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

CHAP. XIX.] ME. ALDEESON'S SPEECH. 223
having shown that Mr. Giles is right in his principle when he
adopts a sohd railway,—and I care not whether Mr. GUes is
right or wrong in his estimate, for whether it be effected by means
of piers raised ujp all the way for four mUes through Chat Moss,
whether they are to support it on beams of wood or by erecting
masonry, or whether Mr. Giles shall put a sohd bank of earth
through it,—in all these schemes there is not one found like that
of Mr. Stephenson's, namely, to cut impossible drains on the
side of this road ; and it is sujQScient for me to suggest and to
show, that this scheme of Mr. Stephenson's is impossible or im-
practicable, and that no other scheme, if they proceed upon this
line, can be suggested which will not produce enormous expense.
I think that has been irrefragably made out. Every one knows
Chat Mo.ss—every one knows that Mr. Giles speaks correctly
when he says the iron sinks immediately on its being put upon
the surface. I have heard of culverts, which have been put
upon the Moss, which, after having been surveyed the day before,
have the next morning disappeared ; and that a house (a poet's
house, who may be supposed in the habit of building castles even
in the air), story after story, as fast as one is added, the lower
one sinks ! There is nothing, it appears, except long sedgy grass,
and a little soil, to prevent its sinking into the shades of eternal
night. I have now done, sir, with Chat Moss, and there I leave
this railroad." * Mr. Alderson, of course, called upon the Com-
mittee to reject the bill ; and he protested " against the despotism
of the Exchange at Liverpool striding across the land of this
country. I do protest," he concluded, " against a measure like
this, supported as it is by such evidence, and founded upon such
calculations." t
The case, however, was not yet concluded. Mr. Stephenson
(another of the counsel on the same side) declined addressing
the Committee, after the speech of Mr. Alderson, " in which he
had so clearly, so ably, and so fully shown the utter impracticar
bility of the scheme;" but the case of the other numerous peti-
tioners against the bill still remained to be gone into. Witnesses
were called to prove the residential injury which would be caused
by the " intolerable nuisance" of the smoke and fire from the
• Report and Evidence, p. 478. t Ibid. p. 486.