The Plymouth Democrat. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1869-1941, 1870-02-10
Early Rai.ways-GeOrge Stephenson.


were a careful, Woodworking couple. The
earnings of his Gather were about So
specie per week AID, as there were SIX
children in the family, there was little to
spare for clothing, and nothing for educa-
ton. So that none of the children were
sent to school. The senior was distin-
euished for genial nature, and was much
esteemed and beloved by his fellow-work-
men he was good recOunter 0f romantic
stories, and had strong affection Tor
birds and animals: He was close OBJ
server of nature, and, in the pleasant
sense of the simile, may be said to have |
lived in close communion with her.
Trevithick was of the ancient British |
or original Celtic stock, and was brought |
up in the mild and genial climate of the |
south of England. Whatever nurture the
more successful and practical George |
Stephenson received was in the cold, |
damp, drizzly atmosphere OF the North
The stock he sprang from was that of the
mingled Saxon, Dane, Norwegian. ana |
whatever else is combined in the North |
ern Englishnan and LOwland Scot, hav-
ing characteristics distinguished for per
severance and steady energy. But the
class of NOrthumbTian golfers to which
his father belonged was one Of the last to
he enfranchiscd in England, and their
confrercs in Scotland continued bondsmcn
down to the end OF the last century.
knowledge of the past throws light
upon the future, and there are few facts
more Indicative OF the material progress
already made-almost within the lie oil
some who have not yet passed away
than that in the busy county where Ste
phenson was born, the roads in the middle
IT the last century were little better than
horse tracks; and not many years ago the
primitive agricultural cart with solid
wooden wheels was almost as common III
some parts OF the county aS now III Spdln,
The traffic between Newcastle and the
chief town i'm the ncighbcring county was
carried on pack horses along the track Oil
the road made by the Romans, until
comparatively recent period.
When the forests in the south OF Eng
land became inadequate to meet the in
creasing demand for household fuel, at
tention was turned to the rich stories OF
coal in Northumberland. In those days it
was termed "sea-cOal.' The application
of steam-power vastly increased the de-
mand and now as the traveller passes
through the mining region ut night, the
earth looks as If it were bursting with fire
at many points, the blaze Of coke-Ovens,
iron furnaccs, and coal-hcats redGening
the sky to such distance that the horizon
seems like a glowing belt of fire. The
childhood of Stephenson was passed dur
ing the transitionary period.
The boy was shrewd and active, and the
first recorded specimen of his mOthcr-wlt
is told of a day when his sister Nell went
into Newcastle to buy bonnet and GcOr-
die went with her for company" She
found one to her mind, but it was about
forty cents beyond her meanS "Girl-like,
she had set her mind upon that bonnet,
and no other would please her. She ac-
cOrdingly left the shop very much defect
ell But Geortlie said, "Never heed, Nell,
come wi me and III see if | cannot win
Siller enough to buy the bonnet; stand ye
there till come back Away ran the
boy and disappeared amid the throng OF
the market, leaving the girl to wait his
return Long and long she waited until 1t
crew dusk and the markct-pcOple had
nearly all left. She had begun to despair,
and f-ars crossed her mind that Gcordie
must have been run over and killed, when
at last up he came running, almost breath
less &" We gotten the sillcr for the bonnet,
Nellr', cried he. Eth, Gc0rlicw she
said, but hoo haze We gotten it ?" IIaud-
ing the gentleman horses was the ex-
uliant reply. The bonnet was forthwith
bought. and the two returned to Dewley
In triumph
Need we point out the various charac-
tcristics indicated in the simple story :
Brotherly and cilivalrous affection shone
In it; 81 did readiness in eXPcdlcnls and
temper active in practical resolution
Then, again, the girls exclamation at the
very moment when the prize was won
4" Hoo nae ye COTTON it," proved cOnsci
ontIojGs nature and principles III which
ofrr h,vN shared ..pH Vp like too thu
constancv to her first choice even in Sc
small an affair a bonnet. There was &
parallel to ii in her brothers lifelong
devotion to line of pursuits. Ole
Stephenson nj his wife maintained them
selves, an hrc ,ht up family in this
way-up,r Twelve shillings week
Next, Gcordie ioyfully embraced an Op
pcrtunity of herdlng COWS for widow a
the wages of "two-pence Il day" lie haC
plenty of spare time, and his favOrat,
amusement was modelling steam engines
with clay Hcmlock stems furnished i'm
aginary steam-pipes The apparatus ex
cited much marvel among the pit-men.
tie became "a grit growing lad, will
hare leWs and feet - Z" was very quick wit
ted, and full of fun and tricks indeed
there was nothing under the sun but IN
tried to initiate" He was usually fore
inherited from his father what MIR. Smile
persists in calling the love of birds an,
animals, and one of his blackbirds was s.
tame that, after lying in and out OF tn
cottage all dGy, il would rOUst upon tn
bed-hcad at night.
Successive changes of daily wages from
twOpencc To fourpence, sixpence, eight
pence, and shilling, marked the progress
of his promotion. One Saturday evening
when he was fifteen years old, his wage
Were advanced to twelve shillinCs week
He announced the fact to his fellow work
men, adding triumphahtly-" am now
made man for life
Now employed as an cngineman, hi
engine seemed to partake in the regard h
had for animals 1t became a pet Wit
him, and he was never weary of studying
watching and admiring it, lie had hear,
of the wonderful engines of Bolton an
Watt, and was told THAT information abou
them might be found i'm books; but II
could not read, AMI had not even learne
his letters: ~ be took lessons from on
TObln COwcns, IN spelling and as he La
To work all the daytime, hc learned a
night, practising " pOt-bOOks," also an
at the age of nineteen he was proud
be able To- write his own name" Pcrst
veTIng with willing heart and mind, h
was soon far advanced in arithmetic. Lii
wages were increased to eighteen or invent
shIllings week, and he added to this b.
becoming very expert in mending shoes
ami afterwards in making them. IIe ncve
in after years Overcame the strong provin
clallsm Of bis accent, but, as is usual wit
men Of his stamp his acumcn as to tn
meaning and force of words was Away
conspicuous.
About this tire nc demonstrated with
rOysterOus bully, the terror Of the village
who challenged him. The villagers, oil
and young, wished he might win, but al
SAID he would be killed. At the time an
place appointed, he stripped, event in
with skill, punished his adversary severe