Murdock's ingenuity was constantly at work, even upon matters
which lay entirely outside his special vocation. The late Sir
William Fairbairn informed us that he contrived a variety of
curious machines for consolidating peat moss, finely ground and
pulverised, under immense pressure, and which, when consolidated,
could be moulded into beautiful medals, armlets, and necklaces.
The material took the most brilliant polish and had the
appearance of the finest jet.
Observing that fish-skins might be used as an economical
substitute for isinglass, he went up to London on one occasion in
order to explain to brewers the best method of preparing and
using them. He occupied handsome apartments, and, little
regarding the splendour of the drawing-room, he hung the
fish-skins up against the walls. His landlady caught him one day
when he was about to bang up a wet cod's skin! He was turned out
at once, with all his fish. While in town on this errand, it
occurred to him that a great deal of power was wasted in treading
the streets of London! He conceived the idea of using the
streets and roadways as a grand tread-mill, under which the waste
power might be stored up by mechanical methods and turned to
account. He had also an idea of storing up the power of the
tides, and of running water, in the same way. The late Charles
Babbage, F.R.S., entertained a similar idea about using springs
of Ischia or of the geysers of Iceland as a power necessary for
condensing gases, or perhaps for the storage of electricity.
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