The Press. — London, England, 1857-07-04 00:00:00

yittraturt. The Life of George Stephenson, Railway Engineer. By Samuel Smiles. London : Murray. WE have much pleasure in bearing witness to the ability with which Mr. Smiles has accom plished this somewhat difficult task. It was difficult to compose a life of Stephenson neither. on the ono hand, overlaid with scientific technicalities, nor weakened, on the other, by the attempt to popularise a grave subject. This middle course the author of the work before us has been lucky enough to hit upon, and to maintain without deviation. A lady might read it without yawning, and a pro fessor without sneering. The various ingre dients such as the hero's boyhood and private and domestic life, his professional struggles, and the progress of engineering generally—are mingled in duo proportion, and relieve the mind by their judicious alterna tions. As a careful and clever biographer Mr. Smiles will, we predict, be placed in a high class. _ _ George Stephenson was born on the 7th of June, 1781, at the village of Wylam in Northumberland, his father being an ordinary labourer, in the capacity of colliery fireman, at wages of 12s. a week. There was, indeed, a tradition that the family had once possessed property in Scotland, but the story lacks authenticity. Young George was one of. a numerous family, and was set to work as soon as be was capable of earning a penny or two pence a day. Anything like education was entirely out of the question. Yet even at this period the boy's intellectual activity was nearly as conspicuous as his physical. His leisure time was divided between modelling clay engines and hunting for blackbirds' nests in the thick thorn hedges of the district. He was also a great rabbit•fancier, and "prided himself on his superior breed." Nor in higher sports was his energy less remark. able. In boxing, jumping, and lifting weights he had few superiors ; and as he grew up he afforded convincing practical proofs of his pre eminence. At sixteen or seventeen he became conscious of his deficiency in book-learning, and applied himself to the study of arithmetic with a perseverance that nothing could daunt, and which was proof against all the entice ments of idleness and pleasure. Thus early was evinced that appreciation of sound know ledge, and that buoyant hardihood of spirit, which conducted him to his valuable dis coveries, and sustained him in the face of the bitter opposition they encountered. We might quote many instances of his personal ccurage and nerve—how he thrashed the Champion of Black Callerton in his youth, or how he de scended into the Littleborough Tunnel in his old age—but we prefer the following:-- One day, in the year 1814, a workman hurried into Mr. Stephenson's cottage with the startling information that the deepest main of the colliery was on fire! He imme• diately hastened to the pitquouth, about a hundred yards off, whither the women and children of the colliery were fast running, with wildness and terror depicted in every face. In an energetic voice Stephenson ordered the engineman to lower him down the shaft in the corve. There was danger, it might be death, before him—but he must go. As those about the pit mouth saw him descend rapidly out of sight, and heard from the gloomy depths of the shaft the mingled cries of despair and agony rising from the workpeople below, they gazed on the heroic man with breatbless amazement. He was soon at the bottom, and in the midst of his workmen, who were paralysed at the danger which threatened the lives of all in the pit. Leaping from the corve on its touching the ground, he called out, " Stand back ! Are there six men among you who have courage enough to fellow me? If so, come, and we will put the fire out." The Killingworth men always had the most perfect con• fidence in George Stephenson, and instantly they volun• Jeered to follow him. Silence succeeded to the frantic tumult of the previous minute, and the men set to work. In every mine, bricks, mortar, and tools enough are at hand, and by Stephenson's directions materials were forthwith carried to the required spot, where, in a very short time, a wall was raised at the entrance to the main, he himself taking the most active part in the work. Thus the atmospheric air was excluded, the fire was cxtin• guished, the people were saved from death, and the mine NAP preserved. Stephenson's first great invention was tho safety-lamp ; and though some of the stars of ).tip the. iciehfific world sought to iob him of the I out THE PRESS, JULY 4, 1857. credit, yet there seems little doubt that the fundamental principle of the invention was exclusively his own discovery. Mr. Smiles gives us a very interesting chap ter on the various theories