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

224 LIFE OF GEORGE STEPHENSON. [ohap. xix.
locomotives ; and others to prove that the price of coals and iron
would "infallibly" be greatly raised throughout the country.
This was part of the case of the Duke of Bridgewater's trustees,
whose witnesses " proved" many very extraordinary things. The
Leeds and Liverpool Coal Company were so fortunate as to pick
up a witness from Hetton, who was ready to furnish some damag-
ing evidence as to the use of Mr. Stephenson's locomotives on
that railway. This was Mr. Thomas Wood, one of the Hetton
company's clerks, whose evidence was to the effect that the loco-
motives, having been found ineffective, were about to be discon-
tinued in favour of fixed engines. The locomotives, he said,
were greatly affected by the weather, and the wagons had then
to be drawn on by horses. The engines were also frequently
getting off the road, and were liable to accident. The evidence
of this witness, incompetent though he was to give an opinion on
the subject, and exaggerated as his statements were afterwards
proved to be, was made the most of by Mr. Harrison, when summing
up the case of the canal companies. " At length," he said,
" we have come to this,—having first set out at twelve miles an
hour, the speed of these locomotives is reduced to six, and now
comes down to two or two and a half. They must be content to
be pulled along by horses and donkeys ; and all those fine prom-
ises of galloping along at the rate of twelve miles an hour are
melted down to a total failure—the foundation on which their
case stood is cut from under them completely ; for the Act of
Parliament, the Committee will recollect, prohibits any person
using any animal power, of any sort, kind, or description, except
the projectors of the railway themselves ; therefore, I say, that
the whole foundation on which this project exists is gone." After
further personal abuse of Mr. Stephenson, whose evidence he
spoke of as " trash and confusion," he closed the case of the canal
companies on the 30th of May. Afterwards Mr. Adam replied
for the promoters, recapitulating the principal points of their
case, and vindicating Mr. Stephenson and the evidence which he
had given before the Committee. Even Mr. Adam himself, how-
ever, seemed to have fears of the railway formation across Chat
Moss, after the positive evidence given by Mr. Giles. " Sup-
posing that Mr. Stephenson is rash," said he, " and I do not deny