LIBRARY 
 [TY OF CALIFORNIA 
 DAVIS 
 

Young Watt absorbed with his Problems. 
 
 P. 16. 
 
THE 
 
 TRIUMPHS OF STEAM; 
 
 OR, 
 
 STORIES FROM THE LIVES 
 
 WATT, ARKWRIGHT, AND STEPHENSON. 
 
 BY THE AUTHOR OF 
 
 'MIGHT NOT RIGHT/ 'OUR EASTERN EMPIRE,' 'THt MARTYR 
 LAND,' ETC. ETC. 
 
 WITH ILLUSTRATIONS BY JOHN GILBERT. 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 
 THOMAS NELSON AND SONS, 
 42, BLEECKER STREET. 
 
 *AWY 
 tJNIVERSI I ALIFORNIA 
 
TO 
 
 ROBERT STEPHENSON, ESQ., 
 
 OF HIM WHOSE LABOURS HE SHARED, 
 AND WHOSE FAME HE INHERITS, 
 
 ARE DEDICATED 
 
 BY ONE 
 WHO OWES. MUCH TO HIS EARLY INFLUENCE. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 HE Author of these Stones is anxious to 
 take this opportunity of offering her sin- 
 cere thanks to the friends who have so 
 kindly assisted her in her undertaking. 
 For many of the anecdotes of Mr. Stephenson 
 she is indebted to those who knew him well, while 
 for the accuracy of the general narrative she has 
 relied wholly on the excellent Life of George Ste- 
 phenson written by Mr. Smiles. Permission to 
 make use of this valuable work was most kindly 
 obtained for her by Mr. Robert Stephenson, whose 
 ready and cordial assistance she cannot too grate- 
 fully acknowledge. 
 
 In the preceding Memoir of Watt, the writer has 
 derived her information principally from the lecture 
 delivered by Arago after the death of the great 
 engineer, and from the biography subsequently 
 published by Mr. Muirhead. 
 
 October 1858. 
 
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. 
 
 Young Watt absorbed with his Problems, . . .14 
 
 Stephenson and his dog Spot, . . . . .87 
 
 Stephenson and his Son at work in the Cottage, . .130 
 
 Stephenson teaching the Navvies, . . . .182 
 
 Section of Watt's Steam-engine, . . . .28 
 
 Stephenson's Cottage at Willington Quay 1 (the birthplace of 
 
 the Son), . . . . . . -95 
 
 Stephenson's Cottage at Killingworth, 1 ' . . . , 123 
 
 * From photographs in the possession of Robert Stephenson, Esq. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 The uses of steam, as a motive power, known from remote 
 antiquity Origin of the steam-engine Gradual improve- 
 ments Watt Anecdotes of his boyhood, 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Watt turns his attention to the perfecting of the steam-engine ; 
 his difficulties ; his success Watt at Birmingham Old 
 age Death, ...... 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 The spinning-jenny Hargraves Arkwright, . 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Arkwright at Nottingham Establishes the works at Crom- 
 ford; their success George Stephenson Anecdotes of 
 his youth, ....... 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Stephenson ; anecdotes of his early struggles for independence, 
 and of his untiring energy and perseverance, 
 
 47 
 
 69 
 
 95 
 
vlii Contents. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Stephenson promoted to the office of engineer of the High Pit 
 Anxiety for the education of his son Robert's early life 
 The first locomotive Improvements in the locomotive, 123 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 The safety-lamp Stephenson and Sir Humphrey Davy Ste- 
 phenson suggests the formation of a railroad between Dar- 
 lington and Stockton Is appointed engineer Opening of 
 the line, ....... 145 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Projected railroad between Manchester and Liverpool Diffi- 
 culties Stephenson appointed engineer ; displaced ; re- 
 appointed Trial of the locomotive, . . .169 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Opening of the Manchester and Liverpool line The Birming- 
 ham line Difficulties overcome by Mr. Robert Stephen- 
 son Anecdotes of Mr. George Stephenson in later life, . 197 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 Mr. George Stephenson in old age ; honoured ; beloved His 
 
 death Conclusion, ..... 223 
 
THE TRIUMPHS OF STEAM. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 The uses of steam, as a motive power, known from remote antiquity 
 Origin of the steam-engine Gradual improvements Watt 
 Anecdotes of his boyhood. 
 
 HELEN, are you going down to 
 the station to meet Uncle Henry?* 
 inquired Charles Percival, as he looked 
 up from a Bradshaw he had been in- 
 tently studying. 
 
 1 Yes ; and you may go with me if you like it/ 
 
 * Thank you ; I should like it very much. Only 
 fancy, Aunt Helen/ added Charles, 'that Uncle 
 Henry was in Paris yesterday, and will be at home 
 to-day ! Is it not wonderful ? What did people do 
 before there were railroads and steamboats ?' 
 
 * Stayed at home like sensible people/ replied Mrs. 
 Grenville with a smile. 
 
 A 
 
2 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 ' But seriously, Aunt Helen ; if they were obliged 
 to take any long journey, what did they do then ?' 
 
 1 Went by coach or van, or in their own carriages, 
 on horseback, or on foot, as the case might be.' 
 
 ' What a waste of time !' exclaimed Charles. ' It 
 was a good thing that steam was discovered. Who 
 did discover it, Aunt Helen ?' 
 
 ' Do you mean, who applied the power to its pre- 
 sent purposes ?' 
 
 ' No ; I meant, who invented steam/ 
 
 'Invented steam!' exclaimed Ernest, laughing. 
 ' Why, Charles, whoever boiled the first pot of water 
 after the world was created invented steam, Adam, 
 perhaps/ 
 
 1 It is a law of nature, my love,' interposed Mrs. 
 Grenville, seeing that Charles was on the point of 
 making an angry rejoinder, 'wherever there is boil- 
 ing water, there must of necessity be steam.' 
 
 ' But then, why did not the old Greeks and Romans 
 have steam-engines and railways ?' 
 
 ' Because they did not understand how to apply 
 the power.' 
 
 'And who first found that out ?' 
 
 ' Like all other great discoveries, it has been a 
 gradual process. The man whose genius first prac- 
 tically developed its capabilities was the celebrated 
 James Watt.' 
 
 'And who was he ?' asked Charles. 
 
 ' Oh ! I know/ said Arthur ; ' he was one of the 
 
Steam ^tsed as a Motive Power. 3 
 
 most eminent engineers that ever lived. Mamma/ 
 added Arthur, ' I wish you could do something that 
 I want very much/ 
 
 ' What is that, my love ?' 
 
 ' Why, mamma, I have got an idea in my head, 
 and I want to work it out ; and I have been reading 
 all the books lately I could find about the steam- 
 engine, but they have such long hard words, they 
 puzzle and confuse me. Now I think if you could 
 tell me exactly who first thought of applying steam 
 to its present purposes, and trace the various im- 
 provements made in the engines, I should get some 
 clear notions into my head, and then when I went 
 back to my books I should really understand what 
 I was about. Will you mind telling us all about it, 
 mamma ?' 
 
 ' I should be most delighted, my love, if I thought 
 I understood the subject sufficiently clearly to make 
 my explanations ot any use to you ; but I am afraid 
 what you want requires a much greater knowledge 
 of science than I possess/ 
 
 ' Oh no, mamma ; I am sure you could tell me all 
 I want to know/ 
 
 ' I am afraid not. The utmost I could do would 
 be to give you a biographical sketch of those men 
 whose genius and perseverance have opened up, 
 through the application of steam power, means of 
 usefulness and civilisation, such as the world never 
 before possessed ; and in doing this, I will explain 
 
4 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 to you their various inventions as well as I can, 
 and I must ask papa to help me whenever I am at 
 fault/ 
 
 ' Oh do ! yes, that would be jolly/ exclaimed the 
 children; and Charles added, ' I should like that, 
 Aunt Helen, because you are sure to tell us some 
 amusing stories not those horrid dry calculations 
 Arthur is so fond of poring over. To look at his 
 papers and slates, you would think he was always 
 drawing models for agitated scarecrows/ 
 
 'Wait and see what become of my scarecrows 
 before you laugh at them, Charles/ replied Arthur 
 good-naturedly. 
 
 * Yes ; and remember, Charles/ said Mrs. Gren- 
 ville, ' concentration of thought, let the subject be 
 what it will, is the first step towards success. When 
 Sir Isaac Newton was once asked how it was that 
 he discovered the principle of attraction, he replied, 
 " By constantly thinking of it." Had this not been 
 the case, apples might have fallen all around him 
 without revealing to him the law of gravitation ; so, 
 as Arthur says, wait and see what becomes of his 
 scarecrows before you laugh at them.' 
 
 * Well, if I may not laugh/ said Charles, ' the next 
 best thing to do will be to try and understand ; so I 
 promise you, Aunt Helen, to listen as attentively as 
 possible, and who knows but that I may end by draw- 
 ing scarecrows myself?' 
 
 'That would be a happy result. I can hardly 
 
Anthemiiiss Revenge on Zeno. 5 
 
 hope for anything so fortunate ; but if I can inspire 
 you with some of the wonderful energy which has 
 distinguished Watt and Arkwright, George and 
 Robert Stephenson, it will be worth while to tell 
 you their stories.' 
 
 'Well, Aunt Helen, never despair. How often 
 you have said so to me !' 
 
 ' But, mamma/ said Arthur, * when was steam first 
 known as a moving power?' 
 
 'Probably much earlier than is generally sup- 
 posed/ replied Mrs. Grenville ; ' for Arago mentions 
 a curious anecdote of Anthemius, an architect, who, 
 having a particular spite against Zeno, his next-door 
 neighbour, thought of a most ingenious method of 
 venting it. He placed some caldrons, large enough 
 to hold a considerable quantity of water, on the 
 ground floor of his own house. From these he 
 passed a tube into the wall which divided his dwell- 
 ing from Zeno's, and conducted the tubes into the 
 beams of Zeno's sitting-rooms ; then making the 
 water in the caldrons boiling hot, the steam rushed 
 up the tubes, shaking the apartments of his unfortu- 
 nate victim as if they had been convulsed by some 
 sudden earthquake. 
 
 'It is generally supposed that it was to their 
 knowledge of the properties of steam that the magi- 
 cians of Egypt were indebted for the power of work- 
 ing many of their pretended miracles ; and there is 
 no doubt that the pagan priests, and probably many 
 
6 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 of the monks of the middle ages, took advantage of 
 the same secret. Near the banks of the Weser stood 
 the temple of a celebrated German god, Busterich, 
 held in profound veneration from the awful mani- 
 festations he was in the habit of making to such of 
 his worshippers as had the misfortune to fall under 
 his displeasure. Suddenly, as the evil-doers entered 
 his courts, they would be startled by a sound, loud 
 as pealing thunder, and then in a moment they 
 were enveloped in so thick a cloud, that their deity 
 was entirely hidden from their view. Terrified by 
 a phenomenon for which they were utterly unable to 
 account, they were only too thankful to make their 
 peace on any terms, little imagining that some 
 boiling water had been all that was required to 
 bring their fierce, wild spirits into subjection. This 
 stratagem was managed by the figure of the god 
 being cast in metal ; the head was left hollow that 
 it might be filled with water, and an apparatus was 
 very skilfully contrived by which the water might be 
 gradually heated ; the eyes were well plugged, and 
 an aperture was left in the forehead, which was also 
 carefully closed. The priests were quite aware of 
 the length of time that the water would require to 
 heat, and always so arranged matters that their god 
 should receive his worshippers at the moment when 
 the condensed steam was ready to explode. Out 
 flew the plugs from the eyes and forehead, the 
 steam rushed forth with the most violent noise, 
 
Ingenuity of the French. 7 
 
 and the whole area of the temple was enveloped 
 in a thick white cloud. No wonder that the igno- 
 rant multitude were terrified and astonished. We 
 ought to be very thankful that times have changed 
 since then, and that now every fresh discovery of 
 science only tends to promote the happiness and 
 well-being of mankind, instead of being made an 
 instrument by which the masses of the people may 
 be kept in ignorant subjection. It was not, however, 
 until the beginning of the seventeenth century that 
 any one seems to have thought seriously of the 
 possibility of using steam power to supply the place 
 of manual labour ; and to a Frenchman the honour 
 of the discovery is due, although we are rather apt 
 to claim the merit for our own countryman, the 
 Marquis of Worcester/ 
 
 1 The French are always far more ingenious in 
 making discoveries than ourselves/ said Charles. 
 
 'Ah ! but/ added Ernest, 'they do not bring their 
 inventions to such perfection as we do : do they, 
 mamma ?' 
 
 ' Not in those that require great strength and 
 solidity/ replied Mrs. Grenville. * As a nation, the 
 French are endowed with such rapid and brilliant 
 imagination, that they have not the patience to 
 enter into all the minute details of business with 
 the perseverance that distinguishes their more slow- 
 minded neighbours. Solomon de Caus could point 
 out very ingeniously the theory of a steam-engine, 
 
8 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 but he left it to Captain Savery to reduce his theory 
 into practice. A curious story is told of a visit the 
 Marquis of Worcester paid to the Bicetre, a cele- 
 brated madhouse, when he was in Paris in 1641. 
 He and a party of ladies were being conducted 
 round the building, when their attention was at- 
 tracted by the sound of loud cries, as of a person 
 in the greatest distress. 
 
 '"Who is the unfortunate man who is in such 
 dreadful suffering ?" asked the Marquis. 
 
 '"He? Oh, he is a poor fellow," replied the 
 keeper, "who fancies that he has made some great 
 discovery ; and he has pestered the government so 
 constantly for means to carry out his absurd in- 
 vention, that at length, to spare themselves any 
 further importunity, they have shut him up here ; 
 and he goes on all day long just as you hear 
 him now." 
 
 ' "I am not mad ! I am not mad !" exclaimed the 
 unfortunate prisoner, whose cell the party had by 
 this time approached ; " but I have made such a 
 discovery, that if I might but try it, I should be 
 called the greatest benefactor the world has ever 
 known. If they would but listen to me, people 
 would travel faster by steam than the swiftest horses 
 have ever been able to draw them." 
 
 ' The Marquis of Worcester was much struck with 
 the remark, and wanted to stop and question the 
 unhappy man ; but this the keeper, fearful of in- 
 
The French Prisoner of the Bicetre. 9 
 
 curring the displeasure of his superiors, would not 
 allow ; and the party moved on, leaving the man 
 whose mind was so in advance of the times as to 
 render him the victim of ignorant narrow-minded- 
 ness to pine in solitary confinement, and die at 
 last a broken-hearted monomaniac. But so it has 
 almost always been. The originator of any great 
 invention has seldom been the one to profit by it. 
 In late years, indeed, this can hardly be said so 
 truly, for there is always a danger of running into 
 extremes ; and as education has become more gene- 
 ral, as the marvels of science have been gradually 
 developed, the world has become as credulous as 
 it once was unbelieving. " If so much has been 
 accomplished," people say, " what wonders may not 
 be yet in store?" and the consequence has been, that 
 every absurd notion of any clever theorist has been 
 as eagerly caught at as if it had been founded on 
 the unchanging laws of nature, or the best tested 
 rules of science. Perhaps, however, of the two, it is 
 the least evil, because it is one which must of neces- 
 sity work its own cure ; whereas, in the other case, 
 you extinguish a light which you cannot tell how 
 many years it may require to rekindle. If the un- 
 fortunate Frenchman had not died a maniac in the 
 Bicetre, we might not have had to wait a century 
 for Watt and Stephenson.' 
 
 ' When was Watt born, mamma ?' asked Ernest 
 
 ' On the I gth of January 1736. 
 
io The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 ' And what was known about the steam-engine at 
 that time ?' added Ernest. 
 
 ' Very little for any practical purpose. Solomon de 
 Caus had written his book, The Reason of Moving 
 Forces, in 1615. He had been followed in 1663 
 by the Marquis of Worcester, who actually made a 
 small engine, which, in his own words, " could drive 
 water up by fire;" but it does not seem to have 
 been used, and people went to admire it as a sort of 
 ingenious toy, without having a notion of the won- 
 derful perfection to which it was afterwards to be 
 brought. In 1698 an engine on a very improved 
 principle was constructed by Captain Savery, who 
 called it " The Miners' Friend," from its being de- 
 signed principally to force up water from a great 
 depth, and being therefore well calculated to clear 
 the mines, in which large bodies of water are apt to 
 accumulate. But the miners were afraid of their 
 " Friend," and consequently it was very seldom em- 
 ployed : but perhaps, after all, this was fortunate, as, 
 in the then imperfect state of the machine, it is more 
 than probable that constant explosions would have 
 taken place, the men would have been frightened, 
 and their fears would have interfered sadly with the 
 success of any future experiments. 
 
 ' The next great step in advance was made by 
 Denis Papin, a man of rare ability, who, driven out 
 of France on account of his religion, at the time of 
 the revocation of the Edict of Nantes, took refuge 
 
Papiris Discovery. 1 1 
 
 in England, and then devoted himself entirely to 
 scientific pursuits. But now I have come to a point 
 in which I sadly want papa's help. We must ask 
 him to make us a little model, and then you will see 
 the full value of the discovery which Papin made, 
 that steam might be used as a medium for creating 
 a vacuum, to ensure the regular action of the piston 
 within the cylinder. By the heat of steam he pro- 
 duced one movement ; by the sudden cooling, or 
 condensation of steam, he produced the next. But 
 still there was one defect, which, with all his inge- 
 nuity, Papin could not overcome. His piston worked 
 regularly indeed, but it moved so very slowly, that 
 for any work requiring speed his engine would have 
 been comparatively useless. His cylinder rested 
 on a metal plate, which was made hot to generate 
 the steam, and removed to condense it. Of course 
 this took a long time, and what was required was a 
 rapid way of employing the two forces almost at 
 the same moment. 
 
 'Accident gave the next clue towards success. 
 Some years after Papin's engines had been very 
 generally employed in England, having been con- 
 siderably improved by Newcomen and Cawley, a 
 manufacturer, who had one of these engines on his 
 premises, was very much astounded to see the pis- 
 ton seized with a sudden fit of agility, and working 
 backwards and forwards at a most unnatural rate. 
 Anxious to discover what was the cause of this very 
 
1 2 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 unexpected energy, he carefully examined the ma- 
 chine, and found that the piston had become pierced, 
 some cold water fell through the holes, and, passing 
 through the steam, absorbed it, thus rapidly creat- 
 ing the required vacuum. This accidental discovery 
 suggested the idea of pouring a shower of cold water 
 into the cylinder as the piston was descending. It 
 was found to answer admirably, and that a great 
 increase of power was in this manner obtained. 
 
 ' Still, with these improvements, Newcomen's was 
 a very difficult engine to manage, as it required 
 the most undivided attention ; it being necessary at 
 every moment first to open the cock to let in the 
 steam, and then to pour in the cold water intended 
 to condense it. Now it happened that one day an 
 engine was left in charge of a boy named Humphery 
 Potter, who was infinitely fonder of play than of 
 work. It was irresistibly provoking to him to hear 
 his young companions' shouts of merry laughter just 
 outside the engine-house, whilst he was losing all 
 the beautiful bright day watching a tiresome engine, 
 and opening and shutting for everlasting two mono- 
 tonous cocks. Why could not the tiresome things 
 open and shut themselves ? The idea once sug- 
 gested to his mind, he eagerly looked about for 
 some means of carrying it out. Being naturally as 
 ingenious as he was fond of play, he hit upon a plan 
 by which, by means of strings, the beam might be 
 made to open and shut the cocks for itself as it rose 
 
Hwnphery Potter s Discovery. 1 3 
 
 and fell in the cylinder. Nothing could be more 
 successful than the experiment. The engine worked 
 by itself, and Master Humphery ran off to signalize 
 his success in a game of romps with his playfellows.' 
 
 'Aunt Helen!' exclaimed Charles, 'if you set 
 such an example before me, you have no right to 
 blame me because I like cricket better than lessons. 
 Now, remember, the next time you scold me for 
 being idle, I shall remind you of Humphery Potter.' 
 
 ' I give you leave to do so/ replied Mrs. Grenville, 
 'if you will promise to show me at the same time 
 that, before you left your work for your play, you 
 had invented a scheme by which it could be done 
 as thoroughly by mechanical assistance as by your- 
 self. But I am almost afraid/ she added with a 
 smile, 'that the engine is not invented that will 
 ever drive Latin and Greek into your head.' 
 
 'At any rate, Aunt Helen, I have got the vacuum 
 ready ; that is something/ 
 
 ' How surprised, mamma/ said Arthur, ' the man 
 must have been who first saw the engine working by 
 itself/ 
 
 'Very much surprised, indeed, and very angry, I 
 should think, with Potter for leaving his duty. How- 
 ever, the idea suggested by his expedient was imme- 
 diately followed up, and rods were fixed to the beam, 
 furnished with pegs which pressed upon the cocks, 
 opening or shutting them, as the case might be, and 
 thus enabling the engine to do its work entirely by 
 
14 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 itself, with the exception that the stoker was of 
 course obliged to see occasionally to the fire. This 
 was the last great improvement made in the steam- 
 engine, until the time when James Watt, by dis- 
 covering how to condense the steam, so wonderfully 
 developed its extraordinary powers of usefulness. 
 
 'From his earliest childhood James Watt was 
 remarkable for the great thoughtfulness of his 
 character. To a certain extent this was perhaps 
 owing to his being of a very delicate constitution, 
 and therefore unable to enter into the more active 
 amusements of his young companions. He would 
 spend hours in thinking over the various scientific 
 problems, which were his great delight. On one 
 occasion a gentleman was paying a visit to his 
 father ; James, a mere child of six years old, quite 
 regardless of there being a visitor in the room, was 
 wholly engrossed in drawing lines with white chalk 
 upon the floor. The gentleman looked at him for 
 some little time in silence, but at length angry, I 
 suppose, with Mr. Watt for letting his son make 
 such a mess on the floor "I cannot think, Mr. 
 Watt," he exclaimed, "how you can let that child 
 waste his time in that way. Why do you not send 
 him to school ?" 
 
 ' " Let us see what he is about," said Mr. Watt, 
 " before we condemn him. James does not generally 
 waste his time." 
 
 ' They got up to look : James had not even heard 
 
Watt's First Experiments. 1 5 
 
 the remark, so entirely was his mind absorbed in 
 working out a geometrical problem. At another 
 time he was paying a visit to his aunt, Miss Muir- 
 head. One evening when they were just sitting 
 down to tea, James, instead of taking his meal as 
 usual, was seized with a spirit of investigation : he 
 drew the kettle towards him ; he took off the lid, 
 he put it on again ; he got a spoon and held it to 
 the spout, counting into how many drops of water 
 the steam condensed ; then he took a tea-cup and 
 repeated the experiment. Nearly half an hour was 
 occupied in this way, until at length Miss Muir- 
 head's patience was fairly exhausted, and she said 
 quite angrily, " James, James, what are you about ? 
 Are you not ashamed of wasting your time in this 
 disgraceful manner ? " 
 
 ' But James was not wasting his time. Boy as he 
 was, at that moment he had obtained the first clue 
 to his great discovery, that condensed steam might 
 be employed as a motive power ; and how this was 
 to be managed, became from that day forth the un- 
 ceasing object of his thoughts. Fond as he was, 
 however, of scientific pursuits, he was no less re- 
 markable for his lively imagination. Never was 
 such a story-teller! He would keep his young 
 companions listening breathlessly for the hour 
 together to the wonderful narratives that he in- 
 vented for the occasion. Nor was it only the young 
 that he charmed. He commanded the attention of 
 
1 6 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 listeners of all ages. At one time, when his mother 
 was going to pay a visit in Glasgow, she asked a 
 friend of hers if she would take charge of James 
 during her absence. The lady consented, and James 
 went to pay the visit. At the earliest opportunity, 
 however, that occurred, his hostess begged Mrs. 
 Watt to take her son home again. "If not," she 
 said, "we shall be all fairly worn out. Just at the 
 time when we ought to be going to bed, James 
 begins to tell us some wonderful story. It is im- 
 possible to go away till it is finished, and we all 
 become so excited and so interested, that as to 
 sleeping afterwards, the thing is out of the question : 
 we can think of nothing but your son's extraordinary 
 stories. Do, pray, take him home, that we may have 
 some chance of rest." 
 
 ' Mrs. Watt complied with her friend's request, and 
 James returned to his own home, rather provoked, 
 perhaps, that his visit should have -been thus cur- 
 tailed. To be able to tell a story well, is, no doubt, 
 a very great talent, and it was one which Mr. Watt 
 retained even to old age. His imagination was as 
 vivid then as when he was quite a boy, and nothing 
 delighted him more than to be able to tell a story 
 with such spirit as to deceive his auditors into the 
 belief that they were listening to some true narrative, 
 when all the time he was only spinning out of his 
 own brain the startling incidents which they were 
 hearing with such breathless interest.' 
 
Watfs Skilfulness when a Boy. 1 7 
 
 ' I think James Watt was very like you, Arthur/ 
 exclaimed Charles. ' You are just as queer a com- 
 pound, what with your tiresome problems and your 
 funny stories/ 
 
 * I wish I thought I should ever be half as clever/ 
 replied Arthur with a slight sigh. 
 
 ' You must imitate Watt's example, then/ replied 
 Mrs. Grenville. ' He obtained his knowledge, as 
 every one else must obtain it, by patient, hard work ; 
 and, in his case, he laboured under very great dis- 
 advantages, for his delicate health prevented his re- 
 ceiving any regular instruction, and he was therefore 
 obliged in great measure to educate himself. He 
 used, when quite a boy, to take his toys to pieces, 
 examine how they were made, and then put them 
 together again ; and as soon as he had learned the 
 principle on which they were constructed, he would 
 invent new ones. This aptitude for invention made 
 him extremely popular amongst all his young play- 
 fellows ; and his popularity attained its climax when 
 he constructed a small electrical machine, which be- 
 came an endless source of amusement to himself 
 and his friends. 
 
 ' Mr. Watt not being a wealthy man, it was neces- 
 sary that his son should decide at a very early age 
 what profession he would like to follow. His father's 
 occupations were numerous: amongst other things 
 he kept a sort of shop, where he sold nautical instru- 
 ments, and stores necessary for sailors. It occurred 
 
 B 
 
1 8 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 to James, that if he were to become a mathematical 
 instrument maker, he could both help his father and 
 follow out his own favourite scientific pursuits. In 
 1754, therefore, when he was about eighteen years 
 of age, he went to Glasgow, intending to reside there 
 for a time, that he might learn the business. He 
 had not, however, been many months at work before 
 he was seized with an ardent longing to go to Lon- 
 don, feeling sure that there alone he could properly 
 learn all the niceties of his profession. To obtain 
 sufficient means to carry out his project, was, how- 
 ever, the great difficulty. His father's income was 
 at this time unusually small, and James did not like 
 to encroach upon his generosity merely to gratify a 
 whim of his own. It so happened, however, that he 
 had attracted the attention of some of the most 
 scientific men in Glasgow ; and they not only con- 
 firmed his own impression that London was the only 
 place where he could profitably study, but by the 
 very high terms in which they spoke to Mr. Watt of 
 his son, and the advantages which they pointed out 
 as sure to arise for him from a visit to the metro- 
 polis, they induced Mr. Watt to listen favourably to 
 James's wishes, and it was settled that he should be 
 allowed to follow his own inclinations, and appren- 
 tice himself for a time to some celebrated London 
 optician. Having made all his arrangements as 
 economically as possible, James Watt left Glasgow 
 on the /th of June 1755 ; and as the cheapest way 
 
Waffs Journey to London. 19 
 
 of performing the journey, he travelled on horseback, 
 taking twelve days on the road.' 
 
 ' And now/ exclaimed Ernest, ' you can do it in 
 exactly the same number of hours. Oh mamma, 
 only fancy!' 
 
 1 1 wonder whether our children will do it in as 
 many minutes ?' added Charles, laughing. 
 
 ' I pity them if they do,' replied Mrs. Grenville. 
 ' But such a supposition hardly seems more ridiculous 
 to us, than the fact Ernest has just mentioned would 
 have seemed to men who lived a hundred years ago. 
 Half a century later, and Stephenson did not dare 
 to say, lest he should be mistaken for a madman, 
 that the engine he had invented could move at the 
 rate of fifteen miles an hour. However, we must 
 leave Watt travelling leisurely up to London, or we 
 shall have papa arriving at the station before we are 
 there to meet him, and that would be a terrible dis- 
 aster. Run away and get ready.' 
 
 What strange fascination is there at a railway 
 station, that the excitement never seems to die away. 
 Go when you will, there is the same sort of restless 
 longing for the coming train, and amused stir in 
 watching the departing one. You may have seen it 
 all a hundred times before ; but jiist as eagerly as 
 ever you watch for the first faint breath of steam 
 that you see rising up beyond that distant cutting ; 
 you strain your ear to hear the far-off whistle, or 
 listen to the snorting engine, as, gliding into the 
 
2O The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 station, it puffs out its disgust at being arrested in 
 mid career. But it was a more than usually eager 
 group that were watching that day on the platform 
 of Ivybridge Station. 
 
 ' It is lucky, mamma, that the train is a little 
 late/ exclaimed Ernest, as he looked down the line, 
 in vain endeavouring to make out a symptom of its 
 approach. ' Kempton was quite in a taking. Did 
 we not come fast, mamma ? I wonder what papa 
 would have said if he had seen the horses all in a 
 foam ! ' 
 
 ' He would have scolded me, and very justly too. 
 We were so busy talking, I quite forgot to look at 
 the clock/ 
 
 ' I am very glad you did, Aunt Helen/ said 
 Charles ; * it is such fun being late. I like scamper- 
 ing along, wondering whether we shall be in time 
 or not.' 
 
 ' Oh I do not/ said Arthur. ' I kept thinking all 
 the way we should be too late, and that papa would 
 be vexed/ 
 
 ' Nonsense/ replied Charles ; ' I was sure we should 
 be in excellent time. Kempton Knew better than to 
 let " Master" arrive first/ 
 
 1 Here it comes, here it comes V exclaimed Ernest 
 joyfully ; and in a moment after, the loud ringing of 
 the bell announced that the train was in sight ; and 
 now, who should first see papa ? What a rush along 
 the platform, and eager looking in at all the win- 
 
Arrival of the Train. 21 
 
 dows ! There, now the doors are open. Oh, Arthur 
 has found papa, and the children crowd so eagerly 
 round him, that Mrs. Grenville is obliged to stand 
 back, and wait for her greeting till their first ebulli- 
 tions of joy have subsided. 
 
 ' Come, come, children/ said Mr Grenville, shaking 
 them off good-naturedly ; ' stand back, I want to see 
 to mamma and my luggage/ 
 
 ' Mamma and your luggage ! Oh, papa, the idea 
 of putting them together! There, see John has 
 collected a great pile ; so now you can attend to 
 mamma altogether/ 
 
 ' Anything more, sir ?' said John, touching his hat. 
 
 ' No, that is all. Now, mamma/ And in a few 
 minutes the little party were seated in the carriage 
 listening to papa's adventures, and telling him all 
 that had taken place at the Grange during his ab- 
 sence ; amongst the rest, that mamma was going to 
 tell them all about the steam-engine, and that he 
 was to make the models ; a particularly gratifying 
 announcement, as papa said, to a tired man, at the 
 end of a long day's journey. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 Watt turns his attention to the perfecting of the steam-engine ; his 
 difficulties ; his success Watt at Birmingham Old age Death. 
 
 mamma/ said Arthur, when the chil- 
 dren were* in the study, a few days after 
 Mr. Grenville's return from Paris ; ' now 
 that papa has come home, you will be 
 able to get on famously with Watt's life. He will 
 be able to explain to us all that you do not under- 
 stand.' 
 
 ' I am sure I hope he will/ replied Mrs. Grenville ; 
 ' for, as I told you at first, I know very little of 
 scientific subjects/ 
 
 ' But you can tell us the story, Aunt Helen, and 
 that is worth a hundred scientific dialogues/ ex- 
 claimed Charles. ' Give me the results, and I do not 
 care so very much to know how they were obtained/ 
 ' Oh Charles !' said Arthur in a tone of such re- 
 proachful surprise that neither Mr. nor Mrs. Grenville 
 could help laughing ; and Mrs. Grenville added, 
 * You remind me of a story that Arago tells of a 
 
24 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 professor of geometry, who was taking the 'greatest 
 pains to explain various problems to his pupils. 
 " Why do you give yourself all this unnecessary 
 trouble?" exclaimed one of the party. "We trust 
 you entirely ; only give us your word of honour that 
 what you say is true, and we want no further ex- 
 planations." ' 
 
 Charles laughed, whilst Arthur added very gravely, 
 ' That would have been a most unsatisfactory way of 
 learning to me, mamma/ 
 
 ' It would, indeed, my love. I only told you the 
 story, because I thought it was so appropriate to 
 Charles's remark ; but I should be very sorry that 
 you should imitate the lazy pupils of the unfortunate 
 professor. I would far rather you should follow the 
 example of our hard-working friend James Watt/ 
 
 ' What did he do, mamma, when he reached Lon- 
 don ?' said Ernest. ' He must have been rather tired 
 with his long ride, I think/ 
 
 * His first anxiety/ continued Mrs. Grenville, ' was 
 to find some really scientific man, at whose work- 
 shop he could not only learn the mechanical por- 
 tions of his business, but be taught the principles on 
 which instruments were constructed. Fortunately 
 his friend Dr. Dick had given him an introduction 
 to a Mr. Short, through whose influence Mr. Morgan, 
 a mathematical instrument maker of some fame, was 
 induced to give Watt an opportunity of trying his 
 powers. He was not long in discovering that his 
 
Watt in London. 25 
 
 new pupil was possessed of very unusual abilities, 
 and readily agreed that, for a sum of 20, Watt 
 should spend a year with him in London, and study 
 under his own immediate tuition. James was de- 
 lighted with the plan, and set to work with a hearty 
 good-will to improve his present advantages, making 
 such rapid progress as quite astonished Mr. Morgan. 
 The first in the morning, the last at night, James 
 was always at his post, employing the extra hours, 
 when he was not bound to his master, in procuring 
 for himself the very frugal means of support which 
 were all that he allowed himself. Stint himself, 
 however, as he would, he found he could not live 
 on less than eight shillings a week ; and even for this 
 sum, small as it seems, he did not like to ask his 
 father. It was a hard trial at the time, but I have 
 no doubt it greatly contributed to his future success, 
 by giving him habits of self-denial and patient en- 
 durance. Only twice in the whole year did Watt 
 allow himself to deviate in any way from the strict 
 rule of life that he had marked out for himself. He 
 went to see the king, on his arrival from Germany; 
 and he could not resist the temptation of going to 
 hear the war proclaimed at Temple Bar, a cere- 
 mony very much more attractive then than it is in 
 our matter-of-fact days, when we are inclined to 
 think everything absurd that is not practically useful 
 in a monied point of view. At length, however, poor 
 James's health fairly gave way from incessant work, 
 
26 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 and from rigorous self-denial. A change of air and 
 scene was clearly necessary : he decided upon return- 
 ing to Glasgow, hoping that the ride home would do 
 much to re-establish his health. And happily, either 
 that, or the return to his native country, proved bene- 
 ficial ; and Watt, with renewed strength and spirit, 
 began life for himself. 
 
 'A most unexpected difficulty, however, met him 
 *at the onset. The old established work-people of 
 Glasgow were so jealous of Watt, considering him 
 as an interloper, that they positively refused to 
 allow him to open a shop within the precincts of the 
 city walls ; but their ill-natured jealousy proved, in 
 the end, of the greatest possible service to him. Dr. 
 Dick, and other of the Glasgow University men, re- 
 senting the injustice done to their young friend, 
 offered him a room in the College itself, and gave 
 him all the employment that they could, with the 
 title of " Mathematical Instrument Maker to the 
 University." But it was not only in a pecuniary 
 point of view that this v/as an advantage to Watt, it 
 was still more so from the opportunity it gave him of 
 being constantly in the society of clever and scien- 
 tific men, and thus affording him the best possible 
 means of acquiring fresh knowledge, and pursuing 
 those studies which were to result in a discovery 
 destined to be one of universal benefit. Watt had 
 been for several years settled in Glasgow, when he 
 \vas asked to look at the model of a steam-engine 
 
Watfs First Success. 27 
 
 which was quite out of repair, and which one of the 
 professors of the University was anxious to have put 
 into proper working order. Watt complied with the 
 request : he saw directly what was amiss, and gladly 
 undertook the commission of putting the machine 
 to rights. In a short time it was working better 
 than it had ever done before. Not content with this 
 first success, he now became anxious not only to re- 
 pair, but to improve. He saw clearly that, to gain 
 power and to save expense, it was necessary to in- 
 vent some plan by which the steam might be rapidly 
 condensed, and he determined to try whether his 
 boyish experiments might not at last be turned to 
 some practical account. To ensure the success of 
 his plan, it was necessary to find some method of 
 preventing the waste of steam in the cylinder ; and 
 it occurred to him that this might be successfully 
 done by condensing the steam in a separate vessel, 
 which should communicate, by means of a tube, 
 with the cylinder : thus the cylinder itself might be 
 kept always to one equal temperature, and there 
 would be no waste of the steam by the necessity for 
 cooling it.' 
 
 1 1 am not quite sure that I understand what you 
 mean/ said Arthur thoughtfully. 
 
 'Wait one moment, mamma, if you please/ said 
 Mr. Grenville. 'I think I can show Arthur a dia- 
 gram, which will make what you have said clearer 
 to him ;' and going to the bookcase, Mr. Grenville 
 
28 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
References to Steam- Engine. 29 
 
 REFERENCES TO THE SECTION OF WATTS 
 STEAM-ENGINE. 
 
 A The boiler, with the furnace beneath. 
 
 B A pipe leading from the boiler, and connecting it with the 
 cylinder C. 
 
 D The piston and rod. (The piston is the lower part, which 
 fits into the cylinder.) The pipe B is so contrived that it can 
 admit steam from the boiler into the cylinder, either above or 
 below the piston, alternately. Next, observe a vessel sur- 
 rounded by cold water, and connected by a pipe with the 
 cylinder. 
 
 S The tube of a pump on the common principle, having its 
 piston and rod connected with the great beam : this beam 
 moves on a centre. 
 
 V A pump supplying the vessel of cold water referred to 
 above. 
 
 T The connecting tube from the pump S, to convey the water 
 into the boiler. 
 
 G The fly-wheel of cast iron, and of great weight, which, as 
 it revolves, makes the motion of the whole engine uniform. 
 
 H The sun and planet wheels. 
 
 The communication being opened from the boiler to the 
 under part of the steam cylinder C, the steam forces the piston 
 up, and at the same time the air pump P causing a vacuum in 
 the condenser connected with it, the steam rushes into the 
 condenser, and now a vacuum is formed beneath the piston, at 
 which moment the steam enters above the piston, and is in like 
 manner drawn off and condensed ; and thus the pressure of 
 the steam acting alternately on the under and upper sides of 
 the piston, a reciprocating motion is given to the beam, which 
 will continue as long as the steam is produced. 
 
30 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 took down a volume, and opening it at a plate 
 representing a steam-engine, he proceeded to ex- 
 plain to the children its different parts. (See dia- 
 gram and references, pages 28, 29.) 
 
 1 Oh, thank you, papa/ exclaimed Arthur, as Mr. 
 Grenville finished his description ; 'I understand all 
 that mamma has been saying much better now.' 
 
