Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1857-10-23

( One of the secretaries of the Newcastle In
stitution watched with lively interest the stu
dies Of both father and son, and helped them
freely to the use of books and instruments.
while he assisted their cndoayors with hi.
counscls George Stephenson was thirty-two
years old, and however little he may by that
time have achieved, one sees that he had ac-
cumulatcd in himself store of power that
would inevitably carry him on--upon his owr
plan of inch by inch odvance--to new sue
cosscs. Various experiments had been made
/ with the new locomotive engines, One had
been tried upon the Wyam tram-road, which
went by the cottage in which Stephenson was
born. George stephenson broodod upon the
subject, watched their failures, worked at
the theory Of their construction, and made it
! his business TO see one lie felt his way to
/ the manufacture of a better engine. and pro-
cecded to bring the subject under the notice
/ of the lcsseos Of the collicry. lie had ac-
quired reputation not only as a safe and ingo-
NOUS, but as a safe and prudent man. lie
had instituted already many improvements in
the colliories Lord Ravenworth the prin-
cpal partner. there authorized him 20 fulfil
his wish; and with the greatest difficulty
making workmon of some of the colliory
for his herd assistant. he built his first loco
motive in the workshops at Westmoor, and
called it My Lord IL was the first en-
gino constructed with smooth wheels; for
Stephenson never admitted the prevailing
notion that contrivances were necessary to
secure the adhesion. NV Lord was called
Butcher by the people round about 1t
was first placed on the Killingworth Railway
L.. 4
and fourteen, and though cumbrous ma
chine was the most successful that had. up
60 that dates been constructed
At the end Of a year it was found that the
work done by Butcher cost about as much as
the same work would have cost if done by
horses. Then it occurred to Stephenson to
turn the steam-pipe into the chimney, and
carry the smoke up with the draught Of a
stoam-bast That would add to tho intense
ty of the fire and to the rapidity with which
steam could be generated. The power of the
engine was. by this cxpedient, doubled.
A about the same time some trghtul acci-
dents, caused by explosion in the pits of his
district set Stephenson to exercise his inge-
nWty for the discovery of miners safety
lamp BY mechanical theory Of his own,
tested by experiments made boldly at the
peril of his life, he arrived at the construc-
ton of lamp less simple, though perhaps
safer, than that of Sir Humphrey Dayy, and
with the same method of defence The prac-
teal man and the philosopher worked indie
pendently in the same year ON the same prob
lem.
Stcphenson's solution was arrived at few
weeks earlier than Davys and upon this fact
great controversy afterwards was founded.
One material result of it was, that stephen
SON eventually received as "a public tcstimo-
nial thousand pounds. which be used later
in life as capital for the founding at Newcastle
OF his famous locomotive factory. At the
Kilingworth pits the Gcordy' safety lamp
is still. in use being there, of course, consid-
cred to be better than the Davy.
Locomotives had been used on the tram
roads of the collerics and by the time when
Stephenson built his second engine were
generally abandoned as failures Stephenson
alone stayed in the field and aid not care who
said there would be at Killingworth " ter
rible blow-up some day" lie had already
made up his mind that the perfection Of a
travelling engine would be half lost ii it did
not run on perfect rail. Engine and rail he
spoke of even then, as " man and wife. and
his contriyances for the improvement Of the
locomotive always went hand in hand with his
conuiyances for the Improvement of the road
on which tran We need not follow the
mechanical Metals. In his work at the rail
and engine he made progress in his own way,
inch by inch every new locomotive built by
HIM contained improvements ON ITS predecos-
sor every time he iad down a fresh rail ne
added some new element OF strength and hrm-
ness TO 1t. The hlIhngworth Coiliery Rail
way was the seed irom which sprang the
Whoie huropean-and now more than Euro
peoh-System OF railway intercourse w hue
systems ana theories rose ana tell round about,
george stephenson Kept ms little line m
WORKING ORDER ana made 10 pay and slowly
advanced IN the Improvement OF the rails ana
engines used upon IT, men IL had been hye
years at work the owne of the lietton Col
merry M the county OF Durham, invited Ste
phenson To act as engineer for them IN laying
Down an equally chcient and much longer
line. Its length was to be eight miles and 1t
would cross one OF the highest hills IN the
district stephenson put his locomotive on
the level ground worked the lnchnes with
stationary engines, showed how full wagons
descending an incline might be used as a
power Tor the drawing up OF empty ones and
IN three years completed successfully most