which had prevailed during the last two centuries relative to the employment of steam power. Among other curious anecdotes is one of a certain French man named Solomon de Cans : Solomon de Cans, who was shut up for his supposed madness in the Bicetre at Paris, seems to have been the first to conceive the idea of employing steam for moving carriages on land as well as ships at sea. Marion de Lorme, in a letter to the Marquis de Cinque•Mars, dated Paris, February, 16-11, thus describes a visit paid to this celebrated madhouse in the company of the English Marquis of Worcester:—" We were crossing the court, and 1, more dead than alive with fright, kept close to my companion's side, when a frightful face appeared behind some immense bars, and a hoarse voice exclaimed, ` I am not mad ! lam not mad ! I have made a discovery that would enrich the country that adopted it.' `What has he discovered ? ' asked our guide. 'Oh ! ' answered the keeper, shrugging his shoulders, 'something trifling enough : you would never guess it ; it is the use of the steam of boiling water' I began to laugh. ' This man,' continued the keeper, ' is named Solomon de Cans; he came from Normandy four years ago to present to the King a statement of the wonderful effects that might be produced from his invention. To listen to him, you would imagine that with steam you could navigate ships, move carriages; in fact, there is no end to the miracles which, he insists upon it, could be performed. The Cardinal sent the madman sway without listening to him. Solomon de Cans, far from being discouraged, followed the Carlinal wherever he went with the most determined perseverance, who, tired of finding him for ever in his path, and annoyed at his folly, shut him up in the Bicetre. He has even written a book about it, which I have here.' " It apiears that the Marquis of Worcester was greatly struck by the appearance of De Cans, and afterwards studied his book, portions of which he embodied in his " Century of Inventions." The marquis is also said to have entertained the idea of moving carriages by steam power, but never embodied it in any practical form. But this portion of the work, as well as tha earlier speculations of Stephenson himself, we must hasten to exchange for the more striking narrative of his later successes, and the final establishment of railways throughout England. The Stockton and Darlington line—the first regular railway in England—was opened on the 19th of September, 1825, and to Stephen son's own mind afforded an entirely satisfac tory proof of the correctness of his own theories. But five years more of hard fighting were to intervene before the principle was triumphantly established. That principle was, the superiority of locomotive to stationary engines, and, as corollaries, their adaptation to passenger traffic, and the possibility of a high rate of velocity. Stephenson had now, however, acquired a numerous land of wealthy and influential supporters, who were firm believers in his genius, and shared in the sanguine views he entertained of the future of railroads. The merchants of Liverpool and Manchester were the first to take up the sub ject with energy; and on the Liverpool and Manchester Railway Bill the real battle of steam was fought and won. After this victory all other struggles became easy, and Mr. Smiles has, we think, done quite right in assigning to it so prominent a place in his work. When the bill first came before a committee of the House of Commons, a formidable array of legal talent appeared on the side of its oppo nents. Alderson, Parke, Rose, and Earle were a combination sufficient to alarm the bravest ; and the result showed that Stephenson had calculated too much on the abstract justice of his cause, and given too little time to the pre paration of evidence. Tho conduct of the case is given by Mr. Smiles with great spirit, and Stephenson's cross-examination by Mr. Alderson will be read with general interest. That able lawyer seems to have succeeded in embarrassing and disconcerting the witness, and no doubt the rejection of the bill was principally due to his exertions. Stephenson, however, had his revenge on a member of the committee One of the members of the committee pressed the witness a little further. He put the following case : " Suppose. now, nne , )f these engines to be going along a railroad at the rate of nine or ten miles an hour, and that a cow were to stray upon the line and get in the way of the engine; would not that, think you, be a very awkward circumstance ?" " Yes," replied the witness, with a twinkle in his eve, " veiry awk vard indeed —fie the coo!" The honourable member did not proceed further with his cross examination. Stephenson, it must be remembered, through