 'You must remember, however/ continued Mr. 
 Grenville, ' that the drawing I have just been show- 
 ing you, is of an engine in a much more perfected 
 state than it was at the time of which mamma is 
 speaking. We must not interrupt her longer now, 
 but after dinner I will show you some drawings of 
 the engine in its various stages of improvement ; 
 then you will be better able to judge of the won- 
 derful talent of our great engineer/ 
 
 ' Oh, thank you, papa, I shall like that/ exclaimed 
 Arthur. /Go on, mamma/ 
 
 'Watt having satisfied himself/ continued Mrs. 
 Grenville, 'of the accuracy of his new idea, set 
 steadily to work to reduce it to practice, and after 
 months of patient labour constructed a model, which 
 far more than realized his most sanguine expecta- 
 tion. But the great difficulty was how to make it 
 publicly known. Watt was still a very poor man : 
 work as hard as he would, he thought it a good 
 year in which he cleared 200 ; and having a wife 
 and children to support, there was not much to 
 spend on scientific experiments. Fortunately he 
 
Death of Mrs. Watt. 31 
 
 was introduced to a Dr. Roebuck a very able man 
 who had established some iron-works near Glas- 
 gow. Dr. Roebuck saw at a glance the value of 
 the discovery which Watt had made, and readily 
 agreed to enter into a partnership with him, by 
 which he was to bear the expenses, whilst Watt 
 superintended the construction and working of the 
 engines. This arrangement would have answered 
 admirably, had not Dr. Roebuck's affairs become 
 suddenly so involved that he was utterly unable to 
 carry out his share of the agreement ; and Watt 
 found himself in a worse situation than before, as 
 some idea of his great improvement having got 
 abroad, other mechanics were endeavouring to fore- 
 stall his invention, and rob him both of fame and 
 profit, before he could protect himself by taking 
 out the necessary patents. In the midst of all this 
 trouble a greater affliction still befell poor Watt, 
 in the sudden death of his wife, a clever, high- 
 spirited, loving woman, admirably fitted by her 
 peculiarly hopeful character to cheer on her hus- 
 band, who was apt, when left to himself, to lose 
 heart, and be easily depressed. Her death was a 
 terrible loss to him, and one which for years he 
 sincerely mourned. In reading a memoir which has 
 been lately published of Mrs. Schimmelpenninck, I 
 found a curious anecdote relating to this sad period 
 of Watt's life. She says that he was staying with 
 an intimate friend, a Mr. Macgregor, whose little 
 
32 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 daughter Anne, being one day in the room with her 
 father, was much touched by seeing Watt's grief; 
 and hearing the sorrow he expressed for his wife's 
 death, she went softly up to him, and laying her 
 hand on his arm, she looked up in his face, her 
 eyes quite full of tears, and said very gently, " Do 
 not cry, I will be your little wife, and I will make 
 you so happy." Touched with the child's gentle 
 sympathy, Watt took her in his arms and kissed her, 
 little thinking that, when some years had passed 
 away, her words were indeed to be fulfilled, and 
 that loving child was to become his devoted wife 
 the charm and comfort of his declining days. 
 
 'Happily for Watt, just at the very time when, 
 overwhelmed with anxieties, he might have lost all 
 interest even in his favourite pursuits, he was roused 
 to fresh exertion by the offer of a very clever man, 
 a Mr. Boulton, owner of extensive iron-works near 
 Birmingham, to buy up all Dr. Roebuck's share in 
 the partnership, and then to enter into an agree- 
 ment with Watt himself, which would enable the 
 engineer to carry out his plans under the greatest 
 possible advantages. This was far too good an offer 
 to be refused, for not only was Mr. Boulton a man 
 of wealth and intelligence, but he was possessed of 
 a singularly noble nature, just fitted to appreciate a 
 character like that of Watt's. Some years before 
 this time, in 1768, Mr. Watt had paid Mr. Boulton 
 a visit at his iron-works at Soho : they had had long 
 
Watt's Partnership with Boulton. 33 
 
 conversations on the steam-engine, and Mr. Boulton 
 had been particularly struck with many of Watt's 
 observations as to the improvements he meant to 
 carry out. Watt's plans were interfered with, as 
 I have told you, by the embarrassments of Dr. 
 Roebuck ; and very possibly Boulton may have 
 thought he had relinquished his designs, and there- 
 fore he had better try and improve his own engines 
 himself. It happened that a friend of Watt's, Pro- 
 fessor Robison, paid Mr. Boulton a visit at Soho. 
 In course of conversation, Robison mentioned that 
 Watt was intending to take out a patent for such 
 and such inventions. Boulton took no notice at the 
 time, but after dinner, as he was accompanying the 
 professor round the works, he pointed to some brick- 
 work just erecting. "You have stopped that," he 
 said with a quiet smile. 
 
 '"How so?" asked Mr. Robison. 
 
 '" Because I was just going to erect an engine 
 there, not quite like what we have been talking 
 about, but still with a variety of improvements, 
 founded on those Mr. Watt mentioned in conversa- 
 tion. If he means to take out a patent, it would 
 not be fair in me to construct my engine without his 
 consent." 
 
 ' A partnership between two such men as Watt 
 and Boulton was sure to succeed, and through life 
 it was advantageous to their characters, and drew 
 out the best qualities of each. As soon as all 
 
 c 
 
34 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 arrangements could be made, Watt left Glasgow, 
 and settled at Birmingham, which town became 
 from henceforth his permanent home. He had not, 
 however, been long established in his new abode, 
 when he received a most flattering offer from the 
 Russian Government, asking him to go out and 
 superintend some engineering works which were 
 then in progress. Had this offer arrived a little 
 sooner, it is only too probable that Watt, tempted 
 by the salary of ;iooo a year, might have been in- 
 duced to accept the appointment, and England 
 would have been deprived of one of her most valu- 
 able men ; but, fortunately, Watt was much too 
 happy at Birmingham, in the midst of pursuits and 
 surrounded by society exactly to his taste, to care 
 to relinquish them for an immediate increase either 
 of fame or of fortune. He declined the tempting 
 offer, and set to work even more diligently than 
 before, to attain the one great object of his ambition 
 the perfecting of the steam-engine. 
 
 ' Having once assured himself that his principle 
 was right, and that, by the condensation of steam in 
 a separate vessel, the action of the piston within the 
 cylinder could be rapidly and regularly performed 
 with the smallest possible waste of fuel, all the rest 
 was comparatively easy. One improvement sug- 
 gested another, until at length an engine was built, 
 so perfect that it did more than perform its allotted 
 work, for it succeeded in upsetting the ignorant and 
 
Improvements in Watt's Steam-Engine. 35 
 
 vexatious opposition that Watt had hitherto met with 
 in all his undertakings. Men at length recognised 
 the wonderful power thus placed at their command, 
 and began to have some notion of the change which 
 in a short time was to be effected in all the mercan- 
 tile transactions of Great Britain. Whilst, however, 
 people are extremely delighted with an invention 
 from which they expect to derive great use or profit, 
 they are very seldom grateful to the inventor himself, 
 or anxious that he should reap the benefit of his own 
 success. No sooner was the superiority of Watt's 
 engine fully admitted, than engineers started up on 
 all sides, bringing out what they were pleased to 
 call improvements of their own, but which were in 
 reality nothing but imitations, and often bad ones, 
 of their great master. The consequence was, Watt 
 and Boulton were obliged to protect themselves by 
 taking out patents for every improvement, however 
 trifling, which they introduced into their engine 
 and as Watt's fertile genius was for ever devising 
 something new, these patents became a most serious 
 expense ; and not only this, but they involved the 
 partners in endless lawsuits, the vexation and an- 
 noyance of which were even harder to bear than the 
 actual loss of profits, until at last Watt wrote in 
 despair, " That he almost wished that he had never 
 made any inventions at all, for that nine-tenths of 
 mankind were knaves, and a large proportion of the 
 remaining one-tenth fools." However, his better 
 
36 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 nature conquered, and he added, " All will be well 
 in the end ; we must do the best we can on earth, 
 and look for rest in heaven." 
 
 ( Never having been of a strong constitution, it is 
 only wonderful that Watt was able to bear the im- 
 mense amount of work thrown upon him at this time. 
 He used sometimes to laugh, and say it was a pity 
 he could not be cut up into little bits and sent into 
 all the different parts of England, for he found there 
 was no use in sending away his engines, even with 
 the clearest directions, and under the charge of his 
 most intelligent workmen, without he himself went 
 with them to superintend their erection. The con- 
 sequence was, that to his great annoyance he found 
 himself obliged to be constantly absent from home ; 
 and amongst other places, he was kept for weeks 
 together in Cornwall, a country which he peculiarly 
 disliked, and which seemed to him the Ultima Thute 
 of civilisation. The rough manners of the Cornish 
 people jarred against his gentler nature, and he, 
 naturally enough, missed all the scientific society to 
 which he was accustomed in his own home. So 
 little did even the owners of the mines understand 
 of the true principles of science, that when Watt, 
 having erected an engine somewhere in the neigh- 
 bourhood of Truro, was very busily trying to rectify 
 the extreme noise that the engine made in working, 
 its owner came and begged him to desist, seeming 
 to imagine that if the noise lessened, the engine's 
 
Popularity of Watt's Engines. 37 
 
 power must of necessity lessen with it. No wonder 
 Watt wrote to Mr. Boulton, half amused and half 
 angry : " The velocity, violence, magnitude, and hor- 
 rible noise of the engine seem to give universal satis- 
 faction ;" and then, alluding to the strange request 
 that the gentleman had made to him, he added: 
 " As he cannot sleep without the engine seems quite 
 furious, I have left it to the engineman ;" and it 
 was allowed to thunder on, to the delight of all 
 beholders. 
 
 ' Watt, however, was not a man to let a desire for 
 personal comfort interfere with what he considered 
 to be his duty. In spite, therefore, of his dislike to 
 the Cornish work-people, whom he declared to be 
 such barbarians as even to eat the grease intended 
 for their engines, he stayed steadily on where he saw 
 his presence was needful ; and he had his reward. 
 Whilst other persons' engines were performing the 
 most extraordinary feats, "some," as he said, "stand- 
 ing still every ten minutes to snore and snort ; others 
 of such a gentlemanly turn of mind, that they would 
 go when they had nothing to do, and stand still the 
 instant they were required to work ; and others again, 
 blowing up altogether, destroying themselves and 
 everything near them," Watt's engines were every 
 day gathering fame and reputation : mines which 
 had been thought to be hopelessly flooded were 
 pumped perfectly dry, and facilities given to the 
 workmen such as had never entered into their 
 
38 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 wildest imaginations ; and in a short time there was 
 only one mine in Cornwall that was not worked by 
 Watt's engines/ 
 
 ' But, mamma/ said Ernest, 'were the engines that 
 Watt invented only meant for mines ? did he not 
 make railway engines, and things of that kind ?' 
 
 ' No/ replied Mrs. Grenville ; ' the construction of 
 the locomotive comes under quite a different branch 
 of his art ; and the working out of this fresh problem 
 was reserved for another brain, as vigorous and as 
 fertile in inventions as Watt's own : not but that 
 Watt had some notion of the great discovery on the 
 verge of which he stood. He felt convinced that all 
 that he had done was only the beginning of changes; 
 and his attention was particularly drawn to the sub- 
 ject of locomotives by a letter from his friend Mr. 
 Edgeworth, in which he said "he felt sure that in 
 time steam would take the place of post-horses, and 
 the best turnpike road would be an iron one." But 
 the time had not yet come for such a bold idea to be 
 acceptable. At this moment the thoughts of the 
 English people were intent on Napoleon and his 
 doings. They had too much to do to defend their 
 own, to be able to give their attention to the startling 
 propositions of a few scientific men ; and so Watt 
 made his little model of a locomotive, and it reposed 
 tranquilly in the workshop at Soho ; and people 
 looked at it, and little dreamed of the wonderful 
 change which in a few short years it was to effect in 
 
A Stone-Carving Machine. 39 
 
 the whole social and commercial world. It would 
 be endless to endeavour to describe to you all the 
 various machines which Watt delighted to contrive : 
 it was the great amusement of his old age. One of 
 these ingenious toys was an arithmetical machine/ 
 
 ' Oh, and would it do sums all by itself ? ' inter- 
 rupted Charles. ' Do not I wish I had got one in 
 the study ? would it not be jolly ?' 
 
 'Very pleasant, indeed, I daresay/ replied Mrs. 
 Grenville, 'but not very improving. Another of 
 these machines, and one on which he bestowed 
 much time and thought, was intended to supersede 
 the labour of chiselling. He believed he could make 
 it do its work so accurately that it would carve the 
 stone entirely by itself ; and he was charmed when 
 he and his engine turned out, between them, a really 
 beautiful bust in alabaster of Sappho. He did not 
 live long enough to perfect his invention ; but it is 
 from the model of "his Benjamin, his youngest and 
 best beloved," as he called it, that mechanics of the 
 present day have made the machines which now 
 carve wood and other substances with wonderful 
 rapidity, and almost with the precision of the hand. 
 In the enjoyment of these his favourite pursuits, 
 Watt passed all the last years of a happy and 
 peaceful old age. One deep sorrow he had in the 
 loss of his son Gregory, a young man of unusual 
 talent, who died when he was only twenty-seven ; 
 just at the moment when Watt was most rejoicing 
 
40 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 in the promise of his future celebrity and success. 
 But, happily for him, he did not sorrow as one who 
 had no hope ; he could rest in the assurance that he 
 whom he had loved so fondly and so proudly, " was 
 now rejoicing in another and a better world, free 
 from our cares, griefs, and infirmities ; and that his 
 name, his merits, and his virtues would still live 
 amongst all those who had ever known him." In 
 the same calm spirit of resignation he awaited his 
 own end. Always cheerful, entering into the amuse- 
 ments and pursuits of those around him, and with 
 affections and sympathies as warm at eighty-four 
 as in the prime of life, he charmed every one with 
 whom he came in contact. Philosophers, poets, men 
 of letters, mechanics, the idle or the busy, rich or 
 poor, all delighted in James Watt, and thought the 
 day a happy one in which he made one of their 
 party ; and when at length, on the igth of August 
 1819, he calmly and tranquilly breathed his last, his 
 death left a blank which could not easily be supplied. 
 Statues were erected to his memory, and the wisest 
 and best men of all nations mourned his loss. But 
 we may hope that they should rather have rejoiced, 
 for that he is now in possession of such happiness, 
 that he would not relinquish its smallest particle for 
 the possession even of an earthly fame which will 
 endure whilst the world lasts/ 
 
 'And he was once a poor little, delicate, weak 
 boy/ said Arthur thoughtfully. 
 
Youthful Hopes and Fears. 41 
 
 'Yes, my love/ replied his mother, knowing well 
 what was passing through his mind ; * God chooses 
 the feeble as well as the vigorous to work in His 
 vineyard. His temple is made of many stones ; 
 there is room for all/ 
 
 * Never fear, Arthur/ said Charles ; ' we shall see 
 you a second James Watt one of these days/ 
 
 ' I am afraid not/ replied Arthur with a half sigh ; 
 * and besides, by the time that I am grown up, there 
 will be nothing left to invent/ 
 
 * I do not think that you need disturb yourself 
 about that/ said his father. 'The more that is known 
 on all scientific subjects, the wider still, the field opens 
 for fresh experiments. Of many of the wonderful 
 agencies which God in His wisdom has given to 
 nature for the good of man, we at present, com- 
 paratively speaking, know but little ; and it has 
 often seemed to me one of the most striking proofs 
 of the omniscient presence of the Creator, that men 
 are so gradually permitted glimpses of that know- 
 ledge which can only be perfected in the presence of 
 God/ 
 
 'And there is another point which seems to me 
 equally remarkable/ added Mrs. Grenville, ' that 
 every fresh discovery just comes to meet the rising 
 want. It is when men have multiplied upon the 
 earth, when their necessities have so greatly in- 
 creased that it seems impossible to say how they 
 are to be met, then come new powers to light, 
 
42 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 supplying all deficiencies, and opening out fresh 
 means of support to all. However, to enter into a 
 discussion on the power, the wisdom, the overruling 
 providence of God, would, I am afraid, take us into 
 subjects too deep even for our earnest little philo- 
 sopher/ added Mrs. Grenville, as her eyes caught 
 the expression of Arthur's, which were fixed upon 
 her with a calm, thoughtful look. 'You will find 
 life all too short to understand these subjects, and 
 eternity scarce long enough to grasp their full 
 meaning/ 
 
 'But I like to think about them, mamma/ said 
 Arthur. 
 
 ' And I like that you should do so/ replied Mrs. 
 Grenville, ' but not to perplex and over-excite your 
 brain. You must run away now, and have a good 
 game of play with Charles and Ernest : that will be 
 infinitely better for you than pondering over the 
 wonderful discoveries with which you mean to elec- 
 trify the world/ 
 
 ' Mamma, you are laughing at me.' 
 
 ' No, indeed I am not ; but I want you to have a 
 good run before the sun sets ; and besides, I am 
 going out immediately with papa.' 
 
 ' Papa, you have not forgotten your promise, have 
 you ?' asked Arthur, as he came into the dining- 
 room after dinner, on the evening of the same 
 day. 
 
 ' No, that papa has not/ exclaimed Ernest ; ' look 
 
Mr. Grenville explains the Steam-Engine. 43 
 
 at those great books on the sideboard. I know 
 what they are : they are all those plans of the en- 
 gines Mr. Elliott sent papa/ 
 
 ' You may bring them here, Ernest/ 
 
 Ernest was not long in obeying ; and Mr. Gren- 
 ville showed the children the different plates, de- 
 scribing the various parts of the steam-engine, and 
 explaining the gradual improvements made from the 
 time of Solomon de Caus, until the last great dis- 
 covery of the condenser by Watt. 
 
 ' It is all very well/ said Charles, ' to look at these 
 prints, and I have looked at them as attentively as 
 possible, but I cannot make much out of them. If 
 I could see one real live engine at work, it would be 
 worth a thousand drawings.' 
 
 ' Mamma, what are you laughing at ? ' asked Er- 
 nest, looking up in his mother's face. 
 
 ' I I was not laughing at all.' 
 
 ' Not out loud ; but your eyes were laughing, just 
 as they always do when you know of some pleasant 
 surprise/ 
 
 'Ah, mamma's eyes are sad tell-tales,' said Mr. 
 Grenville ; ' so, as she has betrayed half my secret, I 
 may as well let you know the remainder: that I have 
 been so pleased with the report Mr. Harvey makes 
 of your conduct since I have been away, that, as a 
 reward, I have written to-day to Mr. Elliott, to ask 
 whether I may take you all to pay a visit to his 
 copper-mines, and there you will be able to judge 
 
44 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 for yourselves of these wonderful engines of which 
 mamma has been telling you/ 
 
 * Oh uncle ! ' ' Oh papa, how charming ! ' ' Oh, 
 that will be fun ! ' exclaimed the children in differ- 
 ent tones ; and Arthur added, ' But mamma is going 
 too, I hope ? ' 
 
 ' Certainly, our party would be very incomplete 
 without mamma/ 
 
 ' And how are we to go, uncle ? ' said Charles. 
 ' Why, Mr. Elliott's mines are right at the other end 
 of Cornwall, are they not ? We shall be ever such 
 a time on the road/ 
 
 ' We must go by train as far as we can, and then 
 post the rest of the way/ 
 
 ' Oh, what glorious fun ! I do like posting so ! ' 
 exclaimed Charles. 'And I shall go on the box 
 with Kempton ; that is the best place/ 
 
 ' Others may think so besides yourself, Charles/ 
 said his aunt rather gravely. 
 
 Charles blushed. ' Well, part of the way, Aunt 
 Helen/ 
 
 ' That is quite a different thing ; we will see about 
 that when the time comes : at present we have not 
 even got Mr. Elliott's answer/ 
 
 ' Oh, it is sure to be all right. Do not you think 
 so, mamma ? Mr. Elliott almost always does just 
 what papa likes/ 
 
 ' I have not very much fear, certainly, about his 
 answer ; only it is just possible Mr. Elliott may not 
 
Excitement of the Children. 45 
 
 be at home, in which case we might be obliged to 
 delay our visit ; so I advise you not to count upon 
 it until we are quite certain/ 
 
 It was easy to give this advice, but it was difficult 
 to follow it. The children could think and talk of 
 nothing else ; and so endless were their inquiries as 
 to where they were to go and what they were to see, 
 that at last Mr. Grenville's patience was fairly ex- 
 hausted, and Mrs. Grenville was obliged to carry 
 them off with her to the drawing-room. ' Ah, papa/ 
 she said as she passed him, ' I warned you of this, 
 and you would not believe me : see what comes of 
 not being able to keep your own counsel/ 
 
 ' And this to me ! ' returned Mr. Grenville ; ' you 
 who actually betrayed my secret/ 
 
 ' Did I ? Well, I will make you the only repara- 
 tion I can, by leaving you to peace and quietness, 
 your wine and walnuts ; ' and closing the dining- 
 room door, Mrs. Grenville followed the children into 
 the drawing-room. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 The spinning-jenny Hargraves Arkwright. 
 
 was Tuesday : on Thursday an answer 
 might be received from Mr. Elliott. Oh 
 how anxiously the children looked for the 
 arrival of the post-bag ! There it lay on 
 the breakfast-table, looking so fat and comfortable. 
 Was the much-wished-for letter among its contents ? 
 Alas ! no. The bag was gradually emptied, but no 
 Cornwall post-mark was to be seen ; and although 
 Charles made a secret search, hoping that the letter 
 might be hiding itself in some out-of-the-way corner, 
 it was all of no use: clearly Mr. Elliott had not 
 written. The children tried not to express their 
 disappointment, at least whilst Mr. Grenville was in 
 the room ; but they imparted their hopes and fears 
 to Mrs. Grenville, as soon as they found themselves 
 alone with her. Mrs. Grenville, however, could only 
 bid them have patience. Mr. Elliott was sure to 
 write as soon as he was at liberty : in the meantime 
 they must amuse themselves with other pursuits, 
 
48 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 and not tease their papa. To do the children jus- 
 tice, they tried hard to be patient ; and even when 
 Saturday morning came, and still no letter, they 
 only looked forward to Monday, and hoped cheer- 
 fully on. They met with their reward : on Monday 
 arrived the anxiously desired despatch. Mr. Elliott 
 had been in London, and had only just found Mr. 
 Grenville's letter on his return home. ' He did not 
 lose a post in saying how delighted he should be to 
 do the honours of his mine to as large a party as 
 Mr. Grenville liked to bring. He was only sorry 
 his house was not large enough to accommodate all 
 the party. He could take in Mr. and Mrs. Gren- 
 ville ; and the children, he had no doubt, would do 
 very well at a hotel close by. He had no engage- 
 ments ; they might come as soon as they liked/ 
 Nothing could be more charming ; and the children's 
 delight reached its climax when Mr. Grenville said 
 they should go that day, by an afternoon train, to 
 Plymouth ; sleep at one of the hotels there, and be 
 ready for an early start the next morning. There 
 was something so very delightful in the idea of a 
 late dinner at the hotel with papa and mamma a 
 pleasure they had never had before ; ' why, it would 
 be almost as good fun as seeing the engine/ There 
 are some things, however, pleasanter in the antici- 
 pation than in the reality, and a late dinner is one 
 of them. In spite of the children's constant asser- 
 tions, ' They were not one bit sleepy/ it soon became 
 
The Journey to Cornwall. 49 
 
 evident that the excitement, the journey, and the 
 dinner were too much for their powers of endurance ; 
 they could not keep their eyes open, and so Mrs. 
 Grenville sent them off early to bed, that a good 
 long night's rest might set them up for the fatigues 
 and pleasures of the coming day. Very early the 
 children were astir, to see what sort of a morning it 
 was. Nothing could be more beautiful, just enough 
 of summer left to make it warm and bright, and yet 
 with that clear crispness in the air which makes the 
 early autumn so fresh and invigorating. At present 
 there was a slight mist hanging over the distant 
 view. But that was all right ; it would clear off and 
 be all the more beautiful day, at least that was 
 Kempton's opinion, as, punctual to a moment, he 
 brought the carriage round to the hotel door ; and in 
 a few minutes after, the little party drove cheerily 
 off, Ernest and Charles on the box with Kempton, 
 Mary and Arthur inside the carriage with Mr. and 
 Mrs. Grenville. At first the children's exuberant 
 spirits broke out into all sorts of fun and nonsense, 
 then sobered down into occasional exclamations of 
 astonishment or delight as the carriage passed any- 
 thing unusually novel or beautiful ; and at length, by 
 the time half their journey was accomplished, they 
 had come to the conclusion, ' Mamma was right, after 
 all ; travelling was rather tiring, even in an easy 
 carriage and with four good posters/ A substantial 
 dinner in the middle of the day helped to restore 
 
 D 
 
50 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 their energies ; but still all the party were glad to 
 find themselves, before night, in the comfortable 
 rooms Mr. Elliott had engaged for them at Redruth, 
 a warm, cosy fire in the grate, and a delicious-look- 
 ing tea spread out upon the table, with a profusion 
 of Cornish delicacies. A good night's rest worked 
 wonders as a restorative ; and in the highest possible 
 spirits, the children started, in company with Mr. 
 Elliott and their parents, to pay their eagerly antici- 
 pated visit to the mine. Greatly, however, as their 
 expectations had been raised, they found the reality 
 even more wonderful than they had expected, and 
 thought they never should be tired of all the mar- 
 vels of the strange new world in the midst of which 
 they suddenly found themselves, such crowds of 
 people, men and women, boys and girls, all so 
 actively employed ; no one interfering with the 
 other, and all doing their allotted portion of the one 
 great work. And then those marvellous machines : 
 here great wheels solemnly and slowly revolving, as 
 if fully impressed with a dignified sense of their own 
 importance ; there great skeleton-looking platforms, 
 half ashamed of their nakedness, and of the perpetual 
 groanings of the iron chains, which clanked for ever 
 over the pulleys as they bore up and down their 
 appointed loads ; and then the underground puffings, 
 and pantings, and roarings : why, what was going 
 on beneath their feet must be even more wonderful 
 than that at which they were now looking. 
 
The Copper-Mine. 5 1 
 
 ' You must go down presently and judge for your- 
 selves/ said Mr. Elliott. 
 
 ' Oh mamma, I may go, may I not ?' said Arthur, 
 as he looked up entreatingly into his mother's face. 
 
 ' No, my love, not you ; you must stay with Mary 
 and me/ 
 
 ' I do not think it would tire him/ said Mr. Elliott ; 
 ' we can get down so much more easily now than we 
 did when you were last here/ 
 
 ' Can you ? How ?' 
 
 ' Then, if you remember, we went down by ladders 
 to a platform, and then through a trap door to an- 
 other ladder/ 
 
 'Oh yes, I remember/ replied Mrs. Grenville; 'and 
 my terror, likewise, at seeing Henry disappear.* 
 
 ' Well, but now we have got a new plan, and an 
 admirable one it is. It was originated by a remark- 
 ably clever German miner, who at one time, when 
 the pumps were not working in the mine where he 
 was employed, hit upon the very ingenious idea of 
 making the pump rods employ their spare time in 
 facilitating the ascent and descent of the miners. 
 He so arranged it, that at certain intervals there 
 should be steps and firm hand-holds ; the rods were 
 set in motion from above ; whilst one descended the 
 other ascended, and the miner was carried to a 
 higher or lower elevation, simply by shifting him- 
 self from one bracket to the other. But come here, 
 I will show you the machine at work. You will 
 
5 2 The Triumphs of Steam, 
 
 understand the principle of the thing in a moment 
 if you see it, and you will judge what a wonderful 
 saving of fatigue it is to the miners. It has been 
 very much improved, however, since the German 
 first conceived the idea. Now we have fixed plat- 
 forms at intervals of twelve feet, and in many re- 
 spects the machinery has been simplified and per- 
 fected ; but still the credit of the discovery is due to 
 the poor miner. Here here we are at the mouth of 
 the shaft ; now you can see for yourselves how it acts/ 
 
 ' Oh uncle, how funny ! do look/ exclaimed 
 Charles. 'Did you ever see anything so comical 
 as this stream of men going up and down ? I de- 
 clare it quite dazzles me to look at them. Look, 
 look ! as fast as one gets off the platform, another 
 gets on. How fast they come ! Oh, I shall like 
 going down there ; will not you, uncle ?' 
 
 ' I shall be very glad to take you down, as you 
 wish so much to go/ replied his uncle ; ' but, as a 
 matter of taste, I must confess I like the pure air 
 better than the interior of a mine/ 
 
 ' And may I go, mamma, now you see it is not so 
 difficult as it used to be ? ' asked Arthur. 
 
 But Mrs. Grenville still refused. Arthur was so 
 delicate, that she did not wish him to run the risk of 
 the damps and chills he must of necessity meet with 
 in the mine. And Arthur, when he saw his mother 
 really disliked that he should go, gave up his plea- 
 sure so readily, and stayed so contentedly by her 
 
A Clever Dog. 53 
 
 side, that Mr. Elliott was more than ever charmed 
 with the quiet little intelligent fellow, and invited 
 him to spend the evening at his house, when he 
 promised to show him the model of the interior of 
 the mine, with little figures at work just as they 
 would be at that very moment in reality ; ' and you 
 will get a very good notion of it, my boy/ he added. 
 
 ' Yes, and without the damp and dirt and fatigue,' 
 added his father. ' You are a lucky fellow, Arthur.' 
 
 ' And you are a very lazy one !' added Mr. Elliott 
 laughingly, as he prepared to follow his friend and 
 the boys into the mine. 
 
 For some little while Mrs. Grenville stayed with 
 Arthur, watching the ascent and descent of the 
 miners ; then, fearful that a heavy cloud which had 
 gathered overhead might suddenly discharge itself 
 in a down-pour of rain, she called him away, and 
 hastened on towards some cottages, where she felt 
 she could take refuge if necessary. 
 
 ' Oh mamma ! ' exclaimed Arthur, ' look at that 
 funny dog. Do look ; what is he doing ?' 
 
 Mrs. Grenville turned in the direction indicated. 
 There, in the middle of a group of bright, pretty 
 children, was a grave Skye terrier, looking irre- 
 sistibly ludicrous, as, perched upon his hind legs, his 
 front paws hidden by the masses of hair which fell 
 over his head, shutting out all appearance of eyes, 
 he moved backwards and forwards at the word of 
 command, like some strangely animated ball of silk. 
 
54 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 Seeing that their little favourite had attracted the 
 notice of the strangers, the children put him through 
 all his tricks ; and Arthur was so infinitely diverted in 
 watching the exhibition, that the threatening shower 
 was forgotten, and it was not until some large drops 
 fell that Mrs. Grenville suddenly remembered they 
 were still some way from shelter. 
 
 ' Come, Arthur, come quickly, my love ; we must 
 make haste, and get under cover.' 
 
 ' Please will you come to our cottage ?' said one of 
 the children, looking up; 'it is quite close. Here, 
 Shag, Shag, run on as fast as you can, and tell 
 mother a lady is a-coming ; run on, Shaggy, I will 
 catch you ;' and as if he understood his message, on 
 scampered the mass of hair, barking out his cheerful 
 welcome, whilst his little mistress ran merrily after, 
 to see that all was ready for her guests. 
 
 ' Come in, ma'am, come in, you're kindly welcome/ 
 said a clean, decent-looking woman, as she held open 
 the garden gate ; 'you be only just in time, it is like 
 to be a heavy rain/ 
 
 ' It is indeed !' said Mrs. Grenville, as in a moment 
 after the rain swept in a perfect hurricane across the 
 upper moorland, and shut out even the great tall 
 engine chimneys from their view. ' We have to thank 
 you very much for giving us shelter. My children 
 were so amused watching your funny little dog, that 
 we forgot all about the rain/ 
 
 ' Ah, Shaggy, he is a great pet ; he belonged to 
 
Trust in God. 5 5 
 
 my poor boy ; and now he is gone, we let the dog 
 have pretty much his own way. Father says we 
 make a fool of him, but I do not know; Shag seems 
 to understand most things we say. I often think he 
 has more sense than many a Christian.' 
 
 ' Has your son been long dead ?' inquired Mrs. 
 Grenville kindly. 
 
 ' Oh, bless you, ma'am, he is not dead, he is away 
 over the seas getting his fortune. It is what he was 
 always a-hankering after, so I ought not need to 
 fret ; but somehow he seems lost to me in they 
 Amerikay mines, just as much as if he was in his 
 grave. It is well father does not hear me say so, he 
 would be blaming of me for my want of faith and 
 gratitude ; and right enough too, for it was all along 
 of God's mercy and goodness that Will went away/ 
 
 ' How was it, may I ask ?' inquired Mrs. Grenville, 
 amused by the woman's natural manner. 
 
 'Ah, sure you be strangers and do not know, but 
 it is a story as has been well talked on in all these 
 parts. You see, ma'am, my Will was an uncommon 
 steady young man. Although I say it, there were not 
 many like him in the mine, regular at his meeting, 
 always fond of his Bible, and never known to take a 
 drop too much. Many a one joked him and called 
 him saint, but Will did not mind ; he used to take it 
 all good-humouredly, and say " he was sure the saints 
 would have the best of it in another world, and he did 
 not know but that they might have the best of it in 
 
56 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 the long run here below." Well, one day, it may be a 
 matter of seven years ago, Will and one of his com- 
 panions a sad unsteady chap were hard at work 
 in one of the mines preparing for a blast ; and you 
 see, ma'am, it is sharpish work. As soon as the blast 
 is ready, one goes up in the basket and sends it down 
 again for his companion, who sets fire to the train, 
 and then hoists up for dear life. Well, it so hap- 
 pened on this particular day Will's companion had 
 charge of the match, and he thought it was not quite 
 the right length, like, and so he must needs be alter- 
 ing it. In cutting it short he struck a light ; in a few 
 moments the blast must follow. There was the basket, 
 sure enough ; it would only save one, the other must 
 stay behind and die. " In, Jem, quick," said Will, 
 " go you up and repent ; before you are at the top, I 
 shall be in heaven." Up went the basket, and before 
 Jem could get to the top he was cut by some of the 
 stones, thrown upward by the blast. Frightened 
 a'most out of his senses, he tells the tale, and then 
 they go down again to pick up my poor Will's 
 mangled remains. Not a bit of it : God was in the 
 blast, though they did not know it, and He saw 
 where His servant was, and the scorching fire went 
 by him, and, like those three Jews the Bible tells 
 about, he came out, and the smell of the fire had not 
 so much as passed upon him.' * 
 
 1 The idea of this story was given by an anecdote related by 
 Carlyle in his Life of Stirling. 
 
Will Bolt on goes to America. 5 7 
 
 ' Oh how glad I am ! ' exclaimed Arthur, who had 
 been eagerly listening to the story. ' I am so glad 
 God took care of him.' 
 
 'Ah, indeed ! It would have been a sad day for 
 us had he died. And then, you see, this story got 
 wind, and people came from a great distance to see 
 Will, and Will said he thought he was in greater danger 
 out of the mine than in it. He said he thought there 
 was more harm in the breath of praise than in the 
 blast of fire, and he found it mighty hard, he said, 
 to keep his footing and not be puffed up. And then 
 there was Mr. Elliott, and our minister, and one or 
 two others, and they talked of making him a reward ; 
 and Will said he did not want a reward. Was he not 
 rewarded already ? God had given him his own life, 
 and his companion's likewise. But when he saw as 
 how they were bent on doing something, then he 
 upped and let out the secret of his heart, he wanted 
 schooling, he wanted to be an engineer ; and so all 
 his friends clubbed together, and they sent him some- 
 where where he got a deal of learning ; and then he 
 heard of employment out beyond the seas, in Ame- 
 rikay. You know where that is, I daresay, better 
 nor I do ; and he is gone out, and right glad I shall 
 be when he comes back again/ 
 
 ' Oh, I wish I had got my ball here, mamma!' ex- 
 claimed Mary ; ' then I could show her America, and 
 tell her just where her son is.' 
 
 ' They did show me a map, I think they called it, 
 
58 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 but I could not make much out of it : one piece of 
 paper is just the same to me as another/ 
 
 ' Oh, but you would understand mine/ said Mary, 
 'because mine is round, just like the world, the 
 world, you know, is only a great big ball ; and Arthur 
 drew all the lines, and they are all right : I know 
 you would understand it if I were to show it to you. 
 What a pity I did not bring it with me ! But I could 
 send it, mamma ; could I not ?' 
 
 ' Bless you, dear/ said the woman kindly, 'but it 
 would not be of much use to the likes of me. Please 
 God I shall live to see Will again, and then I shall 
 not much mind where he has been to meanwhile/ 
 
 Mrs. Bolton's thirst for knowledge was certainly 
 not as ardent as her son's had been. Her thoughts 
 were more intent upon present hospitalities ; and 
 seeing that the rain was steadily falling, she insisted 
 on her guests staying to take tea ; and whilst Arthur 
 and Mary had a game of play with Shaggy, she 
 and her grand-daughter Jane spread the table, and 
 covered the clean white cloth with all the delicacies 
 their larder contained. 'She was sure/ she said, 'a 
 few potted pilchards, and some bread and cheese, 
 and a good draught of cream would do the young 
 gentleman good, he looked but weakling, and he 
 was heartily welcome to everything that they had ; 
 and if that was not enough, she knew where she 
 could get more/ But when Mrs. Bolton finished 
 her hospitable preparations by taking from the cup- 
 
Mrs. Grenville s Sketch of '' Shaggy.' 59 
 
 board a loaf about the size of a moderate pillow, 
 Arthur could not help laughing as he said, ' He 
 thought there was quite enough there to satisfy him 
 for a month at least/ 
 
 * A month ! You should see how my boys eat. 
 It is not long these loaves last them/ 
 
 Not to vex Mrs. Bolton, Mrs. Grenville just tasted 
 some of the nice things offered to her, and then pro- 
 posed, whilst the children were finishing their meal, 
 to make a little sketch of Shaggy sitting up begging, 
 as they had first seen him. This proposal gave uni- 
 versal satisfaction. Mrs. Grenville drew remarkably 
 well, and in a very short time she had made such a 
 bold spirited sketch as might have met with the 
 approval of even a Sir Edwin Landseer. In the 
 cottage it was hailed as a perfect masterpiece of art 
 At first its progress had been watched in solemn 
 silence ; then, as the finishing touches came in, ' Dear, 
 oh dear, to think of anything so wonderful ! Why, 
 it is just the very pictur of the dog. Why, there 
 is his shaggy hair, and no eyes, and just his nose, 
 and they are his very paws. Well, to be sure ! I 
 never!' 
 
 The rain had ceased, and the men had come in 
 from their work ; and before Mrs. Grenville had 
 finished her sketch she was surrounded by an ad- 
 miring crowd ; one and all declaring, ' That, to be 
 sure, it did be the very pictur of the dog/ 
 
 ' Well, to be sure ! But I do thank you/ said Mrs, 
 
60 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 Bolton, gazing almost with reverence at the picture. 
 ' Look, father. How often you have been cross with 
 me because I said whatever should I do if Shag 
 died before Will came back. Now, even if poor 
 Shag were to die, you could hardly tell his pictur 
 from hisself. La ! father, would not Will be right 
 pleased ?' 
 
 But the sun was now again shining brightly, and 
 Mrs. Grenville was anxious to take advantage of the 
 fine weather to go home. Resisting, therefore, the 
 kind importunities of her host and hostess, ' that she 
 would rest a bit longer amongst them/ she thanked 
 them for all their hospitality, and shaking hands 
 warmly with them, left the cottage, followed by their 
 best wishes and earnest entreaties that she would 
 never come to Redruth without paying a visit to 
 the miner's home. They had not long left the cot- 
 tage when they were joined by Mr. Grenville and 
 the boys, full of all the wonders they had seen in 
 the mine. But pleasant as it had been, they were 
 rather tired and very dirty, and were glad to return 
 to the hotel, to rest and refresh themselves before 
 going to Mr. Elliott's, where they were to spend the 
 evening of this very eventful day. 
 
 ' Mamma/ said Ernest, as, a few days after their 
 return from their pleasant expedition to Cornwall, 
 the children were sitting with their mother, 'who 
 did Mr. Elliott say had invented the cotton ma- 
 chines ? That man, I mean, whom he was telling 
 
Birth of A rkwright. 6 1 
 
 Arthur about, and who, he said, lived about the 
 same time as Watt ?' 
 
 ' Arkwright.' 
 
