Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1884-01-11
A Memorial to William Murdoch.

|. i project has been started in En-
gland for erecting a public memorial
to William Murdoch, one Of the great
est of modern inventors, whose tri-ss
nmphs include the first primitive loco
motive made in England. At an early
age he was employed in running Watt
stationary engines and displayed great
skill and Industry in these lahors. His
first effort to use steam for the purpose
to which it is now so extensively APP
piled, was recently described by the
London Times as follows: 49,. -" -
I: 1t is related that after he had got
the first engine in the Wheal Union
ready for starting, the people in. whose
house he lodged at Redruth, heard a
great noise in the night, and found him
in nightmare hammering at his bedpost
and roaring: l. -"Now she goes, Lads
1 It was il ! 794, about five years after he
went to Cornwall, that Murdoch con-
sstructed5at Rcdruth q model of high
pressure engine to run on wheels; It
was about q foot high, the boiler being
heated bysa spirit lamp. A dark night
was chosen for the trial of the machine
on 8 lonely path leading to the. parish
church, about half a. mile from the
town, between high hedges. Murdoch
lit the slamp p, and before he expected it
off dashed the engine. The, village.
parson happened to be coming down
the road, and suddenly meeting the
kissing, fiery, headlong thing, the. rev
Eerend< gentle raised appalling cries
and long afterWard talked OF the oc-
eurrence as having given him. the
GREATEST emotion of his life. Unfortu-
nately, after this experiment. urdock s.
attemptZin steam locomotion ceased.
On hearing Ut his success, Watt, who
was not always magnanimous,e Yinced
uneasiness, and being id Cornwall at
the time, lie wrote to- Boul1on, urging
thst Mur1ock should be ordered to de-
5sist from his undertake ing; but Boulton
took another view of the matter, and
nat}esan hon est pro posal to the Il young
sssS,eOtcAman. lie offered linn e 100 to
prosecute hissexpe riments, and prom
4ised that if Nvithinsa year Murdoch con-
=structed an eng. ne. cnpa bic Of carrying
tive persons and the driver, with 200
pounds Of l,lgss;, e, fuel for four hours.
and water for two hours, the machine:
to run at tlle2rate Of four miles an hour,
gspar.nership in the enterprise should be.
struck with The proprietors Of Soho.
Murdpc however, was too much en-
crossed BY his OF binary duties to be-
stow the proper amount of time and
thought to the perfect ing Of his inVen-..
ton, though he ppears to- have foreseen
all It's posi- ilities, and to hive been
sanguines Of succeeding with lit some
day or oth u.
The idea 81 hich Nllrdock developed
to- this extent and then aband oned, at!
ter having profited BY his racticaI
,lknowled &c Of ~ til s iionary engi ne,
was slhsea uently led by sTreyii-
thick Tho was at one time IN assistant
ut sa hal e il The early
ex per 8. rlor the
mari ed success achieved George
stephens there seems 70 have been u
seonnec elton which has pro babl never
been FULLY exp aimed between The pro
gressiye ii bors off att. Murdoch and
5freyithick IIl1rtl oekl Il S perIllanent
els1ins to dis melton, rest On
81 very broad basis, al he d aYised III
useful iarlscs, inc the FIRST
s1nosf heli q rsi and be is NOW hon
sorttl in q al irsts
sleIlsI inst az using
gas on seal It'll prof table
com I'D Res h Il ID III. osas
for an is Ill III Eolliiiee and ottaye aeI
.et,nst rncfed Irlail & ham
aals Ior NAL stol
SUPP, IxiIg