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

188 I-IFE OF GEOEGE STEPHENSON. [chap. xvn.
purpose of shipment, to one halfpenny per ton per mile ;
whereas
a rate of fourpence per ton was allowed to be taken for all coals
led upon the railway for land sale. Mr. Lambton's object in
enforcing the low rate of one halfpenny was to protect his own
trade in coal exported from Sunderland and the northern ports.
He believed, in common with everybody else, that the halfpenny
rate would effectually secure him against any competition on the
part of the Stockton and Darlington Company ; for it was not
considered possible for coals to be led at that low price, and the
proprietors of the railway themselves considered that to carry
coals at such a rate would be utterly ruinous. The projectors
never contemplated sending more than ten thousand tons a year
to Stockton, and those only for shipment as ballast ; they looked
for their profits almost exclusively to the land sale. The result,
however, was as surprising to them as it must have been to Mr.
Lambton. The halfpenny rate which was forced upon them,
instead of being ruinous, proved the vital element in the success
of the railway. In the course of a few years, the annual shipment
of coal, led by the Stockton and Darlington Railway to
Stockton and Middlesborough, exceeded five hundred thousand
tons ; and it has since far exceeded this amount. Instead of
being, as anticipated, a subordinate branch of traflGic, it proved,
in fact, the main traffic, while the land sale was merely sub-
sidiary.
The anticipations of the company as to passenger traffic were
in like manner more than realized. At first, passengers were
not thought of; and it was only while the works were in progress
that the starting of a passenger coach was seriously contem-
plated. The number of persons travelling between the two
towns was very small ; and it was not known whether these
would risk their persons upon the iron road. It was deter-
mined, however, to make the trial of a railway coach ; and Mr«
Stephenson was authorized by the Directors to have one built to
his order at Newcastle, at the cost of the company. This was
done accordingly ; and the first railway passenger carriage was
built after our engineer's plans. It was, however, a very modest,
and indeed a somewhat uncouth machine, more resembling a
caravan such as is still to be seen at country fairs, containing the