 ' Oh yes, that is the name. Was he as remarkable 
 a man, mamma?' 
 
 * He was very clever and ingenious, but perhaps 
 not equal to Watt in power of mind.' 
 
 'When did he live, mamma?' asked Arthur. 'Can- 
 not you tell us something about him ?' 
 
 'He was born in 1732,' replied Mrs. Grenville. 
 ' His parents were very poor people, and he was the 
 youngest of thirteen children. But, as is often the 
 case with those who are possessed of real genius, the 
 very hardships he had to go through had only the 
 effect of quickening his intellectual powers. As a 
 boy, however, no one seems to have had an idea of 
 the celebrity to which he would afterwards attain. 
 He was apprenticed to a barber, and began life 
 by shaving and cutting the hair of the good people 
 of Bolton. Wearying, however, of this somewhat 
 monotonous trade, he changed his profession for 
 that of an itinerant hair-dealer. His business was 
 to travel about the country, and visit the different 
 towns, buying up all the fine heads of hair, and then 
 dressing and preparing them for the use of the 
 wig-makers ; for in those days, when every one wore 
 wigs, it was a much more lucrative profession than 
 it is now, when we have grown so matter-of-fact as 
 to suppose that the head of hair nature has given 
 
62 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 us, may possibly be quite as becoming as the one 
 intended for our neighbour. In the course of these 
 journeys, Arkwright was in the habit of passing 
 through all the manufacturing districts in the north 
 of England : busy places then, though very different 
 to what they have since become, thanks to his in- 
 ventive genius. 
 
 'Up to about 1760, it had been the habit of the 
 weavers to spin their various cloths in their own 
 cottages, and then take them for sale to the towns 
 in their vicinage. About this time, however, the 
 merchants at Manchester seem to have come to the 
 conclusion that it would be far more profitable for 
 all parties if they were to supply the weavers with a 
 certain quantity of the raw material, and pay them 
 regular wages for making it into calicoes ; not such 
 calicoes, however, as we use now, they were not 
 known then : a far more costly material was used, 
 threads of cotton and linen being interwoven ; there 
 being then no method known by which a thread of 
 cotton could be prepared sufficiently strong to act as 
 the warp. I do not know whether you are aware that 
 all materials that are woven are made of threads 
 which cross each other. Look at my pocket-hand- 
 kerchief/ continued Mrs. Grenville ; ' or stay here is 
 some coarse calico. You will see what I mean more 
 plainly in that : one set of threads goes one way, 
 and the other the opposite. These long threads are 
 called warp, and the shorter threads which cross 
 
The Spinning- Jenny. 63 
 
 latitudinally are called weft. The warp used to be 
 made of strong linen yarn, the weft of cotton ; and 
 with this cotton the manufacturers used to supply 
 the weavers, and they had to card and prepare it 
 in their own homes. At first this plan seemed very 
 desirable, as the preparing the cotton gave regular 
 employment to the wives and daughters of the 
 weavers ; but soon the demand for calico increased 
 so fast that, work as hard as they would, the women 
 could not supply the wants of the weavers ; and 
 often an unfortunate man had to leave his home, 
 and walk sometimes for three or four miles, inquiring 
 at every cottage as he went, before he could procure 
 weft enough even to last him for the remainder of 
 his day's work. This state of things could not con- 
 tinue. It was evident a method must be invented by 
 which the weft might be more quickly supplied ; or 
 it was clear, either that some other material must be 
 found to supply the place of calico, or that its manu- 
 facture would pass into abler and more ingenious 
 hands. Necessity may be the mother of invention, 
 but at this time James Hargraves was certainly its 
 father. Without having had any of the advantages 
 of education, this very ingenious mechanic directed 
 his attention to the best method of supplying 
 quickly the daily increasing demand for the spun 
 cotton; and at length, in 1767, he invented a machine 
 which he called the spinning-jenny, in which eight 
 spindles were made to revolve at the same time, by 
 
64 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 means of bands from a horizontal wheel ; and thus, 
 of course, the spinner was able to make eight 
 threads in exactly the same time that he had 
 hitherto made one. No sooner, however, was it 
 seen what a saving of time and labour these ma- 
 chines would effect, than an outcry was raised 
 through the whole neighbourhood : 
 
 ' " The trade was in danger. The bread of the 
 honest poor was being taken out of their mouths. 
 Down with the machines ! Down with the traitor 
 who had invented them, and wronged better men 
 than himself!" 
 
 'Urged on by such speeches as these, and by 
 false representations of the ruin in which these new 
 machines were to involve themselves and their fami- 
 lies, the ignorant weavers rose in a body, and, led 
 by the most turbulent spirits in the neighbourhood, 
 they marched straight to Hargraves' house, destroy- 
 ing his property and breaking his machines to pieces ; 
 and not content with having wreaked their ven- 
 geance on the author of their fancied wrongs, they 
 made their way into the cottages where they knew 
 the spinning-jennies were at work, and wantonly 
 broke them all to pieces. They might ruin Har- 
 graves, they might force him to leave the county 
 and take refuge at Nottingham, but they could not 
 stop the success of his invention ; all that their 
 ignorant anger could effect was to turn the rising 
 tide of prosperity from themselves, and make it flow 
 
Education of the People. 65 
 
 into another channel. Greatly surprised would those 
 men have been, if they could have been told, on the 
 day when they broke the spinning-jennies to pieces, 
 and fancied they had destroyed their worst enemies, 
 that the time was not so very distant when that very 
 machine, restored and improved, would do, not the 
 work of eight spindles, but that of one hundred and 
 twenty ; and that instead of robbing one poor man 
 of his bread, it would be the means of giving em- 
 ployment to hundreds of others, who, without it, 
 might never have had any work at all. However, 
 you cannot hope that the poor and the uneducated 
 will take the enlightened views of the statesman or 
 the scholar. They feel the present inconvenience, 
 and can hardly be expected to wait patiently for 
 the future good. Much has been done since the 
 days of Hargraves to improve the moral and intel- 
 lectual condition of our people ; and though much 
 still remains to do, yet I think quite enough has 
 been effected to give us ample encouragement to 
 persevere in our task ; and it is one in which we all 
 may help/ 
 
 'All, Aunt Helen! 1 exclaimed Charles; 'what 
 can mere boys like we are do ?' 
 
 ' Educate yourselves/ 
 
 ' But, aunt, what has that got to do with teaching 
 the poor?' 
 
 ' Everything. Have you never felt the effects of 
 indirect influence ? Have you not known that your 
 
 E 
 
66 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 own thoughts were purer, and your own aspirations 
 higher, when you were amongst those whose judg- 
 ment you respected, and to whose high moral cha- 
 racter you could at all times look up ?' 
 
 'Yes, aunt, certainly,' replied Charles, slightly 
 hesitating. 
 
 ' Well, my dear boy, the same influence which you 
 now feel others have exercised over yourself, you in 
 your turn may exercise over others. Your very posi- 
 tion as a gentleman by birth and fortune gives you 
 great responsibilities. You did not come into the 
 world to hunt, and shoot, and smoke cigars, and 
 dress well, and waltz elegantly: these amusements 
 may be all very well by the way, but God gave you 
 a work to do, and He will require an account of 
 you of how you have done it. You came into the 
 world to win your way to heaven, and in doing so, 
 to influence for good all those who come within your 
 daily sphere of action. Now, more or less, the rich 
 influence all the poorer classes. Of course there are 
 exceptions, but, as a general rule, those below look 
 up to those whose rank and station are higher than 
 their own, and allow themselves to be guided by 
 those whose conduct and intelligence they feel that 
 they can respect ; whilst, on the contrary, if they see 
 that the gentleman is only idling away existence, 
 they soon learn to despise him ; and from this con- 
 tempt results subsequent riot and sedition. But 
 then, in order to rule others, you must first learn to 
 
Har graves goes to Nottingham. 67 
 
 rule yourself ; and it is in childhood that the foun- 
 dation of your future character is laid. Whilst you 
 are mastering a difficult lesson, or working out an 
 intricate problem, you are in reality acquiring habits 
 of patience and perseverance. In these days of over- 
 work and over-stimulus, it is actually necessary that 
 those who would influence for good the masses of 
 the people, should be themselves possessed not only 
 of great intelligence, but of accurate information. 
 This can only be acquired by patient and laborious 
 study ; and he who shirks work as a boy, will very 
 rarely have much influence over others when he is a 
 man. However, we must return to Hargraves, whom 
 we left with his house broken into, and his machines 
 destroyed. 
 
 ' Seeing clearly that it would be quite useless to 
 endeavour to combat the spirit of opposition with 
 which the weavers of Lancashire set themselves 
 against the introduction of the spinning -jennies, 
 Hargraves took the resolution of leaving his own 
 county and going to Nottingham, hoping in that 
 manufacturing town to find some one who would be 
 induced to advance the money which was required 
 to bring the spinning-jennies into general notice; for 
 he never for a moment doubted that if they had but 
 a fair trial, their success was certain. It would have 
 been well if he had been equally certain of reaping 
 the reward of his own ingenuity. But no sooner 
 did the manufacturers understand the immense gains 
 
68 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 they might derive from the use of the spinning- 
 jennies, than, in spite of a patent which Hargraves 
 had taken out in the hopes of protecting himself, a 
 number of unprincipled men, trusting to his being 
 too poor to defend himself, openly infringed upon 
 his right Hargraves brought the matter before the 
 courts ; but his opponents were numerous and rich, 
 he was poor and unbefriended. Without money, 
 and broken in spirit, he was obliged to retire from 
 the unequal contest His unprincipled adversaries 
 reaped the benefit of his talents, whilst he himself 
 ended his days in the workhouse at Nottingham ; 
 and that this should have been his fate, seems to 
 me to be a lasting disgrace to the age and society 
 in which such a wrong was committed.' 
 
 'And Arkwright, was he more prosperous ?' asked 
 Ernest. 
 
 'Yes/ replied Mrs. Grenville, 'the conclusion of 
 his life was a very different one. But I really have 
 not time to talk to you any more to-day. I had no 
 idea it was so late ; and hark ! there is the door bell. 
 Your aunt, Arthur, was to call for me, and I have not 
 begun even to get ready. Run into the hall, Ernest, 
 and if it is your aunt, tell her I will be with her in a 
 very few minutes;' and bidding the children good- 
 bye, Mrs. Grenville went up -stairs to put on her 
 bonnet 
 
CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Arkwright at Nottingham Establishes the works at Cromford ; their 
 success George Stephenson Anecdotes of his youth. 
 
 5AMMA/ said Arthur, ' I have been think- 
 ing so of poor Hargraves and his spinning- 
 jennies. It seems so sad to hear of his 
 dying in the workhouse, whilst other men 
 were growing rich by his inventions. Did Arkwright 
 know about it, mamma ?' 
 
 'About his poverty, or about the spinning-jenny, 
 do you mean ? ' 
 
 ' Why, I meant about the spinning-jenny at the 
 moment ?' 
 
 ' Most probably, I should think,' replied Mrs. Gren- 
 ville, 'for Hargraves must have been busily at work 
 in the construction of the machine at the time when 
 Arkwright was travelling over all those northern 
 districts. I daresay, however, they did not come 
 much in contact, as Arkwright's employment must 
 have taken him amongst rather a higher class of 
 employers. Be this, however, as it may, there seems 
 
70 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 no doubt that the same idea occurred to the two men 
 nearly at the same period. Both saw that if the 
 cotton manufacture was to be carried on successfully 
 in England, some means must be at once discovered 
 by which the cotton could be rapidly prepared. 
 Both men set busily to 'work to find the remedy, 
 but Arkwright went further than Hargraves in his 
 ideas of improvement. Hargraves seems to have 
 thought only of a rapid means of preparing the 
 weft ; but Arkwright saw clearly that if any method 
 could be found by which cotton could be spun into 
 threads strong enough to act as warp, the use of the 
 linen yarn would be immediately superseded, and 
 calicoes might be made at a very reduced price. 
 Long and anxiously he thought over the means of 
 effecting his purpose, until at length, when he was 
 one day watching some workmen who were busy in 
 elongating a red-hot bar of iron by means of rollers, 
 the idea suddenly seized him of how his plan could 
 be successfully accomplished. Unfortunately, he was 
 no mechanic. He had got his idea clearly in his own 
 head : how was he to work it out ? Happily, his busi- 
 ness had been so successful that he was enabled to 
 procure the assistance of a man named Kay, a clock- 
 maker at Warrington, and the two together con- 
 structed a machine, in which, by means of a double 
 set of rollers, one moving three times as quickly as 
 the other, the cotton was spun rapidly into a firm 
 thin thread, quite as strong as the linen yarn which 
 
A Picture of Manchester. 71 
 
 was then in use. I will ask papa this evening to 
 show you a picture of the machine : he will explain 
 to you exactly how it acts, and you will understand 
 it better then than I can tell you now. 1 
 
 'Oh, we must get Uncle Henry to take us to 
 Manchester !' said Charles. ' I suppose that is where 
 all these machines are seen to perfection. I quite 
 like learning, when it takes the form of excursions 
 all over the country/ 
 
 ' I daresay you do/ replied Mrs. Grenville with a 
 smile ; ' but I am afraid you would find a visit to 
 Manchester a very different thing to our pleasant 
 little trip into Cornwall : there is something to me 
 dreadfully depressing in the smoke and dirt and 
 misery of the manufacturing districts. The people 
 all look so careworn ; the very children are like old 
 men and women. There is such perpetual noise 
 and din and hurry, there seems no time for rest, 
 or for enjoying this earth, which God has made so 
 beautiful. You would see no such cottages as those 
 we were in in Cornwall, and you would hear no such 
 merry shouts of children's laughter ; there is no time 
 to play with Skye terriers there. You must wait till 
 you are a little older, and then I will ask your uncle 
 to take you to Manchester/ 
 
 'Well then, Aunt Hel^n, I must try and be 
 patient, and you must go on with Arkwright's story.* 
 
 'Highly philosophical/ said Mrs. Grenville; and 
 then she added : ' As soon as Arkwrisht felt sure that 
 
72 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 his machine would answer the purpose for which it 
 was intended, he determined to remove from Pres- 
 ton and take up his abode at Nottingham, as he 
 naturally thought that the men who had ruined 
 Hargraves and destroyed his spinning-jennies would 
 not be at all likely to give a more favourable recep- 
 tion to this new machine. Arrived at Nottingham, 
 he, like Hargraves, had many difficulties to contend 
 with, his own little capital being quickly exhausted. 
 Fortunately, however, he obtained an introduction to 
 a Mr. Strutt, a stocking manufacturer, a clever, able 
 man, who, having a great taste for mechanics, was 
 quite able to appreciate the value of Arkwright's 
 new machine, although at the same time he pointed 
 out many little improvements that might be made in 
 it. Arkwright immediately admitted the truth of 
 what he said, and candidly confessed that he him- 
 self had been quite aware of the defects of the spin- 
 ning-frame, but that, in spite of his utmost efforts, 
 he had been unable to rectify them. Charmed with 
 his candour, and struck with the great native power 
 and energy of the man, Mr. Strutt willingly listened 
 to Arkwright's suggestion that they should enter 
 into partnership, and establish a mill between them. 
 Nothing could be more satisfactory. Strutt being an 
 educated man and a skilful mechanist, could exactly 
 supply the knowledge in which Arkwright was de- 
 ficient ; and, under the able superintendence of the 
 two friends, the erection of the new machinery went 
 
Establishment of the First Cotton-Mill. 73 
 
 on successfully, and the first mill was opened in 
 Nottingham in 1769. Unfortunately, there were 
 none of Watt's engines in existence to supply the 
 steam power, and the partners were obliged to 
 employ horses to keep the machinery at work. This 
 was found such an expensive operation, that Ark- 
 wright advised that they should remove their works 
 to Cromford, in Derbyshire, where they could make 
 use of the river to obtain water power. This sug- 
 gestion was acted upon, and in 1771 the manufactory 
 was opened, which was destined to immortalize the 
 name of its founder. Fame and fortune, however, 
 did not visit Cromford of their own accord. For 
 many years Arkwright found it a hard fight against 
 the prejudices of the ignorant and the schemes of 
 the designing, who hoped to rob him of the fruits of 
 his talent and industry, by infringing in every possible 
 manner upon the patents with which he had sought 
 to protect himself. Fortunately, however, Arkwright 
 had both the nerve and the money to carry him safely 
 through all legal disputes. Meanwhile the fame of 
 his invention was steadily advancing ; and no more 
 striking proof can be given of its complete success 
 than the fact that, in 1771, 4,764,589 Ibs. of cotton 
 were imported into England, whilst in 1800, so 
 greatly had the demand for calico manufactures 
 increased, that 56,000,000 Ibs. did not supply the 
 want. Now, indeed, when between three and four 
 hundred millions of pounds of cotton are used 
 
74 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 every year, this sum seems as a mere nothing ; but 
 in those days, when there were no steam-engines to 
 work the mills, and when the Continent was closed 
 to our manufacturers, the sudden impetus given to 
 the cotton trade, through the genius and enterprise 
 of Arkwright, must have appeared something almost 
 fabulous ; and scarcely less wonderful must it have 
 seemed to Arkwright himself, to be thus trans- 
 formed from an itinerant barber into the chief of 
 one of the greatest establishments the world has 
 ever seen. 
 
 * Happily for himself, prosperity did not take from 
 the truthfulness or vigour of his natural character. 
 Neither his great wealth, nor the consideration with 
 which he was treated by the most distinguished men 
 of his day, made him forget what he had been, nor 
 relax in his efforts to make himself worthy of what 
 he had become ; and so fully was he aware of the 
 deficiencies of his early education, that he resolutely 
 took two hours every night from the very short time 
 which he allowed himself for sleep, that he might 
 master the intricacies of the English grammar, and 
 teach himself to spell and write correctly. No won- 
 der that a man who could exercise such self-denial 
 as to do this after working from five o'clock in the 
 morning until nine o'clock at night, succeeded in all 
 his enterprises ; nor that, when he died, he left a 
 fortune of half a million of money to his children. 
 But whether any human being is justified in expend- 
 
The Great Object of Man. 75 
 
 ing his whole energies in worldly pursuits, however 
 laudable, is quite another question : not that I mean 
 by saying this to blame Sir Richard Arkwright, I 
 know far too little of his personal character to pass 
 any judgment on him whatever ; but in holding him 
 out to you as a model worthy of imitation for his 
 perseverance, his energy, his self-denial, his wonder- 
 ful powers of endurance, which, united to his good 
 sense and clear judgment, brought him successfully 
 through trials and difficulties which would have 
 overwhelmed an inferior man, I would not have you 
 suppose that I would put all these qualities, and the 
 worldly success which they of necessity bring with 
 them, for one moment in comparison with the working 
 out of that which, after all, is the only thing of real 
 importance the obtaining an inheritance eternal, 
 and which fadeth not away. When we are young, 
 I know we are all more or less apt to be dazzled by 
 the fame of those who have drawn upon themselves 
 the world's applause, simply by the force of their 
 own character and genius. But I have lived to see 
 the end of these things. I have watched the last 
 days of those whose lives have been devoted to the 
 world, its pleasures, its pursuits, the gaining of its 
 wealth and honours ; and I have learned the full 
 meaning of the words of one who had acquired all 
 these rewards for himself, and then confessed, "These 
 are the things that make death terrible." I remem- 
 ber, however, too well what I was when I was young, 
 
76 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 I have too vivid a recollection of my own eager long- 
 ings for fame and for distinction, to hope that you 
 will quite agree with me now. The grave has closed 
 over those ambitious hopes for me ; and now my 
 only and most fervent prayer for you all is, that 
 you may be good men, and faithful servants of your 
 God/ 
 
 There was a moment's pause : the children knew 
 well of whom their mother was thinking, for; young 
 as they were when Harry died, they quite remem- 
 bered his noble, generous nature, and the fine talents 
 which had been only too early developed. At length 
 Arthur, looking up, said gently, 'Mamma dear, I 
 will try to remember what you have been saying. 
 Who knows but, after all, my ill health may be very 
 good for me ? If I was strong, I am afraid I should 
 think of nothing but my inventions/ 
 
 'You do not think of much else now/ said Charles 
 bluntly. 
 
 ' Oh yes, I do/ replied Arthur kindly ; ' you do 
 not know how many thoughts pass through my 
 mind whilst I am lying all alone by myself on the 
 sofa/ 
 
 ' I know they are always very kind ones/ replied 
 Charles, struck by his cousin's manner, and repent- 
 ing in a moment of his own abruptness ; * otherwise 
 you never would be so good-natured to such an un- 
 gracious bear as I am. I am so sorry, Arthur/ 
 
 ' Oh, do not mind ; what you said was very true, 
 
A New Want. 77 
 
 only I do think of a good many other things besides 
 my inventions/ 
 
 * But, mamma/ exclaimed Ernest, 'I thought Ark- 
 wright invented a steam-engine ; I have always been 
 expecting you. to come to it' 
 
 ' No, his time was fully occupied in preparing his 
 spinning-frames ; and, as I have told you, he made 
 use first of horse, and then of water power, to set 
 them in motion/ 
 
 ' But would not steam have answered his purpose 
 much better, mamma ? ' 
 
 ' Undoubtedly ; but then the engines such as he 
 required had never been constructed. Arkwright 
 opened his mill at Cromford in 1771, and it was not 
 until two or three years after that time that Watt 
 entered into partnership with Boulton. Arkwright 
 died in 1792; therefore but little, comparatively 
 speaking, could have been known of the wonderful 
 facilities steam power was to offer to all the manu- 
 facturers of Great Britain. No sooner, however, 
 were the engines at work than a fresh want was 
 felt : here were the goods indeed, but how were they 
 to be transported rapidly from one part of the world 
 to another ? If some means could not be discovered 
 of carrying these great bales of merchandise quickly 
 and economically, warehouses would be overstocked, 
 trade would be at a standstill, and, as a mere matter 
 of profit, manufacturers might as well have been 
 without their engines as with them. But one dis- 
 
78 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 covery paves the way for another, and the remedy 
 for this new evil was found by George Stephenson, 
 when, in the face of such difficulties as perhaps no 
 one else has ever been called upon to overcome, he 
 planned and carried into execution the most gigan- 
 tic undertaking the world has ever seen. I do not 
 know a more interesting story than the life of this 
 very remarkable man, or one which better illustrates 
 the truth of my favourite theory, that energy of pur- 
 pose, combined with good sense and perseverance, 
 are far more valuable qualities, and will at all times 
 secure greater success, than the most brilliant intel- 
 lectual acquirements. It is hardly possible to con- 
 ceive greater disadvantages, in a worldly point of 
 view, than those under which George Stephenson 
 worked his way to fame and fortune. A Life of him 
 has recently been published by Mr. Smiles ; and a 
 most charming, amusing book it is, and one which 
 you will enjoy to read for yourselves when you are 
 a little older. For the present, I think you must be 
 content with my telling you such portions of the 
 story as I think will be of interest to you. 1 
 
 2 ' The father of George Stephenson was a work- 
 man in a colliery at Wylam, about eight miles from 
 
 1 For the accuracy of the facts stated in the following story, the 
 writer is greatly indebted to Mr. Smiles' Life of George Stephenson. 
 She has indicated in footnotes, at the commencement of each chapter, 
 the portions of Mr. Smiles' book from which her information has been 
 derived. 
 
 2 See t Smiles' Life of Stephenson^ pp. 1-26. 
 
George Stephensorf s Early Life. 79 
 
 Newcastle : he has an honest, kind, industrious man, 
 but very poor ; and, as he had a family of six chil- 
 dren, he had to work hard to support them. George, 
 who was his second son, was born on the Qth of 
 June 1781. From his boyhood he was an indepen- 
 dent, spirited little fellow, and ready and anxious to 
 obtain information on all subjects. His education, 
 however, was of a most desultory kind. His father 
 was much too poor to be able to send him to school, 
 so all George's learning consisted in listening eagerly 
 to the stories his father used to tell him of an even- 
 ing about Sinbad the Sailor and Robinson Crusoe, 
 or heroes of the same description, whose adventures 
 old Mr. Stephenson invented on the spur of the 
 moment, for the amusement of his children; all 
 which stories, I daresay, excited George's childish 
 ambition, and made him long for the day when he 
 should be as great and as celebrated as they were. 
 
 ' When he was about eight years of age, he was 
 promoted to the dignity of taking charge of the 
 cows of a poor woman, who lived at a farm not very 
 far from Mr. Stephenson 's cottage. George was 
 delighted with his new occupation. Not only did 
 he receive twopence a week regularly, but he had 
 plenty of time which he could devote to his favour- 
 ite amusement of constructing model engines with 
 the clay which he found in a neighbouring bog : for 
 hours and hours together he would sit watching his 
 cows, and working away at his clay models. It is 
 
So The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 very likely that even in those childish performances 
 may have been seen germs of the wonderful im- 
 provements which he afterwards effected. At any 
 rate, the knowledge which he thus acquired of the 
 different parts and construction of the engine was of 
 the greatest advantage to him, when at a later period 
 it became his especial care and study. In a short 
 time, however, George was pronounced too old to 
 sit and watch cows. He was obliged to relinquish 
 his favourite modelling, and take work at the farm. 
 This was all very well, but his heart was with his 
 engines. He said he never should be happy till he 
 got back amongst them again. At length, to his 
 great delight, he was taken on regularly as a 
 " picker " in the colliery where his father was em- 
 ployed. His business now was to clear the coal 
 from bits of stone or dross, or whatever impurities 
 there might be ; and although this occupation was 
 one of the lowest in the mine, and very far removed 
 from the great object of his ambition, the entire 
 charge and management of the engine, yet he could 
 see and be near his favourite, even if he could not 
 touch and handle her. At any rate, he had placed 
 his foot on the first ring of the ladder; it should 
 not be his fault if he did not soon mount to 
 the top. 
 
 * At length the day arrived, so long, so anxiously 
 expected. George was allowed to help his father 
 in firing the engine: a happy, proud boy he was. 
 
Stephensoris Warm-heartedness. Si 
 
 There was but one drawback to his enjoyment ; he 
 was so much younger than those generally employed 
 about the engines, that he dreaded that the master 
 of the mine should object, and turn him off his works. 
 No sooner, therefore, did he hear his step coming 
 near, than, leaving his father to take care of the 
 engine, he would scamper away and hide himself till 
 the danger was past. If George had not been such 
 a general favourite, he might have got into trouble. 
 But he was such a bright, high-spirited, good-natured 
 boy up to all sorts of fun and nonsense, ever ready 
 with a cheery word and kind act that he must 
 have been a very bad-natured man who would have 
 told tales of Geordie Stephenson. And so the boy 
 worked on, and every day his love for his engine 
 grew stronger and stronger. 
 
 ' It did not, however, absorb all his thoughts. His 
 nature was so kindly that there seemed room in his 
 heart for every living creature, and endless were the 
 pets he tamed. Now he would take home a whole 
 number of birds, and domesticate them so entirely, 
 they would walk about the cottage as unconcernedly 
 as if it was their own nest. One blackbird in parti- 
 cular was his especial pet. This bird would go away 
 for months in the spring and summer, and then as 
 soon as ever the frosts set in, and the weather be- 
 came cold, back it would fly to its old friend, as if 
 it was quite sure where it would receive a cordial 
 welcome. Then he would have a family of rabbits, 
 
 F 
 
82 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 and knew them all individually. In fact, it would be 
 endless to go through a list of all his pets, for to the 
 last day of his life everything in nature had charms 
 for George Stephenson. 
 
 ' In such happy, rational pursuits two or three 
 more years passed away ; his mind becoming every 
 year more acute and vigorous, as his bodily strength 
 was gradually developed. At length, when he was 
 about seventeen years of age, his character for steadi- 
 ness and intelligence was so well established, that he 
 was appointed engineman ; a very responsible office, 
 and one only given to those who can be thoroughly 
 trusted. George was naturally highly delighted at 
 such confidence being placed in him, and determined 
 to show that he was not unworthy of it. He made 
 up his mind to devote all his leisure time to making 
 himself thoroughly acquainted with the construction 
 of the engine thus placed under his charge ; and then, 
 if any part went wrong, he hoped that he himself 
 should be able to rectify it without calling in the aid 
 of the resident engineer, whose business it was to 
 assist the enginemen in any difficulty beyond their 
 powers. 
 
 ' In order to understand what a very difficult task 
 he now set himself, you must remember that George 
 Stephenson could neither read nor write, and there- 
 fore all that had been written and published on the 
 subject of the steam-engine was so much sealed 
 matter for him. He had to work his own way to a 
 
Stephensoris Perseverance. 83 
 
 right understanding of the subject by the force of 
 his own observation and judgment. Nothing daunted, 
 however, he set himself to his task, and as soon as 
 the day's work was over, he used to take his engine 
 to pieces. He knew well that the only way to suc- 
 ceed is patiently to master each difficulty as it arises ; 
 so, as soon as he clearly understood one portion of 
 the works, then he would pass on to another, until 
 at length he acquired a thorough practical knowledge 
 of even the most intricate machinery, a knowledge 
 which was afterwards of inestimable value to him. 
 But the better workman he became, the more he felt 
 how much there was yet for him to accomplish. 
 And now for the first time he fully realized all the 
 disadvantages of his early want of education. To feel 
 the want, however, was, with George Stephenson, to 
 find the remedy. His time was fully occupied, and 
 his wages were very small ; but still some portion 
 of both must be devoted to the acquisition of that 
 learning which could alone give him possession of 
 the knowledge he so eagerly coveted. There was a 
 poor man in the village of Walbottle, named Robert 
 Cowens, who kept a small school, and was in the 
 habit of teaching in the evening some of the elder 
 boys, whose time through the day was employed in 
 the mines. This class George joined, paying threer 
 pence a week for his instruction. It was but poor 
 teaching at the best ; but George brought such an 
 eager, willing spirit to his lessons, that he had soon 
 
84 The Triumphs of Steayn. 
 
 mastered all the first difficulties both of reading and 
 writing, and to his great delight was able to sign his 
 own name. 
 
 ' Most fortunately, a Scotchman of the name of 
 Andrew Robertson, a man of far higher attainments 
 than Robert Cowens, happened to come about this 
 time to settle at Newburn, a village not very far 
 from the mine at which George was employed. 
 Robertson opened a night school for young men. 
 Many of the miners were glad to take advantage of 
 this opportunity of " becoming scholars," but to no 
 one was the boon greater than to George Stephen- 
 son, and he soon became the most distinguished 
 pupil in Robertson's class. His great talent was 
 for arithmetic ; and such rapid progress did he make, 
 that one of his young companions, who joined the 
 class at the same time as himself, was quite in de- 
 spair at finding himself thus distanced in " figuring," 
 as he called it, and sought in vain for the explana- 
 tion ot the mystery. He might have found it in 
 George's wonderful perseverance. No difficulty dis- 
 heartened him. If he could not do it one way, he 
 would try another. He would take his slate with 
 him when he went to attend to his engine, and at 
 every leisure moment down he would sit to his sum, 
 and when after hours of labour still it would not 
 work out right, never mind, he would rub it out and 
 begin again. It was hard if he did not come out 
 conqueror at last' 
 
Stephenson a Brakesman. 85 
 
 ' That was the rule of practice with a vengeance/ 
 said Charles, laughing. 
 
 ' It was indeed/ replied Mrs. Grenville. ' Such 
 perseverance was sure to meet with its reward ; and 
 George began to hope that he should now soon at- 
 tain the great object of his ambition, and be able to 
 read for himself all the details of those wonderful 
 engines of Messrs. Watt and Boulton, to the descrip- 
 tion of which he had so eagerly listened. He would 
 have liked to have gone to Soho, if that had been 
 possible, but that could not be ; and very fortunate 
 for him that it could not, for, little as he thought of 
 it then, he was to achieve a reputation in the north 
 surpassing even that of the man whom he so much 
 admired. 
 
 ' Having now made himself fully acquainted with 
 all the different parts of his engine, Stephenson' s 
 next ambition was to become brakesman, a man 
 whose duties are very much the same as those of 
 engineman on the locomotive at the present time. 
 It was an office that required great skill and nicety, 
 as the brakesman had to see at once to the working 
 of the engine, and to the raising and lowering of the 
 baskets. It was therefore a post of more importance 
 and better paid than the one of engineman, which 
 Stephenson had now held for several years. The 
 jealousy of some of his companions was at first an 
 insuperable barrier to his obtaining the coveted em- 
 ployment. With the steady support and assistance, 
 
86 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 however, of one of his earliest friends and fellow- 
 workmen, this difficulty was at length overcome, 
 and to his great delight he was appointed brakes- 
 man to the Dolly Pit, in the Black Callerton Col- 
 liery. 
 
 ' But notwithstanding all his arduous duties, he 
 always found time to attend to his live pets, they 
 were his amusements, the other was his work ; and 
 such wonderful power did he exercise over all birds 
 and animals, that he would tame the robin-red- 
 breasts to come and eat bread-crumbs off the engine, 
 in spite of such fire, and smoke, and din, and clatter 
 as you would have thought must have scared a re- 
 spectable robin-redbreast out of his senses. But the 
 most extraordinary stories of all are told of Spot, a 
 very handsome brown long-haired shepherd's dog. 
 This creature was endowed with the wonderful saga- 
 city for which his race are so justly celebrated, and 
 was so fond of his master, that he would do every- 
 thing that he bade him. At last the fancy seized Mr. 
 Stephenson of turning his favourite into a messenger, 
 and making him bring him his dinner hot every day 
 from his own home to the pit. After some preli- 
 minary experiments, the dog was sent home from 
 the pit to the cottage ; a tin, containing the dinner, 
 was tied round his neck, and he was told to run oft 
 to his master as fast as possible. Off started the 
 dog ; he turned neither to the right hand nor to the 
 left, nor did he stay to investigate what was the 
 
A Faithful Dog. 8 7 
 
 cause of the delicious odour coming up so fragrantly 
 just under his nose. Right on he trotted, straight 
 through the whole village of Newburn, and safe and 
 untouched he delivered his burden to his delighted 
 master. From that day forward, Spot was employed 
 regularly to fetch and carry ; and a proud dog he 
 was, as with head and tail erect he would trot along 
 with a stately step, his tin canister suspended from 
 his neck. But, alas ! all the dogs in the village were 
 not animated by the same honest spirit as himself, 
 and the smell of the passing dinner was so irresis- 
 tibly attractive, that at length one day a great bully 
 of a dog, who belonged to a butcher, determined to 
 intercept the messenger, and appropriate the con- 
 tents of the tin to himself. Spot saw the approach 
 of the enemy, and instantly divined his intentions : 
 he could not run away, he was of too brave a 
 nature to contemplate such a cowardly proceeding, 
 but he determined to die rather than relinquish his 
 trust. He therefore calmly awaited the onset of the 
 great beast, who was twice his own size and strength : 
 a fierce conflict ensued, but the honesty and courage 
 of Spot met with their due reward. The butcher's 
 dog, beaten and disgraced, slunk off with his tail 
 between his legs ; and Spot, all torn and bleeding 
 as he was, galloped off in triumph to his master, 
 little dreaming that the tin he laid down so proudly 
 at his feet, no longer contained the dinner for which 
 he had so bravely fought and conquered. The con- 
 
88 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 tents of the canister had been spilt in the strife, a 
 lesson that many an individual, and many a nation 
 too, would do well to profit by. Astonished to see 
 the mangled condition of his favourite, and to find 
 his own dinner had wholly disappeared, Stephenson 
 guessed that something very unusual had occurred ; 
 and when he was afterwards told the circumstances 
 of the combat by a man who had witnessed it, he 
 was so delighted with the prowess of his favourite, 
 that he said he thought the knowledge that he 
 possessed such a brave and faithful friend was 
 cheaply purchased by the loss of his meal/ 
 
 ' Spot was a fine, brave old fellow/ exclaimed 
 Charles. ' I wonder whether we could make Donald 
 bring us our dinner/ 
 
 ' I advise you not to try the experiment till you 
 have satisfied your hunger/ replied Mrs. Grenville. 
 
 ' I am sure, mamma/ said Ernest, ' Donny is won- 
 derfully sensible ; he can do almost anything ; he 
 understands every word I say to him/ 
 
 'I do not in the least wish to detract from the 
 merits of your dog/ replied Mrs. Grenville ; ' only, as 
 you have the opportunity of dining more comfortably 
 than George Stephenson could in those days, I think 
 it would be quite as well to let Harris bring up the 
 dinner in the ordinary way, instead of trusting to 
 the tender mercies of Donald/ 
 
 ' Mamma, you are laughing/ 
 
 ' Why should not I ? It is not any very serious 
 
Proposal to Train ' Donald! 89 
 
 matter surely. Whether it is or not, however, I must 
 leave you to decide ; for I have several poor people 
 I want to see in the village, and if I do not go at 
 once, it will be dark before I can return/ 
 
 As soon as Mrs. Grenville left the room, the chil- 
 dren, full of their new device, set off to discover 
 Donald. He was not far off, in fact he seldom was ; 
 he and the boys were such constant playfellows, that 
 if he was not allowed to come into the drawing-room, 
 he generally stationed himself on the mat just out- 
 side the door, that he might be ready at a moment's 
 notice to join his companions as soon as he was 
 wanted. 
 
 Here was the dog ; but where was the can, and 
 v/here was the dinner ? 
 
 Charles, who was always the promoter of all fun 
 and mischief, and had generally a resource at hand, 
 suggested that one of the milk cans would be just 
 the very thing they wanted : they were in the dairy, 
 he knew where ; he would fetch one in no time. The 
 dinner was not so easy a point to manage. Mrs. 
 Grenville never allowed the children to go into the 
 kitchen under any pretence, and Charles knew well 
 that, if he disobeyed her orders, there would be an 
 end to all experiments with Donald for all time 
 coming. Arthur suggested he had one sponge-cake, 
 he would devote that to the cause. But Charles 
 said that would never do : there was no savoury smell 
 in a sponge-cake to make it a temptation to Donald, 
 
9O The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 and it would therefore be no credit to him if he 
 brought it to them safely. 
 
 ' Oh, indeed, Charles,' said Mary, ' Donald is so 
 fond of sponge-cakes ; I know he can smell them 
 anywhere ; I have seen him stand and watch, and 
 wag his tail for ever such a long time before the 
 dining-room sideboard/ 
 
 ' That is because he knows cakes are kept there, 
 not because he smells them/ replied Charles. 
 
 ' He will soon find there are cakes in the tin, trust 
 Donald for that/ said Ernest ' Let us make a be- 
 ginning : you fetch the J:in, Charles, and, Arthur, 
 you give me the cake, and we will try what we can 
 do with him/ 
 
 Now one of the accomplishments which Ernest 
 had taught Donald, and of which he was unusually 
 proud, was to place a piece of cake before the dog, 
 and then make him sit and look at it, and not offer 
 to touch it until the word of command was given. 
 Accordingly, this preliminary training was gone 
 through whilst Charles went to fetch the tin ; then, 
 instead of being allowed to munch up the cake as 
 usual, it was removed from his sight, placed in the 
 tin, and then the tin was tied round his throat, and 
 he was ordered to convey it from one end of the 
 lawn, where Charles was placed, to the other, at 
 which Ernest was waiting to receive him. 
 
 But such a degree of obedience and self-denial 
 was quite beyond the highest efforts of dog morality. 
 
Failure of the A ttempt. 9 1 
 
 Not only was his accustomed reward taken from 
 him, but the can which enclosed it was actually hung 
 round his neck, encumbering his movements, and 
 knocking painfully against his legs. It was too 
 much to expect that he would patiently submit. 
 In a series of miserable strugglings he tried to free 
 himself from his burden, and at length finding this 
 utterly beyond his power, he sat down in the centre 
 of the lawn, and yelled as only a Scotch terrier in 
 an agony of annoyance can yell. 
 
