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

CHAP. XXVI.] THE LOCOMOTIVE ON COMMON KOADS. 309
to turnpikes. In the year 1831 the House of Commons ap-
pointed a committee to inquire into, and report upon—not the
railway system—but the appUcability of the steam-carriage to
travelling on common road^ Before this Committee, Mr. Treve-
thick, Mr. Goldsworthy G-urney, Nathaniel Ogle, and others,
were examined ; and the committee were so satisfied with their
evidence, that they reported decidedly in favour of the road-
locomotive system. Though railways were ignored, yet the
steam-carriage was recognized.
But there are limits to the wisdom even of a parliamentary
committee. Although many trials of steam-carriages were made
by Sir Charles Dance, Mr. Hancock, Mr. Gurney, Sir James
Anderson, and others, and though the House of Commons had
reported in their favour, Mr. Stephenson's first verdict, pro-
nounced upon them many years before—that they could never
successfully complete with locomotive engines on railroads, nor
even with horses on common roads—was fully borne out by the
result; for the steam-carriage projects, after ruining many
speculators and experimenters, were at length abandoned in
favour of railways, which extended in all directions. Another
attempt was, however, made in 1836, in favour of the common-
road locomotive system ; when a bill was passed through the
House of Commons to repeal the acts imposing prohibitory tolls
on steam-carriages. When the bill went into the Lords, it was
referred to a committee, who took evidence on the subject at
great length. Many witnesses were examined in support of
steam-carriages, including Mr- Gurney, Mr. Hancock, and othersj
who strongly testified to their economy and efficiency.
Their lordships then called before them Mr. Stephenson, whose
experience as a locomotive engineer entitled him to be heard on
such a subject.
" The steam-carriages," he said, " will never do
any good on a common road : I do not see the slightest possi-
bility of it." The principal difficulty, in his opinion, was the
friction between the wheel and the road,—so great, that it was as
much as the road-engine could do to drag its own weight. Then,
from the inevitable inequalities in common roads, the machinery
of the road-engine would be liable to constantly recurring acci-
dents, which no springs yet invented would enable it to avoid.