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

340 LIFE OF GEOEGE STEPHENSON. [chap, ixvii.
the Manchester and Leeds line. Swanwick on the North Midland,
Birkenshaw on the Birmingham and Derby, and Cabrey
on the York and North Midland, seconded him well and ably,
and established their own reputation while they increased the
engineering fame of their master. All these men, then com-
paratively young, became, in course of time, engineers of dis-
tinction, and were employed to conduct on their own account
numerous railway enterprises of great magnitude.
At the dinner at York, which followed the partial opening of
the York and North Midland Railway, Mr. Stephenson, as was
his wont, prominently acknowledged the merit of his engineering
pupils and assistants, and accompanied the recognition with many
encouragements, drawn from his own life and experience. On
this occasion he said, " he was sure they would appreciate his
feelings when he told them, that when he first began railway
business, his hair was black, although it was now gray ; and that
he began his life's labour as but a poor ploughboy. He was only
eight years old when he went to work, and he had been labour-
ing hard ever since. About thirty years since, he had applied
himself to the study of how to generate high velocities by mechanical
means. He thought he had solved that problem. But
when he afterwards appeared before a Committee of Parliament,
and stated that, in his opinion, a locomotive machine might, with
safety, travel upon a railway at a speed of ten miles an hour, he
was told that his evidence was not worth listening to. That,
however, did not prevent him going forward with his plans, and
they had for themselves seen, that day, what perseverance had
brought him to. He was, on that occasion, only too happy to
have an opportunity of acknowledging that he had, in the later
portion of his career, received much most valuable assistance,
particularly from young men brought up in his manufactory.
Whenever talent showed itself in a young man, he had always
given that talent encouragement where he could, and he would
continue to do so."
That this was no exaggerated statement, is amply proved by
facts which redound to Mr. Stephenson's credit. He was no
niggard of encouragement and praise when he saw honest in-
dustry struggling for a footing. Many were the young men .