out his life spoke with a strong Northumbrian accent, which added not a little to the effect of his humorous sayings. All the leAding engineers of the day gave their evidence against the schemes of an illi terate charlatan, as it was the fashion to con sider the father of British railways; and we can well imagine the effect produced, not only upon the committee but the public generally, by the summing-up speech of Mr. Alderson, who employed all his powers of wit and sar casm to discredit an already unpopular move ment. The draining of Chat Moss was one of the insuperable difficulties denounced by the authorities of the day. Mr. Alderson thus alludes to it in his peroration : Having now, sir, gone through Chat Moss, and having shown that Mr. Giles is right in his principle when he adopts a solid railway—and I care not whether Mr. Giles is right or wrong in his estimate, for whether it be effected by means of piers raised up all the way for four miles through Chat Moss, whether they are to support it on beams of wood or by erecting masonry, or whether Mr. Giles shall put a solid bank of earth through it—in all these schemes there is not one found like that of Mr. Stephenson's, namely, to cut impossible drains on the side of this road ; and it is sufficient for me to suggest and to show that this scheme of Mr. Stephenson's is impossible or impracticable, and that no other scheme, if they proceed upon this line, can be suggested which will not produce enormous expense. I think that has been irrefragably made out. Every one knows Chat floss—svery one knows that Mr. Giles speaks correctly when he says the iron sinks immediately on its being put upon the surface. I have heard of culverts, which have been put upon the Moss, which, after having been surveyed the day before, have the next morning disappeared; and that a house (a poet's house, who may be supposed in the habit of building castles even in the air), story after story, as fast as one is added, the lower one sinks ! There is nothing it appears, except long sedgy grass, and a little soil, to, prevent its sinking into the shades of eternal night. I have now done, sir, with Chat Moss, and there I leave this railroad. The bill was thrown out by a considerable majority; but, almost before the proceedings were concluded, measures were in preparation for the introduction of a fresh one. We need not recapitulate an old story. A more carefully prepared bill was passed through Parliament in the following session. The works were at once commenced. After vast labour and perseverance, all difficulties wero overcome. The formidable Chat Moss was bridged by a level road, as firmly seated in the swa►np as Delos in the waves of the sea. The line was completed, and a prize was announced for the most successful locomotive engine, to be contended for over a course of two miles on the new line. On the appointed day four engines were entered, but none fulfilled the required conditions but " Mr. Stephenson's Rocket," which accordingly received the prize of 8001, and was deputed to draw the first passenger-train between the two great com mercial towns. At a banquet subsequently given to Mr. Stephenson by the engineers of Belgium, a model of the Rocket engine was placed upon the table under a triumphal arch, a compliment prized by their illustrious guest " more than all the encomiums of the evening." The opening of the Liverpool and Man chester Railway was an event of such magni tude as centuries, perhaps, are unlikely to equal. The wise men of London were con founded and put, to shame. Men were now indeed " galloping through the air" at a pace which even the "madman" who designed it had never ventured publicly to predict. Un happily, this great triumph was clouded by the occurrence of a deplorable accident; Mr. Huskisson was thrown down and killed. But even his death did something to confirm the reputation of the rail ; for he was conveyed a distance of fifteen miles in twenty-five minutes, " a speed which burst upon the world with all " the effect of a new and unlooked-for pheno " menon." We need not follow Mr. Stephenson's profes sional career any further. Almost all the leading northern and midland lines of railway, as well as the London and Birmingham, are monuments of his genius ; but it is in his career previous to 1830 that his greatness is most truly conspicuous. In a period of vague and ill-grounded speculation—in the teeth of a powerful and well-organised opposition—in spite of prejudice, ignorance, and jealousy—he held fast to the one idea which ultimately triumphed over them all. His locomotives and iron rails gradually but surely made their way against the advocates of fixed engines, atmospheric pressure, and macadamised roads 656