as the engine-shops and shipbuilding-yards of the Clyde
abundantly prove. Mechanical power and technicalability are the

result of training, like many other things.
When Boulton engaged Murdock, as we have said, Watt was absent in

Cornwall, looking after the pumping-engines which had been
erected at several of the mines throughout that county. The

partnership" target="_blank" title="n.合伙关系">partnership had only been in existence for three years, and Watt
was still struggling with the difficulties which he had to

surmount in getting the steam engine into practical use. His
health was bad, and he was oppressed with frightful headaches.

He was not the man to fight the selfishness of the Cornish
adventurers. "A little more of this hurrying and vexation," he

said, "will knock me up altogether." Boulton went to his help
occasionally, and gave him hope and courage. And at length

William Murdock, after he had acquired sufficient knowledge of
the business, was able to undertake the principalmanagement of

the engines in Cornwall.
We find that in 1779, when he was only twenty-five years old, he

was placed in this important position. When he went into
Cornwall, he gave himself no rest until he had conquered the

defects of the engines, and put them into thoroughworking order.
He devoted himself to his duties with a zeal and ability that

completely won Watt's heart. When he had an important job in
hand, he could scarcely sleep. One night at his lodgings at

Redruth, the people were disturbed by a strange noise in his
room. Several heavy blows were heard upon the floor. They

started from their beds, rushed to Murdock's room, and found him
standing in his shirt, heaving at the bedpost in his sleep,

shouting "Now she goes, lads! now she goes!"
Murdock became a most popular man with the mine owners. He also

became friendly with the Cornish workman的复数">workmen and engineers. Indeed,
he fought his way to their affections. One day, some half-dozen

of the mining captains came into his engine-room at Chacewater,
and began to bully him. This he could not stand. He stript,

selected the biggest, and put himself into a fighting attitude.
They set to, and in a few minutes Murdock's powerful bones and

muscles enabled him to achieve the victory. The other men, who
had looked on fairly, without interfering, seeing the temper and

vigour of the man they had bullied, made overtures of
reconciliation. William was quite willing to be friendly.

Accordingly they shook hands all round, and parted the best of
friends. It is also said that Murdock afterwards fought a duel

with Captain Trevethick, because of a quarrel between Watt and
the mining engineer, in which Murdock conceived his master to

have been unfairly and harshly treated.[5]
The uses of Watt's steam-engine began to be recognised as

available for manufacturing purposes. It was then found
necessary to invent some method by which continuousrotarymotion

should be secured, so as to turn round the moving machinery of
mills. With this object Watt had invented his original

wheel-engine. But no steps were taken to introduce it into
practical use. At length he prepared a model, in which he made

use of a crank connected with the working beam of the engine, so
as to produce the necessary rotarymotion.

There was no originality in this application. The crank was one
of the most common of mechanical appliances. It was in daily use

in every spinning wheel, and in every turner's and
knife-grinder's foot-lathe. Watt did not take out a patent for

the crank, not believing it to be patentable. But another person
did so, thereby anticipating Watt in the application of the crank

for producing rotarymotion. He had therefore to employ some
other method, and in the new contrivance he had the valuable help

of William Murdock. Watt devised five different methods of
securing rotarymotion without using the crank, but eventually he

adopted the "Sun-and-planet motion," the invention of Murdock.
This had the singular property of going twice round for every

stroke of the engine, and might be made to go round much oftener
without additional machinery. The invention was patented in

February, 1782, five Years after Murdock had entered the service
of Boulton and Watt.

Murdock continued for many years busily occupied in
superintending the Cornish steam-engines. We find him described

by his employers as "flying from mine to mine," putting the
engines to rights. If anything went wrong, he was immediately

sent for. He was active, quick-sighted, shrewd, sober, and
thoroughly trustworthy. Down to the year 1780, his wages were

only a pound a week; but Boulton made him a present of ten
guineas, to which the owners of the United Mines added another

ten, in acknowledgment of the admirable manner in which he bad
erected their new engine, the chairman of the company declaring

that he was "the most obliging and industriousworkman he had
ever known." That he secured the admiration of the Cornish

engineers may be obvious from the fact of Mr. Boaze having
invited him to join in an engineeringpartnership" target="_blank" title="n.合伙关系">partnership; but Murdock

remained loyal to the Birmingham firm, and in due time he had his
reward.

He continued to be the "right hand man" of the concern in
Cornwall. Boulton wrote to Watt, towards the end of 1782:

"Murdock hath been indefatigable ever since he began. He has
scarcely been in bed or taken necessary food. After slaving

night and day on Thursday and Friday, a letter came from Wheal
Virgin that he must go instantly to set their engine to work, or

they would let out the fire. He went and set the engine to work;
it worked well for the five or six hours he remained. He left

it, and returned to the Consolidated Mines about eleven at night,
and was employed about the engines till four this morning, and

then went to bed. I found him at ten this morning in Poldice
Cistern, seeking for pins and castors that had jumped out, when I

insisted on his going home to bed."
On one occasion, when an engine superintended by Murdock stopped

through some accident, the water rose in the mine, and the
workman的复数">workmen were "drowned out." Upon this occurring, the miners went

"roaring at him" for throwing them out of work, and threatened to
tear him to pieces. Nothing daunted, he went through the midst

of the men, repaired the invalided engine, and started it afresh.
When he came out of the engine-house, the miners cheered him

vociferously and insisted upon carrying him home upon their
shoulders in triumph!

Steam was now asserting its power everywhere. It was pumping
water from the mines in Cornwall and driving the mills of the

manufacturers in Lancashire. Speculative mechanics began to
consider whether it might not be employed as a means of land

locomotion. The comprehensive mind of Sir Isaac Newton had long
before, in his 'Explanation of the Newtonian Philosophy,' thrown

out the idea of employing steam for this purpose; but no
practical experiment was made. Benjamin Franklin, while agent in

London for the United Provinces of America, had a correspondence
with Matthew Boulton, of Birmingham, and Dr. Darwin, of

Lichfield, on the same subject. Boulton sent a model of a
fire-engine to London for Franklin's inspection; but Franklin was

too much occupied at the time by grave political questions to
pursue the subject further. Erasmus Darwin's speculative mind

was inflamed by the idea of a "fiery chariot," and he urged his
friend Boulton to prosecute the contrivance of the necessary

steam machinery.[6]
Other minds were at work. Watt, when only twenty-three years

old, at the instigation of his friend Robison, made a model
locomotive, provided with two cylinders of tin plate; but the

project was laid aside, and was never again taken up by the
inventor. Yet, in his patent of 1784, Watt included an

arrangement by means of which steam-power might be employed for
the purposes of locomotion. But no further model of the

contrivance was made.