James Watt
James Watt was born on the 19th of January 1736 in Greenock, Renfrewshire. He entered the world as the eldest of five surviving children to Agnes Muirhead and James Watt. His mother came from a distinguished family and possessed a forceful character. Her husband served as the chief baillie of Greenock in 1751. The family wealth derived partly from trading in slaves and slave-produced goods. Watt attended Greenock Grammar School after receiving early education at home. Mathematics captivated him while Latin and Greek failed to hold his interest. He suffered prolonged bouts of ill-health throughout his childhood. Frequent headaches plagued him for the rest of his life.
In May 1765 James Watt crossed Glasgow Green park with a sudden realization. He understood that contemporary steam engines wasted energy by repeatedly cooling and reheating the cylinder. A Newcomen engine consumed three-quarters of its thermal energy just heating the cylinder again each cycle. Cold water injected into the cylinder condensed the steam but also cooled the metal walls. This process required massive amounts of heat to be reapplied before the next stroke could occur. Watt proposed condensing steam in a separate chamber apart from the piston. He surrounded the main cylinder with a steam jacket to maintain constant temperature. This design avoided the waste of energy inherent in previous models. He constructed a working model later that same year.
John Roebuck founded the Carron Iron Works near Falkirk and provided substantial backing for the project. Roebuck lived at Kinneil House where Watt worked in an adjacent cottage. The partnership eventually collapsed when Roebuck went bankrupt. Matthew Boulton owned the Soho Manufactory works near Birmingham and acquired the patent rights. An extension of the patent to 1800 was successfully obtained in 1775. John Wilkinson developed precision boring techniques for cannon making at Bersham which solved the problem of creating air-tight cylinders. The new firm of Boulton and Watt became highly successful over the next twenty-five years. They charged customers an annual payment equal to one-third of the value of coal saved compared to Newcomen engines. The first commercial engines were installed and working in 1776.
Watt began developing a copying machine process in 1779 before 1780. He experimented with ink formulations and selected thin paper to transfer images from originals. A press applied the correct pressure to effect the transfer onto a second sheet. The firm James Watt and Co formed a partnership with Boulton and James Keir to manage the business. This invention became widely used in offices even into the 20th century. Chemical experiments occupied his time starting in late 1786 while he visited Paris. He witnessed Claude Louis Berthollet react hydrochloric acid with manganese dioxide to produce chlorine. Watt discovered that salt, manganese dioxide and sulphuric acid could produce chlorine more cheaply. He communicated these results to James McGrigor who was a bleacher in Glasgow. The process scaled up by March 1788 when McGrigor bleached cloth to satisfaction. Charles Tennant patented solid bleaching powder in 1799 which finally made the industry commercially successful.
Edward Bull started constructing engines for Boulton and Watt in Cornwall in 1781. By 1792 he had begun making engines of his own design containing a separate condenser. Two brothers named Jabez Carter Hornblower and Jonathan Hornblower Jr also built infringing engines. Mine owners in Cornwall convinced themselves that Watt's patent could not be enforced. They withheld payments until 1795 when £2,500 remained out of £21,000 owed. Watt sued Bull in 1793 and the jury found for him. Injunctions were issued against infringers forcing their royalty payments into escrow. A trial on determining the validity of specifications held the following year proved inconclusive. Hornblower faced trial in 1799 and the verdict decisively favored Watt. John Wilkinson erected about twenty engines without knowledge of the partners before settling in 1796. These trials consumed vast sums of money and time but ultimately succeeded for the firm.
Continue Browsing
Common questions
When and where was James Watt born?
James Watt was born on the 19th of January 1736 in Greenock, Renfrewshire. He entered the world as the eldest of five surviving children to Agnes Muirhead and James Watt.
What realization did James Watt have about steam engines in May 1765?
In May 1765 James Watt crossed Glasgow Green park with a sudden realization that contemporary steam engines wasted energy by repeatedly cooling and reheating the cylinder. He proposed condensing steam in a separate chamber apart from the piston to avoid this waste.
Who partnered with James Watt to form the successful firm Boulton and Watt?
Matthew Boulton owned the Soho Manufactory works near Birmingham and acquired the patent rights for James Watt's invention. The new firm of Boulton and Watt became highly successful over the next twenty-five years after obtaining an extension of the patent to 1800 in 1775.
How did James Watt contribute to the chemical industry regarding chlorine production?
Watt discovered that salt, manganese dioxide and sulphuric acid could produce chlorine more cheaply than existing methods. This process scaled up by March 1788 when McGrigor bleached cloth to satisfaction following his communication of these results to James McGrigor.
Why did James Watt sue Edward Bull and other engine makers in Cornwall?
Mine owners in Cornwall convinced themselves that James Watt's patent could not be enforced and withheld payments until £2,500 remained out of £21,000 owed. Watt sued Bull in 1793 and the jury found for him while injunctions were issued against infringers forcing their royalty payments into escrow.