Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1881-12-10
the FATHER or RAILwAYR.

In 1917 Edward Pease, in the face OF
strong opposition, appealed TO the public
TO assist him in forming q company for
the. promotion of railway between
stockton and the West Auckland coal
field: but the public fought shy OF the
project, and if it had not been that Mr..
Pease,s own family and immediate
friends had embarked in the enterprise
with him, the title of "the father Of
raiiways,'' which was subsequently
given to Mr.. Pease, would in all prob
ability have had to be shifted on to some
later protector. But Edward Pease,
when once he had taken a thing in
hand. and made up his mind that 1t was
Observation-Disclosures was not given
to withdrawing from it; so before he
had ever seen George Stephenson, he
had made his application to Parliament
for sanction to his scheme, and would
have had his railway in course offorma-
ton but for the Duke of Cleveland's
powerful objection that the proposed
line would pass too near one Of his fox
covers. Parliament in those days was
stronger on the side OF the fox-hunters
than on that of the railway promoters;
and no wonder, remembering the
apathy, if not open hostility, ofthe COM
mercial classes-the people who were
destined to derive the greatest benefit
from the project. The Duke of Cleve-
land, therefore, succeeded in getting his
brother peers to throw out the Railway
bill in 1918; but in the following year,
when Mr.. Pease had chalkGd out new
route for his line between Stockton and
Darlington, steering clear of the Dukes
sccover, Parliament was induced to
accent the scheme. In 1921, when the
royal assent had made the bill law, the
work of construction was proceeded
with. 1t was at this stage that George
Stephenson came over from Killing
worth to Darlington, and tried to in
terest the good Quaker in his new
machine, the steam-horse. Up to this
point, the protector of the first railway
had no idea of providing any motive
power other than horses; the rails were
his leading feature; the locomotive had
not even been thought of i'll connection
with the Stockton and Darlington
scheme. When Stephenson waited
upon Mr.. Pease, however, and, in that
NOrthumbrian dialect which never left
him, sought Mr.. Pease's adoption of the
new engine for the new line, and when
Mr.. Pease promised to run over to
KiIlingworth to see Georges locomotive
for himself, the first link in the mighty
railway chain, which was thereafter to
stretch over all the countries. Of the
world, was forged. Mr.. Pease went,
saw the engine, approved oft, and from
that time the Stockton and Darlington
Railway project began to assume, in the
eyes of onlOokers, more chimerical
aspect than ever. Edward Pease be-
came a convert to the locomotive, and
all amended act of Parliament was
obtained in 1923, empowering the com
pany to employ locomotives on their
lines, under certain restrictions. From
that time the interests of Edward Pease
and George Stephenson were in great
measure identical. Mr.. Pease assisted
Stephenson-now appointed the engin-
Ger of the new line at a salary of &3OO
a year-to found his locomotive factory
at Newcastle, and in many other ways
helped on themighty movement which
both lived to see extended, with 50
much benefit to human progress, into
every centre of industry throughout the
kingdom.-LORdOnS Society.