 In spite of his manifest distress, poor Donald 
 looked so exquisitely ridiculous, that at first the 
 children could do nothing but laugh ; then, finding 
 that neither coaxing nor threatening had any effect 
 in making him obedient to their will, they grew 
 angry and impatient, and it might have gone hard 
 with their little favourite had not Mr. Grenville 
 happened fortunately to come upon the lawn at the 
 identical moment; and asking what they were about, 
 and what was making poor Donald cry so piteously, 
 he heard the story of George Stephenson's dog, and 
 how they were intending to make Donald just as 
 sagacious. 
 
 ' I am afraid you are not taking the same way to 
 teach him, then/ replied Mr. Grenville. * If George 
 Stephenson had been as irritable with his dog as 
 you are just now with Donald, I doubt very much 
 if he would ever have brought him his dinner 
 at all.' 
 
92 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 ' But, uncle ! he must be made to obey/ inter- 
 posed Charles. 
 
 ' Yes, but not by being angry with him. If once 
 you frighten him, you will never get him to do what 
 you wish at all. It requires the most extraordinary 
 patience and perseverance to train an animal. You 
 must imitate these qualities of Mr. Stephenson, if 
 you wish to obtain the same success. Here, Donny, 
 come here/ added Mr. Grenville kindly. Donald 
 crouched up to his feet, and Mr. Grenville unloosed 
 the tin, whose battered sides bore evidence of the 
 violence of the struggle. 
 
 ' Poor dog/ said Mr. Grenville. ' If he is as much 
 hurt as the can, he must be considerably bruised. 
 Poor Donny, poor Donny/ he added, as he patted 
 him gently ; ' see, he is all in a tremble. 1 
 
 'Oh! he is a stupid little fellow/ exclaimed Charles 
 crossly. 
 
 ' I rather think it is somebody else who is a stupid 
 little fellow/ replied his uncle, ' to be angry because 
 a dog does not immediately understand his meaning. 
 You seem to expect more obedience from an irra- 
 tional brute than you yourself are often prepared to 
 give. How came this tin here ? ' 
 
 ' I brought it, uncle ; it is all my fault/ said 
 Charles. ' I never thought it would get spoiled/ 
 
 ' Well/ replied his uncle, 'if you will promise me 
 patiently and good-naturedly to teach Donald to 
 wear it, I will make you a present of it Let him 
 
A Good Advice. 93 
 
 forget his present fright, and then teach him very 
 gradually. It will cost you much trouble, and you 
 will have need of considerable patience, but he will 
 learn in time ; and if you thus acquire a habit of 
 perseverance, you will have learned a valuable 
 lesson from the story of George Stephenson and 
 his dog.* 
 
Stcplieiisori and his dog Spot. 
 
 P. 94. 
 
STEPHENSQN S COTTAGE AT WILLINGTON QUAY. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 Stephenson : anecdotes of his early struggles for independence, and 
 of his untiring energy and perseverance. 1 
 
 ?AMMA, do tell us some more about 
 George Stephenson/ said Ernest, as the 
 children were the next day sitting with 
 Mrs. Grenville. ' I want to hear some 
 more stories/ 
 
 ' But you make such a strange application of 
 
 1 See Smiles' Life of 'Stephenson , pp. 27-46. 
 
96 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 them/ replied Mrs. Grenville. ' Papa tells me you 
 frightened poor Donald most unmercifully yester- 
 day/ 
 
 * But we did not mean to do so, mamma.' 
 
 ' And besides, aunt, added Charles, ' we are going 
 to make it all right again. We gave Donald a 
 double quantity of cake at tea last night, and I 
 think he has forgotten all his troubles/ 
 
 ' Oh, that he has not/ said Ernest ; ' he cut away 
 like mad this morning, when he thought you were 
 going to tie the tin round his neck again/ 
 
 Charles coloured. 'Is it not a bore, aunt/ he 
 said, ' that the stupid little fellow is so frightened ? 
 I did not mean to hurt him, I am sure; and this 
 morning I was ever so gentle, but he would not let 
 me come near him with the tin ; and I do not know 
 what to do. I promised Uncle Henry I would per- 
 severe till I had taught him to carry it all right; and 
 if he will not let me catch him, how can I persevere, 
 aunt ? It is not my fault/ 
 
 'You must have patience, my love, until he has 
 forgotten his fright ; till then you will only make 
 matters worse by persisting in your experiments. 
 I should advise you to put something nice in the 
 tin, and feed him out of it, and then let him have 
 the tin to play with it. He will get used to it in 
 that way/ 
 
 ' But I am afraid, aunt, if we did that/ said Charles, 
 ' we should never get him to carry the tin safely ; he 
 
Stephenson s Leisure Time. 97 
 
 would always be wanting to get the something nice 
 for himself to eat/ 
 
 ' I do not think he would, if you gave him a re- 
 ward every time he brought the tin safely. But I 
 really do not know what else to suggest/ 
 
 1 1 wish I could ask Mr. Stephenson/ exclaimed 
 Charles. ' I wonder how he tamed his dog/ 
 
 ' By kindness and patience; you maybe quite sure 
 of that/ replied Mrs. Grenville. 
 
 ' Oh, please do go on telling us about him/ said 
 Arthur ; * I do so want to know how he got on with 
 his learning/ 
 
 'Wonderfully, considering the great difficulties 
 with which he had to contend/ replied Mrs. Gren- 
 ville ; ' but then he never wasted a moment's time. 
 When others were drinking and idling, George 
 Stephenson was hard at work, the only amuse- 
 ments which he allowed himself being to take a 
 good long walk in the country with some favourite 
 companion, or to go on a bird's-nesting excursion, 
 in search of some new object of interest. His quiet,' 
 studious tastes of course exposed him to the ridicule 
 of his more uproarious companions ; and it was per- 
 haps fortunate that the misconduct of one of these 
 men afforded Stephenson an opportunity of showing 
 that peaceful, regular habits are quite compatible 
 with a strong arm and a brave heart. 
 
 ' At the mine where Stephenson was brakesman 
 there worked a man of the name of Nelson, a strong, 
 
 G 
 
98 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 powerful, vigorous fellow, but of such a violent tem- 
 per that he was the terror of the whole neighbour- 
 hood, and by sheer dint of bullying he carried every- 
 thing before him, and lorded it just as he pleased 
 over all his more timid companions. Very likely 
 Nelson was jealous of Stephenson, for most men of 
 this class hate superiority in another, which they 
 feel, though they refuse to imitate. Relying on 
 Stephenson being as much afraid of him as every 
 one else, he one day took occasion to swear at him 
 most savagely for the awkward manner in which he 
 said Stephenson did his work. To this language 
 Stephenson, who knew quite as well what he was 
 about as Nelson, would not for a moment submit, 
 and so he quietly told the bully. Nelson only re- 
 iterated his charge, and following it up by very in- 
 sulting words, he ended by challenging his opponent 
 to settle their differences in a fair and open stand- 
 up fight. To the surprise of all the lookers on, 
 Stephenson instantly accepted the challenge, and 
 fixing a day when he should be quite prepared to 
 meet his adversary, he returned with -the most per- 
 fect composure to the care of his engine. The news 
 that Geordie Stephenson was going to fight Nelson 
 spread like wildfire through the neighbourhood, caus- 
 ing the most unbounded excitement ; and though 
 people were afraid openly to express their ardent 
 hopes that Nelson might get just such a thrashing as 
 he deserved, yet their silent sympathy was not the less 
 
A Fight. 99 
 
 sincere. There were some few, however, who, think- 
 ing the contest too unequal, and dreading even that, 
 it might end in Stephenson's death, would have dis- 
 suaded him from fighting at what seemed to them 
 such dreadful odds ; but to all their well-meant ex- 
 postulations he had but one reply : " Never fear for 
 me ; I will fight him." And fight him he did, and 
 beat him too ; and from that day forth he would 
 have been a bold man who would have ventured to 
 find fault unjustly with George Stephenson, or to 
 call in question either his spirit or his courage/ 
 
 ' Why, mamma/ exclaimed Ernest, ' I thought you 
 did not approve of fighting/ 
 
 'Fighting for fighting's sake is what I dislike/ 
 replied Mrs. Grenville ; ' that seems to me both 
 cowardly and brutal : but fighting in support of 
 some great principle, or to protect the weak and 
 helpless, is often not only justifiable, but positively 
 necessary. I agree with our friend Tom Brown: 1 
 "As to fighting, keep out of it by all means if you 
 can. When the time comes, if it ever should, that 
 you have to say ' Yes ' or ' No ' to a challenge to 
 fight, say ' No ' if you can, only take care to make 
 it clear to yourself why you say ' No/ It is a proof 
 of the highest courage, if done from Christian motives ; 
 but do not say ' No ' because you fear a licking, and 
 pretend it is because you fear God ; that is neither 
 
 1 See Tom Browrfs School Days, by an Old Boy. 
 
ioo The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 Christian nor honest. But when you must fight, 
 fight it out, and do not give in whilst you can see 
 and stand ; " a passage I was so struck with, that 
 I know it by heart. Once be quite clear what are 
 the motives which actuate your conduct ; be sure 
 that they are noble and right ones, and such as God 
 would approve, and then fight as much as you like. 
 Stephenson's victory was of the greatest use, not 
 only to him, but to the whole neighbourhood ; and 
 his character for bravery once established, he had 
 but little difficulty in following his own inclinations. 
 He had now a double motive for wishing to lead 
 a quiet, steady life, as he had become extremely 
 attached to a very sweet, pretty girl, named Fanny 
 Henderson. Anxious to be married as soon as pos- 
 sible, and yet wishing to save a small sum first to 
 buy the furniture necessary for commencing house- 
 keeping, it occurred to him he might employ his 
 spare time profitably by turning shoemaker ; and he 
 set to work with such a hearty good-will to learn 
 this new trade, that in a very short time he was the 
 most popular cobbler in the whole neighbourhood ; 
 and his earnings soon reaching the sum he thought 
 necessary to justify his taking a cottage, there was 
 nothing to delay his marriage ; and on the 28th of 
 November 1802 it accordingly took place, and he 
 and his wife settled down in their new home at 
 Willington ; and a happy home it was. 
 
 ' Mrs. Stephenson was a sweet, bright, cheerful 
 
Death of Mrs. Stephenson. i o i 
 
 woman, just the very person to gladden up a poor 
 man's home, when he returned to it tired out with 
 his day's work ; and I question whether, amidst all 
 the luxurious splendour of his later life, George 
 Stephenson did not look back on that first year of 
 his married life, when he used to return home and 
 work out his problems by his humble but bright 
 and cheery fireside, as to one of the happiest por- 
 tions of his whole career. It was well he made the 
 most of it ; it was destined to be but a shortlived 
 happiness, for soon after the birth of their little boy, 
 Mrs. Stephenson's health gave way. It was thought, 
 that it might be only a temporary indisposition, 
 from which she would gradually rally ; but, alas ! 
 the seeds of disease had taken root. The progress 
 of the ill might be delayed, but could not be 
 averted. For two years George Stephenson hoped 
 against hope, and then, to his -inexpressible grief, 
 the birth of a little daughter cost Mrs. Stephenson 
 her life. The child lived only a few months, and 
 then was laid by its mother's side in her early 
 grave. But Fanny was not forgotten : the memory 
 of her sweetness, her gentleness, her beauty, never 
 faded from her husband's mind. Neither the lapse 
 of years, nor the whirl of business, nor the incessant 
 claims which the world arid society made upon his 
 time, ever dimmed his recollections of his first love. 
 She held her own place in his heart, as warmly and 
 as vividly as when, in the days of his early struggles, 
 
IO2 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 she was his joy, his support, his comforter. He loved 
 to trace all that was good in himself and his boy to 
 her gentle influence ; and years and years after, when 
 Robert had attained to fame and fortune, his father 
 would look at him proudly and exclaim, " He owes 
 it all to his mother." 
 
 ' It was natural that with this exceeding love for 
 his wife, Mr. Stephenson should after her death 
 cling, more fondly than ever, to the child who re- 
 mained to him. Robert, his darling boy, became 
 his father's inseparable companion ; and to procure 
 . for his son, when he should be old enough to profit 
 by them, those advantages of education, the want of 
 which he felt so acutely himself, was the one absorb- 
 ing subject of George Stephenson's thoughts and 
 anxieties. But how was it to be done ? How was 
 he, a simple brakesman, to save such a sum of 
 money as would suffice for his purpose ? It was 
 hard matter enough to live, let alone education. 
 But difficulties never disheartened George Stephen- 
 son ; on the contrary, the more insuperable they 
 appeared, the more they excited his determination 
 to conquer them. He would deny himself in all 
 but the bare necessaries of life, and Robert should 
 obtain what he valued above meat and drink. But, 
 deny himself as he would, his savings increased but 
 slowly. This was the time of the great Continental 
 v/ar. Provisions were extraordinarily dear ; and the 
 distress caused by heavy taxation was pressing 
 
A Calamity. 103 
 
 cruelly on the lower orders. Chance opened a new 
 source of wealth to the ingenious mechanic. 
 
 ' One day when George was busily at work at the 
 mine, the chimney of his cottage caught fire ; the 
 neighbours ran to put it out, deluging in their zeal 
 the chimney with water, which of course made its 
 way into the cottage below, covering everything 
 with soot, and spoiling all that could be ruined by 
 dampness. Amongst the articles that suffered was 
 a clock, the most precious of all his household 
 stores. It was a terrible blow to Stephenson to 
 come home and find his poor friend silenced, whilst 
 its hands pointed motionless to the time of its de- 
 cease. What was to be done ? If his clock was sent 
 to a clockmaker to be repaired, he must of course 
 be paid for his work, and that was so much taken 
 from Robert's schooling. Why should he not put it 
 to rights himself? True enough, he had never done 
 anything of the sort, but there must have been a 
 time when the most expert clockmaker who ever 
 lived had been in the same predicament : why should 
 he not do what another man had already done ? He 
 could make an engine go : why could he not make 
 a clock go likewise ? Accordingly the clock was 
 taken down, and its works carefully studied, until 
 the principle of its mechanism was thoroughly under- 
 stood. Then commenced the work of reparation, 
 costing him many hours of patient thought, until at 
 length he had the delight 01 seeing his friend once 
 
IO4 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 more established in his old niche, and hearing him 
 tick out his gratitude with a loud and regular beat. 
 The story of this new achievement was soon spread 
 abroad, and petitions poured in from the owners of 
 all the invalid clocks in the neighbourhood, that 
 they also might be put to rights ; until at length 
 George Stephenson's fame as clock-mender must 
 have caused a panic amongst the regular members 
 of the profession, while it added materially to the 
 weekly savings of the self-taught artist. 
 
 ' It is an old saying, but a very true one, " That 
 we none of us know what we can do till we try." 
 It is because we will not give our minds to our 
 occupations, and set about them with downright 
 earnestness, as George Stephenson did, that we fall 
 so far short of the success which he obtained. Not 
 but that he was a very remarkable man, for the 
 qualities of his heart were quite as good as those of 
 his head ; and fond as I am of intellectual power, I 
 must confess that this is not always the case. 
 
 ' Not very long after his wife's death, Stephenson 
 received an offer from a Scotch firm who had large 
 works near Montrose, that he should take employ- 
 ment under them, and superintend the working of 
 one of those engines of Boulton and Watt which 
 had for so long been the object of his admiration. 
 Stephenson had nothing now to tie him down to his 
 own old home, and the remuneration offered to him 
 at Montrose was so much higher than that which 
 
Stephenson at Montrose. 105 
 
 he received as brakesman at Killingworth, that he 
 determined at once to close with the offer, thinking 
 that he should now have the opportunity of saving 
 a considerable sum of money, which could all be 
 laid by for Robert's education. Full of this one 
 idea, Stephenson made all his arrangements as 
 quickly as possible, placed his boy with a friend 
 on whose care he hoped he might fully rely, and 
 then, bidding his darling good-bye, he started on 
 his solitary journey with a brave spirit, though 
 somewhat heavy heart. 
 
 ' Arrived at Montrose, he entered immediately on 
 his new duties, and made his arrangements for living 
 as economically as possible, spending every hour in 
 work that was not actually needed for rest and for 
 refreshment. Unfortunately, before Stephenson had 
 been very long in his new situation, his active spirit 
 conceived a notion that he could make some im- 
 provement in the engine of which he had the charge. 
 He might have been right enough ; but his scientific 
 knowledge could hardly at that time have been equal 
 to that of so experienced an engineer as James Watt, 
 consequently his experiment failed. His employers 
 were dissatisfied, and Stephenson was told that his 
 services were no longer required. This must have 
 been a sad blow, just at the very moment when he 
 was laying by a sufficiency for his darling purpose. 
 However, it could not be helped ; he must make the 
 best of it, and seek employment elsewhere. He 
 
io6 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 might, very likely, easily have obtained what he 
 sought in Scotland, but he was longing to see Robert 
 again ; his own people understood him best, he felt ; 
 and if he was to attain to celebrity, it must be 
 amongst those with whom already he had obtained 
 a certain prestige. So, with the 28 which he had 
 saved, he made up his mind to go back again to 
 Newcastle, and there to seek occupation amongst 
 old friends. 
 
 ' A curious story is told of his journey back again. 
 Not wishing to encroach upon the sum he had put 
 away for Robert, he travelled on foot, contenting 
 himself with the plainest possible fare, and drinking 
 only a good draught of water from some of the bright 
 sparkling streams he passed by the way. Evening 
 was drawing on ; he had had a more than usually 
 fatiguing day's march, when, tired and hungry, he 
 was crossing a moorland, where he saw not a sign of 
 a habitation. Suddenly a bright light glimmered 
 from a distance. There, then, perhaps was some 
 cottage where he could find shelter for the night. 
 He made towards the light immediately, and found, 
 to his great joy, that it proceeded from the window 
 of a farmhouse. Stephenson knocked at the door. 
 It was opened by the farmer himself; and Stephen- 
 son made known his wants, and begged for a night's 
 shelter. But those were perilous times : the country 
 was unsettled, and robbers were very frequent visi- 
 tors to lonely and unprotected houses. No wonder, 
 
An Adventure. 107 
 
 then, that the farmer refused admission to a per- 
 fect stranger, who, tired and worn out with his day's 
 march, and in his common working dress, very 
 probably looked to the good man of the house a 
 somewhat suspicious character. Nothing daunted 
 by his refusal, Stephenson begged that if he would 
 not admit him indoors, he would kindly let him have 
 a little clean straw in an outhouse. " He wanted 
 nothing," he said, " but a night's rest, and surely the 
 farmer would not refuse that to a poor, houseless 
 traveller." The sound of Stephenson's cheery voice 
 attracted the attention of the farmer's wife ; so out 
 she came from the kitchen to see what all the talking 
 was about, and what the stranger wanted with her 
 husband. 
 
 ' Women are generally gifted with a quicker 
 power of perception than men : their judgment may 
 not be so good in the long run, but certainly every 
 now and then they jump to the best conclusions. 
 No sooner did the good dame set eyes upon 
 Stephenson, than she read in his open countenance 
 a guarantee for his honesty ; and drawing her hus- 
 band aside, she so worked upon his feelings, that 
 he not only gave Stephenson permission to come 
 inside the house and rest himself, but offered him 
 cordially a share of their evening meal. The good 
 people must have wondered who they had got with 
 them ; for Stephenson, grateful for their kindness, 
 exerted himself to be as agreeable as possible, and 
 
io8 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 told story after story, and anecdote after anecdote, 
 till it was far on in the night before any of them 
 thought of going to bed ; and the next morning, 
 when Stephenson, after thanking them for their 
 hospitality, begged to be allowed to make a proper 
 remuneration, his host and hostess angrily scouted 
 such a notion. " His stories were worth more than 
 the bread and cheese which he had eaten," they 
 said, " or the ale which he had drunk." They only 
 asked one thing of him, " that he would never pass 
 that way without coming to see them." Little any 
 of the party thought how the promise Stephenson 
 then gave them would be afterwards redeemed. 
 
 ' Years passed away, and very possibly the good 
 farmer and his wife, even if they remembered the 
 very entertaining visitor chance had thrown in their 
 way, had quite given up any idea of ever seeing 
 him again, when one day a travelling carnage, per- 
 fect in its appointments, drew up before their door. 
 The farmer and his wife had grown old then, but I 
 daresay they made the best haste they could to 
 receive with all due honour such an unexpected 
 guest Quick as the woman had once been to find 
 out Stephenson's worth, she must have been quicker 
 still, if, in the well-dressed, striking-looking man, 
 who now came forward cordially to greet her, she 
 recognised at once the wayworn traveller who had 
 years ago claimed and received her hospitality. 
 All England was ringing now with his deeds, and 
 
Stephensoris Simple Habits. 109 
 
 many of the first houses in the land were eager to 
 open their doors to admit the man who, by his 
 genius, had produced a complete change in the 
 social condition of the world, and given to England 
 a new era of commercial greatness. But Stephen- 
 son, simple in prosperity as he had been patient in 
 adversity, did not forget the humble friends who 
 had so generously received and entertained him in 
 his hour of want. Now was his turn to show kind- 
 ness and generosity, and he was only too glad to 
 have the opportunity of returning it tenfold. 
 
 ' It is curious to find how much stranger things 
 happen in real life than any which a novelist would 
 dare to introduce into his stories. It is this which 
 makes me think biography so much the most in- 
 teresting of all studies ; and it has the additional 
 advantage, that, being perfectly true, the stories we 
 hear are an encouragement to ourselves " to go and 
 do likewise." ' 
 
 ' Well, then, Aunt Helen/ said Charles, laughing, 
 ' suppose I invite in the very next man who comes 
 to the door to beg ; do you give me leave ? ' 
 
 * Certainly, if you are sure it is a George Stephen- 
 son to whom you are giving the invitation. But 
 remember he did not come to beg, and remember 
 also, Charles, that if you merely listen to what is 
 good or noble or generous, for the sake of turning 
 it into fun, and think you show your wit or your 
 wisdom by overlooking the real point of a story, 
 
no The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 and fixing on some secondary and absurd deduc- 
 tion, your wit will be of very little use to you, and 
 your wisdom will hardly earn for you the applause 
 of the only class of persons whose approbation is 
 worth having/ 
 
 It was seldom Mrs. Grenville spoke so severely, 
 and Charles blushed crimson at his aunt's rebuke. 
 ' I did not mean to say what was wrong, Aunt 
 Helen/ he added. 
 
 ' I daresay you did not/ replied Mrs. Grenville ; 
 ' you only meant to say what you considered funny ; 
 and that is too much not only your tendency, but 
 the tendency of the present day. No matter how 
 good, or how amiable, or how high-toned an action 
 may be, it is sacrificed without remorse to the love 
 of a joke. I cannot bear the spirit that this thirst 
 for the ridiculous engenders : once admit it as your 
 principle of action, and it eats at the root of every- 
 thing that is good and noble, until at last the very 
 power of appreciating what is excellent or beautiful 
 is blunted, if not wholly lost/ 
 
 ' Oh aunt ! I never thought of such a result as 
 that/ exclaimed Charles ; ' I should be very sorry if 
 I ever became so bad as that/ 
 
 ' I am sure you would, my dear boy, and there- 
 fore I want to warn you in time, for this love of 
 turning everything into ridicule grows rapidly and 
 imperceptibly upon a person ; and though I should 
 be the last to desire to put any undue restraint upon 
 
Accident to his Father. 1 1 1 
 
 your naturally high spirits, yet you must be upon 
 your guard not to let your love of what is droll 
 make you unmindful that there are far higher 
 qualities than drollery, and many occasions when 
 to give way to our ludicrous impressions is not 
 only in bad taste, but positively wrong. However, 
 I do not wish to say any more about it now ; we 
 will return to the far pleasanter subject of George 
 Stephenson and his adventures. 
 
 ' On his arrival at hdme, he found sad news await- 
 ing him: his poor father had met with a most dread- 
 ful accident. Whilst he was employed in attending 
 to his engine, a fellow-workman had accidentally 
 turned some steam on to his face. The accident 
 was done in a moment, but the mischief was irre- 
 parable : the poor man became perfectly blind. It 
 was doubly sad for him : he was getting old ; he had 
 nothing to depend upon for his subsistence but his 
 labour; his sons could only just manage to keep 
 themselves : what was to become of him ? Matters 
 grew daily worse ; and when George returned home, 
 it was to find his poor old father blind and help- 
 less, and overwhelmed with debt. It was a terrible 
 blow. What was to be done ? There were his 
 earnings, certainly ; Robert's school-money, that 
 money for which he had risen early and worked 
 late, and denied himself almost the bare necessaries 
 of life : must that be given up ? The question was 
 soon decided. Robert was young, he could afford 
 
ii2 The Triunipfis of Steam. 
 
 to wait a while longer for his schooling ; his father 
 was old, if he let slip this opportunity of helping 
 him, how did he know that another would ever be 
 granted ? He would do his present duty, and trust 
 that a way would be opened at some future time for 
 providing for the education of his son. To decide 
 was to act. George Stephenson paid his father's 
 debts, and then removed him to a neat, pretty little 
 cottage, where he supported him for the remainder 
 of his life. The sacrifice must have seemed great 
 at the time, but it was not made in vain ; and God, 
 who even in this life rarely allows a good action 
 to go unrewarded, gave him other means of provid- 
 ing for his son, whilst the noble example he had 
 set him, of generosity and self-denial, was of more 
 value than the most costly education money could 
 have procured. 
 
 ' For the moment, however, matters looked gloomy 
 enough. Stephenson's earnings were all gone, and 
 he had to return to his old occupation as brakes- 
 man. This was very disheartening; and nothing 
 but the sustaining consciousness that he was doing 
 his duty could have upheld him during the per- 
 plexities and difficulties which now hemmed in his 
 path : indeed, so insuperable did they at one time 
 appear, that he thought seriously of giving up his 
 present situation and emigrating to America, to 
 try his fortune in a new world. Fortunately for 
 himself and for England, he was diverted from his 
 
Stephensoris Ideas Ridiculed. 1 1 3 
 
 purpose. Brighter days were in store, though at 
 present there was only a faint glimpse of the com- 
 ing light. Meanwhile he returned to his old trade 
 of clock-mending spending all his leisure hours 
 in this manner, or in mending shoes, or in tailoring ; 
 in which latter trade he attained to such celebrity, 
 that Stephenson's cut became as well known in the 
 Newcastle mines as D'Orsay's in the ring of Hyde 
 Park. However, a new and more profitable occu- 
 pation than any of these was about to be opened 
 to him, and one in every way fitted to develope 
 the fine powers of his mind. 
 
 ' In a new pit which had been formed not very 
 far from the one in which Stephenson worked, an 
 engine had been erected for the purpose of pump- 
 ing out the water. At the time that it was being 
 built, Stephenson had gone to look at it ; and he 
 said directly it was faulty in its principle, and that 
 if much water collected in the mine, it would be 
 utterly unable to do its work. The men only 
 laughed at the presumption of a common brakes- 
 man venturing to find fault with the operations of 
 a practical engineer. They laugh safest who laugh 
 last. Stephenson took no notice. The engine was 
 finished, and the day of trial came. In vain the 
 pumps were set in action ; they failed entirely to 
 clear the mine. This was all very provoking, but of 
 course it could soon be rectified. The ingenuity of 
 all the engineers in the neighbourhood was taxed 
 
 H 
 
H4 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 to find the remedy ; but still the engine was obsti- 
 nate, and still the mine was full of water. Occa- 
 sionally Stephenson would walk over to the pit, 
 and ask quietly, "Well, how does she go on?" 
 
 ' The men were obliged to admit, " badly enough ;" 
 but no one thought of applying to Stephenson for 
 his assistance. At length, when a whole year had 
 been wasted in fruitless endeavours to get the engines 
 to work, it chanced that one afternoon Stephenson 
 paid a visit to the pit, and found the men more than 
 usually put out with their refractory engine. Deter- 
 mined to satisfy himself as to whether he was right 
 or wrong in his suppositions, Stephenson made a 
 careful and thorough examination of it in all its 
 parts. 
 
 ' "Well," said one of the men, half jestingly, when 
 he had finished, "what can you make out of it ?" 
 
 ' " That if this engine was in my care," replied 
 Stephenson, " I would have the mine dry enough 
 for you all to be at the bottom in a week." 
 
 'This bold assertion was repeated to the over- 
 seer of the mine. That Stephenson could succeed, 
 and in so short a space of time, where all the best 
 engineers in the neighbourhood had failed, seemed 
 certainly improbable enough : however, as physicians 
 could not cure the disease, why not allow a quack 
 to try what he could do ? So Mr. Dods went to find 
 Stephenson, and asked him whether it was true he 
 had made such a daring boast. "Only give me 
 
His Triumphant Success. 115 
 
 leave to do precisely what I like," replied Stephen- 
 son, "and to choose my own men to work under 
 me, and I engage that in a week's time your engine 
 shall be in thoroughgoing order. Only, remember, 
 I must not be interfered with, and I must be allowed 
 the entire control over my gang of workmen." 
 
 'Dods was too much disheartened with all the 
 trouble and expense the unfortunate engine had 
 already occasioned, to be very particular about the 
 terms on which it could be set to rights ; and be- 
 sides, he very likely felt that just such determination 
 as Stephenson now displayed was precisely what 
 was wanted to bring the undertaking to a successful 
 issue ; so, giving him carte blanche to do what he 
 pleased, he bade him set to work without the loss 
 of a minute's time. Stephenson said he must have 
 a few hours to make up his mind as to the exact 
 course he should adopt, but that on the following 
 morning he and his workmen would be at the pit's 
 mouth. Punctual to a moment, he kept his appoint- 
 ment. Under his superintendence, the engine was 
 entirely taken to pieces. Four days were employed 
 in making the necessary alterations, and in putting 
 the engine together again ; on the morning of the 
 fifth day the pumps were put in action, and before 
 four-and-twenty hours had elapsed the mine was 
 cleared out, the workmen were walking about on 
 dry ground at the bottom, and the success of the 
 indefatigable brakesman was thus made abundantly 
 
1 1 6 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 clear. Mr. Dods was so delighted, that he made 
 Stephenson a present on the spot of 10 ; a sum 
 which in after years must have seemed to him ridi- 
 culously small, but which now, coming all at once, 
 appeared like a little fortune/ 
 
 'And I daresay he kept it all for Robert/ ex- 
 claimed Arthur. 
 
 ' I daresay he did, at least I am sure he did 
 not spend any on his own amusements/ replied 
 Mrs. Grenville ; ' for so rigidly did he adhere to 
 the strict rules of conduct which he had laid down 
 for himself, that when, a short time afterwards, Mr. 
 Dods, who had taken a great liking to him, invited 
 him one morning to come and take a glass of ale 
 with him, Stephenson respectfully but firmly de- 
 clined, saying he had quite made up his mind to 
 allow himself no indulgences of the kind, lest he 
 might be tempted to encroach upon his hours for 
 studies, or on the little fund which he had appro- 
 priated for such much better and higher purposes.' 
 
 ' What a grand fellow he was !' said Ernest. ' He 
 deserved to succeed/ 
 
 ' To deserve success is generally to secure it ; for, 
 as a rule, God has mercifully ordained that the 
 careful cultivation of the higher moral arid intel- 
 lectual qualities shall tend to promote both our 
 prosperity and our happiness : deeply grateful we 
 ought to be to Him that He has thus ordained it. 
 But now that we have brought our hero to a safe 
 
A Good Example. 117 
 
 landing-point, we must leave him for the present 
 to the full enjoyment of his victory. I promised 
 to walk down to the school, to look over some new 
 books with Miss Jones.* 
 
 ' May I go with you, mamma ?' asked Arthur. 
 6 1 want to see Willie Crampton.' 
 
 'Yes, certainly, my love, if you like it. Run 
 and get your cap ; I shall be ready almost as soon 
 as you are/ 
 
 Mrs. Grenville had always accustomed her children 
 to accompany her in such of her visits to the poor 
 people as they could safely pay, rightly judging that 
 the only way in which they could learn to sym- 
 pathize with wants and sufferings from which they 
 were so completely removed, was to see for them- 
 selves what others were called upon to endure, and 
 thus learn to thank God for the happy lot which, in 
 His mercy, He had seen proper to bestow upon 
 them. 
 
 To Ernest and Charles these visits were some- 
 times great bores : they would rather have been 
 riding or fishing, or playing at cricket. Gradually, 
 however, as they began to feel the pleasure of doing 
 good, they learned to take more and more interest 
 in the well-being of others ; and Mrs. Grenville hoped 
 that, in course of time, and if they were not injudi- 
 ciously urged on, they would learn how much of our 
 truest happiness arises from ministering to that of 
 others. 
 
1 1 8 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 With Arthur the case was different His delicate 
 health prevented his entering freely into the manly 
 sports of the other boys, and his peculiarly sensitive 
 and refined nature found a positive delight in sym- 
 pathizing with either the joys or sorrows of others. 
 To see the countenance of some poor little invalid 
 brighten up, as he offered flowers from the con- 
 servatory, or a bunch of grapes, or two or three 
 fine ripe peaches, was to Arthur a positive delight ; 
 and he never would have tired of reading his 
 favourite stories to a group of eager little listeners, 
 or of imparting to those who liked to learn, the 
 knowledge of which he was himself so fond ; and he 
 would have sat for hours teaching a child to read, 
 or trying to make it understand the rudiments of 
 arithmetic. With Arthur, the difficulty was to pre- 
 vent his doing too much, and Mrs. Grenville was 
 obliged to lay down strict rules as to the times and 
 seasons when his visits must alone be paid. 
 
 There was one family of whom Arthur was par- 
 ticularly fond : the father was a most respectable 
 man, a labourer at the Grange ; the mother, a hard- 
 working, industrious woman, who did the very best 
 she could to bring up her children as well as her 
 somewhat scanty means would allow. Amongst 
 her children was one, a remarkably clever boy. 
 Willie, it must be confessed, had always been her 
 darling, and had he not been of a remarkably sweet 
 nature, he would have run a sad risk of being 
 
Little Willie. 1 1 9 
 
 spoiled ; but somehow he escaped, and a more de- 
 lightful lad than Willie, when he was about twelve 
 years of age, it would have been impossible to see. 
 ' And such a scholard, too ! ' as the mother said. 
 ' Willie could write like print, and read like a book/ 
 
 But alas for our human hopes ! Willie, the 
 pride of his mother's heart, was overtaken by one 
 of the most terrible misfortunes that can happen 
 to a human being. Owing to an accident, thought 
 nothing of at the time, and afterwards too long 
 neglected, Willie, it was feared, would become quite 
 blind. 
 
 Thanks to Mrs. Grenville's kindness, he had been 
 able to obtain the best advice, but the oculist who 
 saw him gave little hopes ; the disease, he said, was 
 on the nerve of the eye. It was possible, but hardly 
 probable, that the poor lad would ever recover his 
 sight. Great was the sympathy felt for him through- 
 out the whole village, for Willie was a universal 
 favourite ; but no one sympathized more heartily, 
 or did more to alleviate the affliction of his poor 
 friend, than Arthur ; and whenever he could obtain 
 his mother's permission, he was sure to be found at 
 the cottage, reading or talking to the blind boy ; 
 and Willie counted on those visits, and his poor 
 blind eyes brightened up at the sound of Arthur's 
 footstep, and the light touch of his hand on the 
 latch of the door. 
 
 6 Master Arthur/ said Willie, as Arthur, having 
 
I2O The Triitmphs of Steam. 
 
 left his mother at the schoolhouse, had run on to 
 the cottage, and was now sitting by Willie's side, 
 ' did you ever hear tell of a machine by which the 
 blind can write ? ' 
 
 ' Yes, I have heard of them/ said Arthur, ' but I 
 have never seen one/ 
 
 'Do you think, Master Arthur, they are very 
 dear?' 
 
 ' I do not know/ said Arthur ; ' I will inquire/ 
 
 Willie said no more ; but Arthur saw how his 
 heart was set upon the possession of his machine ; 
 and as he walked back to the Grange with his 
 mother, he asked her whether she could give him 
 any idea what was the price of these writing-desks 
 for the blind. 
 
 ' I am not quite sure/ replied his mother ; ' I will 
 write to London and inquire/ 
 
 As soon as Arthur got home, he went up-stairs to 
 his own room, and taking his purse out of his desk, 
 he looked somewhat sorrowfully at its contents. By 
 his mother's advice, he had always been in the habit 
 of putting away some portion of his allowance as 
 soon as he received it, to be spent in any little act 
 of private charity ; and a very good plan he found 
 it, because, this being a separate fund, Arthur no 
 longer considered it as belonging to himself, and 
 spent it ungrudgingly. Unfortunately, his calls upon 
 it had been rather large of late ; nothing remained 
 but a portion of his own private allowance, which 
 
Arthurs Self-Denial. 121 
 
 he had wished to appropriate to the purchase of an 
 expensive book on mechanics he had been long 
 desirous of possessing, and to obtain which he had . 
 been for some time past saving every farthing that 
 he could spare. The necessary sum was just com- 
 pleted, and Arthur had intended that very evening 
 to speak to his father about it, and ask him to write 
 to his bookseller and beg him to send it. 
 
 But the request had not been made, and so the 
 money was still his own. Arthur looked wistfully 
 at a little model which was standing on a table close 
 by, and which he could not finish for want of the 
 knowledge that very book would convey. Suddenly 
 he turned away his head, and exclaimed out loud, 
 ' What did George Stephenson do ? and he was 
 more tried than I am. He was a fine, brave fellow, 
 and did his duty, and I will pray to God to enable 
 me to do mine also. I can very easily go without 
 my book for a little while longer, and Willie shall 
 have his desk/ And Arthur put back the money, 
 and went down-stairs and joined in the sports that 
 were going on, and no one guessed the sacrifice that 
 had just been made ; but God knew it, and accepted 
 it as an offering made unto Himself. 'And thy 
 Father which seeth in secret/ Arthur, ' Himself shall 
 reward thee openly/ 
 
MR. STEPHENSON'S COTTAGE AT KILLINGWORTH. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Stephenson promoted to the office of engineer of the High Pit 
 Anxiety for the education of his son Robert's early life The first 
 locomotive Improvements in the locomotive. 1 
 
 JH aunt ! Aunt Helen V exclaimed Charles 
 as he one morning ran into the library 
 where Mrs. Grenville was busily writing, 
 ' do you know Donny has carried the 
 tin, and carried it quite safely? 1 
 
 ' Has he ? I am glad of that/ replied Mrs. Gren- 
 ville, looking up from her letter. ' How have you 
 managed it ?' 
 
 'Why, aunt/ replied Charles, colouring, 'I have 
 
 1 See Smiles' Life of Stephenson > pp. 46-94. 
 
 
124 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 not forgotten what you said to me, and I wanted 
 to show you I was not quite such a fool as I seemed, 
 and so I asked Arthur to help me ; and I could 
 have done nothing without Arthur, he is so gentle, 
 and he knows so well what he is about ; and he first 
 coaxed Donny, and then we made him play with 
 the tin, just as you advised us ; and then Arthur 
 put it very gently, very gently indeed, Aunt Helen, 
 round his throat, and saw that it was all right and 
 would not knock against his legs ; and Donny did 
 not much like it at first, but we patted him, and told 
 him he was a good dog, and we gave him some bits 
 of cake, and we only let him have it on for a very 
 little while ; and at last, Aunt Helen, we have got 
 him to carry it as well as possible, and he does not 
 mind a bit. Do come and see/ 
 
 Mrs. Grenville laid down her pen and followed 
 her nephew out on to the lawn, where she found 
 Arthur and Mr. Grenville and Ernest awaiting her 
 arrival, for the exhibition of Donny's powers ; and 
 Arthur ran away to a great tree quite at the end of 
 the garden, and then Charles tied the tin round 
 Donny's neck, and told him ' to run off and take his 
 dinner to his master ;' and off ran Donny, and he 
 never stopped till he reached Arthur, whilst Charles 
 stood looking on triumphantly at this successful 
 issue to his teaching. 
 
 ' I congratulate you, Charles/ said his uncle, turn- 
 ing round and shaking hands with him, ' not so 
 
Results of Perseverance. 125 
 
 much on Master Donald's performance, as on the 
 victory you have gained over yourself.' 
 
