Primary sourceDocument1795

Scientific Paper by Beddoes and Watt, Plate 3

Thomas Beddoes and James Watt · 1795

A second diagram page from the 1795 scientific paper co-written by James Watt, showing further laboratory apparatus.

Another page from the paper Watt co-authored, showing his design of scientific apparatus.

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Engraved plate labeled Pl. 3 showing scientific apparatus diagrams: Fig. 1 a tall furnace-like vessel with stands and pipes, Fig. 2 plan view of connected vessels and a round chamber, Fig. 3 a long horizontal cylinder with a funnel and gas pipe, Fig. 4 a furnace with a curved retort, and Fig. 5 a small apparatus on a stand, with a scale bar in feet at the bottom. — Thomas Beddoes and James Watt, scientific paper, Plate 3, 1795.

About this source

What it is

This page is another plate from the 1795 scientific paper written by Thomas Beddoes and James Watt. It shows five diagrams of apparatus, including furnaces, vessels and pipes, with a scale bar in feet.

Why it matters

Together with the other plate from this paper, this page shows the practical, hands-on side of scientific collaboration in Watt's time. It demonstrates that his engineering skills were valued beyond the steam engine, in designing equipment for chemical experiments.

Look closer

Why do you think the diagrams include a scale bar? What does that tell us about how precise the apparatus needed to be?
What might the different numbered figures (1 to 5) represent in the stages of an experiment?
What parts of the actual experiment are not shown here, and why might that be?

This document is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of James Watt on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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