isio.l 



THE CIVIL ENGINEER AND ARCHITECT'S JOURNAL. 



387 



to record that the first so applied was made by Mr. Jlnrdock, 

 upon the principles described in the fourth article of j\Ir. AVatt's 

 specification of 1769 — since adopted in all engines for that pur- 

 pose; and this was seen in 1T8+, by persons still living-, drawing a 

 model wagon round a room in his house at Redruth, where he then 

 resided. This original engine was frequently exhibited by him to 

 friends at his house at Handsworth up to the time of his death, 

 and is still in working order. (The identical engine was at a sub- 

 sequent period of the evening set to work, to the extreme interest 

 and evident satisfaction of every one present.) 



At the time that he was making 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 test the power of his engine, and as railroads were tlien 

 unknown, he liad recourse to the walk leading to the church, 

 situated about a mile from the town. This wna rather narrow, but 

 kept rolled like a garden walk, and bounded on each side by very 

 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 tlie inventor in full chase after it. Shortly 

 afterwards lie heard distant and despair-like shouting; it was too 

 dark to perceive objects, but he soon found that what he heard were 

 cries for assistance proceeding from the worthy pastor, who going 

 into the town on business, was met in his lonely road by the fiery 

 monster, whom he subsequently declared he took to be the Evil 

 One in propria persona, \V'lioe\er 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. 



Gas Lighting. — Mr. Murdock is still better known to the public 

 by his invention of applying the light of gas from coal to econo- 

 mical purposes. In 179':J he employed coal gas for the purpose of 

 lighting his house and offices at Redruth, in Cornwall; and tliis 

 appears to have been the first idea of applying the light to useful 

 purposes, although tlie gas had been discovered and obtained both 

 naturally and artificially, more than half-a-century before. He had 

 also 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 tlie orifice, which was 

 attached to the bottom of a glass lantern, tin; bladder hanging 

 underneath. After various experiments, whereby he proved the 

 economy and convenience of light so obtained, he made a public 

 exhibition of it by lighting up the front of Mr. Boulton's manu- 

 factory, 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 Aiessrs. 

 Phillips and Lee; and he published a paper, describing the advan- 

 tages, in the Philosophical Transactions for 1S08, for which the 

 Royal Society presented him with their large Rumford Gold Medal. 



Wafer Pipes. — In 1810 Mr. Murdock took out a patent for boring 

 pipes for water, and cutting columns out of solid blocks of stone. 

 A macliine, constructed according to his principle, was set to work 

 at Soho, and another at Mr. Rennie's works, in London; but 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. 



Blast Engine. — In 1802 he applied the compressed air of the 

 blast engine employed to blow the cupolas at tlie Soho Foundry, 

 for the purpose of driving the lathes in tlie jiattern shop, by usiiig 

 it to work a small engine with a 12-inch cylinder, which was con- 

 nected witli the lathes, the speed being regulated as required by 

 varying tlie admission of the blast. This engine continued in 

 effective use for about thirty-five years, and was only discontinued 

 on the occasion of an alteration of the shop. He also constructed 

 a pneumatic lift, and applied compressed air to ring the bells in 

 his house. With this latter invention Sir Walter Scott was so 

 much pleased when he once saw it in operation at Mr. Murdock's 

 residence, that he had his own house at Abbotsford fitted up in a 

 similar manner by Mr. Murdock. He was the inventor of the 

 cast-iron cement, since of so universal and important a service in 

 the construction of machinery; and he made several experiments 

 on the projectile power of high-pi-essure steam. A specimen had 

 been preserved, and was now exhibited to the meeting, of a leaden 

 ball, about an inch in diameter, which he fired from a steam-gun 

 against the wall of the Soho Foundry in 1803, as the date inscribed 

 upon the ball bore testimony. Allusion was made to several 



curious incidents manifesting his ardour of research and careless- 

 ness as to personal appearance. In 181.5 he erected an apparatus, 

 of his own invention, for heating the water at the bath at Lea- 

 mington. The first conservatory heated in this mode was that of 

 his son, at Handsworth, which remains in use to the present day. 



