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

CHAP. VI.] CUBES THE PUMPING-ENGINE. 55
The cylinder having been found too long, was packed at the
bottom with pieces of timber; these and other alterations were
necessarily performed in a rough way, but, as the result proved,
on true principles. The repairs occupied about four days, and
by the following "Wednesday the engine was carefully put
together again and set to wort. It was kept pumping all
Thursday, and by the Friday afternoon the pit was cleared of
water, and the workmen were " sent to the bottom," as Stephen-
son had promised. The alterations thus effected in the engine
and in the pumping apparatus proved completely sucqessful, and
Stephenson's skill as a pump-curer became the marvel of the
neighbourhood.
Mr. Dodds was particularly gratified with the manner in
which the job had been done, and he made Stephenson a pres-
ent of ten pounds, which, though very inadequate when compared
with the value of the" work performed, was accepted by
him with gratitude. He was proud of the gift as the first
marked recognition of his skill as a workman ; and he used
afterwards to say that it was the biggest sum of money he had
up to that time earned in one lump. Ralph Dodds, however,
did more than this. He appointed Stephenson engineman at
the High Pit, at good wages, during the time the pit was sinking,—the
job lasting for about a year ; and he also kept him in
mind for further advancement.
Stephenson's skill as an engine-doctor soon became noised
abroad, and he was called upon to prescribe remedies for all the
old, wheezy, and ineffective pumping machines in the neighbour-
hood. In this capacity he soon left the "regular" men far
behind, though they in their turn were very much disposed to
treat the Killingworth brakesman as no better than a quack.
Nevertheless, his practice was really founded upon a close study
of the principles of mechanics, and on an intimate practical ac-
quaintance with the details of the pumping-engine.
Another of his smaller achievements in the same line is still
told by the people of the district. "While passing to and from
his work at the High Pit, he observed that the workmen in the
quarry at the corner of the road leading to Long Benton, were
considerably interrupted by the accumulation of water. A wind-