 'Indeed, papa, Charles has been very persever- 
 ing/ said Ernest ; ' he has given up his rides and his 
 cricket, and all sorts of things.' 
 
 ' Well, and he has got his reward. This may be 
 only a very small matter/ continued Mr. Grenville ; 
 'but if by teaching Donald he has learned the value 
 of habits of patience and perseverance, and deter- 
 mination to conquer difficulty, it has not been time 
 thrown away. And believe me, Charles, many a 
 man who has afterwards attained to fame and for- 
 tune, has looked back on his past career, and been 
 able to trace his success in life to some circumstance 
 quite as trivial as that of which we are now speak- 
 ing, but which first taught him the value of those 
 very qualities, without which the most brilliant wit 
 or genius will be, comparatively speaking, useless to 
 their possessor.' 
 
 ' Oh, but, uncle/ exclaimed Charles, ' Arthur de- 
 serves your praise more than I do ; I should have 
 thrown it all up in despair but for him.' 
 
 ' Well, then, you must share your laurels/ replied 
 Mr. Grenville ; ' and now, if you like to celebrate 
 your victory by a good gallop over the downs, I 
 am going to the sheep farm, and will take you with 
 me/ 
 
 There was very little doubt about Charles's 
 answer, and perhaps he never felt happier than 
 
 
126 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 when he rode by Mr. Grenville's side ; conscious 
 that, by the exercise of real self-denial, he had raised 
 himself in his uncle's estimation. How many good 
 resolutions he formed that he never would fall back 
 into his old habits ! Alas, and alas that it should 
 be so very much easier to resolve than to prac- 
 tise! 
 
 ' Now, Aunt Helen/ said Charles, when a day or 
 two afterwards the children were sitting with her, 
 ' you will not be afraid, will you, to tell us about 
 George Stephenson ? I do so want to know what 
 became of him after he mended the engine.' 
 
 ' Mr. Dods naturally thought/ replied Mrs. Gren- 
 ville, ' that no one was so likely to keep the engine 
 in repair as the man who had wrought the cure ; he 
 therefore offered Stephenson the situation of engine- 
 man of the High Pit, a post which, as it secured for 
 him better wages than any which he had yet ob- 
 tained, Stephenson was only too glad to accept. 
 But this was not all ; the fame of his exploit soon 
 spread through the neighbourhood, and the owners 
 of such engines as would not work applied to Ste- 
 phenson to cure their laziness. The consequence was, 
 that he had soon almost more business on his hands 
 than he could manage in his spare hours, and busi- 
 ness, too, which paid much better than shoe-mending 
 or tailoring. Besides, his constant practice of taking 
 to pieces and examining the different engines gave 
 him the most valuable practical knowledge of their 
 
Stephenson Assisted by his Son. 127 
 
 parts and method of acting, and stored his mind 
 with new thoughts and ideas, which were at length 
 to find their full development in the construction 
 of the locomotive. Every moment which he could 
 now give from his positive duties was devoted to 
 building model engines, in which he was always in- 
 venting and working out some new improvement ; 
 and in this employment he received the most valu- 
 able assistance from his son/ 
 
 'What, from little Robert!* exclaimed Ernest 
 ' I thought he was quite a child/ 
 
 ' So he was/ replied Mrs. Grenville ; 'but he was a 
 most extraordinary boy ; and, fortunately for him, 
 his father was not yet a rich man, for if Mr. Ste- 
 phenson had then been wealthy, as he afterwards 
 became, possibly his son might have been a dif- 
 ferent class of man. It required all the hardships 
 and the difficulties with which Robert had to con- 
 tend when young to bring to maturity those fine 
 talents which have since not only placed him at 
 the head of his profession, but made him the com- 
 panion of all the most celebrated men of the day. 
 I remember his once complaining to me how dif- 
 ferent the young men were now to what they were 
 some years ago, how almost impossible it was to 
 find any one who was thoroughly hard-working and 
 relf-reliant, and I could not help thinking at the 
 time, that much of the fault was owing to the luxu- 
 rious and self-indulgent habits of the present day, 
 
128 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 destructive as they are to all healthy vigour, whether 
 of mind or body/ 
 
 ' Why, mamma/ exclaimed Ernest, ( do you know 
 Mr. Robert Stephenson ?' 
 
 'Yes, I have long known and honoured Mr. Ste- 
 phenson/ replied Mrs. Grenville ; ' and more than 
 that, I always feel that I owe him a real debt of 
 gratitude for having once reproved me very severely/ 
 
 1 Oh mamma, you are in fun P 
 
 ' No, I am not ; I am thoroughly in earnest. It 
 was wise counsel that he gave me ; and though I 
 was young then, I felt the full truth of what he said 
 to me, and have always since acknowledged that I 
 have to thank Mr. Stephenson mainly for those 
 habits of self-reliance and of perseverance which I 
 have found so valuable to myself, and which I am 
 so anxious ttfat you should all acquire.' 1 
 
 1 Alas ! that since these lines were written, he whose counsels were 
 so valued, whose friendship was so highly prized, has passed away 
 from amongst us. With loving reverence England has mourned for 
 her lost son, according to him the highest reward it is in her power to 
 bestow, an honoured grave amongst her wisest and her noblest and 
 her best. This is a nation's tribute to his genius : to his worth a 
 higher still is paid, in the love and grief of the large circle of friends, 
 who feel that in losing Robert Stephenson they have lost him on whom 
 they most relied, one whose spirit was as gentle as his heart was 
 brave, whose sympathy was as ready as his judgment was sound, 
 whose intellect was as acute as his humility was profound. Those 
 who knew Robert Stephenson cannot hope to supply the void that 
 death has made ; they must be content to remember that they once 
 called him friend. 
 
Robert Stephensoris Early Training. 129 
 
 ' Oh, I should so like to see him ! ' exclaimed 
 Ernest. 
 
 ' So should I/ said Arthur ; ' he would tell me all 
 about my engines.' 
 
 ' Yes, and it would be such fun/ added Charles, 
 'to see any one who had scolded Aunt Helen! I 
 wonder whether he remembers it, aunt ?' 
 
 ' I am sure I do not know ; it is a long while 
 ago/ 
 
 ' Mamma, do you think he would come and stay 
 here if papa asked him ? ' inquired Arthur. 
 
 'No, I should think not He has no time now 
 for paying visits to explain engines to little boys/ 
 
 'But I am glad you know him, mamma/ added 
 Ernest ; ' it will all seem so much more true now, I 
 shall like the story twice as well/ 
 
 'Why, my dear boy, do you think I was in- 
 venting ? * 
 
 ' Oh no, mamma ! of course not ; but it does 
 make it all seem so much more life-like ; and be- 
 sides, now I shall think, perhaps I shall see Mr. 
 Stephenson some day myself : who knows ? * 
 
 ' More impossible things have happened, certainly. 
 But I must go back to the time when Robert was 
 a child, much younger than any of you are now. 
 From his earliest boyhood his father had made him 
 his companion, and Robert returned his affection 
 with a love as entire as it was unselfish. There was 
 no delight to him so great as to be able to help his 
 
 I 
 
1 30 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 father, and a very important service he was enabled 
 at this time to render him. In pursuance of the 
 plan he had formed, Mr. Stephenson sent Robert 
 to school with the very first money he had to spare, 
 and Robert made such use of his instruction, that 
 by the time he was seven or eight years old he had 
 far outstepped his father's acquirements. He had 
 always evinced a decided taste for mathematics, and 
 this taste was early strengthened and called into 
 exercise. There was nothing that Mr. Stephenson 
 liked better than to sit down quietly, on his return 
 home from his day's labour, and work out, with 
 Robert's assistance, the different problems on which 
 his mind might happen to be intent. It must have 
 been a curious sight, that cottage home its bright, 
 cheery fire its miscellaneous furniture, everything 
 odd and singular that Stephenson could make or 
 collect, and its walls covered with models of every 
 size and description ; and there, surrounded by these 
 evidences of his skill and ingenuity, sat the father 
 and the son the calm, thoughtful, intelligent man, 
 the eager, loving, earnest boy. How often in after 
 years must they have looked back to those evenings, 
 when, hour after hour, Robert would sit happily by 
 his father's side working out the problems, the full 
 meaning of which he could not yet understand, but 
 which he had a dim foreshadowing were to end in 
 some great success ; and when that end came, I have 
 sometimes wondered whether they did not look back 
 
His Scientific Experiments. 131 
 
 to those winter evenings with something very like 
 regret that they had passed away for ever. The 
 world can give fame and riches, but it cannot give 
 such love and sympathy. 
 
 'But though Robert's chief delight was to im- 
 prove as much as possible in his learning that he 
 might help his father, yet his studies did not inter- 
 fere one bit with his love of fun and play ; he was 
 a thorough boy, up to all sorts of mischief, and his 
 scientific experiments became at length a terror to 
 the neighbourhood. Amongst other books which 
 fell into his hands was a Life of Franklin. No 
 sooner had he read the method by which Franklin 
 drew lightning from the clouds, than he was seized 
 with an irresistible longing to do the same thing 
 himself. But how was he to obtain the means of 
 performing the experiment ? He might, indeed, 
 manufacture the kite, but its materials would cost 
 money ; and so would the wire, and the silk that he 
 would require as a non-conductor. He did not like 
 to ask his father for the money, fearing lest he 
 should be forbidden to pursue his perilous amuse- 
 ment. He looked earnestly at his little stock of 
 wealth, a few pennies; but they were soon expended, 
 and yet he had not bought half that he required for 
 the manufacture of his apparatus. Fortunately for 
 him, his father's example had not been thrown away 
 upon him ; he had seen how patiently and steadily 
 his father had held on his way, grappling with each 
 
132 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 new difficulty as it arose, and invariably the con- 
 queror. So Robert took heart. Occasionally he 
 would earn a few pence, occasionally a few would 
 be given him, and off he would run to the village 
 shop to buy fresh materials to continue his favourite 
 work. At length it was completed. Oh ! how 
 anxiously he watched the clouds for a fit day for 
 his experiment ! and then, unseen by any one, out 
 he stole into the fields to try his experiment upon 
 some neighbour's cows. Poor things, little they 
 knew, as they were quietly chewing the cud, the 
 fate that was in store for them. Having fixed and 
 prepared his apparatus, Robert let fly his kite. His 
 success possibly surprised him as much as it did the 
 cows : the electric shock was tremendous, and set 
 the poor creatures scudding all over the fields with 
 their tails on end, terrified half out of their senses. 
 This was far too great fun not to be repeated, and 
 complaints were soon brought to Mr. Stephenson of 
 his son's mischievous propensities, with a request 
 that for the future his scientific experiments might 
 be tried only on what belonged to himself. Robert 
 was reproved, but I am afraid to little purpose, for 
 he continued to practise his favourite occupation 
 whenever the opportunity presented itself; and a 
 great mercy it is he did not do any real mischief, 
 or draw down the lightning upon himself, of which 
 danger he certainly ran an awful risk.' 
 
 ' Then he did do naughty things occasionally/ 
 
His Dislike to Drawing. 133 
 
 said Charles ; that is some comfort. I had felt 
 quite oppressed with his goodness/ 
 
 'He was like the rest of us, I suppose/ replied 
 Mrs. Grenville, smiling ; ' and, fortunately for him, 
 his father, devotedly attached to him as he was, was 
 never weakly or foolishly indulgent, and Robert was 
 quite aware that if he did what was wrong, a good 
 sound whipping would be the inevitable consequence. 
 So strict was Mr. Stephenson, that he would not even 
 allow of a lesson being idly and badly done. He 
 knew perfectly well, that the secret of all true success 
 lies in the mind being wholly given to the occupa- 
 tion on which it is for the time employed. " What- 
 ever you do must be thoroughly done." This was the 
 maxim on which he himself acted, and he took care 
 that Robert should do the same. Now, if there was 
 one thing that Robert disliked when he was a boy, 
 it was learning to draw. But Mr. Stephenson had 
 made up his mind his boy was to be an engineer, 
 and to attain to any eminence in his profession, it 
 was indispensably necessary that he should be a 
 good draughtsman. Accordingly, he placed Robert 
 under the care of a Mr. Parker, the best master 
 in that part of the country. Robert, however, pro- 
 fited little by his instructions ; and no sooner was 
 the master's back turned than Robert would be 
 amusing himself with his calculations, or his model- 
 ling, or his scientific toys, or, in fact, with any of his 
 numerous occupations, which he liked better than 
 
1 34 The Triiimphs of Steam. 
 
 his drawing. It so happened that when he was one 
 day thus following his own devices, he saw the door 
 open of the adjoining room where Mr. Parker was 
 at work, and his father walk up to his master's 
 easel. 
 
 ' " Well," said Mr. Stephenson, " and how does my 
 son come on ? " 
 
 ' " Your son ! " replied Mr. Parker ; " he is the 
 laziest dog I have ever had anything to do with." 
 
 ' Robert started as he heard these words. " Ah ! " 
 thought he, " there is a flogging for me." And sure 
 enough it came, before many more minutes had been 
 allowed to pass. 
 
 4 On the whole, however, Robert was a wonder- 
 fully good boy, and the steady progress he made in 
 his studies was something quite surprising. Fortu- 
 nately, his father was now able to send him to a 
 much better school. Mr. Stephenson's prospects 
 were steadily brightening : he was appointed col- 
 liery engineer, a situation of great trust, and which 
 brought him into constant communication with the 
 owners of the mines, men of rank and education, 
 who were fully able to understand and appreciate 
 his vigorous and straightforward character, and who 
 were afterwards of great use to him in enabling him 
 to carry out his plans ; more especially with regard 
 to the locomotive, the construction of which engine 
 was now beginning to occupy all his thoughts and 
 spare time. Something of the sort had already been 
 
A Self -Acting Incline. 135 
 
 tried at a neighbouring colliery, and great wonder 
 had the monstrous engine excited when it was first 
 placed upon the rails and set in motion, and extra- 
 ordinary were its powers esteemed when it dragged 
 after it eight or nine loaded coal waggons, although 
 it frequently took six hours to perform a journey of 
 five miles. 
 
 ' The execution of this engine and its powers of 
 working were faulty in the extreme, but the idea was 
 the thing : that once suggested, George Stephenson 
 only asked for time, and he felt sure he could do the 
 rest. Ever since he had been appointed colliery en- 
 gineer, he had been anxiously looking out for some 
 method of easing the men's work, and procuring a 
 rapid transit for the coals from the various mines to 
 the ships that were to take them away. He had 
 first thought of a self-acting incline, by which the 
 weight of the loaded waggons in descending would 
 draw up the empty waggons to the summit. This 
 plan he contrived and executed, and it was found to 
 answer perfectly. But no sooner did he see the en- 
 gine which Mr. Blackett had constructed for running 
 on an iron rail, than in a moment he knew his own 
 scheme was surpassed, and that the real secret for 
 which he had been so long searching was revealed 
 to him in all its power. The only thing now was 
 how to make use of it. However, he had conquered 
 too many difficulties to be easily disheartened. 
 
 ' His want of knowledge of what had already been 
 
136 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 written on the subject was certainly a great disad- 
 vantage to him. Never mind, he must make the best 
 of it ; if he could not read for himself, Robert must 
 read for him. So, desiring his son to get all the 
 books he could find on the subject, and carefully to 
 master their contents, he himself devoted the whole 
 powers of his mind to examining Blackett's engine 
 as it now stood, finding out its deficiencies, and how 
 they might best be remedied. The more he studied, 
 the more he was convinced that at length he held 
 the clue to the most extraordinary discovery the 
 world has ever received ; and he confidently prophe- 
 sied, that if once he could reduce his theory to prac- 
 tice, there was no limit to the speed which his engine 
 might attain. Of course people laughed, and called 
 him an enthusiast and a visionary ; but they had 
 laughed before, and Stephenson had shown them 
 their mirth had been premature : why should it not 
 be so again ? He was right ; something within him 
 told him he was right. Let who would oppose, he 
 should work steadily on, and the world would see 
 great things before many more years had passed 
 away. But there was one terrible impediment to 
 success : money was wanting. It was clearly im- 
 possible for George Stephenson to supply the funds 
 himself ; and where was he to find any one willing 
 to advance the requisite sum for what the world pro- 
 nounced an impracticable adventure ? 
 
 ' A meeting of the owners of the mine was called 
 
A Travelling Engine. 137 
 
 in 1813. Stephenson laid before them his plans for 
 a " travelling engine," showing the immense advan- 
 tages which would result from its use, and the incal- 
 culable saving it would effect in time, in expense, in 
 labour. Some of the committee were inclined to 
 treat the idea as altogether visionary ; but Lord 
 Ravensworth, the principal partner in the concern, 
 fortunately took a different view of the matter. He 
 had had time to become acquainted with Stephen- 
 son ; he had heard all his past career, and was not 
 disposed to believe that a man who had so thought- 
 fully and perseveringly worked his way up to his 
 present position, simply by his own native power 
 and by his strong, clear judgment, was now likely 
 to be entirely deceived on a point which he had 
 evidently thoroughly studied, and on which he spoke 
 with such perfect confidence of ultimate success. If 
 he failed, at any rate it should not be the fault of 
 the proprietors of the mine. Stephenson might go 
 to work whenever he liked : he, Lord Ravensworth, 
 would be answerable for any expenses which he 
 incurred. 
 
 ' Backed by such an assurance, Stephenson applied 
 himself with redoubled energy to his task. Failure 
 never disheartened him ; he only learned how to 
 avoid the rock of stumbling in future. But it was 
 hard work. Not only had he to invent and combine 
 the different portions of his engine, but he had to 
 teach workmen how to put them together. These 
 
138 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 works required such much more delicate tools and 
 handling than anything hitherto known in the north, 
 that Stephenson found it almost impossible to get 
 the assistance he needed. However, what with doing 
 it himself, and what with overlooking others, his 
 engine was at last completed, and placed upon the 
 Killingworth Railway on the 25th of July 1814, and, 
 at the rate of four miles an hour, it drew after it 
 eight loaded waggons. It was successful, but it was 
 not success ; and Stephenson saw clearly that, if his 
 engine was to maintain its ground, some great im- 
 provement in its powers of working must rapidly be 
 made. Hour after hour he anxiously thought over 
 what could be done, carefully noting and examining 
 its working in every part. One great objection that 
 was taken to the engine, was the excessive noise 
 which it made as it worked. Its horrible snorts and 
 shrieks were something quite unearthly, frightening 
 out of their senses all the cattle which came within 
 hearing of the dreadful sounds. As Stephenson was 
 thinking how this undeniable nuisance might be re- 
 moved, it suddenly occurred to him that all this 
 horrible noise might be made a means of doubling 
 the speed of the engine. If the steam, instead of 
 being ejected into the air with these infernal puffs, 
 were conveyed into the chimney of the engine, and 
 allowed to escape in a vertical direction, the blast 
 would of course increase the fire in the boiler, steam 
 would be more rapidly generated, and the power of 
 
Stephen son and his son at work in the Cottage. 
 
 P. 138. 
 
Improvements on the Locomotive. 139 
 
 the engine would be increased at the same ratio. I 
 wish I were a better engineer, to explain more clearly 
 to you the working out of this simple and most ad- 
 mirable idea. I have no doubt Arthur understands 
 all this a great deal better than I do ; you must ask 
 him to show you. 
 
 ' The result of this new experiment could not, 
 however, be known speedily. A new engine had 
 to be constructed on entirely new principles, and 
 months must elapse before it could be ascertained 
 with certainty how it would work. At length all 
 was finished, and the new engine placed upon the 
 rails. As far as it went, it answered perfectly. Both 
 in speed and in power it far surpassed its predeces- 
 sor ; but still Stephenson felt that there was much 
 to be done before it would be generally adopted as 
 a decided improvement on the old method of labour 
 with men and horses. He felt greatly the want of 
 skilled workmen to carry out his ideas. He was 
 obliged to substitute all sorts of temporary expedi- 
 ents to supply the place of the delicate portions 
 of the machinery, and then the rails on which his 
 engine ran were not cast sufficiently strong to enable 
 it to put forth all its power. They were perpetually 
 breaking and getting out of order ; and of course the 
 expense of repairing them took so much from the 
 profits of the working of the engine, that it became 
 rather doubtful whether the old method might not 
 be the most economical, after all. At least, such 
 
140 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 was the general impression, but Stephenson never 
 for a moment admitted it. 
 
 ' " These are only minor difficulties," he said ; " we 
 must expect them. What great undertaking was ever 
 carried through without some drawbacks? Trust me, 
 that is all I ask. I see my way ; success is certain in 
 the end ; give me time to persevere and to perfect." 
 
 ' Many shrugged their shoulders with a silent 
 sneer. Others were wiser ; they saw the stuff of 
 which George Stephenson was made, and they 
 waited patiently, never doubting that in time they 
 would see the promised results. Day and night 
 the subject was constantly in Stephenson's thoughts. 
 He felt certain that he was right as far as he had 
 gone ; all he wanted now was to be able to carry 
 out that which he had conceived. How to do this 
 was the difficulty. Had he known all that had 
 been already written on the subject, it would have 
 saved him an infinity of labour and anxiety ; for 
 very often when he thought he had hit exactly upon 
 the thing he wanted, he found, from the books 
 which Robert would read, and the contents of which 
 he would explain to his father, that the experiments 
 had been tried already, and without success. But 
 though a most unusual amount of labour was thus 
 thrust upon him unnecessarily, it became, in one 
 sense, of the greatest value. Practice is at all times 
 better than theory. The hard thinking by which 
 Stephenson wrought out his problems for himself, 
 
Self-Reliance. 141 
 
 and the constant habit of testing their truth by 
 reducing them into shape, and seeing how they 
 would work, gave him such a knowledge of his 
 profession as no mere reading could ever have 
 afforded. It convinced him that his sanguine hopes 
 of success were founded on no mere theories, but on 
 the surest and most scientific basis, and inspired him 
 with such an entire reliance on himself, that oppo- 
 sition was, comparatively speaking, powerless to dis- 
 hearten him. "He and his boy," he said, "would 
 show the world that they were right." And they 
 did it too. Robert was now growing to an age to 
 be of the greatest service to his father, and Mr. 
 Stephenson brought him up to be as practical a 
 mechanic as he was himself. No shirking work was 
 allowed ; no cribbing, Master Charles, nor jumping 
 on to results, never mind by what means they are 
 to be obtained. Step by step the young engineer 
 learned his trade ; and what he once learned, that 
 he knew thoroughly for life. His father would 
 place a drawing of the engine, or some of its parts, 
 before the boy, and tell him to describe it all to him, 
 just as if he were reading it out of a book ; and so 
 accurately could Robert perform this task, as to 
 show there were few portions even of the most com- 
 plicated machinery that he did not understand as 
 fully as a well-trained engineer/ 
 
 ' Oh dear me !' said Charles ; ' I should not have 
 liked Mr. Stephenson for a master. 1 
 
142 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 ' I do not think you would indeed/ replied Mrs. 
 Grenville, ' you are such a sad, lazy fellow ; but, as 
 I have told you, even Robert sometimes thought 
 it rather hard to be kept so steadily to his work. 
 However, he soon learned to appreciate the value 
 of the lesson his father taught him, and to feel, 
 young as he was, that nothing great can ever be 
 attained except by hard, steady, patient toil. There 
 is no broad, easy road to success : there is but one 
 path for us all, and those who think it too stony 
 and hard to walk in, must be content to forego the 
 reward at the end. It is the same with things 
 earthly and things heavenly. There must be one- 
 ness of purpose ; the only danger is, that as earthly 
 things are present to our senses, we may allow them 
 to absorb our time and thoughts, to the exclusion of 
 the things that are unseen ; and then, alas ! we bring 
 down upon ourselves not a blessing, but a curse ; and 
 the coveted crown, for which we have toiled and 
 struggled, fades and withers in our grasp. Our only 
 safety is in sanctifying our daily work to God : let 
 it be done to His glory, and then we cannot work 
 too hard. However much I should rejoice to see 
 you all growing up earnest, intelligent, energetic 
 men, I should rejoice in it far more because I should 
 know that those qualities would make you the best 
 servants of God, and most useful to your fellow- 
 men, than because they are those which I am 
 equally certain will most promote your own success 
 
A New Discovery. . 143 
 
 in life/ Mrs. Grenville paused for a moment, and 
 then added : 'But now I should like you all to go 
 out and have a good run in the garden : the day is 
 beginning to cloud over, and if you stay any longer 
 with me, it will get too cold for Arthur to be out. 
 When we have another opportunity, I will tell you 
 about a new discovery which Stephenson found time 
 to make.' 
 
 ' Oh ! what was it, mamma ? ' 
 
 ' I cannot tell you now/ 
 
 ' Oh mamma ! but that is so tantalizing/ 
 
 * Not at all ; it will be something to look forward 
 to. Run away/ 
 
 Mrs. Grenville was inexorable, and the children 
 were obliged to submit. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 The safety-lamp Stephenson and Sir Humphrey Davy Stephenson 
 suggests the formation oi a railroad between Darlington and Stock- 
 ton Is appointed engineer Opening oi the line. 1 
 
 mamma, you are at leisure to-day, 
 are you not ? ' said Arthur ; ' and you 
 promised to tell us about Mr. Stephen- 
 son's new discovery. I have been think- 
 ing of half a hundred things that it might be, and 
 I want to know whether I am right/ 
 ' Did you think of a safety-lamp ?' 
 ' No, that I did 'not ; but it was Sir Humphrey 
 Davy who invented the safety -lamp, was it not, 
 mamma? 1 
 
 ' He made the one most generally known, but 
 George Stephenson had constructed one previously/ 
 'Then what a shame,' exclaimed Ernest, 'that 
 Sir Humphrey Davy should have all the credit ! ' 
 
 * So I think/ replied Mrs. Grenville ; ' the fame 
 ought to be more equally divided between the two, 
 for no doubt both equally deserve the praise that 
 
 i See Smiles' Life of Stephenson, pp. 94-203. 
 
 
1 46 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 the partisans of Sir Humphrey desire to secure for 
 him alone. However, time, the great judge, has 
 already begun to right the balances, and I have no 
 doubt that future generations will hold the scales 
 pretty equally between the rivals/ 
 
 ' But, Aunt Helen/ said Charles, ' what was the 
 good of the safety-lamp ? What was it wanted for ? ' 
 
 'To prevent the ignition of the gas,' replied Mrs. 
 Grenville. ' You know what a quantity of gas all 
 coal contains : well, when the seams of the coal are 
 cut through, this gas rushes out into the galleries ; 
 and of course any workman coming along at the 
 moment with a lighted taper is liable to set it on 
 fire, and thus expose himself and his fellow-work- 
 men to instantaneous death. Many a bad accident 
 had taken place since Stephenson had worked at the 
 mine, and often had he pondered over some means 
 for finding a substitute for the tapers that were at 
 that time used in the pits. Incessant business, how- 
 ever, and his constant labour with his locomotive, 
 had prevented his putting his ideas into anything 
 like form. At length one day, in the year 1814, a 
 workman ran suddenly into his cottage, exclaiming 
 in breathless horror, " Stephenson, Stephenson, make 
 haste, make haste ! the pit's a-fire ! " Throwing his 
 books and his plans on one side, off ran George Ste- 
 phenson. As he neared the pit's mouth, he heard 
 the cries and shrieks of the horrified women, whose 
 husbands and sons were working below. " Oh ! 
 
Courage of George Stephenson. 147 
 
 the numbers that are below ! the numbers that are 
 below ! " 
 
 '" Stand back, and give me place," exclaimed 
 Stephenson ; " I am going down to join them." 
 
 ' " Down ! why you are going to certain death/' 
 remonstrated the enginemen. 
 
 ' " Lower me instantly, there is not a moment to 
 be lost," was the stern reply ; and springing into the 
 basket, in an instant he disappeared down the pit's 
 mouth. As he touched the ground he saw the 
 extent of the danger, and how it could alone be 
 remedied. 
 
 '"Are there six men," he exclaimed, looking 
 round on the terrified group of workmen, who were 
 crouching to the ground in vain hope of safety from 
 the coming blast, " are there six amongst ye who 
 have brave hearts and strong arms? If so, follow 
 me. We will stop the flames, or we will perish in 
 the attempt." 
 
 ' Roused by that ringing voice, animated by that 
 brave and daring spirit, the men eagerly volunteered 
 to follow wherever he would lead the way. 
 
 ' It was a frightful peril : one instant too late, and 
 they were courting death. Stephenson's plan was 
 to build up a wall of solid masonry between them- 
 selves and the approaching flames, defy the de- 
 stroyer face to face, and stay him in his victorious 
 march. All the materials that he required were 
 fortunately at hand. Silently and earnestly the men 
 
148 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 held to their work : nearer and nearer came the 
 enemy, but not one man flinched from his post till 
 the last stone was placed, and then they paused, 
 and gratefully thanked God for their wonderful 
 preservation, and honoured him whose courage, 
 under Heaven, had alone saved their lives. 
 
 ' Not content, however, with having stayed the 
 immediate danger, Stephenson turned his thoughts 
 in earnest to how the risk might be best averted in 
 future. To accomplish what he wanted was very 
 difficult, for he must have a bright light, and yet 
 one which could in no way communicate with the 
 outer air ; and how was this to be effected ? as 
 of course no light would burn brightly except the 
 flame was fed with a certain amount of air ; and if 
 he admitted the necessary draught, how was he to 
 prevent its coming in contact with and igniting the 
 noxious gases ? Books he had none to help him, for 
 in this case there were none written on the subject. It 
 was just at the very moment when the attention of 
 scientific men was being roused to its importance 
 by the succession of lamentable accidents so con- 
 stantly occurring. Sir Humphrey Davy had been 
 asked to turn his especial attention to the matter, 
 and he had promised, if possible, to construct some 
 instrument which might obviate the danger. 
 
 'But Stephenson knew nothing of this, nor had 
 he any of the scientific knowledge which was guid- 
 ing the researches of Sir Humphrey. He had 
 
The Safety-Lamp. 149 
 
 nothing but his clear head, strong common sense, 
 and accurate acquaintance with practical mathe- 
 matics. Carefully noting the causes of explosion, 
 and the different currents of air through the mine, 
 Stephenson came to the conclusion, that if he could 
 contrive a lamp with a long chimney, and with 
 tubes which could produce a sufficient current of 
 air, he should obtain his object. His only doubt 
 was how much of the outer atmosphere must be 
 conveyed to the light itself to make it burn. How- 
 ever, this he must test for himself ; and without loss 
 of time he set to work upon his new invention. 
 
 'At length the lamp was completed, and, in com- 
 pany with two of his most intimate friends, Stephen- 
 son descended into the mine to make trial of its 
 power. By previous arrangement a small portion of 
 a very dangerous part of the pit had been boarded 
 off, that the gas might escape into it in large quan- 
 tities, and thereby test to its utmost the powers of 
 the lamp. It was a fearful moment. Suppose the 
 lamp proved unequal to the trial, certain and imme- 
 diate death must be the fate of all three. 
 
 ' " It is too hazardous !" exclaimed one of the party. 
 " Let us go back ; it is tempting Providence." 
 
 * " No, no," exclaimed Stephenson, " I am confident 
 of the power of the lamp ; besides, it must be tested. 
 The trial is worth the risk ; it is one man's life to 
 save a thousand. Go you back .; I and my lamp go 
 forward together.'* 
 
150 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 ' The men looked at each other for a moment in 
 silence, but the risk was too great, and their courage 
 was not proof against the dreadful ordeal. They 
 went back to a place of safety, whilst their calm, 
 brave, dauntless companion passed on, and was lost 
 to their sight in the surrounding darkness. His own 
 heart may have beaten more quickly, but his hand 
 never trembled as, having reached the place of trial, 
 he held out his lamp, and placed it in the full cur- 
 rent of the noxious air. His companions mean- 
 while awaited in beathless suspense the sound of the 
 explosion which was to tell them that their brave 
 friend was no more. Minutes seemed like hours, 
 and then they heard the sound of a footstep, and 
 then the cheery, well-known voice that told them all 
 \*/as right. " Come, come, see for yourselves," he 
 said ; " it is quite safe, never fear ; come and judge." 
 Following Stephenson, at a very prudent distance 
 however, they saw him go up to the dangerous spot, 
 and coolly hold out the lamp. The flame bright- 
 ened, flickered and v/ent out, but no explosion 
 followed. Clearly it was safe. Half the battle was 
 won. All that was now required was to find the 
 means of keeping alive the light, and the friends re- 
 turned together to Stephenson's cottage to discuss 
 how this, the remaining portion ot their work, might 
 be effected, thankful for their own wonderful pre- 
 servation, and rejoicing to think that at length a 
 means had been iound by which the lives of thou- 
 
Success of the ' Geordie Lamp' 1 5 1 
 
 sands might be rendered safe, and more than ever 
 honouring the man who could thus calmly make 
 sacrifice of his own life, if need be, to promote the 
 well-being of his fellow-creatures/ 
 
 'What a grand fellow he was !' exclaimed Ernest. 
 * He was something like a man/ 
 
 * He was indeed/ replied Mrs. Grenville. ' It is 
 quite refreshing to know that such men have lived in 
 our own days. We are apt to think, when we read 
 of heroic and of noble deeds in history, that they 
 belong to a generation quite passed away, having 
 nothing whatever to do with us, and so we lose half 
 the benefit of their example ; whereas, when we hear 
 of those living amongst ourselves, our very own 
 countrymen, doing such brave deeds, we feel that 
 for very shame we must try and imitate them, or be 
 content to rank amongst an inferior class of men/ 
 
 'And did Stephenson find out how to make the 
 lamp burn, mamma ?' inquired Arthur. 
 
 'Yes. After much thought and many experi- 
 ments, he at length hit upon a plan by which the 
 poisonous air which extinguished the light might be 
 discharged, and pure air introduced through tubes 
 to keep alive the flame. The plan was tried, and 
 with perfect success ; and thus, before Stephenson 
 had ever heard of Sir Humphrey Davy's lamp, and 
 in fact before Sir Humphrey himself had begun to 
 construct it, the " Geordie Lamp," as it was termed, 
 was in actual use in the Northumberland coal-pits. 
 
152 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 Unfortunately for Mr. Stephenson's fame, whilst he 
 at the risk of his own life had been working out 
 his problem practically, Sir Humphrey Davy, with 
 every aid that science could afford to his really fine 
 intellect, had come to a theoretical conclusion pre- 
 cisely similar. The lamp which he exhibited at the 
 Royal Society was more neatly put together, be- 
 cause he could command the help of all the most 
 skilled workmen in England ; but the principles on 
 which it was made were so identically the same with 
 those of the " Geordie," that when it was first shown 
 to the Killingworth pitmen, they exclaimed, " Why, 
 that is Stephenson's lamp !" 
 
 ' However, Sir Humphrey Davy was at that time 
 the admired of all men, and looked upon as one of 
 the great lights of the age, whilst George Stephen- 
 son was merely a workman, or at best an unknown 
 engineer. When, therefore, some of his friends came 
 forward and claimed for him the honour due to his 
 invention, the idea was simply laughed at and put 
 on one side. But Stephenson was not a man to 
 allow himself to be quietly laughed down. He did 
 not wish to claim for himself one iota more merit 
 than he deserved, but right should be done to him 
 as much as to another ; so, quietly and firmly, he 
 held his ground. " Only let the matter be fairly 
 sifted," he said, " and then let the praise rest with 
 those to whom the praise was due." 
 
 ' As is often the case, the partisans on both sides 
 
The Rival Lamps. 1 5 3 
 
 took up the matter with undue warmth. Each 
 would have claimed the entire merit for their own 
 champion, whereas in reality both men were equally 
 deserving of praise, and it was a thousand pities 
 that a feeling of jealousy should have been fostered 
 for a moment between two such rivals. The ques- 
 tion became an embittered one ; nor was the matter 
 mended, when, at a great meeting of all the princi- 
 pal men connected with the Northumberland mines, 
 it was resolved that a splendid testimonial should 
 be given to Sir Humphrey Davy, to mark their 
 sense of the importance of his invention, whilst they 
 merely presented George Stephenson with a hun- 
 dred guineas, to show, as they said, that they were 
 not unmindful of his exertions in the cause of 
 humanity. 
 
 ' But this did not satisfy Stephenson. He did 
 not want the hundred guineas, but he did want the 
 credit that he had so hardly earned. A number of 
 his friends took the same view. A statement of the 
 facts was published, and of course drew forth a 
 rejoinder from the opposite side. Unfortunate as 
 this controversy then appeared, it has perhaps had 
 the advantage of enabling us, now that all heat of 
 partisanship has passed away, to judge clearly be- 
 tween the merits of the two men ; and, without 
 depreciating either, to be thankful for the blessing 
 bestowed upon the miners by the scientific know- 
 ledge of the one, and by the practical experience 
 
154 ^^ Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 and clear-thinking, hard-working perseverance of the 
 other. 
 
 ' Not content, however, with giving to the world 
 the true history of Stephenson's invention, his friends 
 determined to present him with some tangible proof 
 of their admiration and regard ; and in a manner 
 most peculiarly gratifying to Stephenson, they 
 begged his acceptance of a silver tankard and one 
 thousand guineas, as a slight mark of the estima- 
 tion in which they held his high qualities both of 
 heart and head. 
 
 'This money came just at the right moment. 
 Robert, his darling boy, had grown up all that his 
 father's fondest wishes could desire. He had now 
 been for about two years working with his father at 
 the mines, the greatest possible assistance to him ; 
 for not only was his knowledge of every part of an 
 engine so complete, that Mr. Stephenson could leave 
 him fearlessly in the entire charge of the most com- 
 plicated works, but Robert was just as much inte- 
 rested as Mr. Stephenson himself in the construction 
 of a perfect locomotive ; and his accurate drawing, 
 and quick, ready power of suggestion, were of the 
 greatest value to his father in preparing his different 
 plans and models. Nothing was a trouble to him : 
 his energy was untiring. That it was right that 
 such and such a thing should be done was quite 
 sufficient. No matter what self-denial it entailed, 
 the sacrifice was cheerfully made ; and for weeks 
 
Advantages of Education. 155 
 
 together he would be up between two and three 
 in the morning, steadily at work at his engine 
 intent merely on doing his present duty, and doing 
 it well. 
 
 ' To lose such an assistant and such a companion, 
 might well seem to Stephenson an irreparable loss ; 
 but no sooner did he receive the thousand guineas 
 than he made up his mind that part of it should be de- 
 voted to sending his son to college. He understood 
 too well in fact this Davy controversy had shown 
 him the immense disadvantages that he laboured 
 under for want of a university education, and of the 
 standing it always commands in the world. Robert 
 should be spared this trial, at least. He should 
 start on an equality with other young men of his 
 day ; and in his heart he prophesied he would shoot 
 ahead of them with the speed of his own locomotive. 
 So Robert went to Edinburgh, and Mr. Stephenson 
 endeavoured to reconcile himself to his loss by 
 devoting himself more than ever to the perfecting 
 of his unwieldy favourite, of whom people were apt 
 to say, as they shook their heads gravely, " Ay, but 
 there will be an awful blow-up some of these days." 
 And so there was, but not exactly in the sense they 
 intended. Not many years, and the prejudices of 
 the ignorant and the forebodings of the learned 
 were alike blown to pieces by the practical know- 
 ledge of the self-taught engineer. 
 
 'Just at the present moment, however, a fresh 
 
156 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 difficulty was thrown in Stephenson's way, by a 
 very general notion that steam-carriages could be 
 so constructed as to travel along the common high- 
 way ; and the attention of all the best engineers of 
 the day was directed to seeing how this might be 
 effected. Stephenson, however, said from the first 
 that they were trying to accomplish an impossibility, 
 for that the inequalities and roughness of a common 
 road would offer too great a resistance. If they 
 desired to make steam power really available, it 
 must be by finding a perfectly smooth level on 
 which the engine might run. He was met by the 
 reply : the engine wheels would not bite, conse- 
 quently the engine could never be propelled forward. 
 " This was a mere popular delusion," Stephenson 
 replied. " Give him only the opportunity, and he 
 would show that it was." There was no use argu- 
 ing with Stephenson, he was so determined ; so the 
 engineers shrugged their shoulders and pitied his 
 ignorance, and Stephenson, caring little for their 
 silent contempt, worked quietly on at an undertak- 
 ing, by which, as he truly said, " he would revolu- 
 tionize the world." 
 
