The life of George Stephenson, railway engineer - Lighthouse ...

CHAP. XIV.] MODEST ANTICIPATIONS. I59
between Darlington and "West Auckland were apprehensive that
the proposed rail or tramway would be prejudicial to their in-
terests, the promoters would, through their solicitors, (Raisbeck
and Mewburn,) purchase their securities at the price originally-
paid for them. This measure had the salutary effect of quieting
the road interests for a season, though they afterwards displayed
an active hostility to the railway when it came to be formed.
The energy of Edward Pease, backed by the support of his
Quaker friends, enabled him to hold the company together, to
raise the requisite preliminary funds from time to time for the
purpose of prosecuting the undertaking, and eventually to overcome
the opposition raised against the measure in Parliament.
The bill at length passed ; and the royal assent was given to the
first Stockton and Darlington Eailway Act, on the 19 th of April,
1821.
The preamble of this Act recites, that " the making and maintaining
of a Railway or Trararoad, for the passage of wagons
and other carriages " from Stockton to Witton Park Colliery
(by Darlington), " will be of great public utility, by facilitating
the conveyance of coal, iron, lime, corn, and other commodities,"
between the places mentioned. The projectors of the line did
not oi-iginally contemplate the employment of locomotives ; for
in the Act they provide for the making and maintaining of the
tramroads for the passage upon them " of wagons and other
carriages " " with men and horses or otherwise," and a further
clause made provision as to the damages which might be done
in the course of traffic by the " wagoners." The public were
to be free " to use, with horses, cattle, and carriages," the roads
formed by the company, on payment of the authorized rates,
" between the hours of seven in the morning and six in the
evening," during the winter months ; " between six in the morning
and eight in the evening," in two of the spring and autumn
months each ; and " between five in the morning and ten in the
evening,'' in the high summer months of May, June, July, and
August.
From this it will be obvious that the projectors of this line
had themselves at first no very large conceptions as to the scope
of their project. A public locomotive railway was as yet a new