Murdock had a gas lantern in regular use, for the purpose of
lighting himself home at night across the moors, from the mines
where he was working, to his home at Redruth. This lantern was
formed by filling a bladder with gas and fixing a jet to the
mouthpiece at the bottom of a glass lantern, with the bladder
hanging underneath.
Having satisfied himself as to the superior economy of coal gas,
as compared with oils and tallow, for the purposes of artificial
illumination, Murdock mentioned the subject to Mr. James Watt,
jun., during a brief visit to Soho in 1794, and urged the
propriety of taking out a patent. Watt was, however, indifferent
to taking out any further patents, being still engaged in
contesting with the Cornish mine-owners his father's rights to
the user of the condensing steam-engine. Nothing definite was
done at the time. Murdock returned to Cornwall and continued his
experiments. At the end of the same year he exhibited to Mr.
Phillips and others, at the Polgooth mine, his apparatus for
extracting gases from coal and other substances, showed it in
use, lit the gas which issued from the burner, and showed its
"strong and beautiful light." He afterwards exhibited the same
apparatus to Tregelles and others at the Neath Abbey Company's
ironworks in Glamorganshire.
Murdock returned to Soho in 1798, to take up his permanent
residence in the neighbourhood.
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