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

238 LIFE OP GEOEGE STEPHENSON. [chap. xx.
strongly marking them from tlie population of the districts in
which they laboured. Reckless alike of his life as of his earn-
ings, the navvy worked hard and lived hard. For his lodging,
a hut of turf would content him ; but he required large quan-
tities of flesh meat, and what remained of his wages was often
spent in drink. With few or no domestic ties to bind him, or
family affections to soften his nature,—wanting in moral and reli-
gious training, and placed suddenly in the receipt of high wages,
paid at unusually long intervals,—the navvy shortly became dis-
tinguished by a sort of savage manners, which contrasted
strangely with those of the surrounding population. His pay-
night was often a saturnalia of riot and disorder, dreaded by the
inhabitants of the quiet villages along the line of works. Yet
these brawny labourers, with their powerful bones and muscles,
ignorant and violent though they might be, were usually godd-
hearted fellows in the main,— ^frank and open-handed with their
comrades, and ready to share their last penny with those in dis-
tress. As for their powers of endurance, probably no class of
labourers in the world can compete with them : they have been
toiled after in vain by French and German workmen, who have
failed to justify the claim to be paid a similarly high rate of
wages. Their pluck is wonderful, and their contempt for danger
almost proverbial. Indeed, the inost dangerous sort of labour
such as working horse-barrow runs, in which accidents are of
constant occurrence—has always been most in request amongst
them, the danger seeming to be one of its chief recommen-
dations.
It was some time, however, before Mr. Stephenson could, out
of the raw material of labourers attracted to the Liverfiool and
Manchester line, form an efficient body of workmen of this sort.
The principal difficulty was experienced in pushing on the works
connected with the formation of the tunnel under Liverpool, 2200
yards in length. The blasting and hewing of the rock was vigor-
ously carried on night and day; and the engineer's practical
experience in the collieries here proved of great use to him.
Many obstacles had to be encountered and overcome in the formation
of the tunnel, the rock varying in hardness and texture at
different parts. In some places the miners were deluged by
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