 ' Certain that he was right in the principles on 
 which he meant to work, Stephenson's first care was 
 to improve the line of rails on which his engine ran. 
 One improvement suggested another, and at length, 
 in 1819, the locomotive at the Killingworth mine 
 had been proved such an undoubted success, that 
 
Opening of the Helton Railway. 1 5 7 
 
 Stephenson was applied to by the owners of the 
 Hetton colliery to construct a line of about eight 
 miles long, which was to be worked entirely by his 
 locomotive engine. This was his first great triumph, 
 the first public recognition of the truth of his theory. 
 Stephenson set to work with a hearty good-will, and 
 on the 1 8th of November 1822 the Hetton Railway 
 was opened ; and amidst the cheers of hundreds of 
 spectators who had assembled to witness the novel 
 sight, the engines started from their post, dragging 
 after them long trains of heavily loaded waggons/ 
 
 ' And how fast did they go ? ' asked Ernest. 
 
 ' About four miles an hour/ 
 
 ' Oh ! only that ? ' 
 
 ' That was considered fast in those days. But a 
 new and far more important success was now await- 
 ing Stephenson/ continued Mrs. Grenville. 'You 
 remember, I suppose, what an immense impetus 
 had been given to the cotton trade by the inven- 
 tions of Arkwright and the engines of Watt ? * 
 
 ' Oh yes, of course/ exclaimed the children, ' we 
 remember/ 
 
 ' One of the consequences that naturally resulted, 
 was the greatly increased importance as mercantile 
 cities of Manchester and Liverpool, and the abso- 
 lute necessity of finding some means of more rapid 
 communication between the two. All the principal 
 traffic had hitherto been carried on by means of the 
 Bridgewater Canal ; but not only was this a very 
 
158 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 slow means of transit, but it was utterly impossible 
 to find boats sufficient to convey the quantities of 
 goods which, for want of means of transport, were 
 lying idle, or, worse still, rotting in the different 
 warehouses. Something must be done, and that 
 speedily, or the tide of advancing commercial pro- 
 sperity would be stayed. A very clever, though 
 somewhat speculative man, a Mr. James, suggested 
 that a tram-road, to be worked by horses, should be 
 constructed between the two cities. Whilst, how- 
 ever, matters were still pending, Mr. James was told 
 of the wonderful engines that were working at the 
 Killingworth collieries, and of the still more wonder- 
 ful man who had made them. Mr. James imme- 
 diately determined to pay a visit to the mines him- 
 self, and judge of the truth of what he had heard. 
 He was equally delighted with the engine and the 
 engineer, declaring that the one would attain to the 
 celebrity of Watt, and as to the other', that there 
 would be no limit to the wonders it might perform. 
 From that moment he became one of Stephenson's 
 stanchest adherents, and would gladly have ob- 
 tained his assistance in the immediate construction 
 of a railway between Manchester and Liverpool, but 
 the storm of opposition the mere proposal of such a 
 plan excited amongst all the most influential land- 
 holders of the neighbourhood was too strong for Mr. 
 James and his small knot of supporters. For the 
 moment, therefore, the plan was stopped. But it 
 
God's Providence. 159 
 
 only went to sleep, refreshing itself till the time for 
 action should arise ; and meanwhile there was plenty 
 of work cut out for the indefatigable engineer. 
 
 'In tracing the wonderful ways of God, I have 
 always been deeply impressed with the fact, that 
 when any great change is destined to take place in 
 the world, or any great benefit is about to be con- 
 ferred, exactly the right men are raised up in the 
 right place. It should teach us, I think, both thank- 
 fulness and humility ; thankfulness, if in any mea- 
 sure we are chosen to co-operate in the good work ; 
 humility, in that we see that our finest talents are 
 but as instruments in God's hands, by which He 
 works out His own foreordained and unalterable 
 plans, becoming to ourselves a blessing or a curse, 
 in so far as we account them of value for God's 
 glory or our own. 
 
 'Just at the very moment when George Stephen- 
 son was wanting a more ample field for the develop- 
 ment of his great discovery, he was brought into 
 connection with the man most suited to give him 
 the assistance he needed. Mr. Pease of Darlington 
 was one of those shrewd, clever, large-hearted men, 
 true sons of the north, who put us more effeminate 
 southerners to shame with their energy. 
 
 ' Mr. Pease had been for some time impressed 
 with the great advantages which would accrue to 
 his native place, if he could open up a ready 
 means of transporting the coal from Darlington to 
 
1 60 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 the neighbouring seaport town of Stockton. His 
 notion was to lay down a tram-road between the 
 places ; and, after considerable difficulty, he pro- 
 cured the necessary Act for enabling him to carry 
 this into effect. One night, however, before any 
 operation was yet begun, he was told that two 
 men wished to speak to him on business, and on 
 going into his study, he was met by a clever, intel- 
 ligent, thoughtful -looking man, who, without any 
 excuse or preamble, introduced himself as George 
 Stephenson, " an engine-wright," who was anxious to 
 speak to Mr. Pease about this new tram-road which 
 he was on the point of making, and which he thought 
 might be changed into a railroad, with immense ad- 
 vantage to all the parties concerned in the under- 
 taking. 
 
 ' Mr. Pease was somewhat taken aback by such a 
 very bold innovation on his plan, and made by a 
 perfect stranger also ; and yet there was an earnest, 
 straightforward truthfulness about his visitor that 
 impressed him greatly in his favour. Begging Ste- 
 phenson to be seated, he went into the whole subject 
 at great length with him listening most attentively 
 to all that Stephenson urged in support of the pre- 
 tensions of his pet locomotive ; and at length, when 
 Stephenson concluded by saying, "Come and judge 
 for yourself; seeing is believing!" he promised to 
 accept the invitation, and take an early opportunity 
 of coming over to Killingworth, to examine for him- 
 
Mr. Pease Convinced. r6r 
 
 self the boasted powers of the travelling engine. 
 True to his word, he kept his appointment. Ste~ 
 phenson put the locomotive through all its accom- 
 plishments, and so satisfied Mr. Pease of the truth 
 of all that he had told him of its powers, that he 
 became as ardent an admirer of the engine as Ste- 
 phenson could possibly have desired, and from that 
 day forward was indefatigable in his efforts to bring 
 into public notice both the workman and the work ; 
 and so strenuously did he advocate his cause, that 
 he persuaded the gentlemen who were connected 
 with him in the management of the Darlington and 
 Stockton tram-road to reconsider their plans, and 
 obtain a new grant from Parliament, by which they 
 might be allowed to construct a railroad instead, and 
 work the line with the locomotive engine. 
 
 'This done, Stephenson was appointed engineer, 
 and set to work with a hearty good-will, to find 
 levels and make all things ready for this his first real 
 triai of the feasibility of his long-thought-of scheme. 
 With earliest dawn he used to be up and out, hard 
 at work surveying and measuring, and not till day 
 closed in did he return to take either rest or re- 
 freshment, except such as was offered to him at any 
 of the farmhouses by which he passed. His kind 
 manners, and the readiness with which he could 
 adapt himself to all circumstances, made him a 
 general favourite. People were only too glad to 
 offer him the best of what they had, and thought 
 
1 62 The Tmimphs of Steam. 
 
 themselves well repaid for their hospitality as they 
 listened to the fresh, racy stones of their guest. 
 But full of fun and light-hearted as he might have 
 seemed to the world at large, this was in reality 
 a time of anxious thought. Stephenson was quite 
 aware how much the future success of all his most 
 cherished hopes hung upon the prosperous issue of 
 his present undertaking. If the locomotive were 
 tried now and found wanting, good-bye to all his 
 darling projects ; if, on the contrary, it succeeded, 
 there were no bounds to his ambitious views for its 
 future. Day and night he pondered over the sub- 
 ject, inventing, contriving, altering, improving as 
 usual, cheered on and aided by his energetic son. 
 But, alas! at this moment even this son was an 
 additional cause of anxiety. 
 
 'Anxious to improve to the very uttermost the 
 advantages he well knew his father had earned for 
 him so dearly, Robert had studied so hard, that 
 even his fine constitution seemed giving way. He 
 might carry away prizes, he might earn applause ; 
 but what were these to Stephenson, if they were to 
 be bought at the price of the health of his darling 
 boy ? Perhaps, then, he almost doubted how far he 
 had been wise in urging on a spirit already quite 
 sufficiently ardent and ambitious. However, the 
 mischief was done ; the point was now to find the 
 remedy. Fortunately, just at this moment a pro- 
 posal was made to Mr. Robert Stephenson, that he 
 
Anxiety of Stephenson for his Son. 163 
 
 should take the management of some silver-mines at 
 Maraquito, in Columbia. To lose the assistance of 
 his son just at this critical juncture of affairs, when 
 he most needed his ready and able co-operation, 
 was a sad blow to Stephenson ; but he never for 
 a moment hesitated. The warm climate of South 
 America, the change of scene and occupation, were 
 pronounced to be the best possible hope of entirely 
 re-establishing Robert's health. Stephenson was 
 therefore only anxious that the appointment should 
 be accepted, and Robert leave England with as little 
 delay as possible. 
 
 ' It must have been a great pleasure, however, 
 both to father and son, that already considerable 
 progress had been made in the construction of the 
 Darlington Railroad ; and the engines, which were 
 being made under the superintendence of Robert 
 himself at the Newcastle manufactory, were already 
 far advanced towards completion. So greatly, how- 
 ever, did the directors of the railroad misdoubt Ste- 
 phenson's powers, that they would only give an 
 order that three of the locomotives might be made. 
 Mr. Pease, indeed, who had now the opportunity of 
 being constantly in the society of Stephenson, and 
 who was daily becoming more and more impressed 
 with his strong judgment, indefatigable energy, and 
 clear good sense, urged upon the company that they 
 might safely trust themselves to follow implicitly 
 the advice of their engineer. It was not, however, 
 
1 64 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 to be expected that a body of men would consent 
 to be guided implicitly by a man who, whatever 
 they might think of him, was pretty generally con- 
 sidered to be an enthusiastic visionary on his one 
 favourite subject. They considered themselves quite 
 sufficiently generous in having allowed him to mount 
 his hobby at all. If they did not put him under 
 certain restrictions, who knew but that he might ride 
 it to death, and they and their concerns to destruc- 
 tion ? So they gave orders for buying up a large 
 number of horses who were to work the road in 
 connection with the locomotives. Stephenson did 
 not attempt to prevent it. " Let them buy the 
 horses if they like," he said ; but he had a pretty 
 clear conviction in his own mind that his locomo- 
 tives would soon deprive the unfortunate animals 
 of their post. 
 
 ' And now a new idea occurred to him, or rather 
 he ventured now for the first time openly to broach 
 it. If the locomotive could drag coals> why could 
 it not drag human beings ? If it was a convenience 
 for the goods to travel fast, surely it was a much 
 greater convenience to their possessors. Why should 
 not a passenger carriage be attached to the train 
 that was to make the first trip between Darlington 
 and Stockton? It was a very bold idea then, 
 though it seems simple enough to us now ; but in 
 those days a locomotive seemed little less dreadful 
 than an infernal machine, and courageous must have 
 
His Prediction. 165 
 
 been the heart, and strong the nerves, that would 
 volunteer to trust themselves to the tender mercies 
 of the monster. People would have thought it quite 
 as sensible to have taken their seats on the crater of 
 Vesuvius, whilst an eruption was every moment im- 
 pending. However, Stephenson gained his point : 
 permission was given to build the carriage, and he 
 did not doubt that when the time came he should 
 find people bold enough to fill it. For himself, the 
 nearer the day drew for the opening of the railway, 
 the more and more confident he became of success. 
 Just before his son left England, he went over the 
 works with his father to take a parting glance that 
 all was right ; and on their return from their tour of 
 inspection, Mr. Stephenson ordered a bottle of wine, 
 that he and his son, and a young friend who was 
 with them, might drink success to the locomotive. 
 
 * " Yes, lads," said Mr. Stephenson, " I am getting 
 old, and may not live to see it, but you are young, 
 and in your days, trust me, the railway will be the 
 great highway for the whole kingdom ; for the time 
 is coming when it will be cheaper for a working 
 man to travel by rail than to walk on foot. It will 
 drive every coach off the road, and will be the one 
 great means of conveyance, whether for the king 
 or for his people." 
 
 ' It was well, perhaps, for Stephenson that these 
 words were only spoken to the two ardent young 
 men, who could respond to every syllable he said, 
 
1 66 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 and most heartily believed in the truth of his pro- 
 phecy. Had th*e directors been present at the time, 
 they might have trembled for their interests com- 
 mitted to the care of a monomaniac. And yet, en- 
 thusiastic as Stephenson was in the cause of his 
 favourite, even he would have shrunk from the bold- 
 ness of the assertion, had he been told that not 
 thirty years would have elapsed before the whole 
 country of England would be one network of rail- 
 roads, and his engines flying over the ground at the 
 rate of sixty miles an hour. Never was such a revo- 
 lution wrought in the whole framework of society, 
 and mainly by the strong will and far-sighted genius 
 of one energetic man. 
 
 ' However, I am taking rather an unfair peep into 
 the future : there is plenty of engineering work to 
 be done yet, before we shall have levelled the diffi- 
 culties and smoothed the inequalities of the road. 
 
 'The first great step in the right direction was, 
 however, taken, when, on the 2/th of September 
 1825, amidst crowds of spectators, many of whom 
 were drawn together by the excitement of seeing 
 " the great blow-up," the Darlington Railway was 
 opened in all state. Flags flew, bands played their 
 liveliest tunes, the devoted adherents of Stephenson 
 risked their lives for his sake, boldly stepping into 
 the carriages prepared for them. Stephenson him- 
 self mounted the engine, determining that he would 
 drive it, his the post whether of honour or of dan- 
 
Great Success of the First Locomotive. 1 6 7 
 
 ger. There were a few moments of intense excite- 
 ment, and the crowd with hushed breath awaited 
 the given signal. Hark ! there it is ; and amidst 
 the shrieks of the engine, and the excited cheers of 
 the crowd, off starts the locomotive at the frightful 
 speed of twelve miles an hour. Alas for the un- 
 fortunate passengers ! they must have thought they 
 were being whirled to destruction. The excitement 
 with which the arrival of the train was expected at 
 Stockton was little less than that which had watched 
 its departure from Darlington. Would it ever arrive 
 at all ? Suppose the engine had blown up by the 
 way, destroying itself and all connected with it ! 
 How every eye must have been strained in the di- 
 rection of the coming train, to catch the first faint 
 puff of steam against the far horizon ! 
 
 * " Here, here it comes ; yes, here it is !" and amidst 
 the deafening cheers of the people Stephenson reined 
 in his fiery steed, and descended from his fatiguing 
 and arduous post, to receive the hearty and well- 
 earned congratulations of a crowd of wondering ad- 
 mirers.' 
 
 ' Oh, but, mamma/ exclaimed Arthur, ' what a 
 pity that Robert was not there! How happy he 
 would have felt, and how proud of his father ! ' 
 
 ' He would indeed ; it must have been a great 
 disappointment to them both. However, it is per- 
 haps better for us that we cannot have all we wish 
 for in this world ; and God mercifully blessed the 
 
1 68 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 means taken for restoring the son's health, and sent 
 him back to his father at a time when he really 
 needed him much more than in this his hour of 
 success. It would take too long for me to tell you 
 about that to-day. When I have time, you shall 
 know the very important results which followed 
 on Stephenson's first great triumph of engineering 
 skill/ 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 Projected railroad between Manchester and Liverpool Difficulties 
 Stephenson appointed engineer ; displaced ; reappointed Trial 
 of the locomotive. l 
 
 \ AMMA, I do not think you are doing any 
 thing particular, are you ?' asked Ernest. 
 ' No. Why do you ask ? ' 
 'Because we want to know what be- 
 came of Mr. Stephenson and his locomotive/ 
 
 ' You may come then, and I will try and satisfy 
 your curiosity/ 
 
 ' Oh, thank you/ exclaimed Ernest, and off he ran 
 to call Charles and Arthur. 
 
 ' I want to know/ said Charles, ' how long it was 
 before the locomotives beat the horses off the rail/ 
 
 ' Some considerable time/ replied Mrs. Grenville. 
 ' Changes of such magnitude as those proposed by 
 Mr. Stephenson cannot be made in a day, even 
 though attended with the complete success that fol- 
 lowed in this particular instance. So rapid, how- 
 ever, was the increase of the traffic on the line, both 
 
 1 See Smiles' Life of Stephenson t pp. 208-298. 
 
1 70 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 in passengers and in the carnage of goods, that 
 Stephenson saw clearly some large accession of 
 working engines would soon be wanted, and he 
 knew that his own manufactory at Newcastle would 
 be much too small to do the work required ; but 
 with the very limited capital he himself possessed, 
 it became a subject of anxiety how the proposed 
 alterations were to be made. In this perplexity he 
 consulted Mr. Pease, who instantly removed thfc 
 difficulty, by offering to become his partner in the 
 new undertaking. This was in every way satis- 
 factory to Mr. Stephenson : he and Mr. Pease 
 thoroughly understood and appreciated each other, 
 and he was overjoyed to find a partner so entirely 
 to his taste. No time was lost in organizing the . 
 new establishment, and the best workmen who * 
 could be procured were soon in course of training 
 for the construction of new and constantly improv- 
 ing engines ; and to such skill did they at length 
 attain, that years afterwards, when all the great 
 continental and foreign railways were being made, 
 there was not a nation in the world which was not 
 anxious to engage in its service some one or more of 
 the trained workmen from the then celebrated New- 
 castle manufactory. 
 
 ' Hardly had Stephenson brought his first railway 
 undertaking to its successful termination, when he 
 was called upon to commence another and much 
 more arduous work. You may remember that I 
 
Another Railway Projected. 171 
 
 told you that Mr. James, and some of the principal 
 merchants of Manchester and Liverpool, had been 
 anxious to find some rapid means of communica- 
 tion between the towns. 
 
 ' Although the opposition they met with in first 
 proposing the plan had induced them to abandon it 
 for the moment, yet it was always present to the 
 minds of Mr. James and others, and they only 
 waited a favourable time for again bringing it for- 
 ward. No sooner did they hear of the progress 
 that Stephenson was making with the Darlington 
 and Stockton line, than some members of the com- 
 mittee into which the Manchester and Liverpool 
 gentlemen had formed themselves, determined to 
 pay a visit to Darlington, and judge for themselves 
 of the actual working and probable success of the 
 line. So perfectly satisfied were they with all they 
 saw, that, on their .return to Liverpool, they urged 
 as strongly as possible that no time should be lost 
 in obtaining from Parliament an Act which should 
 empower the immediate construction of a railway be- 
 tween the towns ; and as soon as their arrangements 
 were definitely made, they unanimously begged that 
 Mr. Stephenson would undertake the survey of the 
 line, with an understanding, that should the required 
 grant be obtained, he should be appointed their 
 engineer. 
 
 1 It was fortunate for them they made so judicious 
 a selection. Perhaps no other man in England could 
 
172 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 have brought them successfully through the innu- 
 merable difficulties with which they had to contend. 
 You who live in days when to be near a railroad 
 is considered the greatest possible advantage in- 
 creasing the price of property, and promoting in 
 .every way our comfort and convenience cannot 
 imagine the panic that the very name of a railway 
 excited some thirty years ago. It was to bring ruin, 
 destruction, death, to everything it came near. The 
 air was to be poisoned with the noxious smells of 
 the engines ; cattle grazing in the fields would die 
 with fright at its hideous shrieks and squeaks. It 
 would be no longer safe to travel on any road near 
 which a railway ran ; for what horse could be trained 
 to bear the sight of the infernal monster ? There 
 would be no end to the accidents, and of the peril 
 to life and limb ; and as to the travellers on the 
 line itself, who would be so rash as to trust them- 
 selves to a conveyance exposing them, almost of a 
 necessity, to a sudden and most awful death ? And 
 many went further still, declaring that it was an 
 impious daring of Providence to venture to propose 
 a plan so fraught with danger to the human race/ 
 
 ' Oh mamma ! But were they educated men who 
 could talk such nonsense ?' 
 
 ' Yes ; men of the very highest education. It 
 seems ridiculous to us now, because we have the 
 advantage of living at a time when the problem is 
 solved. Had we lived thirty years ago, we should 
 
Stephensoris Schemes Denounced. 1 73 
 
 most probably have thought as they did. And this 
 should teach us to be careful how we laugh at the 
 mistakes of others ; for, after all, it was natural 
 enough that people should be afraid of a power 
 they could so little comprehend. Even Stephen- 
 son's great friend, Mr. Wood, the man who had 
 been his confidant from the very beginning, who 
 had worked with him hour by hour, and traced 
 the progress of the locomotive from its very com- 
 mencement, was anxious to throw from himself the 
 responsibility and the ridicule which he thought 
 attached to the too sanguine expectations of his 
 enthusiastic friend ; and expressed, as his decided 
 opinion, that nothing could be more absurd than to 
 affirm that engines could be made to travel at the 
 rate of from twelve to twenty miles an hour. " To 
 promulgate such nonsense," he said, " will da more 
 than anything else to prevent their adoption and 
 improvement." 
 
 'Stephenson, however, thought differently. But 
 it was only in a very small and select circle of his 
 friends that he was able to give vent to his thoughts ; 
 and even they only listened gravely, just to please 
 and humour a man whom they loved, begging him 
 at the same time to keep his speculations for their 
 especial edification ; for there would be an end of all 
 hope of carrying out their proposed plan of a rail- 
 road, if once his wild theories were publicly known. 
 People would say he was mad ; and who would 
 
1 74 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 trust their concerns to the tender keeping of a mad- 
 man ? Stephenson only laughed good-naturedly, 
 and begged them to wait a few years before they 
 pronounced a decided opinion on this subject, as 
 he thought it was one of which he was more capable 
 of judging than themselves ; and meanwhile he de- 
 voted himself to the survey of the new line, and to 
 making all the necessary calculations as to its pro- 
 bable expense. 
 
 ' And now, for the first time, he felt the full force 
 of the ignorant opposition with which he had to 
 contend. Even in surveying the ground, he had to 
 dispute his way inch by inch. The great landed 
 proprietors through whose estates he wished to 
 pass, having given the most positive directions that 
 neither he nor his men should be allowed to place 
 foot on their property, consequently no sooner did 
 he attempt to take his levels, than he was sure to 
 find himself assailed by a group of bailiffs, or game- 
 keepers, or labourers, as the case might be, who 
 angrily warned him off the ground ; at times threat- 
 ening him with personal injury, at times destroying 
 his valuable engineering instruments. There was 
 one thing, however, of which they in vain endea- 
 voured to deprive him, Stephenson never lost his 
 temper. They might threaten to duck him ; he 
 laughed, and gave them permission. They broke 
 his instruments ; well, he could get fresh. He must 
 return whence he came. So he did ; but it was'only 
 
Opposition in Parliament. 175 
 
 to come back again another way. You could not 
 discourage him, for difficulties only gave him fresh 
 energy ; you could not affront him, for he had quite 
 made up his mind he would not take offence. He was 
 an impracticable man : there was nothing for it but 
 to let him go on and conquer. And thus, in spite of 
 all obstacles, the survey was at last completed, and 
 the bill for the railroad went up to Parliament. 
 
 ' But here, again, they were met with a fresh and 
 more troublesome opposition than before. The very 
 first lawyers in England were retained by the oppo- 
 nents of the measure, in the hope that when it went 
 into committee their talent and eloquence might so 
 demonstrate the absurdity of the scheme, and throw 
 the company into such disrepute, that all idea of the 
 proposed railway might be given up for years, if not 
 wholly abandoned. 
 
 ' But they did not know the man with whom they 
 had to contend. Both sides were perfectly aware 
 that the brunt of the struggle would rest with 
 George Stephenson. If his adversaries could suc- 
 ceed in breaking up his evidence, good-bye to the 
 locomotive ; if, on the contrary, he could hold his 
 ground, its ultimate triumph was certain, though it 
 might be for a while delayed. The knowledge of 
 how much depended upon him, made Mr. Stephen- 
 son's first visit to London a remarkably anxious and 
 disagreeable one ; and he always after spoke of his 
 first examination before the committee of the House 
 
176 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 of Commons as one of the most painful ordeals 
 through which he had ever passed. And no wonder. 
 Not an effort was left untried to turn him into ridi- 
 cule, to bother and perplex him ; and it is one of the 
 most extraordinary proofs of his innate power and 
 intelligence, that these efforts were so little success- 
 ful. Here was a self-educated man suddenly placed 
 in a position such as he had never occupied before, 
 everything around him new and strange and start- 
 ling, opposed to the most highly cultivated and 
 acute minds of the day, and required to be ready at 
 a moment's notice to confute their most subtle ob- 
 jections. Well might he say, "I had not been long 
 in the witness-box before I began to wish for a hole 
 to creep out of." He might wish it, but no one who 
 saw him then would have divined it from his man- 
 ner. With the perfect self-respect of a really great 
 mind, he calmly endured the most rigorous and 
 insulting examination. He knew he was no match 
 for his opponents in eloquence, but he met their 
 taunts and sneers with a practical demonstration of 
 what he had already done, and replied to all their 
 eloquent denunciations of his folly and wild enthu- 
 siasm, with such plain, good, common sense, as was 
 of itself the best refutation of their accusations. 
 There was only one point that did bother him, 
 and that was, that his friends had most strictly for- 
 bidden him to make any allusion to the speed with 
 which he prophesied the locomotive would travel. 
 
 
Stephenson before the Committee. 177 
 
 '"All depends upon this examination of yours,'' 
 they said. "Do, then, keep your wild, visionary 
 speculations to yourself." 
 
 ' " But truth is truth," urged Stephenson. 
 
 ' " That may be ; but even truth must sometimes 
 not be spoken. We give you ten miles an hour 
 nothing beyond." 
 
 ' " Give me six times ten, and you will be nearer 
 the mark," replied their incorrigible engineer. " But, 
 however, you may trust me. I will keep it to myself, 
 if I can." 
 
 'And very hard he struggled to remember his 
 promise, but it would not do. Goaded on by the 
 opposing counsel, he boldly stated the engine 
 might run twelve miles an hour as easy as four. 
 His friends trembled ; his opponents triumphed. 
 He had admitted a manifest absurdity, they said ; 
 but Stephenson, quite unabashed, calmly and em- 
 phatically repeated his statement. The utmost 
 efforts of his adversaries were unavailing to break 
 down his evidence on that, or any other point on 
 which his own mind was made up ; but they suc- 
 ceeded in so working on the fears and prejudices of 
 the majority of the committee, that the bill was lost 
 for that session, and the railway directors had all 
 their work to do over again. 
 
 ' Stephenson was not disheartened ; but he was 
 perhaps the only man who was not. Even the faith 
 of his best friends was shaken. They had heard him 
 
 M 
 
178 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 accused of such arrant folly and madness, that at 
 last they began to think there must be some truth 
 in such reiterated accusations, and to doubt how far 
 they were wise to trust their concerns in his hands. 
 They would not give up the idea of their railroad, 
 but they would confide it to the care of some one a 
 little less speculative and enthusiastic/ 
 
 ' Oh ! if they are going to take it away from 
 Stephenson/ exclaimed Charles indignantly, ' I hope 
 they will fail in everything they undertake, and be 
 beaten over and over again. What a shame !' 
 
 ' I think it was a great shame/ replied Mrs. Gren- 
 ville. * They at least had had an opportunity of 
 testing the soundness of Stephenson's judgment, 
 by the success of the works he had already under- 
 taken, and they should have had the moral courage 
 to uphold the man of their own choice. Fearful, 
 however, of compromising their success in another 
 session, they employed a very eminent engineer, 
 Mr. Rennie, to survey the line again, taking rather 
 a different course from that indicated by Stephen- 
 son, and making fresh calculations for the expense ; 
 and immediately on the meeting of Parliament a 
 bill was brought forward for the construction of the 
 railroad, and this time it was passed, though not 
 without considerable opposition/ 
 
 ' Oh, poor Stephenson ! How sorry I am for 
 his disappointment !' exclaimed the children. 
 
 ' It was destined not to be so great as it at first 
 
Chat Moss. 179 
 
 appeared/ continued Mrs. Grenville. ' Mr. Rennie, 
 who was a man in full work, declined to take the 
 immediate superintendence of the construction of 
 the line, telling the directors they must be content 
 with his occasional visits. This, however, did not 
 satisfy them. They felt, truly enough, that such 
 a novel and important undertaking would require 
 the undivided attention of even a clever and ener- 
 getic man. If, therefore, Mr. Rennie could not do 
 the work himself, they should offer it again to 
 Stephenson. Rennie was very angry ; but there 
 was no help for it : he must make his election. He 
 declined the appointment, and Stephenson found 
 himself in his old post ; and with his usual energy 
 he set to work, without a moment's delay, to dis- 
 cover the means of overcoming a difficulty which 
 had been pronounced insuperable by the most emi- 
 nent engineers of the day. Between Manchester 
 and Liverpool the line crossed a great bog of four 
 miles in extent, called Chat Moss, a place so utterly 
 desolate, that no one had ever been wild enough to 
 think of making even a common road across it. 
 The ground was so bad that you could only walk 
 on it at all in the very driest weather, and the least 
 pressure in the wet would have sunk you down to 
 a depth of thirty-four feet. It did not sound hope- 
 ful for a railway certainly, and perhaps no one but 
 Stephenson would have been bold enough to at- 
 tempt such an apparent absurdity. 
 
180 The Triitmphs of Steam. 
 
 ' However wild, though, his plans might seem, they 
 always stood on a firm basis of common sense. He 
 had calculated that, as a ship floats in water, so 
 could a railroad be supported on a bog, if only he 
 could get his rails to float The point was, how to 
 manage this ; but he thought he had hit on the 
 way. He cut drains till he had drained away the 
 water to a certain extent, and then contrived to 
 make hurdles float upon the surface of the bog, 
 ballast being placed upon them, and cross sleepers 
 to support the rails. It sounds simple enough as I 
 tell you now, but the difficulties were in reality 
 greater than I can explain to you. It requires a 
 practical engineer to understand the full merits of 
 the work, or the anxiety which it cost Mr. Stephen- 
 son. Sometimes the drains would give way, and his 
 operations be all flooded. Sometimes the weight of 
 the line would squeeze down the bog, and then it 
 would not float. Sometimes it seemed impossible 
 that the world itself could contain rubbish enough 
 to pour into the insatiable swamp to make a firm 
 and floating way. The directors were in despair. 
 
 '"What are we to do?" they exclaimed, as day 
 followed day, and still there was no apparent pro- 
 gress made in the work. 
 
 ' " Persevere," replied Stephenson. 
 
 ' And however often the question was asked him, 
 .still he met it with the same unalterable reply. 
 Great was the joy of his opponents when they 
 
 
Perseverance Rewarded. 1 8 1 
 
 thought that at last they had their adversary in an 
 inextricable fix. The most absurd rumours were 
 everywhere rife. Now it was said, " Chat Moss had 
 blown up ;" now, " That hundreds of men and work- 
 men were engulphed and lost in the bog ;" now, 
 better still, "That Stephenson himself had been 
 swallowed up, and there was an end of his specula- 
 tions for ever." The wish was father to the thought. 
 Whilst this gratifying piece of' intelligence was cir- 
 culating, Stephenson was putting the finishing touches 
 to his great undertaking ; and in six months from 
 the time when a meeting of the directors had pro- 
 nounced, " The works must be abandoned, the thing 
 could never be done," the rails were all in their 
 places, and those very directors speeding away com- 
 fortably in a railway carriage over that very bog 
 which would have been considered for ever im- 
 passable, but for Stephenson's firm determination 
 to keep to his motto, and to " persevere." 
 
 ' Chat Moss once crossed, everything else seemed 
 easy by comparison. The faith of the directors was 
 strengthened, and even those most opposed to 
 Stephenson thought twice before they openly criti- 
 cised the proceedings of a man who had thrown a 
 railway over an unapproachable swamp. People 
 looked on and wondered what would come next, 
 when neither the opposition of men, nor the ap- 
 parently insurmountable obstacles of nature, had the 
 slightest effect in turning the indefatigable engineer 
 
1 8 2 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 from his purpose. His greatest difficulty now was 
 to organize a body of workmen who could under- 
 stand and execute his orders/ 
 
 'Why, aunt/ exclaimed Charles, 'why did he not 
 employ the navvies ? ' 
 
 ' Because there were no navvies then, at least not 
 in the sense in which we now use the term when we 
 apply it to the men who are employed almost exclu- 
 sively in the construction of railways, and a vigor- 
 ous, energetic body of workers they are, with their 
 own laws and regulations, and code of morality. But 
 when Stephenson wanted help, he had to look out 
 for it for himself; and with his usual judgment he 
 applied to a very strong, powerful class of men, who 
 earned their livelihood by making canals and works 
 of that description. These men were called navi- 
 gators, a word afterwards corrupted into the shorter 
 term navvy, and were peculiarly well fitted by their 
 previous habits of life for being formed into just such 
 a band of workmen as Stephenson required. How- 
 ever, although he had thus found the materials, he 
 had to mould them himself into shape ; and very hard 
 work this was. He knew that precept without prac- 
 tice is of no worth whatever, and that if he wished 
 them to become skilled artisans, he must see that 
 they were well taught their trade : consequently he 
 himself took part in their work, sometimes wheel- 
 ing the barrows, sometimes using the pickaxe, or 
 whatever might be the business in hand, explaining 
 
The Navvies. 183 
 
 at all times the principles on which he acted to the 
 men, and showing them how the greatest amount of 
 labour might be effected with the smallest possible 
 expenditure of time and strength. Nothing was too 
 small for him to think it worth his closest attention ; 
 nothing was beyond the grasp of his mind. The 
 consequence was, that he gradually trained a body 
 of men who have since become the wonder of the 
 whole world for their skill, their strength, and their 
 indomitable energy. 
 
 ' But extraordinary as were Stephenson's powers, 
 there is a limit to all things human. He could not 
 be everywhere at once, and he soon 'became pain- 
 fully aware that if his time and attention were to be 
 absorbed with his engineering work, his locomotive, 
 the cherished favourite, on which his hopes of future 
 fame depended, would too certainly be neglected. 
 In this perplexity his thoughts naturally reverted to 
 his son. If Robert could be at Newcastle whilst he 
 was detained at Liverpool, why, then, all would be 
 well ; for Robert was quite as devoted to the loco- 
 motive as he was himself. Most happily, he had 
 received such improved accounts of his son's health, 
 that he did not scruple to write and explain to him 
 his difficulties and his wishes. Robert, to whom his 
 father's fame was at all times dearer than his own, 
 was only too glad to comply with Mr. Stephenson's 
 request. He made immediate arrangements for 
 giving up his appointment in America, and then 
 
184 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 lost not a moment in returning to put himself and 
 his services at his father's disposal. He came back 
 just in time. The fate of the locomotive was trem- 
 bling in the balance : it was his talent which was 
 destined to turn the scale. 
 
 'The Liverpool Railroad was almost concluded, 
 and now came the question, How was it to be 
 worked ? To employ horse labour was evidently 
 out of the question. Should fixed stationary en- 
 gines, therefore, be constructed along the line ? or 
 should the locomotive first be tried ? For the first 
 time Stephenson was taken aback ; he had never 
 had any idea but that the locomotive was to be 
 used. What ! after all his trouble, was this to be 
 the end ? What could the directors be thinking 
 about ? It was in vain he urged, in vain he 
 pointed out the immense advantages which would 
 accrue to the company by the use of the locomotive. 
 The innovation was too bold ; the directors shook 
 their heads ; they must take counsel. And so 
 they did ; and all the engineers decided against 
 Stephenson. "What! could they not trust the 
 man who had crossed Chat Moss ? " he said. " Had 
 he ever deceived them? Had he ever told them 
 he could do any one given thing without faithfully 
 keeping his promise, even to the very most minute 
 particular ? Why, then, not trust him now ? Only 
 give him the trial ; it was all he asked. On such 
 a point as this, and after all he had done for them, 
 
Engine Competition. 185 
 
 surely this was not too great a concession for them 
 to make ? " 
 
 ' The directors were fairly puzzled. All that Mr. 
 Stephenson told them was true enough ; but then, 
 there he stood alone in his judgment. Suppose he 
 was wrong ; why, what fools the world would think 
 them ! Yes ; but suppose he was right, why they 
 would be greater fools still, not to profit by his 
 knowledge. And so at length they gave in to a sort 
 of compromise. They offered a reward to any en- 
 gineer who should build an engine having certain 
 indispensable qualifications. These engines were to 
 be built by a certain day, and tried upon the Liver- 
 pool line. If they answered, well and good, then 
 the line should be worked by the locomotive ; if 
 they failed, it was only the delay of a few weeks, 
 till the stationary engines could be erected. 
 
 ' Stephenson was satisfied : all he wanted was a 
 trial. Robert was again in England, and with his 
 aid failure was impossible. Great was the excite- 
 ment amongst the engineers as soon as the decision 
 of the Liverpool board of directors was made known ; 
 and an eager competition was commenced as to who 
 should get the most perfect engine ready by the 
 appointed day. 
 
 ' At Newcastle the best hands were pressed into 
 the service, and, under the superintendence of Mr. 
 Robert Stephenson, the construction of a new and 
 much improved engine went rapidly forward. It 
 
1 86 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 must have been an exciting time both to father 
 and to son, as they talked over, and planned, and 
 arranged, and re-arranged every portion of the 
 machinery of the " Rocket." How much both for 
 them and for the world at large depended on the 
 conduct of their favourite ! 
 
 'At length the time of trial arrived. Of all the 
 engines that had been constructed, only four were 
 found to combine all the requisite qualifications. 
 These were : 
 
 ' Messrs. Braithwaite & Ericsson's " Novelty." 
 
 ' Mr. Hackworth's " Sanspareil." 
 
 ' Mr. Burstall's " Perseverance." 
 
 ' Mr. Robert Stephenson's " Rocket." 
 
 ' The ground chosen for the trial was about two 
 miles in length, and each engine was to make twenty 
 trips, the speed never being less than ten miles an 
 hour. It was like a tournament in olden times, and 
 crowds flocked from all parts of the country to see 
 the engines enter the lists. Their powers were to 
 be tested separately ; and great was the excitement, 
 and endless the speculations, as to who would be the 
 victor. The suspense was not destined to last very 
 long. The " Sanspareil " was too heavy, consumed 
 too large a proportion of fuel, and broke down on 
 the eighth trip. The " Novelty " burst twice. The 
 " Perseverance " had to be withdrawn altogether. 
 On the " Rocket," then, and the " Rocket " alone, 
 hung the fate of himself and all his race. 
 
