Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1869-07-01
WHO BUILT THE FIRST RA1LRoAD7

tions, could not but have possessed sterling quail
ties and vigorous intellect.
WHO BUILT THE FIRST RAIhR0AD7
GeorgeStephenson. Who ishe? I will tellyou.
In the little village Of Wylam, eight miles from
Newcastle, in England, there lived an honest old
man by the name of Bob Stephenson. This re-
gion is famous for its coalmines, and Bob was the
fireman of an old pumping engine in one the col
lieries. He had six children.
The second child was born in June, 1881, and
was called George. George grew up as busy 9
boy as ever was He was always on hand to run er
rands and take care of the younger children, es
pecialy to keep them from getting under thewheels
of the coal wagons, which passed and repassed his
fathers cottage, drawn by horses on rude wooden
railway. Schooling he had none. His chief play
was to model engines out of clay At eight, he was
cowboy to poor widow at two-peuce day; a lit
tie later, a hoer of potatoes at fourpence day
then he found jobs at the colieries at sixpence a
day. George often helped his father, and at fifteen
was promoted to fireman's wages.
The first Saturday Of his full wages, he march.
ed out of the foreman's Office showing his twelve
shillings, and exclaiming, II am now made man
for life." Not long after, when he had saved his
first guinea, II am now a rich man." he cried,
with an honest joy shining in bis face. Never did
fireman so love bis engine. He studiedit he clean.
ed it; he took it to pieces in order to master all its
different parts. 1t was his pet, and be was never
tired of watching and tending it.
At eighteen he could neither read nor write but
when he heard there were books whicl, told all
about his engine, and other engines besides, he
was determined to learn to read. By resolute per-
severance and the expense Of three or four pence
a week for year or two on such evening schools
as could be had, he acquired as much reading,
writing, and arithmetic as served his turn for the
time He was now anxious to rise from the posi-.
ton of engne-man, to that of ''brakesman. Il
was higher kind of oolliery labor, and commanded
better pay, from four to five dollars week. With
some difficulty, arising from the jealousy Of the re-
gular brakesman, he qualified himself for the em.
ployment, and gotit.
George now married, and had cottage of his
own. Thrifty, SOBER and Of extraordinary indus.
try, be contrived to exc out his scanty wages by
extra work in the evening He made and mended
shoes, cut out the pitmens clothes, and having
once "set to rights his own clock, soon became
widely known as the "best clock doctor in the coun
try"
The industrious husband became happy faith,
err when his young wife died, leaving one little boy
behind. These were sorrowful days for poor
George. The little household was broken up ; and
from this time one of Georges chief objects was to
save money for the education of his son. For 8
while fortune seemed to be against him, and be
thought of emigrating to this country. Step by
step, however, his worth was found ont. Though
only brakesman, he had mastered by study the
whole round Of engineering eontrivances in use in
the collieries; and one by one opportunities came
up for turning his knowledge to account for the
benefit Of his employers. "Stephensons skill a.
an engine DOCTOR" says friend, 'ssoon became
nosed abroad, and he was called upon to prescribe
remedies for all the old wheezy pumping machines
in the neighborhood."
In 1912 he was appointed engine-wright at Kill
lingworth coieries. Here during nine years o.
humble industry, be solved the great problem o.
railway locomotion. Every Saturday afternoon, hiE
son Robert used to come over from Newcastle
bringing books from the library Of a scientific in
sttution there and father and son read and studied
together. Gradually, too, he arose from plain
"Geordie Steevie," the brakesman and cutter out
of pitmen's Clothes to ''Mr. Stephenson" the COL
liery engineer.
At Wylam, where he used to live, a rude sort
of sream-engine had been contrived to run on the
wooden rails before his fathers cottage door, The
first one which was made few to pieces before it
started; the next was voted "perfect plague -
but Mr.. Stephenson took every opportunity to go
over and see it work, and he very soon thought he
could make much better one. His employers
gave him the MEANS and be built an engine and
gave it the name of Putting Billy" Putting Bill
ly did pretty well; but it was not so much cheaper
than horse power, and Stephenson worked inces-
sanity to perfect it.
1t took some time, however, to bring the man
and the work that waited for him together. Put.
6ng Billy attracted no notice from newspapers or
the busy world at large. At length gentleman
from Liverpool, Mr. William James, heard Of Ste.
phensons locomotive, and went over to Killing.
worth to see it. Stephenson was not there but the
moment Mr.. James saw it, he exclaimed, "What
revolution in society that will make.'
Now the two English cities, Liverpool and Man.
chester, have great deal of business with each
other Manchester is a great manufacturing town,
and receives all its cotton through Liverpool Car
goes of cotton were brought there in ships, and it
cost great deal of time and money to get it cart
ed to Manchester Sometimes the workmen had
to wait weeks for it, and great question was STIR
ring the minds of manufacturers, "What means
could be devised to get cotton quicker from Liver
pool?"
An answer was now ready: By rail,oay can
not tell you all the opposition and sueers which the
idea met with. A company, however, was charter.
ed, and MIR. Stephenson set to work to put it