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

396 LIFE OF GEOEGE STEPHENSON. [chap. xxxi.
talist—a man looked up to even by the chief engineer himself.
But the worst feature of this system was, that the principal
engineer himself was occasionally interested as a partner, and
shared in thp profits of the contract. In passing the contractor's
work, he was virtually passing his own ; and in certifying the
monthly pay bills, he was a party to the paying of himself.
What security was there, under such a system, for either honest
work or honest accounts ? And what probability was there, that
the small sub-engineer—even though cognizant of the facts
would carefully examine the works, or critically scrutinize the
accounts which passed under his notice ? The consequence was,
that a great deal of slop-work was thus executed,^the results of
which, to some extent, have already appeared in the falling in of
tunnels, and the premature decay and failure of viaducts and
bridges.
Mr. Stephenson would never tolerate such a system ; he put
his own character into his work ;
—
he would permit no dishonest
scamping of a contractor to escape him ; and he could point to
his Midland, Manchester, and Leeds, and other great works, and
honestly say that he was proud of them. He would even " offer
his head," as he did to the Manchester directors, that his tunnel
would stand ;
and he could honestly and without hesitation vouch
for the soundness of all his structures.