THE INVENTOR OF GAS LIGHT.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3857, 27 November 1883, Page 4

THE INVENTOR OF GAS LIGHT.

The Scotch youngslcr avlio made himself a wooden hat, by gearing his turning lathe to an eccentric motion, is knoAvn to most people by a single anecdote, telling how that piece of ingenuity almost accidentally brought him into notice and lucrative employment. Few avlio enjoy the Avarmth of tho steam pipes and radiators in their houses, and the light of the gas lamps in our city streets, or admiro the magical Working of tho peneumatic cash tubes in tho largo city stores, know that the original inventor of these three Avonderful con-

ventences of civilisation Avas William Murdoch, tho boy who made tho AA'ooden hat. Murdoch was an inventive fellow from an early age, resembling our oavh Thomas Edison iv the fertility and activity of his genius. His experiments in chemistry were performed after Avorking hours, and being driven with orders and almost constantly on duty as a machines!, he was a middleaged man before his examination of different fuel vapours led him to the discovery of the excellent burning properties of coal gas. He kept on distilling and combining until ho had proved his discovery ; then ho described it in a paper to the Royal Society, and received the largo Rumford gold medal. That was all he got for his invention, for he noA-er patented it. Had ho done so he might have been immediately rich, for though the common people cried out against the danger of fire pipes, and members of Parliament scouted the idea of a light without a Avick, and Sir Walter Scott had his joke at " illuminating London with smoke," and even Sir Humphrey Davy ridiculed the new discovery as impossible, he lived to see gas used cveryAvherc, in streets, shops, factories, and private dwellings. An anecdote in connection with this invention, showing how ready in expedients Murdoch Avas, is related of him Avhen he was in Manchester engaged iv putting up a steam engine. He Avas invited Avith William Fairbairn to dine at Mcdlock Bank, then at some distance from the lighted part of the town. It was a dark Avintcr night, and how to reach the house over the bad roads was a puzzle to his companion ; but Murdoch went, and after a little delay got a bladder filled with gas, and placing it under liis arm like a bag-pipe, discharged through the stem of an old tobacco pipe a stream of gas, Avhich enabled them to walk to their destination in safety.

Murdoch died in 1839, in liis eighty-fifth year.—San Francisco Bulletin.