In his latter years his faculties, both corporeal and mental, 

 experienced a gradual decay, and he lived in absolute retirement. 

 He died on the lith of November, lS3i), aged 85 years; and his 

 remains were accompanied by several old and attached friends, 

 and by the workmen of Soho and Soho Foundry, to their last 

 abode in Handswoi'th Church, and are tliere deposited near those 

 of Mr. Boulton and of Mr. Watt. A bust by Chantrey serves to 

 perpetuate the remembrance of his manly and intelligent features. 



After the paper was read a brief discussion ensued, in the course 

 of which Mr. Middleton, who described himself as "an old 

 Sohonian," endeavoured to show that the pneumatic lift so well 

 known in Staffordshire, and by members of the Institution, in 

 cinisequence of Mr. Gibbons' recent paper, was the suggestion of 

 Mr. Alurdock, who was entitled to the merit of the invention. 

 To this view Mr. Slate demurred, and said he thought that the 

 invention descrilied by Mr. Gibbons depended upon a princiule 

 mechanically different to tliat described by Mr. Middleton. The 

 discussion was brought to a close by the chairman, who said he 

 thought they must all have been struck with the very affecting 

 exhibition wliicli they had witnessed of that feeling of attachment 

 which, to the present moment, continued so strong in the minds of 

 all those gentlemen who had been connected with those who might 

 fairly be called the patriarchs of mechanical and engineering 

 science in this country. It had been intimated, as a very 

 striking instance of the use of institutions like the present, that 

 VV^att, Boulton, Wedgwood, Murdock, Keir, Dr. Darwin, Dr 

 AV^ithering, and Dr. Priestley, were the members of a "Lunar 

 Society," so called because their meetings took place at the occur- 

 rence of the full moon. Hence we had Boulton's medals, ^V^edg- 

 wood's medallions. Watt's important discoveries, Keir's experiments 

 in chemistry. Dr. Priestley's discoveries in philosophy, Murdock's 

 numerous inventions, and Dr. Darwin's poetical prophecy as to the 

 power of steam. This was an interesting fact, as showing the 

 advantages resulting from the interchange of thought between 

 men of scientific pursuits and mechanical genius. 



THE GREAT EXHIBITION BUILDING— CONSTRUC- 

 TION OF THE ROOF. 



Some remarks having been made by us in the Architect of the 

 16th ult., in reference to the ultimate stability of the Exhibi- 

 tion building, they have, we are glad to learn, been most carefully 

 weighed by the authorities, and are likely to meet with atten- 

 tion. Indeed, it is only by careful consideration in the beginning 

 that eventual evils can be successfully precluded, and satisfac- 

 tory grounds be laid for public confidence in a new and untried 

 undertaking, in the prosecution of which to its completion the 

 national reputation is now at stake. We must neither leave off in 

 our progress, nor must we carry it on to subject ourselves to dis- 

 comfiture. 



In the following semi-official communication in the Times, we do 

 not wholly concur; but it contains many points of interest, and 

 shows that the authorities are disposed to make alterations where 

 they may appear requisite: — 



"There not only was greater care requisite in order to give 

 rigidity to the central and most trying point of an edifice where 

 safety and strength are so imperatively necessary, but the task of 

 construction presented greater novelty of detail and less sameness 

 of combination, as will be easily understood from the plan. In the 

 first place, with reference to strength and stiS'ness, the whole 

 structure was, in the opinion of exiierienced architects — men well 

 qualified to pronounce an opinion — deficient in what is technically 

 termed 'diagonal bracing' — -a principle of construction introduced 

 by Sir Robert Seppings into the building of our larger ships, and 

 the importance of which to an edifice like ' The Crystal Palace' 

 will be readily conceived. This mechanical appliance had not 

 been included in the plan, because it was believed to be unneces- 

 sary, and likel)' to pro\e cumbersome. Messrs. Fox and Hender- 

 son, the contractors, still express a confident opinion to that effect, 

 and adduce proofs drawn from slight accidents that have occurred 

 in the course of the works in supjiort of their views. Their most 

 experienced hands also declare that at the top of the third tier 

 there is at present less vibration than at the top of most houses in 



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