d an important job in hand, he
could scarcely sleep. One night at his lodgings at Redruth, the people
were disturbed by a strange noise in his room. Several heavy blows
were heard upon the floor. They started from their beds, rushed to
Murdock's room, and found him standing in his shirt, heaving at the
bedpost in his sleep, shouting "Now she goes, lads! now she goes!"

Murdock became a most popular man with the mine owners. He also became
friendly with the Cornish workmen and engineers. Indeed, he fought his
way to their affections. One day, some half-dozen of the mining
captains came into his engine-room at Chacewater, and began to bully
him. This he could not stand. He stript, selected the biggest, and
put himself into a fighting attitude. They set to, and in a few minutes
Murdock's powerful bones and muscles enabled him to achieve the
victory. The other men, who had looked on fairly, without interfering,
seeing the temper and vigour of the man they had bullied, made
overtures of reconciliation. William was quite willing to be friendly.
Accordingly they shook hands all round, and parted the best of friends.
It is also said that Murdock afterwards fought a duel with Captain
Trevethick, because of a quarrel between Watt and the mining engineer,
in which Murdock conceived his master to have been unfairly and harshly
treated.[5]

The uses of Watt's steam-engine began to be recognised as available for
manufacturing purposes. It was then found necessary to invent some
method by which continuous rotary motion should be secured, so as to
turn round the moving machinery of mills. With this object Watt had
invented his original wheel-engine. But no steps were taken to
introduce it into practical use. At length he prepared a model, in
which he made use of a crank connected with the working beam of the
engine, so as to produce the necessary rotary motion.

There was no originality in this application. The crank was one of the
most common of mechanical appliances. It was in daily use in every
spinning wheel, and in every turner's and knife-grinder's foot-lathe.
Watt did not take out a patent for the crank, not believing it to be
patentable. But another person did so, thereby anticipating Watt in
the application of the crank for producing rotary motion. He had
therefore to employ some other method, and in the new contrivance he
had the valuable help of William Murdock. Watt devised five different
methods of s