James Watt was a Scottish instrument maker and inventor, who was born in Greenock, Renfrewshire, Scotland, on January 19th, 1736.   He died in Heathfield Hall, near Birmingham, Warwick, England, on August 25th, 1819.  His inventions led to a new and improved steam engine, compared to the old, original by Thomas Newcomen.

    James Watt was an educated man.  He started his education at home, being taught by his mother.  Years later, he went to grammar school, where he learned Latin, Greek, and mathematics.  When James was 18 years old he went to Glasgow University in London, in 1755, and studied mathematical instrument making.  His memory was persistent, he had a wide range of reading, and he had knowledge of language, music, and chemistry.  His father owned a ship and house building business, which played an important role in James’ education.  There, he grew familiar with the ship instruments.

    Watt attempted to set up his own shop in Glasgow, but his shop failed.  Friends from the University came to his rescue, and James Watt was appointed mathematical instrument maker to the university in 1757.   Here Watt met a man named Joseph Black who was studying the thermodynamics (heat) of steam.  Determining the properties of steam, especially the relationship of density to temperature and pressure, James used this knowledge to patent his first invention.  He realized that heat loss occurs when heat is transferred from a warmer object to a cooler one.  He designed a separate condensing vessel for the steam engine, upon realization that the invention in 1705 by Thomas Newcomen and John Calley (or Cawley) used the steam cylinder itself as a condenser in a two in one method.  They shot a jet of cold water into the cylinder in order to condense the steam.  This method was severely ineffective, because the cold water reduced the temperature of the cylinder and therefore required three times as much steam then actually necessary.  Although he invented the separate condensing vessel in 1765, it was not patent until 1769.  During the time in-between, Watt worked to condense the steam in a separate receptacle, insulate the cylinder against heat loss, and pump out non-condensable gas.  This invention was the ultimate in increasing the efficiency of the steam engine.  This invention, along with others, worked to make James Watt a substantial contributor to the steam engine.  Other contributions to the steam engine by James Watt include: devising the sun-and-planet gear wheel, in order to convert reciprocating motion to rotary motion; made use of the expansion principal to design a double acting engine; applied a speed governor to steam engines; invented the throttle valve; invented the parallel motion (an arrangement of connected rods that guide the piston rod in a perpindicular motion); and invented a pressure gauge, which completed the Watt engine. He also built the first indicator for drawing a diagram of steam pressure, patented an improved-combustion furnace, invented special ink for copying letters, and discovered independently the chemical composition of water.

    Although James Watt contributed greatly to the steam engine, he contributed many other ways to science.  Such as the above mention of  ‘special ink’ for copying letters and the discovery of the chemical composition of water, James also contributed the watt.  A watt is the metric-kilogram-second system (SI) equal to one joule of work performed per second, or to 1/746 horsepower.  It is named in honor of James Watt.  One thousand watts equals a kilowatt.  Most electrical devises are rated in kilowatts.

    Not only did James Watt contribute greatly to science, but to society as well.  He was the inventor whose steam engine contributed greatly to the Industrial Revolution.  In the year 1785 he and Boulton, his partner, were elected fellow of the Royal Society of London. Watt worked for 25 years with a partner, named Matthew Boulton, who financed his endeavors.  Watt was a member of the Lunar Society in Birmingham, which was a group of writers and scientists, who wanted to advance the sciences and the arts.  He married in 1764 to his cousin, Margaret Miller, who bore him six children.  She died after nine years of marriage.  In 1776 James remarried to a woman named Ann MacGregor who bore him two more children.

    James Watt also had political ties.  His father was the treasurer and magistrate of Greenock, and Watt learned many things from him.  Watt’s patent was extended by an act of Parliament, which prompted Watt and Boulton’s 25-year partnership.  (1775-1800).

    Watt lived in a time of interesting historical context.  He was a contributor to the Industrial Revolution, and his son from his first marriage, James, was a sympathizer with the French Revolution.

    James Watt was an inventor whose inventions were used in things such as trains, boats, and pumps for pumping water from coal and other mines.  James comes from a time when business was booming in industry, which is why he became wealthy from his inventions.  He received £76, 000 in royalties on his patents in 11 years.

Refrences

"James Watt." Encyclopedia Americana. (Vol. 26, pp.498-499)  Danbury, Connecuit: Groilier

"Steam Engine." Encyclopedia Americanna. (Vol. 28, pp. 369)

"James Watt." Encyclopedia Britannica.  (Vol.12, pp.528-529)

"James Watt."  Grolier Multi-media Encyclopedia  1996

'James Watt' Idea Finder. 1 January, 2001  <www. ideafinder.com/history/inventors/watt.html>