The new North-west. [volume] (Deer Lodge, Mont.) 1869-1897, 1881-12-30
THE FATHER OF RAILWAYS.
Edward Psase. the Friend Of George Stephenson


LONuOW spcHtus
In 1877 Edward Pease, In The face Of strong
opposition, appealed TO the public to assist
him In forming a company fUrthe promotion
of a railway between Stockton aud the West
Auckland coal field bat the public fought
shy 1T the prnjrct, aud If 1t had not bret
that Mr. Peases own family aud immediate
friends had .mbat krd In the enterprise WIN
him. tile title Of 1.-THE father Of railways,
which was subsequently, given to Mr. Prase'
wuld In all probability have lad TO br
shifted on 10 some later protector. But I'd
ward Prase, when once he had taken athInF
In hand, aud lad made up his mind that II
was expedient aud practicable, was not gwen
10 Withdrawing f;om IL; so, before he ha"
ever seen George Stephenson, lie had mace
his application to Parliament for sanction 10
his SCHEME, aud would have bad liis Iail"ay
Ia course Of formation but for the Duke ui
Cleyrland's powerful objection That Tie
proposed line would pass too near one 81 hls
f,x-coyrrs. Parliament in lhuse days VA
stronger on the side Of the fox.huntefs than
on that If The railway promoters aud u"
wonder, remembering he apathy. If not "peh
hostility, of the commercial ciasses-lbe
people who were destined 10 derive the
greatest benefit from the project. The Duke
of Cleveland, therefore, succeeded IN getting
his brother peers 10 throw out the railway
bill In 1915; but III the following year, when
Mr.. Pease had chalked out new route fot
his line between Stockton aud Darlington,
steering clear Of the Dukes cover, Pariia-
MELT vas induced 10 accept the scl' me-. H.
1921, when royal assent had made the bill u
law, the work If construction was proceeded
with. twas al this stage that George Ste
phenson came over from kiIlngworh L"
Darlington aud tried to interest the good
Ouakrr Ia his new ma'hine. the steam horse.
Up to this point the pa je,t"r Of the first
railway had had no idea of providing any
mptiv power other Than horses; the rail.
were his leading fraturr; the loromoiit"
had not even been Thought of In connection
with the Stnckton aud Darlington scheme.
Wien Stephenson waited upon Mr.. Peas"
however, and, In that Northumbrian dialect
wlirhneyer left him, sought MIR. Pease's
ad"piionsof the new engine for the new road,
andwhen Mr.. Pease promised TO run over
TO Kllingwonh TO see Georges To-
conceive f,I himself, the first link in the
mighty railway chain, which was thereafter
Ia stretch over all the world, was forged.
Dir. Pease went, saw the engine, approved Of
IL, and from that time the Stockton and Oar
lington railway project began to assume, In
the eyes If nnlookers, a more chmerical as
poet Than ever. Edward Pease became con-
vert 10 the locomotive, and an amended Act
of Parliament was obi AIMED In 1923, empow-
eiing the company to employ locomotives on
their lines, under cert ain restrictions. From
that time the Interests Of Edward Pease aud
George Stephenson were IN great measure
Identical Mr.. Pease assisted Stephenson
now appointed the engineer of the new line
at salary If f300 year--to found his 10
conceive factory at Newcastle. and In many
other v avs helped on the mighty movement
which both lived 10 see extended, with so
much benefit to human progress, into every
center Of industry throughout the Kingdom.