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

CHAP. XXV.] COST OF THE WORKS. 303
per cent, higher than any he could remember. Mr. Locke considered
them too high ; and Mr. Eastrick objected to support the
estimates for the same reason. Yet the result proved them to
have been much too low. The works were, it is true, let to the
contractors under the sum estimated, but in consequence of the
adverse circumstances which occurred in the course of their ex-
ecution, the expenditure had reached the immense amount of
5,000,000/., or about double the original estimate, before the Ime
was opened for public traffic.
Strong animadversions were made at the time upon this ex-
cessive expenditure; but the circumstances which we have
stated,—the obstacles encountered in the Kilsby and other tun-
nels, the rapid rise in the price of labour and materials, the ex-
tortions of the landowners (which it was impossible accurately
to estimate,) were sufficient in a considerable degree to account
for the excess : in addition to which, it was a matter of the
greatest difficulty for men of the very highest talent and experi-
ence then to form accurate estimates of the labour attending
works of so stupendous a character, in the absence of the data
since furnished by experience. Mr. Eobert Stephenson, in his
evidence before a committee of the House of Commons in 1839,
gave this further explanation :— " The principal excess, or at
least a very large item of the excess, arose from the stations on
the line. The public required much larger accommodation at
the stations than was originally contemplated. In fact, at the
time the estimate of the London and Birmingham Railway was
made, it was apprehended that something like 25,000/. or 30,000/.
for a station at each end of the line was ample-; but they have
exceeded 100,000/. I have no hesitation in saying that the ex-
pense of stations has been eight or ten-fold beyond the parlia-
mentary estimate. The plans were on much too small a scale
in the stations originally contemplated." " But," he remarked
on another occasion,* " let individuals who make observations
as to the excessive cost of the works as compared with the es-
timates, look not at the commencement but at their close. Let
them recollect that those great works now spreading irresistibly
* Speech of Mr. Eobert Stepheneon at the dinner given to him by the con-
tractors for the London and Birmingham Eailway, on the occasion of presenting
him with a testimonial. November 16th, 1839.