Success of the ' Rocket' 1 8 7 
 
 ' Now, Stephenson, can you look on calmly and 
 wait the result ? Yes ; you have faith in yourself, 
 and faith in your son. Get the engine ready and 
 let her go. Ready ? ay, ready. Backwards and 
 forwards, backwards and forwards. Why, they can- 
 not stop her. Cannot they ? they are only testing 
 her powers. She is going nine-and-twenty miles an 
 hour now ; wait, and in a few moments you will see 
 her come in at the goal as quiet and as well in 
 hand as the gentlest pony that was ever obedient 
 to a lady's touch. Well might the people cheer. 
 Well might the directors chuckle inwardly, as they 
 thought of raised dividends. Well might the father 
 and the son rejoice in their success, as with calm 
 self-respect they received the congratulations of all 
 that numerous throng. They had done a great 
 work, a work of which they had a right to be proud ; 
 for they had triumphed over ignorance and preju- 
 dice, and risen by the force of their own native 
 power and worth over the still more insurmountable 
 barriers of caste. From this moment not only was 
 their position secured, but they had decided for ever 
 the fate of railways and of the locomotive/ 
 
 ' Oh, I am so glad ! ' exclaimed Arthur. ' I should 
 have been so dreadfully disappointed if the "Rocket" 
 had broken down/ 
 
 ' What became of the "Rocket?"' inquired Charles. 
 ' If I had been Mr. Stephenson, I should have kept 
 it for ever as a trophy/ 
 
1 88 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 ' It did not belong to Mr. Stephenson/ replied 
 Mrs. Grenville. ' It was built for the company, and 
 worked on the line till 1837, when the directors 
 most ungratefully sold it to make room for more 
 powerful engines. I think the least they could have 
 done, would have been to give it back to Mr. Stephen- 
 son when they had no further use for it themselves. 
 However, after many adventures and misadventures, 
 it has found rest at last. A good many years after 
 the Liverpool directors had parted with it, it was 
 once again for sale. Mr. Stephenson himself be- 
 came the purchaser, sending the engine to his New- 
 castle manufactory ; and there it now stands, a 
 memorial, for all time coming, of the wonders that 
 may be wrought, simply by energy and persever- 
 ance/ 
 
 'Oh mamma, mamma, that is not quite fair!' 
 exclaimed Ernest. ' Think what wonderful talent 
 both Stephensons had. It was not only their energy 
 and perseverance.' 
 
 ' But it was mainly owing to those qualities that 
 they owed their success/ replied Mrs. Grenville ; 
 ' and either of the Mr. Stephensons would have 
 been the first to tell you so themselves. Others 
 have had quite as great, perhaps even finer talents, 
 and yet have done nothing with them. If you ever 
 hope to succeed as the Stephensons did, believe 
 me, there is nothing lor it but to work as the Ste- 
 phensons worked/ 
 
Desire for Improvement. 189 
 
 ' Well, Aunt Helen, we really have tried, have we 
 not ?' added Charles. ' I am sure, since you began 
 to tell us this story, I have made more efforts to 
 conquer my indolence than I ever did in my whole 
 life before/ 
 
 ' If that is the case, I cannot do better than to say 
 with Mr. Stephenson, " Persevere," ' replied his aunt, 
 smiling. 'And now you must run away and amuse 
 yourselves, for I have got some letters to write, 
 which must be ready for to-day's post.' 
 
 Charles was not wrong. The account which Mrs. 
 Grenville had given the children of Mr. Stephenson, 
 his sayings and doings, had taken a wonderful hold 
 on their imagination, and they were never tired of 
 talking over all his adventures, and wondering how 
 far in the same circumstances they should have acted 
 as he had done. Their courage was destined before 
 long to be put to the proof. 
 
 Charles had become so good a horseman, that Mr. 
 Grenville had no anxiety about trusting him to go 
 out alone or only with Ernest, and the two cousins 
 were in the habit of taking long rides all over the 
 neighbourhood, and very much they enjoyed the 
 freedom of their gallops. One day when they had 
 been out rather longer than usual, and were return- 
 ing home quickly to make up for lost time, as they 
 were approaching a river which separated the parish 
 of Helmstead from that in which Mr. Grenville's pro- 
 perty was situated, Charles suddenly checked his pony. 
 
1 90 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 'Stop, Ernest! Ernest!' he exclaimed. 'Listen, 
 do you not hear cries ?' 
 
 Ernest pulled up as quickly as possible, and both 
 boys listened intently. ' Now Ernest, hark ! hark ! 
 do you not hear?' 
 
 'Yes, yes, I hear/ said Ernest, as first a cry of 
 terror, and then a low smothered shriek, was borne 
 past them by the wind. 
 
 ' It is from the river/ exclaimed Ernest. ' Here, 
 here, to the right, Charles ;' and both boys galloped 
 on as fast as possible in the direction from whence 
 they heard the sound. As they neared the bank 
 they saw a little girl standing in a perfect agony of 
 terror, and crying as if her heart would break. 
 
 'He is in, he is in!' was all she could gasp out 
 through her sobs. 
 
 'Who is in?' exclaimed Ernest. 
 
 ' My brother ! my brother !' and the child pointed 
 towards where a dark body rose for a moment to 
 the surface. There had been a great deal of rain 
 lately ; the river was swollen, and the tide was run- 
 ning rapidly. Ernest was an excellent swimmer, 
 but it required a stout heart to think of battling 
 with that roaring stream. For a moment he hesi- 
 tated ; then came the thought of George Stephenson 
 to his mind, how he had dared death in the flames 
 to save his fellow-workmen. All, all was done in 
 far less time than it takes to tell, as turning to his 
 cousin he exclaimed eagerly: 
 
Rescue from Drowning. 191 
 
 ' Charles, ride off as fast as the pony can lay legs 
 to ground, there to that farm yonder ; tell them to 
 bring help, a boy is drowning/ 
 
 Without waiting to know his cousin's intention, 
 Charles galloped off to do his bidding. Ernest 
 had taken his resolution ; he rode rapidly forward, 
 so as if possible to head the current, and meet the 
 body as it was floating down ; then springing from 
 his pony, he plunged gallantly into the stream. It 
 was stronger than he had calculated upon, and in 
 spite of his utmost efforts it bore him down. Excite- 
 ment and his strong will gave him for the moment 
 unnatural power, and just as he had succeeded in 
 breasting the flood, to his unspeakable joy the body 
 of which he was in search came floating by. Striking 
 out bravely, he grasped at it with his hand, and suc- 
 ceeded in catching hold of the collar of the poor 
 boy's coat. It was perhaps fortunate for both that 
 life seemed to be extinct. Had the lad struggled, 
 or had he clasped Ernest for protection, both must 
 inevitably have perished. As it was, it was a hard 
 matter to fight his own way against the stream, 
 upholding as he did so the head of his unfortunate 
 companion. His strength was visibly decreasing, 
 his breath came thick and painfully, and his eyes 
 were growing dim and hazy. But that brave young 
 heart within him never quailed or trembled. ' God 
 be with me!' passed his lips more fervently than per- 
 haps prayer had ever passed his lips before ; and 
 
1 92 7^he Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 God was with him ; and just as Charles returned 
 with succour from the farm, Ernest had drawn his 
 insensible burden from the water, and, faint and 
 trembling, had sunk down exhausted by his side. 
 
 Most fortunately a medical man was paying a 
 visit to a sick patient at the farm, at the very 
 moment when Charles arrived there ; not an instant 
 was therefore lost in obtaining prompt and effectual 
 succour. 
 
 It was only just in time ; a little more and the 
 last spark of life would have been extinguished. 
 
 ' But, my boy, we must not forget you,' said the 
 farmer, turning to Ernest, when, under the direction 
 of the medical man, the unfortunate lad had been 
 conveyed to the farm. ' Come in ; we must find 
 something warm and comforting for you. I do not 
 know who you be, but you be a fine, brave, plucky 
 fellow, that I will say for you/ 
 
 ' I am Ernest Grenville,' replied Ernest quite 
 simply. 
 
 ' Sure ! what, the squire's son ? Then I wish him 
 joy of such a lad ;' and the honest farmer held out 
 his hand, giving Ernest's such a shake as might 
 have sufficed of itself to restore suspended circu- 
 lation. 
 
 But he did not content himself with this manifes- 
 tation of his regard. He took him up with him to 
 the farm, ordered a warm bath for him as quickly 
 as possible, a thorough rubbing, and a glass of good, 
 
Recovery of the Boy. 193 
 
 strong, hot cordial, which he mixed for him with his 
 own hand ; and as Charles was very unwilling to 
 leave his cousin, and also very anxious to know the 
 fate of the boy whom Ernest had rescued, the farmer 
 put the finishing touch to his kindness by sending 
 off one of his own men on Charles's pony to the 
 Grange, to tell Mr. and Mrs. Grenville that the boys 
 were in safety, and to beg that a carnage might be 
 sent to take them home. 
 
 Very much restored by the farmer's treatment, 
 Ernest's only thought was now for the poor boy ; 
 and great was his delight when, after a period of 
 lengthened suspense, which seemed endless to the 
 cousins, the medical man at length pronounced that 
 animation was returning, and, with God's blessing, 
 he thought there was no doubt the boy's life would 
 be spared. Then, and not till then, it flashed upon 
 them all of a sudden that they had forgotten the 
 little girl ; and Charles, who thought he had not 
 taken a nearly sufficiently prominent part in the 
 events of the day, volunteered instantly to go in 
 search of the unfortunate child. But the farmer 
 would not let him go alone ; and so, in company 
 with one of the labourers, he proceeded, not with- 
 out serious qualms of self-reproach for his forgetful- 
 ness, to endeavour to find the poor child. He had 
 not far to go. Overcome with grief and terror, the 
 poor little thing had sat herself down under a hedge 
 near where they had left her, and there, leaning her 
 
 N 
 
 
194 Tke Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 head upon the bank, she had fallen fast asleep, the 
 wild flowers her pillow, and the deep blue sky her 
 covering. 
 
 'Poor little thing, do not let us wake her/ said 
 Charles ; ' she will only fret, and we are not quite 
 sure yet whether her brother will live or die. I 
 think I can carry her/ 
 
 ' No, no, young master/ said the man kindly ; ' I 
 am more fit for that work than you : you lead on, 
 and I will follow.' And lifting her up in his arms, 
 he and Charles returned to the farm in time to hear 
 that both Mr. and Mrs. Grenville had arrived, and 
 that Mr. Fortescue pronounced that his patient was 
 entirely out of danger. 
 
 He was not well enough, however, to speak. It 
 was therefore to the little girl they must look for 
 information as to who they were, and whence they 
 had come. When first, however, the poor little 
 thing had awoke, she was so frightened they could 
 make nothing out of her account ; but gradually 
 Mrs. Grenville's kind, gentle manners so won upon 
 her affections and soothed her fears, that she elicited 
 sufficient information to understand that her name 
 was Danvers, that she and her brother were the 
 children of a clergyman, that they were staying 
 with an aunt who lived about two miles from Helm- 
 stead, that they had permission to go and fish in a 
 pond near the house, but that some boy had said 
 there was better fish in the river, and so they had 
 
Stephenson teaching the Navvies. 
 
 P. 194. 
 
The Girl's Account of the Accident. 195 
 
 gone there to try their luck. She did not know how 
 Alfred had fallen in. She saw him fall, and heard 
 him cry ; and then the stream went round, oh, so 
 fast, so very fast ! and she thought he was swallowed 
 up ; and she screamed as loud as she could ; and 
 then two boys came galloping up, and she knew 
 no more, they went quite out of her sight, and 
 she was afraid to follow, and she stood and cried 
 till she could cry no more, and then she sat down, 
 and she could not recollect anything else till she 
 found herself in that room, and sitting on Mrs. 
 Grenville's lap. 
 
 Mrs. Grenville's first thought was for the unfortu- 
 nate aunt, and the anxiety she must be enduring. 
 Finding from Mr. Fortescue that young Danvers 
 might now be safely moved, she proposed to her 
 husband that she should at once take the children 
 home, and return and call for the boys and himself, 
 Mr. Fortescue kindly promising to accompany her, 
 and see that his patient was properly cared for. As 
 to the farmer, he scouted all idea of any sort of 
 remuneration, he was only too glad to have had the 
 opportunity of doing a kind act ; and as to what he 
 had done for the young squire there, he said, when 
 he again shook his hand heartily at parting : ' I hold 
 it not only a pleasure, but an honour, to have shown 
 him hospitality. We want more of such young chaps 
 among us, fellows who have not only the heart to 
 do a bold deed, but the modesty not afterwards to 
 
196 
 
 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 brag about it. I wish you joy, sir, of your son, and 
 long life to you both/ 
 
 Oh, how happy Ernest felt as he caught his 
 mother's proud, fond glance ! and in his inward soul 
 he thanked God, who had given him power to do 
 the deed. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Opening of the Manchester and Liverpool line The Birmingham line 
 Difficulties overcome by Mr. Robert Stephenson 1 Anecdotes of 
 Mr. George Stephenson in later life. 
 
 ^ATURALLY enough, the boys could think 
 and talk of but little else than their ad- 
 venture, and Mrs. Grenville promised that, 
 if the next day was fine, they should ride 
 over to Helmstead directly after breakfast, and in- 
 quire how young Danvers was getting on. Almost 
 before it was light, Ernest and Charles were up and 
 examining the state of the weather. They might as 
 well have stayed in bed, for, had they listened, they 
 would have heard the wind howling, and the rain 
 beating heavily against the windows. Oh what a 
 dull, leaden sky, not a break to be seen all round 
 the horizon ! There was but one comfort, it was 
 pouring so violently, surely it could not last. Why, 
 what had bewitched the weather ? Hour followed 
 hour, and still steadily, incessantly, drip, drip, drip, 
 fell the rain. 
 
 1 See Smiles' Lift of Stephenson, pp. 298-444. 
 
198 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 ' Now, Aunt Helen, is not this enough to try any 
 one's temper?' exclaimed Charles, as, breakfast 
 over, he was standing at the window, vainly en- 
 deavouring to persuade himself and others that the 
 weather was certainly taking up. ' This rain is really 
 quite unbearable/ 
 
 ' It is very disappointing, certainly.' 
 
 'Oh Aunt- Helen, it is much more than that/ 
 replied Charles, somewhat provoked at the quiet 
 tone in which Mrs. Grenville spoke ; ' it is utterly 
 unendurable, not but that I think if we were to put 
 on our mackintoshes, and ride very fast, we should 
 not come to any harm. It does look a little bit 
 clearer. Look here, Ernest, do you not see some- 
 thing like blue sky ? ' 
 
 It required more imagination than Ernest pos- 
 sessed to find it out, and Mrs. Grenville entirely 
 objected to their going out in such heavy rain, 
 even with the utmost protection that mackintoshes 
 could give. 
 
 ' And after putting Mr. Hervey off, and all/ said 
 Charles ; ' it is too annoying/ 
 
 ' Why, Charles/ replied his aunt, smiling, ' how 
 long have you felt it an annoyance to be excused 
 doing " that horrid Latin and Greek, or that wretched 
 stuff Algebra, that I can make nothing of ?"' 
 
 'Aunt Helen!' 
 
 'Well, my love, that seems to be your present 
 grievance/ 
 
Charles Discontented. 199 
 
 'No ; now, Aunt Helen, you know it is not that/ 
 
 ' Is it not ? It seemed so. I am afraid it will not 
 clear up yet/ added Mrs. Grenville, ' if that is what 
 you are vexed about ; and losing your temper will 
 not mend the matter. It will only make yourself 
 and every one about you as miserable as the weather. 
 Either amuse yourselves in the study, or, if you like it 
 better, I will tell you how Mr. Stephenson followed 
 up his successful experiment with the " Rocket." ' 
 
 ' Oh do, mamma, if you can spare the time ; that 
 is what we shall like best/ exclaimed Ernest and 
 Arthur, whilst Charles took his drawing, and sat 
 playing with his pencil, looking very glum, and not 
 saying a word. 
 
 'Was the railroad finished, mamma/ inquired 
 Ernest, ' at the time when the engine race came 
 off?' 
 
 ' No, not quite. As soon as a portion of the line 
 was ready for the experiment, the directors had 
 wished that it should be tried, as of course their 
 plans for the future depended mainly on the result. 
 The success of the "Rocket" had been so un- 
 questionable, that the company decided instantly 
 that the line should be worked entirely by the loco- 
 motive, and orders were given to Mr. Stephenson 
 to build engines and carriages with as little delay 
 as possible. At length all was ready, and the i$th 
 of September 1830 was fixed upon for the public 
 opening of the line ; and, to add to the importance 
 
2oo The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 of the occasion, the Duke of Wellington, who was 
 then Prime Minister, with several members of his 
 Government, promised to come down to Liverpool 
 to be present at the ceremony. Some hundreds of 
 guests were invited, and a grand procession was to 
 start from Liverpool ; all the engines of the line 
 being put into requisition, each with its appointed 
 number of carriages. The " Northumbrian," which 
 was to draw the train prepared for the Duke of Wel- 
 lington and his distinguished party, was to be driven 
 by Mr. Stephenson himself, whilst the " Phoenix " 
 was to follow immediately afterwards, under the 
 guidance of his son. Nothing could be better than 
 all the arrangements, nothing more auspicious than 
 the start, as amidst the cheers of the assembled 
 thousands the train glided out of the station, and 
 sped along at the rate of four-and-twenty miles an 
 hour. 
 
 ' Had they only continued their journey direct ty> 
 Manchester, all would have been well. Unhappily 
 it had been arranged that the train should stop at 
 Parkside, midway between Liverpool and that town. 
 Here it was to be drawn up on one side, and the 
 locomotives were to pass by in grand procession, 
 that the Duke and his party might have an oppor- 
 tunity of seeing their extraordinary power. Amongst 
 the members of the Government was a Mr. Huskis- 
 son, a very clever man, who from the first had taken 
 a great interest in the success of the locomotive, and 
 

 The First Railway Accident. 201 
 
 had now gladly accepted the invitation of the direc- 
 tors to be present at this first great public testimony 
 to its success. 
 
 ' On the arrival of the train at Parkside, he had 
 got out of his carriage, wishing to speak to the Duke 
 of Wellington, who was in another compartment. 
 Hardly, however, had he reached the carnage win- 
 dow, when a loud cry was raised : 
 
 ' " Take care, take care ! get in, get in ! the engine 
 is coming ! " 
 
 ' Looking hastily round, Mr. Huskisson perceived 
 that the warning was only just in time, for that the 
 " Rocket" was approaching at a rapid pace. People 
 were not then so. much accustomed to railway tra- 
 velling as they are now, and the strongest nerves 
 gave way at such unusual sights and sounds. Mr. 
 Huskisson turned hastily round, hoping to regain 
 his carriage before the engine could come by. Alas ! 
 in his hurry and confusion his foot slipped ; the 
 " Rocket" dashed by, throwing him to the ground, 
 and crushing his leg to pieces. It was all so instan- 
 taneous, that not till the mischief was done were 
 people even aware that the accident had occurred. 
 Then, however, the panic and dismay were universal. 
 Mr. Huskisson was lifted from the ground still alive, 
 but in a dying state ; and in five-and-twenty minutes, 
 thanks to the power of the " Northumbrian," he had 
 been carried back fifteen miles, and placed within 
 reach of the best medical advice the neighbourhood 
 
2O2 , The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 could afford. But it was all of no use. Poor Mr. 
 Huskisson sank rapidly ; and before night he had 
 breathed his last. I cannot give you any idea of 
 the sensation excited by the news of this sad and 
 sudden death. One of my own earliest recollections 
 is seeing my father's look of grief as he came into 
 the drawing-room, and told my mother, "Huskis- 
 son is killed ! " I remember listening with a sort of 
 hushed, breathless awe to his account of the acci- 
 dent. People had been so building on the wonders 
 that this new steam power was to perform, the rail- 
 road had so excited their imagination as to the 
 changes it was to effect, that Mr. Huskisson's death 
 seemed a sort of national calamity rekindling fears 
 that had been nearly allayed, renewing the doubts 
 of the scrupulous, and once again lending weight to 
 the arguments of the objectors ; and it was not until 
 the Liverpool and Manchester line had been for 
 some time working steadily, and without the recur- 
 rence of any similar accident, that the minds of the 
 people became tranquillized, and they could be per- 
 suaded to think favourably of the construction of 
 the new railroad which was now being planned be- 
 tween London and Liverpool 
 
 ' This was a much more formidable undertaking, 
 not only from its great length, but from the very 
 difficult nature of the ground over which the line 
 must pass ; and all these difficulties were enhanced 
 tenfold by the vexatious and ridiculous opposition 
 
Short-sighted Opposition. 203 
 
 that was offered, not only by the landowners, but by 
 the corporations of many of the great towns near 
 which it was proposed to bring the railway. Never 
 was a better illustration of the way in which persons 
 almost invariably outwit themselves when they yield 
 up their judgments to their passions and their pre- 
 judices. 
 
 ' The opponents of the bill united, and organized 
 so powerful an opposition, that they carried their 
 point ; and the railway company, abandoning their 
 original plan, determined on a new survey, avoiding 
 as much as possible the estates and towns of their 
 opponents. And what was the result ? Not twenty 
 years had passed away before railroads had so 
 largely increased the value of all property in their 
 vicinity, that those very landholders would gladly 
 have given twice the amount they had spent in 
 opposing the bill, to bring the railway near their 
 estates ; whilst the towns were actually obliged to 
 construct railways at their own expense, or else to 
 forfeit all hopes of being able to compete with the 
 flood-tide of commercial prosperity which poured in 
 upon those places whose communities had been more 
 clear-sighted than themselves. 
 
 ' In spite, however, of their change of plan, the 
 London and Birmingham Company found their 
 difficulties but little lessened ; and had it not been 
 for the indomitable energy of Mr. Robert Stephen- 
 son, who had been appointed their engineer, it is 
 
2O4 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 possible they might never have carried their point 
 at all. Twenty times did Mr. Robert Stephenson 
 walk over the whole ground between London and 
 Birmingham to ascertain the exact direction the 
 line should take, and all the time carrying out his 
 survey under circumstances which, if they had not 
 been so vexatious, would have been laughably 
 absurd. He and his companions had to watch their 
 opportunities for taking levels, etc., just as if they 
 had been a gang of thieves, instead of a company of 
 the most highly educated and scientific men in Eng- 
 land. Now they watched a proprietor off his estate, 
 and then dodged round to the necessary point ; now 
 they waited till the evening had closed in, and then, 
 by the aid of dark lanterns, made a rapid midnight 
 raid across the property. Clergymen preached 
 against them, magistrates denounced them, game- 
 keepers and bailiffs tried in vain to capture them. 
 They bore a charmed life ; and in spite of all that 
 could be done to prevent it, the survey was made, 
 and the estimates of expense calculated ; and in the 
 session of 1832 a bill was brought into Parliament, 
 praying for leave to construct the railway. 
 
 < Mr. Stephenson had brought the bill to the 
 House of Commons ; but there, unfortunately, he 
 was obliged to leave it, and the directors of the 
 railway soon saw they could not carry their measure 
 without bribing their opponents. It was a great 
 shame, but there was no help for it ; and the 
 
Progress of the Railway Works. 205 
 
 system of compensation thus introduced led subse- 
 quently to the most grievous and dishonest extor- 
 tion. In this instance it cost the company ^750,000 
 to buy up land whose value was really about 
 2 50,000. This compromise, such as it was, being 
 at last effected, the railway was commenced ; and 
 all went on smoothly enough, until the works ap- 
 proached a high ridge of land near Rugby, through 
 which it had been found necessary to tunnel. The 
 experiments requisite for testing the nature of the 
 soil had been carefully made ; and although, in the 
 then infancy of railroad engineering, so long a tunnel 
 as that which was now to be formed was known to 
 be a very arduous undertaking, yet, as no one ex- 
 pected to meet with any insuperable difficulties, a 
 contract was readily enough taken by a certain 
 man, to get it done by a given time, and at a given 
 price.' 
 
 ' Oh, but, mamma, I thought you said Mr. Ste- 
 phenson was making the railway : why did not he 
 do it himself ? ' 
 
 'He was engaged in the general superintendence 
 of the whole line, my love ; but the work would not 
 have gone on sufficiently quickly, if it could only 
 have been continued just where he himself was over- 
 looking. His plan was, to give out different portions 
 of the line to different contractors, who each super- 
 intended a gang of navvies of their own, each work- 
 ing on till he met his neighbour's allotment ; and of 
 
206 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 course the construction of the whole line was thus 
 wonderfully expedited, whilst Mr. Robert Stephen- 
 son was at liberty to go up and down the line just 
 exactly as he pleased, and see that his directions 
 were being carefully and accurately followed. But 
 although he himself had superintended the boring 
 of the Kilsby tunnel, he was quite as unprepared as 
 the unfortunate contractor to find that, a short time 
 after the works were in full progress, the men 
 came suddenly on an immense quicksand, which 
 threatened to put an entire stop to the undertaking. 
 Here was a blow. What was to be done now ? The 
 tunnel was flooded ; the water seemed inexhaustible. 
 The more they pumped, the more they might pump 
 Mr. Robert Stephenson was summoned hastily to 
 the rescue. Engines were constructed, and set to 
 work incessantly ; wells were sunk ; springs were 
 drained ; but still on, on, on flowed the water, ap- 
 parently as inexhaustible as ever. The directors 
 looked grave. That terrible quicksand had already 
 engulfed thousands of pounds ; and who might say 
 how many thousands more might not follow, and 
 yet the sacrifice be all in vain ? A general meeting 
 of the directors was called. It was very unfortunate 
 most provoking ; but there was but one course 
 left, they said : the works must be abandoned, and 
 the tunnel left to its fate/ 
 
 'Oh mamma!' exclaimed Arthur eagerly, 'I am 
 sure Mr. Robert Stephenson will never consent. 
 
Clearing Kilsby Tunnel of Water. 207 
 
 He will remember the mine at Killingworth years 
 ago. And Chat Moss, mamma, he will surely re- 
 member that ! ' 
 
 'Yes,' added Ernest; 'and I am very much mis- 
 taken if he does not tell the directors that he is 
 quite of their opinion that there is only one course 
 left ; but that that is to persevere/ 
 
 Mrs. Grenville smiled, as she continued : ' You 
 have formed a very right estimate of his character. 
 He begged and entreated the directors not to come 
 to so hasty a decision. If they would only give him 
 time, he felt certain of ultimate success. He asked 
 but for one fortnight more. If, at the expiration 
 of that period, he had not made such progress as 
 would justify him in continuing the works, then he 
 promised to abandon them, however much he him- 
 self might regret it, and to submit implicitly to the 
 decision of the directors. His hopeful tone inspired 
 them with new confidence. Besides, when had either 
 Stephenson ever pledged himself to accomplish any 
 work, and been found wanting in the performance ? 
 If he still thought it possible to drain the quick- 
 sand, by all means let him go on : they were ready 
 to provide him with every assistance he might re- 
 quire. Thus, armed with new powers, Stephenson 
 set to work, if possible, with greater energy than 
 before, now improving the engines already at 
 work, now inventing new ones to meet fresh diffi- 
 culties as they arose. 1250 men, 200 horses, and 
 
208 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 thirteen engines worked so heartily in the cause, 
 that at the expiration of the allotted time of trial 
 the water in the tunnel had so perceptibly decreased, 
 that the directors were fully convinced that Mr. 
 Robert Stephenson was right, and with their cordial 
 permission the work was carried on, and at the end 
 of eight months brought happily to an end. It will 
 give you some notion of the magnitude of the 
 undertaking, when I tell you that during the whole 
 of that time 1800 gallons of water had been raised 
 every minute, and conducted away to other and 
 safe channels of escape.' 
 
 'There, Arthur, there is a sum after your very 
 heart!' exclaimed Charles, laughing. 'Now tell 
 us how many gallons were pumped up alto- 
 gether?' 
 
 ' I cannot tell you all in a moment/ replied Arthur 
 gravely. 
 
 ' I should think not, indeed/ replied Mrs. Gren- 
 ville, amused at his matter-of-fact way of answering 
 Charles's question. 'I do not suppose any one 
 living but Mr. Bidder could answer such a question 
 off-hand.' 
 
 ' Mr. Bidder. Who is he, Aunt Helen ?' inquired 
 Charles. 
 
 ' The most extraordinary calculator who has per- 
 haps ever existed. He was a great friend of Mr. 
 Stephenson's, and quite as wonderful a man as him- 
 self, though in a different way.' 
 
Father and Son. 209 
 
 'Oh mamma, do tell us about him, then/ said 
 Arthur. 
 
 ' I cannot just at this moment ; it would take us 
 too far away from Mr. Stephenson, whom we have 
 rather deserted, I think, whilst we have been follow- 
 ing the adventures of his son. But it is so very 
 difficult to speak of the one without alluding to the 
 other. Their interests were so entirely in common ; 
 they worked so heartily together ; the success of 
 the one was so essential to the happiness of the 
 other, that I can hardly give you a clear idea of 
 what were the pursuits and pleasures of Mr. 
 Stephenson's later life, without constantly alluding 
 to his son, whose increasing fame and prosperity 
 were so closely connected with his own. Finding 
 how perfectly well able Mr. Robert Stephenson was 
 to cope with difficulties, even such as those which 
 had met him in the construction of the Kilsby 
 tunnel, Mr. Stephenson thought himself quite at 
 liberty to devote his own more immediate attention 
 to the formation of the new railways which were 
 now required in the north, his native country. The 
 friends and associates of his own early days had 
 greater charms for him than the more refined and 
 luxurious people of the south, and he was at all 
 times glad to go back again to his old haunts, 
 rejoicing in being made instrumental in promoting 
 the prosperity and opening up the resources of that 
 northern land which he loved so dearly. 
 
 o 
 
2 1 o The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 ' It was fortunate for him that his naturally fine 
 constitution had been strengthened by the athletic 
 pursuits he had been so fond of when a young man, 
 and by the habits of self-denial and temperance he 
 had then so steadily practised. His health could 
 never otherwise have borne up against the accumu- 
 lation of work he was now called upon to perform. 
 It was not only that his opinion was sought for by 
 the most scientific men in England and on the Con- 
 tinent, in all matters connected with railroads or 
 engineering, and this of itself would have involved 
 almost more labour than any one man could have 
 accomplished, but, besides all this, he was inces- 
 santly at work, taking surveys, making levels, draw- 
 ing plans, and superintending the actual formation 
 of the different lines committed to his care, taking 
 what little sleep he allowed himself whilst he tra- 
 velled from place to place. His secretaries and 
 clerks were in despair. How was it possible to 
 keep pace with a man whose body never wanted 
 rest, and whose brain never tired ? 
 
 ' It will give you some idea of his extraordinary 
 powers of endurance, when I tell you that Mr. 
 Smiles says that, during three years when Mr. Ste- 
 phenson was very busily employed in constructing 
 different lines, in addition to all the head-work that 
 was incessantly required of him, he actually tra- 
 velled in his carriage over more than 20,000 miles 
 of country, whilst superintending the progress of 
 
Stephensoris Powers of Endurance. 2 1 1 
 
 the different works. Whatever he had undertaken 
 to do, that he liked to see done under his own eye. 
 
 ' He did not care what fatigue or trouble he him- 
 self endured ; but then he expected everybody to 
 be as active and energetic as he was himself, and 
 this occasionally led to disappointment. He used 
 to say "he found it an easy thing to engineer 
 matter ; the difficulty was to engineer men.'* This, 
 very likely, was the truth ; but then I think he was 
 a little too apt to forget that, though he could find 
 plenty of helpers, it was somewhat more difficult to 
 meet with a succession of Stephensons. 
 
 ' No one, however, was more prompt than himself 
 to recognise merit in another ; and wherever he saw 
 intelligence and energy and perseverance quali- 
 ties which he valued far above what is generally 
 called genius he always used his utmost endeavours 
 to bring their possessor into notice ; or, to use his 
 own words, " to make a man of him." And many 
 a story is told of the assistance thus rendered to 
 those in the humbler spheres of life, and who were 
 enabled by his means, not only to achieve fame and 
 fortune for themselves, but to become useful and 
 valuable members of society. I was once talking 
 on this subject to a very intimate friend of Mr. 
 Stephenson's. " Yes," he said ; " it is perfectly true. 
 He was always ready to help, whenever he met 
 with a man of good abilities, united to modesty 
 and diffidence of manner ; but anything of foppery 
 
212 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 or presumption or ignorance was intolerable to Mr. 
 Stephenson. He saw through it in a moment, and 
 woe betide the unfortunate offender ! If indeed the 
 man was perfectly wrapped up in his self-esteem, 
 he would leave him to the enjoyment of his igno- 
 rance ; but if he thought he saw a hope of stirring 
 him up to better things, the pretender would sud- 
 denly find himself pulled up in the middle of some 
 presumptuous statement, by a calm, commanding 
 * Sir, you know nothing whatever of what you are 
 saying/ And he would be a bold man indeed who, 
 once exposed to such a rebuke from George Ste- 
 phenson, would run the risk of undergoing the ordeal 
 a second time." 
 
 ' The love of truth was one of his most distinguish- 
 ing characteristics. He detected in a moment the 
 slightest deviation from strict accuracy, and instantly 
 exposed it. On one occasion, when travelling, he 
 happened to pass by a field in which some remark- 
 ably fine cattle were grazing. Fond as he was of 
 all animals, they instantly attracted his attention, 
 but he did not happen to know of what breed they 
 were. 
 
 ' " Do you know ?" he said, turning to the gentle- 
 man who was travelling with him. 
 
 ' His companion knew no more than himself, but 
 not liking to confess his ignorance, he instantly 
 hazarded a guess. 
 
 ' Stephenson saw the state of the case in a mo- 
 
His Love of Tmth. 2 1 3 
 
 ment, and turning round instantly, he looked him 
 steadily in the face, saying, good-humouredly but 
 firmly, "You are only guessing. Why could you 
 not say at once that you know nothing whatever 
 about the matter?" 
 
 ' On another occasion he was paying a visit to 
 Exeter Change, for the sake of seeing the wild 
 beasts which at that time were kept there. On 
 pointing out a particular lion, the keeper boasted 
 of his entire control over the animal. 
 
 ' " I can do just what I please with it," he said. 
 " It obeys and follows me like a dog." 
 
 '"Does it?" replied Mr. Stephenson. "Then 
 have it out immediately. I should like to see such 
 a docile beast." 
 
 ' The man, who was too wise to accept the chal- 
 lenge, made some lame excuse for not complying 
 with Mr. Stephenson's request, and had to submit 
 as best he could to the stern rebuke with which 
 his vain and presumptuous boasting was at once 
 reproved. 
 
 ' It was not only, however, when he was in the 
 society of his equals that he was thus decided and 
 uncompromising. Truth was his object, and it was 
 no matter what was the station or the fame or the 
 talents of a man who advanced what he thought 
 to be a fallacy. Without an instant's hesitation he 
 exposed it, whether the man was a peer or a pea- 
 sant. One curious story is told illustrating this 
 
214 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 point. At a great meeting held at the opening of 
 a railway which Mr. Stephenson had constructed, 
 one of the most celebrated men in England pro- 
 posed the engineer's health, in a speech as remark- 
 able for its varied information as for the graceful 
 tribute it paid to Mr. Stephenson's talent and suc- 
 cess. Unfortunately, in referring to the line just 
 opened, the speaker compared the work to one 
 of those gigantic undertakings begun and carried 
 on so successfully by the Roman conquerors of 
 England, works which, for hundreds of years, 
 have excited the admiration of all succeeding gene- 
 rations. 
 
 'As he listened, Mr. Stephenson became evi- 
 dently fidgety and impatient, and no sooner was 
 the speech concluded, than, apparently quite un- 
 heeding the graceful tribute of praise to himself 
 with which it had ended, he sprang up, and turn- 
 ing to the orator, commenced his reply with those 
 well-known and often much -dreaded words, "You 
 know nothing whatever about it ;" and then he 
 proceeded to point out why the construction of 
 the great old Roman roads could not conscien- 
 tiously be compared to railway engineering. The 
 Romans carried their roads straight to a point, true 
 enough ; but in doing so, how different was their 
 course? They went over the highest hills; it was 
 necessary that they should do so, they wanted to 
 look after their enemies. They went into secluded 
 
His Dislike of Praise. 2 1 5 
 
 dales; they must pitch their camps, and no one 
 knew better than they where to find the right spot. 
 "Now," he continued, "that is not our plan. We 
 do not want to go to the top of hills, we have got 
 no enemies to look after ; we do not carry our lines 
 into secluded dales ; we want the great cities and 
 commercial towns, and we choose the levels that 
 will take us soonest and quickest to where we want 
 to be." ' 
 
 'Oh aunt! 1 interrupted Charles laughingly, 'how 
 astounded the unfortunate gentleman must have 
 been at such a reply ! And when he flattered him- 
 self he had made such a telling speech, and rounded 
 off his periods so splendidly ! ' 
 
 'Fortunately for Mr. Stephenson,' replied Mrs. 
 Grenville, 'he was a man who could thoroughly 
 appreciate the sterling worth of the great engineer, 
 and I have no doubt that he was far more charmed 
 with his straightforward and manly statement, than 
 he would have been with the most graceful ac- 
 knowledgment of thanks to himself. But I told 
 you the story to show you how Mr. Stephenson 
 loved truth for the truth's sake, quite irrespective 
 of the prejudices of any society in which he might 
 find himself. Occasionally, however, this very strict- 
 ness, admirable though it was, deprived him of some 
 enjoyments. He could not appreciate the charms 
 of imagination ; everything that gave him pleasure 
 must be real, practical, solid. He could not under- 
 
2 1 6 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 stand that any rational being should derive amuse- 
 ment from anything that was fictitious. 
 
 'On one occasion he had been persuaded by a 
 very intimate friend to go with him to the theatre. 
 For some little while Mr. Stephenson sat looking at 
 the actors with a puzzled, distressed expression of 
 countenance. At length, touching his friend's arm, 
 he said abruptly, ".Come away, George, come away; 
 I cannot stay longer, it is all lies." 
 
 ' With such a character as this, it is no wonder 
 that in later life he set himself strongly in opposi- 
 tion to the mad spirit of speculation which led to 
 the construction of railroads by means calculated 
 to entail ruin on hundreds of those concerned in 
 them. People are slow to believe that they may 
 have too much of a good thing. Railroads and the 
 locomotives had wrought such wonders, that it be- 
 came a very general impression that nothing was 
 impossible to them, and that the powers of the 
 engine might be developed ad infinitutn. Because 
 some of the great railways had succeeded so trium- 
 phantly, persons argued it followed that there could 
 be no such advantageous investment for money as 
 in railway shares. There were plenty of acute, 
 clever, unprincipled men ready to take advantage 
 of the popular delusion. Railways were projected 
 to towns and places where it was quite impos- 
 sible, from the very nature of the country, that there 
 could be any traffic which would hold out any 
 
The Railway Mania. 2 1 7 
 
 reasonable hope of a profitable return for the 
 capital to be expended. The most fascinating pro- 
 spectuses were issued ; the more alluring, the less 
 were they true. The shares were eagerly bought 
 up. Rogues prospered and grew rich ; the simple 
 and honest were duped and ruined. Against all 
 such malpractices Mr. Stephenson steadily set his 
 face. If he was asked to take the superintendence 
 of any new line, his first care was to ascertain 
 whether it was really wanted, and whether, when 
 it was made, there was any reasonable hope of its 
 remunerating the shareholders. If he thought that 
 this was not the case, nothing would induce him to 
 have anything to do with it. In the same man- 
 ner, when he was requested to make the estimates 
 for a new line, he invariably did so at what, to 
 the best of his judgment, appeared to him the 
 amount which the construction of the railroad 
 would cost. These estimates were, consequently, 
 frequently very much larger than those which the 
 original proposers of the line had led the unwary 
 shareholders to expect; and they would do their 
 best to make Mr. Stephenson reconsider his cal- 
 culations, urging the impolicy of raising so large 
 a sum at the outset. But Mr. Stephenson held 
 that " honesty at all times was the best policy ; 
 he felt certain that the works could not be well 
 executed for a sum less than the one he had 
 named. If they did not like it," he said, "they 
 
2 1 8 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 could seek an engineer elsewhere ; he would be no 
 party to a fraud by which he was to be benefited and 
 the company ruined. He could not prevent other 
 men being rogues, but at least the taint of dishonour- 
 able conduct should never attach to his own name." 
 
