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

226 LIFE OF GEORGE STEPHENSON. [chap. xix.
clearly proved ; but the engineering evidence in support of the
proposed railway, having been thrown almost entirely upon Mr.
Stephenson, who fought this, the most important part of the
battle, single-handed, was not brought out so clearly as it would
have been had he secured more efficient engineering assistance,
which he was not able to do, as all the engineers of eminence of
that day were against the locomotive railway. The obstacles
thrown in the way of the survey by the land-owners and canal
companies also in a great measure tended to defeat the bill..
From this temporary failure, however, the projectors drew a
valuable lesson for the future ; and when they next appeared
before Parliament, they were better prepared to meet the ob-
stinate opposition both of the canal companies and the land-
owners.
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