James Watt
mines. Later, the new cotton mills, which had been built near fastflowing
rivers to take advantage of water power, almost all switched to steam.
Gradually, mills began to move toward the centres of population. At first,
steam power was used mainly for spinning, but eventually weaving was also
powered by steam engine. By 1819, the year of Watt's death, there were 18
steam weaving factories in Glasgow, with 2800 looms. (This was excellent
news for factory owners, but hundreds of unemployed handloom weavers
were not so happy.)
Despite his success, Watt was a rather insecure and jealous man, who
did not like others having their own ideas. When one employee of the
company, a man named William Murdoch, experimented with high pressure
steam engines, Watt discouraged him from patenting and continuing his work,
even though his engines were potentially much better and smaller than the
ones Watt himself had invented. Murdoch never patented his design, and
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