with Mr. Murdock, bore testimony to the correctness of many parts of the paper ; and remarked, that he had himself frequently worked the rotary engine up to the year 1814, when he left the establishment. He observed, that Mr. Murdock was intitled to the credit of inventing the pneumatic lift, and he thought the one which had been recently brought before the Institution by Mr. Gibbons was due to Mr. Murdock, who had supplied the particulars of his lift, at Soho Foundry, and the designs for another construction of lift working with a revolving drum.

MR. SLATE, in the absence of Mr. Gibbons, observed that he thought there was an essential difference between tie lift which had been previously described by him and that originally invented by Mr. Murdock.

The CHAIRMAN remarked, it was gratifying to observe the feeling of attachment which was so strong in the minds of all who had been connected with those who might be termed the patriarchs of mechanical engineering in this country. He might mention that it had been remarked to him as a striking instance of the value of institutions like the present, that at the close of the last century, Watt, Boulton, Wedgwood, Murdock, Keir, Darwin, and Priestly, all eminent in some department of science, art, or enterprise, were connected with the Lunar Society, held regularly for several years in Birmingham, the name of which was derived from the fact of their meetings taking place at the occurrence of the full moon, as being the most convenient time for their returning home. When they bore in mind the eminence which these men individually attained, they could not fail to be struck with the advantages resulting from the interchange of mind with mind.

At the following meeting Mr. BENJAMIN GIBBONS observed, in reply to a remark made at the last Meeting, with reference to the invention of the Pneumatic Lift, that he had described at a former Meeting, (see Proceedings, July, 1840,) that Mr. Middleton was under a mistake in attributing it to the late Mr. Murdock, of Soho. At that time he (Mr. Gibbons) had an intention of altering his furnaces to increase their height, but met with a serious obstacle in the con- fined situation of the Works, the furnaces standing close to the canal towing path, which prevented the use of the usual inclined plane for raising the materials to the top of the furnaces. He then thought that the blast, with which the furnaces was blown, might be made use of for the purpose of the lift, and lie asked the opinion of Mr. Murdock on the subject, with whom he was on intimate terms, and who promised to give it his consideration. A few days afterwards, he was standing near the Dry Regulator, when he observed (the blast being suddenly taken of the furnace), that the piston of the regulator rose beyond its usual working limits, till it was raised to the level which opened the escape valve. It then immediately struck him that, if the cylinder were long enough the piston would have continued to rise to the height required, and if a piston loaded with 7 or 8 tons were thus raised, why might not 7 or 8 tons of iron-stone be raised by a similar agency? It was obvious, that the same thing would apply to the Water Regulator, which being a cylinder open at the bottom, inverted in water, and the blast admitted beneath it, had the same tendency to rise, unless held down by bolts. He considered the latter plan cheaper and more applicable under the circumstances; leaving a rise of 16 feet, he had only to make his water regulator long enough, and it would take up any weight proportioned to the area of the cylinder. Some time after this plan was resolved upon, Mr. Murdock sent him, on his return from Cornwall, a plan for a wheel to be acted upon by the blast; it was a wheel immersed in water, with buckets like an over-shot water-wheel, and the weight might probably have been wound up by it; but he saw that the water regulator was the exact thing required, and therefore did not try Mr. Murdock's plan.

He might mention, that when Mr. Murdock afterwards saw his application of the water regulator, he said, that had that idea occurred to him be would not have suggested the water-wheel, for, added he, "your plan is better than mine". The plan has answered completely the purposes for which it was intended. All who had the pleasure of Mr. Murdock's acquaintance, well knew with what readiness he laid open the stores of his mind to any one in whom he took an interest, and his ingenuity of mind, amenity of manner, and kindness of character lied established for him a world-wide fame. Indeed, they had only to look around the room in which they were assembled, and if it were not for one of his brilliant discoveries (referring to the gas by which the room was lighted), they would find themselves very much in the dark.

Mr. BUCKLE remarked, in the absence of Mr. Middleton, that he had expressed to his regret at any observation on the subject that he might have made under a mistake; what he claimed for Mr. Murdock was the perfection of the blast, engine, whilst Mr. Gibbons had, it appeared, adapted the water regulator to the purpose of the lift. He also bore his testimony to the excellency of the plan adopted by Mr. Gibbons: he was of opinion it was a most excellent method of lift.

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