JAMES WATTJames Watt, son of a merchant, was born in Greenock, Scotland, in 1717. At the age of nineteen, Watt was sent to Glasgow to learn the trade of making mathematical instruments. After spending a year in London, Watt returned to Glasgow in 1757 where he established his own instrument-making business. Watt soon developed a reputation as a high-quality engineer and was employed on the Forth & Clyde Canal and the Caledonian Canal. He was also engaged in improving ports and deepening the Forth, Clyde and other rivers in Scotland. In 1763 Watt was sent to repair a Newcomen steam engine. While putting it back into operation, Watt discovered how to make the engine more efficient. Watt worked on the idea for several months and eventually produced a steam engine that cooled the used steam in a condenser separate from the main cylinder. James Watt was not a rich man, so he decided to look for a partner with money. John Roebuck, the owner of a Scottish ironworks, agreed to provide financial support for Watt's project. When Roebuck went bankrupt in 1773, Watt took his ideas to Matthew Boulton, a successful Birmingham businessman. For the next eleven years the Boulton factory produced and sold Watt's steam engines. These machines were sold primarily to coal mine owners who used them to pump water from their mines. Watt's machine was very popular because it was four times more powerful than those based on Thomas Newcomen's design. Watt continued to experiment and in 1781 produced a rotary steam engine. While his earlier machine, with its up-and-down pumping action, was ideal for mine drainage, this new steam engine could be used to operate many different types of machinery. Richard Arkwright quickly understood the importance of this new invention and in 1783 began using Watt's steam engine in his textile factories. Others followed his example and by 1800 there were over 500 of Watt's machines in the mines and factories of Britain. In 1755 Watt obtained a patent from Parliament which prevented anyone else from building a steam engine like the one he had developed. For the next twenty-five years, the Boulton & Watt company had a virtual monopoly on the production of steam engines. Watt charged his customers a premium for using his steam engines.