 ' It was the same honourable, truthful spirit that 
 made Mr. Stephenson oppose all the wild specula- 
 tions that were now being broached about the pos- 
 sibility of employing atmospheric pressure as a 
 substitute for locomotives, by which instrumentality 
 we were to fly through the air as readily as birds, 
 and be propelled over the ground with a rapidity 
 hitherto unknown. When our own South Devon 
 line was projected, Mr. Stephenson said from the 
 first it would not do : it was a very pretty, ingenious 
 toy, but for a great working line of road, a medium 
 of traffic, it was wholly unfitted ; it was too costly 
 in its mechanism. Unfortunately, people thought 
 that his advice was only dictated by his jealousy 
 for the well-being of his own beloved locomotive : 
 they told him so, adding, " Why, the Council of the 
 Institute of Civil Engineers has pronounced in favour 
 of this new atmospheric line : they must be right" 
 
 ' " It won't do," was Mr. Stephenson's quiet re- 
 joinder ; " it will never pay." 
 
 ' A very few years passed away before the unfor- 
 tunate shareholders of the South Devon line had 
 cause to repent deeply that they had not listened to 
 the words of the shrewd, straightforward engineer 
 
The Atmospheric Railway. 219 
 
 when he had sought to warn them from embarking 
 in an enterprise which could only end in disappoint- 
 ment The atmospheric tubes half ruined the com- 
 pany, and then they were removed, and the loco- 
 motives substituted in their place. But even to this 
 day we rue the experiment ; for the peculiar con- 
 struction of the line, the gradients being so much 
 steeper than in those built originally for the use of 
 the locomotives, is the cause of the constant delays 
 and stoppages which make our South Devon branch 
 a very by-word amongst railways ; and often when 
 I have been to fetch papa from the station, I have 
 been very painfully reminded of Mr. Stephenson's 
 prophecy, "It won't do ; wait a little and you will 
 see that I am right." I have waited so long and so 
 often, that I at least am perfectly convinced of the 
 fact. 
 
 ' But perhaps one of the most curious positions 
 in which Mr. Stephenson was placed by the wild 
 speculations of others, was when he found himself 
 called upon to check their daring assertions that 
 there was no limit to the speed which the locomo- 
 tive might attain. That might be all very true, he 
 himself had told them so long ago, and had been 
 laughed at as a fool and a madman for so saying. 
 But though an engine might be constructed with 
 such powers, it did not follow that good judgment 
 or sound sense would approve of their being brought 
 into daily use. This could serve no purpose but to add 
 
22O The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 greatly to the expense of working the line from the in- 
 creased wear and tear, and to court the presence of 
 that very danger which did riot exist as long as people 
 would act by the dictates of common prudence. 
 Forty miles an hour was surely fast enough for 
 those who had once laughed at the idea of travelling 
 twelve : this was a safe pace and a remunerative pace, 
 and both these points ought to be thought of and 
 secured, the one for the sake of the passengers, and 
 the other for the sake of the company itself ; and to 
 neglect the interests of either, merely for the sake 
 of astonishing the world and performing what was 
 thought to be an impossibility, was, in his opinion, 
 neither honest nor honourable. In spite, however, 
 of all that he could say on the subject, the rivalry 
 then existing between the principal engineers, sup- 
 ported on the part of the public by a sort of craving 
 for the perpetual excitement of ever-increasing speed, 
 prevented Mr. Stephenson's wise counsel from being 
 listened to with the deference it deserved. Even 
 Mr. Robert Stephenson was carried away with the 
 general enthusiasm ; he could not endure the 
 thought that any one's engines were to surpass his 
 own : if others increased their speed and power, he 
 must perforce do likewise. The consequence was, 
 that in 1845 he turned out of the Newcastle manu- 
 factory an engine which travelled forty-five miles 
 in forty-seven minutes. They have attained to 
 even a greater speed since then, but at that time 
 
Increased Speed of the Locomotive. 2 2 1 
 
 it seemed stupendous ; and however much Mr. Ste- 
 phenson might have condemned the practice in 
 theory, I have no doubt that in his heart he rejoiced 
 at this new achievement of his son/ 
 
 'Aunt Helen/ exclaimed Charles, 'do you remem- 
 ber the last time we went up to London ? ' 
 
 ' Yes, perfectly/ 
 
 ' Did not we go a glorious pace from Didcot, 
 making up for lost time ? Why, we must have gone 
 sixty miles an hour then/ 
 
 ' 1 should think we did for a short distance/ 
 
 ' Oh ! I remember it was such fun how I did 
 like it ; only I wanted to go just twice as fast ; and 
 that lady, aunt, who sat in the corner and shrieked, 
 and made such a fool of herself oh, it was famous P 
 and Charles laughed heartily at the bare recollection 
 of his enjoyment. 
 
 ' You seem to forget what was sport to you was 
 pain to another/ replied Mrs. Grenville. 
 
 ' But then, Aunt Helen, it was so foolish of her/ 
 
 'All have not your high health and spirits, my 
 dear boy/ 
 
 ' Oh ! Aunt Helen, what would you have said if 
 we had screamed ? ' 
 
 ' I should have been very annoyed, for this very 
 reason, that you would have had no excuse whatever 
 for such absurd conduct. But look, whilst we have 
 been so busily engaged with Mr. Stephenson and his 
 plans, we have quite forgotten the weather ; and I 
 
222 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 think it is really clearing up now. The sun seems 
 to me to be trying to break through the clouds. I 
 hardly think that it rains at all. Run to the win- 
 dow and see/ 
 
 The boys were glad enough to comply with this 
 request, and joyfully announced there was no doubt 
 that the weather was gradually taking up. ' The wind 
 has quite gone round, mamma ! ' exclaimed Ernest. 
 
 ' And there is a large patch of blue sky/ added 
 Charles, 'real blue sky this time, Aunt Helen, and 
 no effect of my imagination ; and there is not one drop 
 of rain. And look, there is Donny running across the 
 lawn ; that is the best sign of all. He hates the wet 
 so, nothing ever induces him to go out in the rain. 
 May we run and order the ponies, Aunt Helen ?' 
 
 Hardly waiting for the permission to be given, off 
 scampered the boys to get ready for their ride, losing 
 so little time afterwards upon the road, that Charles 
 declared that the pace at which they put their ponies 
 was only to be equalled by Mr. Stephenson's express 
 engine. On their arrival at Helmstead, they found, 
 to their great delight, that Danvers was so far re- 
 covered as to be allowed to see them ; and his plea- 
 sure at the meeting was only to be equalled by their 
 own. Indeed, so mutually were they pleased with 
 each other, that when the boys said good-bye to their 
 new friend, it was with the understanding that their 
 visit was to be speedily repeated, and a very cordial 
 desire on both sides to cultivate a closer intimacy. 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 Mr. George Stephenson in old age ; honoured ; beloved His death 
 Conclusion. 
 
 5AMMA, there is only one reason/ said 
 Arthur, ' why I do not like biography : 
 it always ends so sadly/ 
 
 ' Ends sadly ! ' exclaimed Ernest. 
 ' What do you mean, Arthur ? ' 
 
 ' Why, just when you get so fond of a person, and 
 so interested in all they are doing, then it all comes 
 to an end, and they die, and you feel just as un- 
 happy as if you had lost a friend.' 
 
 ' I used to have the same feeling very strongly 
 when I was young/ replied Mrs. Grenville ; ' but I 
 do not think it is a right one ; for, supposing that 
 those in whose earthly career we have been deeply 
 interested have employed their talents to God's 
 glory, and for the good of their fellow-creatures, we 
 ought not to feel that they are lost to us, simply 
 that they are removed to another and a wider sphere 
 of happiness and usefulness, where we may ourselves 
 
224 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 look forward to joining in their work. It has often 
 struck me that it may be one source of our happi- 
 ness in heaven, to know that our example whilst on 
 earth has drawn others to righteousness and to God. 
 If so, the sadness of which you complain, Arthur, 
 would at once lose all its sting. 1 
 
 ' But then, mamma, I am so sorry that they are 
 gone from amongst us. I always long so to have 
 known them myself/ 
 
 'That is rather a selfish sorrow, is it not, my 
 love ? ' 
 
 4 Well, perhaps it is, mamma/ 
 
 'But, Arthur/ said Charles, 'what put this into 
 your head just now ? ' 
 
 ' I was thinking of Mr. Stephenson, and how sorry 
 I should be when mamma came to his death. I 
 know it cannot be very far off, for mamma has told 
 us what happened in 1845 ; and as he has been dead 
 some years, he could not have lived very long after 
 that/ 
 
 'He died in 1848,' replied Mrs. Grenville. 
 
 ' But you have got something more you can tell 
 us about him, mamma, have you not?' inquired 
 Ernest. 
 
 ' I am afraid there is not very much more to tell/ 
 replied Mrs. Grenville. ' Prosperity is always more 
 or less monotonous ; and Mr. Stephenson's time 
 and thoughts in later life became so absorbed with 
 attending to the various details of his profession, 
 
Mr. Stephenson goes to Belgium. 225 
 
 that one day was very like another ; and I do not 
 suppose that you would care to hear of all the dis- 
 putes and squabbles in which he was perpetually 
 involved, first with one set of parliamentary agents, 
 and then with another, in carrying through the 
 different railway bills for the lines of which he was 
 appointed engineer. From about 1840, however, Mr. 
 Stephenson gradually withdrew from the worries of 
 business. He needed rest, and determined to spend 
 the remainder of his life in the enjoyment of those 
 country pursuits which had been so dear to him 
 even from his childhood. He was always, however, 
 ready and delighted to give his advice whenever it 
 was needed ; and not only in England but on the 
 Continent it was eagerly sought, whenever any new 
 line was projected, or any unforeseen difficulty was 
 to be overcome. Amongst those who thus asked 
 his assistance was the King of the Belgians ; and, at 
 His Majesty's invitation, Mr. Stephenson went over 
 to Belgium in 1837, to give his opinion on the rail- 
 roads projected in that country. He repeated his 
 visit in 1845, when his opinion was again asked on 
 a new line about to be formed through the Forest of 
 Ardennes into the French territory. Mr. Stephen- 
 son undertook to survey the ground, and entered 
 on the undertaking with as much energy as if he 
 had been still quite a young man, going over the 
 whole line himself, making his own observations, 
 and charming the peasantry of Belgium with the 
 
 P 
 
226 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 cordiality and genial kindliness of his manner, just 
 as years before he had won the hearts of his own 
 sturdy Northumbrian countrymen. 
 
 ' To Mr. Stephenson, the weeks which he spent in 
 surveying this new line were weeks of real enjoy- 
 ment. He liked the novelty of everything around 
 him, and thoroughly enjoyed being able to study, at 
 his leisure, the aspect of a country entirely new to 
 him, and to amuse himself with the peculiarities of 
 its population. On his return to Brussels, he found 
 an invitation awaiting him to a grand banq uet to be 
 given in his honour by all the principal engineers in 
 that part of the Continent, who were anxious to 
 take this opportunity of showing the respect and 
 admiration in which they held both his talents and 
 his character. This was most gratifying to Mr. Ste- 
 phenson ; but a still greater pleasure was in store 
 for him. Hardly was he placed at the head of the 
 elegantly arranged table, round which were seated 
 some of the most distinguished men of Europe, 
 amongst whom he proudly recognised his son, than 
 his eye was caught by a model in the centre of the 
 table. He looked : could it be ? again he looked, 
 this time more intently. Yes ; there could be no 
 doubt about it, and he exclaimed in joyful surprise 
 to a friend who was sitting by him, " Look, look, 
 
 P , there is the ' Rocket ! ' " And so it was. 
 
 Placed upon a raised pedestal, with a wreath of 
 laurel suspended over it, stood a beautiful and per- 
 
Model of the i Rocket' 227 
 
 feet model of the engine which years- before had 
 won for Mr. Stephenson his present fame and 
 fortune/ 
 
 ' Oh, I am so glad ! ' exclaimed Arthur. ' How 
 delighted Mr. Stephenson must have been ! And 
 that was the engine that was thought nothing of 
 in England.' 
 
 ' Yes ; I am afraid we often sacrifice the courte- 
 sies of life/ replied Mrs. Grenville, 'to our love of 
 practical money-making. We might take a few 
 lessons with advantage on this subject from our con- 
 tinental neighbours. They understand the ameni- 
 ties of life far better than we do. We are so apt 
 to think that they are beneath the notice of a grand, 
 hard-working, energetic people like ourselves, that 
 we talk of them as if they were something degrad- 
 ing, all very well for women and fools, but quite 
 unworthy the attention of earnest, intellectual men. 
 But this seems to me a great mistake : nothing that 
 softens the heart, calls forth the affections, or adds 
 to the happiness of mankind, ought to be considered 
 as below the regard of those who bear the name of 
 Him who, beyond all who ever lived, sympathized 
 with the lowliest, as well as inspired the noblest 
 affections of which our nature is capable. And 
 besides, to take a much lower ground, by neglecting 
 these trifling courtesies we throw away numberless 
 opportunities of giving pleasure, and of brightening 
 up the path of life ; and surely we are not justified 
 
228 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 in doing this, when a trifling exertion of thought, 
 or a few kind words, are all-sufficient to attain the 
 object. The Belgian engineers, at any rate, were 
 wholly successful in their purpose, for Mr. Stephen- 
 son - used often afterwards to say that he never re- 
 membered a pleasanter or a prouder moment in his 
 life, than when, in the midst of the banqueting hall 
 in Brussels, he suddenly espied the model of his own 
 triumphant locomotive.' 
 
 ' What a change, mamma/ said Ernest, ( since the 
 days when, as a child, he made his clay models at 
 Callerton!' 
 
 'Yes; but remember it was the same character 
 which then enabled him to continue, week by week, 
 working out every new idea that occurred to him 
 never disheartened by failure, never elated by suc- 
 cess which now placed him amongst the most dis- 
 tinguished men of Europe, and gave him that place 
 as his own undisputed right. But prosperity could 
 not spoil George Stephenson. His love of truth 
 would have made him despise himself had he pre- 
 tended to be other than exactly what he was. In 
 a palace, as in a cottage, he was still himself, the 
 simple, unaffected man of genius. But though his 
 natural self-respect made him equally at ease, 
 whether in the presence of royalty or amongst the 
 miners, companions of his early days, yet, when he 
 could choose, he preferred the society of his equals 
 to that of persons very much raised above him in 
 
Mr. Stephenson at Tamworik. 229 
 
 rank. And it was not until Sir Robert Peel had 
 repeatedly requested him to pay him a visit, that he 
 could be prevailed upon to stay even at a house 
 where he was sure of being received with marked 
 distinction, and where he would meet with those 
 who would be congenial to him in tastes and 
 pursuits. 
 
 ' At length, however, on Sir Robert telling him he 
 had invited a party expressly to meet him, Mr. 
 Stephenson was induced to promise that he would 
 make one of the guests at Tamworth. Mr. Smiles 
 tells an amusing story of what took place during 
 this visit. I have heard the same anecdote from Mr. 
 Robert Stephenson myself, and it is one curiously 
 characteristic of his father. From the want of an 
 early classical education, Mr. Stephenson had not 
 the power of expressing his ideas which is generally 
 to be found in men of his great ability, especially 
 if they have had the advantages of a university 
 training. What Mr. Robert Stephenson once said 
 to me, in speaking of his father, must have been 
 strictly true : " He had an instinctive perception of 
 truth bright flashes of genius. He saw the whole 
 bearing of a subject in a moment He could not 
 indeed reason it out, fill in the interstices, but he 
 grasped truth instinctively in its native simplicity. 
 His words were like a bright flash of lightning illu- 
 minating a dark night : for a moment the whole 
 landscape was before you, and you caught every 
 
230 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 lineament." Great, however, as this power unques- 
 tionably was, yet his want of facility in expressing 
 his ideas placed Mr. Stephenson in an unfair posi- 
 tion when he was brought in contact with men ac- 
 customed from their earliest days to clothe their 
 thoughts in fluent and appropriate language. It 
 was not every one whose mind was quick enough 
 to take in the detail of the landscape during the 
 moment it was lit up by Mr. Stephenson's flashes 
 of genius, and the great engineer often regretted 
 bitterly that he was silenced by those whom he felt 
 to be not only inaccurate in their statements, but 
 inferior to himself in understanding. 
 
 ' It chanced that, during his visit at Tamworth, the 
 conversation turned on some subject on which he 
 and Dr. Buckland, the celebrated Dean of West- 
 minster, took different views. The matter was 
 eagerly discussed. Stephenson was quite certain 
 he was right, but he could not find the words in 
 which to define precisely what he knew to be the 
 truth. The Dean, a perfect master of the English 
 language, charmed the party by his eloquent and 
 lucid explanation. Stephenson was silenced, not 
 convinced. He pondered over the subject all the 
 evening ; he thought of it as he lay awake at night ; 
 and early in the morning he was up and out to try 
 whether in the pure, fresh air he could find words to 
 express the truths so clearly grasped by his own 
 understanding. As he was walking up and down 
 
Sir William Follett. 231 
 
 the lawn, with the puzzled, anxious look peculiar to 
 him when his brain was working out any difficult 
 problem, he was accosted by Sir William Follett, 
 one of the most brilliant speakers we have ever had 
 at the English bar. 
 
 ' " Why, Stephenson, what is the matter ? You 
 seem to be absorbed with no very pleasant calcu- 
 lations." 
 
 ' " I am thinking over that discussion with the 
 Dean last night," replied Mr. Stephenson. 
 
 '"Well, what of it?" 
 
 * " I was right, and he was wrong," answered 
 Stephenson ; " only I could not tell them why it 
 was so." 
 
 '"Are you sure you were right?" asked Sir 
 William. 
 
 ' "Certain," was the unflinching reply. 
 
 ' " Then state your case to me ; make me master 
 of your facts, and trust me to argue the matter for 
 you." 
 
 ' Mr. Stephenson was only too glad to close with 
 such an offer ; and Follett, with that rare discrimi- 
 nation which distinguished him from all other advo- 
 cates, grasped Mr. Stephenson's meaning at once, 
 seizing instantly on the leading points, and making 
 himself master of the whole subject. 
 
 'That evening, after dinner, Sir Robert, at the 
 instigation of Sir William Follett, led the subject of 
 conversation back to the discussion of the previous 
 
232 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 day. The Dean, naturally enough, adhered to the 
 opinions he had originally expressed. Sir William 
 espoused the opposite side, Mr. Stephenson mean- 
 while remaining perfectly silent, listening with in- 
 tense interest to the ably advanced argument of the 
 brilliant orator. It was as if a new power were sud- 
 denly placed within his reach. Ideas which had 
 been lying deep in his own mind, but which he had 
 been utterly unable to bring forth, were suddenly 
 displayed clear, sharp, sparkling truths : facts were 
 made available, proofs were rendered incontrover- 
 tible. The tables were turned, and the victor of 
 yesterday was the vanquished of to-day. 
 
 ' " Well," exclaimed Mr. Stephenson laughingly, 
 as the Dean withdrew from the unequal contest, 
 " of all gifts ever bestowed upon man, there is 
 nothing, in my opinion, that equals the gift ot the 
 gab." 
 
 ' But although, when mixing in conversation with 
 men of very cultivated minds, Mr. Stephenson 
 might to a certain degree be made to feel the dis- 
 advantages under which he laboured from the want 
 of early education, yet, whenever it was a mere 
 matter of business, his love of truth, his vigorous 
 understanding, and his clear perception of the merits 
 of the case, compensated for the want of mere men- 
 tal training. In the constant legal examinations to 
 which he was exposed, he was an invaluable witness 
 for his own side : no casuistry puzzled him, no brow- 
 
Mr. Stephenson as a Witness. 233 
 
 beating daunted him. Clear-sighted and perfectly 
 self-possessed, he gave his evidence straight to the 
 point, though occasionally in language a little more 
 vigorous than is usually heard in our courts of law. 
 
 ' On one particular occasion, it was life or death 
 to the opposing party to be able to upset Mr. 
 Stephenson's evidence. If any one could have ac- 
 complished this, it would have been Alderson, the 
 counsel employed against him, and I have no doubt 
 that Alderson went into court willing enough to 
 carry out the directions of his clients. But it would 
 not do. There was that about George Stephenson 
 which could not be beaten down, and still less could 
 he be cajoled and flattered. Alderson failed in his 
 purpose, but he did full justice to the character of 
 the man who had foiled him ; and afterwards, in 
 speaking of his many noble qualities, he added, 
 with that readiness of illustration for which he him- 
 self was celebrated : " Yes, Stephenson's manner may 
 be rough, it is but the scoriae ; all below the surface 
 is true metal." 
 
 ' It is not surprising that Mr. Stephenson's advice 
 and assistance should have been eagerly sought for 
 on all sides ; but as years passed on, he became 
 anxious to withdraw from the troubles and anxieties 
 of his arduous profession. He had set the mighty 
 engine in motion, astounding was the impetus it 
 had in so short a time attained, and although Mr. 
 Stephenson's vigorous grasp might still have retained 
 
234 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 its hold, yet the effort was too fatiguing : he needed 
 rest. He could leave all his great works safely in 
 the hands of his son, and, rejoicing in Robert's daily 
 increasing fame, retire himself to Tapton, an estate 
 which he rented in Derbyshire, and give himself up 
 entirely to the pleasures of a country life. Again, 
 as when a boy, he went birds'-nesting ; again he 
 sought the hedges and hunted the woods for the 
 loveliest flowers of spring, and the last bright 
 berries of autumn. Again he roamed for hours 
 together over the hill-sides, rejoicing in the pure 
 air and his recovered freedom. His wealth enabling 
 him to carry out all the plans which had been the 
 day-dreams of his boyhood, his rabbits, his chickens, 
 his dogs, his horses, became the pets of his later 
 life, and there is no end to the stones he used to 
 tell of their love for him, and the wonderful things 
 which he could make them do. One black horse 
 was an especial favourite ; and this animal, not 
 particularly tractable with any one else, would 
 foHow Mr. Stephenson about like a dog, and go 
 and come, and do everything at his bidding. 
 
 'Then, too, his gardens were something wonder- 
 ful in the marvellous contrivances they exhibited 
 for bringing fruits and flowers to perfection. Neither 
 time nor expense was grudged in producing the 
 most perfect specimens that art and skill could ex- 
 hibit. His pines were the wonder of the country 
 round. By means of hot-water pipes, which gene- 
 
His Country Life. 235 
 
 rated steam, Mr. Stephenson had contrived to create 
 a fictitious atmosphere, very like the oppressive 
 climate of the tropics ; concluding that, if he wished 
 to bring the fruit to perfection, he must provide 
 the means which nature herself pointed out were 
 necessary. The end fully answered his expectations. 
 Both in size, colour, and flavour, his pines were 
 unrivalled. 
 
 ' But though he thus rejoiced in being surrounded 
 by everything rare and costly, it was from no love 
 of ostentation ; it was simply his genuine devotion 
 to science, and his desire of seeing everything that 
 was beautiful in nature cultivated to the extent of 
 its capabilities. For himself, his tastes were as 
 simple and inexpensive as in the days when he 
 could enjoy the dinner Spot brought him to the 
 pit He might like and be thankful for the good 
 things that surrounded him, but they made no real 
 portion of his daily enjoyment, and he was just as 
 contented with the humblest fare or the poorest 
 accommodation as with a princely feast and a bed 
 of down. 
 
 ' Another of the great interests of the last years 
 of his life, was in superintending the formation of the 
 Clay Cross coal-pits. They were in the immediate 
 neighbourhood of Tapton ; and he rented all the 
 surrounding ground, that they might be under his 
 own immediate care and supervision. Endless were 
 the ingenious contrivances which he delighted to 
 
236 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 invent for decreasing the labour of the miners, and 
 facilitating the excavation and raising of the coals ; 
 and he would watch their operation and success with 
 a delight as fresh as that which he could have felt in 
 his young and vigorous manhood. Indeed, this was 
 one of Mr. Stephenson's most remarkable charac- 
 teristics. The sense of power never seemed to leave 
 him : it pervaded everything he said and did. He 
 was a strong man glorying in his strength, yet with 
 an overflowing kindliness of nature, which made him 
 tender to all things living which needed his care. 
 An action that he thought unfair or wrong was in- 
 tolerable to him. It did not signify whether it was 
 done to himself or to others ; it was the act itself 
 which gave him displeasure. On one occasion he 
 was going on a journey. Railroads were not then so 
 plentiful as they are now, and he was travelling by 
 coach. The box-seat had been taken by a gentle- 
 man, and Mr. Stephenson had therefore secured the 
 one immediately behind. For some cause the gentle- 
 man had got down from the box, leaving his coat to 
 secure his seat. Before he returned, a young and 
 fashionably-dressed man lounged out of the hotel 
 before which the coach was standing, and, coolly 
 removing the gentleman's coat, appropriated the 
 box-seat for himself. In a short time the owner 
 returned, and claimed his own. 
 
 ' " I have taken my place," was the only reply, 
 uttered in the tone of a man who thought himself 
 
His Love of Justice. 237 
 
 quite above entering into any argument on the 
 subject. 
 
 '"But, sir," rejoined the other, "that place was 
 mine already." 
 
 ' " If you wished for it, you should have kept it 
 better." 
 
 ' Hitherto Mr. Stephenson had been a silent ob- 
 server of the scene ; but finding that the gentle- 
 man, anxious to avoid an unpleasant altercation, was 
 likely to cede his right, he said with the cool tone of 
 authority he knew so well how to assume : 
 
 ' " Young man, you would not have said that to me." 
 
 '"Indeed! you think not?" was the supercilious 
 reply. " I rather think I should." 
 
 ' " And if you had," returned Mr. Stephenson, " I 
 should just have pitched you into the middle of the 
 road there ; and, what is more, if you do not get 
 down from that seat at once, I will do it now." 
 
 'The intruder turned round to see who ventured 
 thus to address him ; but there must have been 
 something in his monitor's look that showed he was 
 not a man to be trifled with. Discretion was evi- 
 dently in this case the better part of valour. The 
 young upstart made a precipitate retreat, and, with 
 many thanks to his vigorous champion, the rightful 
 owner remounted the box/ 
 
 ' What a plucky fellow he was ! ' exclaimed 
 Charles, laughing. 'How I should have liked to 
 have known him, Aunt Helen ! ' 
 
238 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 1 Ah ! any one might well wish to have been his 
 friend/ replied Mrs. Grenville. 'Such men, I am 
 afraid, are fast dying out amongst us. The refine- 
 ments of conventional life are sadly injurious to the 
 development of great and original genius. They 
 bring us all too much to a level of mediocrity. How- 
 ever, it is great occasions that call forth great men ; 
 and we must not expect that we are all to possess 
 the vigour and power of George Stephenson. We 
 ought, perhaps, rather to be satisfied that so large 
 a portion of the father's genius has descended to the 
 son, and that England may still command his ser r 
 vices.' l 
 
 ' How Mr. Stephenson must have delighted in his 
 son's success, mamma!' said Arthur. 'When he 
 remembered all his care of him when he was a little 
 boy, and all that he had given up that Robert might 
 be well educated, what a pleasure it must have been 
 to see him such a great, good man !' 
 
 ' It must indeed have been an unspeakable happi- 
 ness ; and I feel quite thankful that I have been 
 permitted to witness such pure, unselfish love as that 
 of Mr. Robert Stephenson for his father. It is quite 
 refreshing to feel that it can exist amidst the jarring 
 interests of this cold, selfish world. I remember 
 how struck I was, years ago, by Mr. Robert Ste- 
 phenson's evident vexation at some remark which, 
 
 1 Since this was written, he too has been called hence. Mr. Robert 
 Stephenson died on the I2th of October 1859. 
 
His Courage and Presence of Mind. 239 
 
 by doing justice to one of his own great works, 
 seemed to place his genius on a level with his father's. 
 
 * " Those who say so," he exclaimed, " do not 
 know my father. Do not talk of my mind by 
 comparison with his. His was one of gigantic 
 grasp equal in power to Watt. My only object 
 through life has been to add to my father's fame ; 
 and the only honour that I ask for is, that my name 
 may go down to posterity with that of George 
 Stephenson." 
 
 ' He need not fear but that the wish will be 
 gratified, and, to my mind, no coronet would add 
 nobility to the title. With the strong love which 
 bound them to each other, it is no wonder that 
 some of the happiest days of Mr. Stephenson's 
 later life were spent in his son's house in London. 
 It was during one of these visits that a circum- 
 stance occurred, curiously illustrative of Mr. Ste- 
 phenson's courage and presence of mind. 
 
 ' One night, after the family had retired to rest, 
 Mr. Robert Stephenson was suddenly aroused from 
 his sleep by the sound of crashing glass. Hastily 
 rising, he saw that the windows of his room had 
 been burst in by the heat of flames, which were 
 now running quickly up the wood-work. To be up 
 and down, and to awake the household, was the 
 work of a few minutes ; and in a state of curious 
 dishabille and very great alarm the various mem- 
 bers of the family met in the hall. "Are you all 
 
240 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 here ? " was Mr. Robert Stephenson's first inquiry. 
 Various names answered to their call, but there was 
 one well-known voice which was not heard. 
 
 1 " My father is not here ! Where is my father ?" 
 exclaimed Mr. Robert Stephenson. 
 
 'At this moment a door opened at the head of 
 the staircase, and Mr. Stephenson was seen calmly 
 walking out of his bedroom, with his carpet-bag in 
 his hand. He had got up at the first alarm, dressed 
 himself, packed his bag, and now, in the most lei- 
 surely way, was preparing to join the party in the 
 hall. The son trembled for his safety, for already 
 the flames seemed as if they must have cut off his 
 descent ; but Mr. Stephenson had lost none of his 
 nerve since the day he had descended into the 
 Killingworth coal-pit. He calmly laid his hand on 
 the banister, measuring the distance between the 
 flames and himself, and then walked down the 
 stairs with perfect composure, saying, as he placed 
 his carpet-bag on the hall table : " There, now I am 
 ready to help others, or be off myself." 
 
 ' It was this perfect self-possession which inspired 
 every one with such extraordinary confidence in Mr. 
 Stephenson. All say alike, that you could not be 
 with him, or hear him speak, without feeling the 
 most implicit reliance on the innate power and rec- 
 titude of this wonderful man. And yet there was 
 nothing painful in this sense of his superiority, tem- 
 pered as it was by the kindliness of his nature, ready 
 
Testimony to his Worth. 241 
 
 to enter into the pursuits and interests of those with 
 whom he lived. No wonder that those who knew 
 him well, loved him so devotedly. One who had 
 ample opportunities of judging of the truth of what 
 I have just said, once wrote to me: "Those were, 
 indeed, delightful evenings spent in his society. It 
 was impossible to know him personally, without 
 being impressed with his rare combination of ad- 
 mirable qualities. Marvellous, indeed, it was to 
 see and listen to him, and reflect on what his early 
 life had been. The light of genius shone perpetu- 
 ally around him, bursting in startling flashes from 
 his conversation, lending a beauty and refinement 
 to his manly countenance, which the natural sym- 
 metry of his features would alone have failed to 
 produce. His figure was erect and dignified, and 
 the moment he entered a room, you felt at once 
 you were in the presence of a man of genius." 
 
 ' No wonder that, when such a man was suddenly 
 withdrawn by death, a blank was felt in those social 
 circles of which he had been the charm and delight, 
 which those who mourned his loss were well aware 
 could never be filled up again on earth/ 
 
 'Did he die quite suddenly then, mamma?' ex- 
 claimed Arthur. 
 
 'Very unexpectedly to those about him, though 
 it is possible that the seeds of disease had long been 
 sown. In September 1845 he had been requested 
 to pay a visit to Spain, that he might give his 
 
 Q 
 
242 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 opinion upon a railroad which was in contempla- 
 tion between Madrid and the Bay of Biscay. 
 Always fond of travelling, seeing new places, and 
 studying the character of new people, Mr. Ste- 
 phenson, although overwhelmed at the time by a 
 multiplicity of occupations, unfortunately accepted 
 the invitation ; and, in company with some inti- 
 mate friends, started at once for the Continent, 
 travelling through France, that he might have the 
 opportunity of seeing its southern provinces. He 
 had but six weeks to accomplish everything that 
 he had undertaken to do, and on his arrival in 
 Spain he found considerably more work awaiting 
 him than he had been led to expect 
 
 ' To slur over his work, was not in Mr. Stephen- 
 son's nature. As of old, he would see to everything 
 himself. This, combined with the fatigue of survey- 
 ing such an impracticable line as that from Madrid 
 to the coast, was more than his strength could bear. 
 He felt he was knocking up fast, but still, with his 
 indomitable energy, he would persist in carrying out 
 that which he had undertaken to do. It was in vain 
 that his friends entreated him to moderate his labours. 
 He had the work to do, and it must be done. The 
 consequences which had been foreseen, only too 
 surely followed. Still, even then, if he would have 
 consented to lie by for a time, it is possible that 
 the mischief might have been averted ; but he knew 
 that his presence in England on a particular day 
 
Illness of Mr. Slephenson. 243 
 
 was important to others as well as to himself: no 
 persuasions, therefore, could induce him to delay 
 his return. By a strong exercise of will, he kept 
 down the malady ; but, alas ! before he reached 
 England, it was abundantly clear that, struggle 
 against it as he would, he could no longer conceal 
 from himself or others that he was alarmingly ill. 
 Hardly had he gone on board the packet which 
 was to convey him from Havre to Southampton, 
 when a violent accession of pleurisy set in. If 
 it had not been for his still wonderful strength 
 of constitution, combined with the skill and un- 
 ceasing watchfulness of those who nursed him, he 
 must have sunk under the violence of the disease. 
 Happily his life was saved for the time ; but 
 although he thus apparently rallied, his consti- 
 tution had received a shock from which it never 
 afterwards fully recovered. Of this truth, how- 
 ever, he could not be himself persuaded. Never 
 having been accustomed from his boyhood to any- 
 thing like restraint, the care which was now really 
 necessary for the preservation of his health was 
 intolerable to him/ 
 
 ' Ah ! Aunt Helen/ interrupted Charles, laugh- 
 ingly, ' he ought to have had a wife, ought he not ? 
 There is nothing like a wife for keeping a man in 
 order/ 
 
 * Unfortunately/ replied Mrs. Grenville, ' even 
 that infallible prescription failed in Mr. Stephen- 
 
244 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 son's case. He had been twice married since the 
 death of Mr. Robert Stephenson's mother ; and 
 such care and affection as a wife could give him 
 were happily his own. But I am afraid he was not 
 a man who would permit himself to be kept in order 
 for his own good. He piqued himself upon his 
 wonderful strength of constitution ; he gloried in 
 his power of bearing fatigue, and being able to 
 perform feats of athleticism worthy of the young 
 and vigorous days of his youth. It was not, there- 
 fore, surprising that he should not like to live by 
 rule, and give up his habits of independence for 
 the strict regimen necessary for an invalid. It was 
 no use worrying him ; he never could be made to 
 think of himself ; his friends could only look on 
 anxiously and watch the results. It so chanced 
 that in the autumn of 1848 he was superintend- 
 ing an alteration in his conservatories at Tapton. 
 Excessively interested in the progress of the works, 
 he used to go from hothouse to hothouse, without 
 a thought of the danger to which he was expos- 
 ing himself by these sudden and violent changes 
 of temperature. A sudden chill was the conse- 
 quence : violent inflammation set in rapidly. He 
 had not strength to bear up against the necessary 
 remedies, and, after a few days' illness, to the inex- 
 pressible grief of all who loved and honoured him, 
 on the 1 2th of August 1848 he quietly breathed 
 his last. 
 
His Death. 245 
 
 ' Nor was sorrow for his death confined to his own 
 immediate circle of friends. England felt that she 
 had lost one of her greatest men, and long will the 
 recollection of his sterling worth be held in honour 
 amongst her sons. Yes, so long as Englishmen 
 estimate at their true value, energy which opposition 
 could not quell ; perseverance, proof against all diffi- 
 culties ; clear, good, common sense, content to choose 
 the happy medium ; and calm judgment, unswayed 
 by vanity, unblinded by self-interest. 
 
 ' High, however, as is the position which has been 
 awarded with one consent to George Stephenson, 
 deep as is our debt of gratitude to the man who by 
 his genius brought about the greatest social change 
 the world has ever witnessed, still, perhaps, we 
 hardly estimate aright the full value of what he has 
 done for us. We have forgotten, so to speak, what 
 was the state of English society before his days. 
 We are so accustomed to the comforts and conveni- 
 ences brought to our homes through the agency of 
 steam, that really we have ceased to think about 
 them, and take them as a mere matter of course. 
 Think, for instance, of the incalculable blessing 
 of our post office system. It is all very well to 
 talk of the penny post, and of the immense ad- 
 vantages we derive from it ; but where would have 
 been the penny post without the locomotive ? Mr. 
 Rowland Hill might have planned in vain, had 
 not his clever schemes been made practicable, 
 
246 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 thanks to the inventions of George and Robert 
 Stephenson. 
 
 'In the days of the mail coaches between four 
 and five tons of letters were sent away daily to all 
 parts of the kingdom from the General Post Office. 
 On the i6th of May 1856 Mr. Robert Stephen- 
 son ascertained, for a particular purpose, that the 
 number sent by the mail train from the Euston 
 Square station alone, amounted to one hundred 
 tons. And that is two years ago. Since then 
 the increase of the post office business has been 
 immense. 
 
 ' But this is only to mention one instance of the 
 increased comforts of our daily life for which we 
 are indebted to our great engineer. In so many 
 ways the blessings brought about through his in- 
 strumentality are indirect, though not the less real. 
 With increased facility for travelling, inhabitants of 
 the most distant countries are gradually becoming 
 known to each other, and from this intercourse good 
 must eventually ensue. Prejudices must be lessened, 
 antipathies overcome, and so the way be smoothed 
 for the more general reception of the gospel truth, 
 destined to be preached from pole to pole, that the 
 religion of the Saviour can alone be productive of 
 " peace on earth, good-will to man." ' 
 
 ' Oh mamma !' said Arthur with a sigh, ' I wish I 
 could be as great a man as Mr. Stephenson.' 
 
 That, my love, is impossible. You have neither 
 
Conclusion. 247 
 
 his talents, nor his strength of constitution. Better 
 wish for that which is more practicable, and seek for 
 that to which you may attain. Imitate Mr. Stephen- 
 son in his kindliness, his truthfulness, his self-denial, 
 his perseverance, his readiness at all times to pro- 
 mote the good of others : follow him in these as 
 closely as you will. You would be turning his ex- 
 ample to very bad account, if it only made you 
 discontented with your <own talents and position. 
 God has given to each 4iis allotted work ; only let 
 that be done in a right spirit, with earnestness of 
 purpose and singleness of heart, and you may rest 
 assured that your end will be attained, not pos- 
 sibly in this world's fame and applause, but in 
 the sure and certain inheritance laid up for you 
 in heaven : only remember you must do your own 
 work thoroughly, without repining that you are not 
 called to do the work of another. I do not deny 
 that earthly fame is very pleasant, and that it is 
 mast natural to desire to win it. But surely, better 
 still it is to know that your name is written in the 
 Lamb's book of life. The world's prizes are but 
 for very few, difficult to win, #nd often hard to 
 wear. But even could you call them yours, and 
 could the whole universe ring with your praises, 
 how would the plaudits die away before the 
 sound of those few words : " Well done, thou good 
 and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of 
 thy Lord ! " 
 
248 The Triumphs of Steam. 
 
 'We cannot all be George Stephensons, but we 
 can all do what he did, work out our given task 
 with untiring energy and zeal ; only let us make 
 sure that we do it unto the Lord, and then we 
 need not fear that we shall ever come short of our 
 reward.' 
 
 MURRAY AND GIBB, EDINBURGH, 
 FVINTERS TO HER MAJESTY'S STATIONERY OFFICE. 
 
 
THIS BOOK IS DUE ON THE LAST DATE 
 STAMPED BELOW 
 
 RENEWED BOOKS ARE SUBJECT TO IMMEDIATE 
 RECALL 
 
 LIBRARY, UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, DAVIS 
 
 Book Slip-50m-12,'64(F772s4)458 
 
390785 
 
 Burrows, E. 
 
 The triumphs of 
 steam. 
 
 TJ139 
 
 LIBRARY 
 
 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA 
 DAVIS