ROMANCE
of tiilï
.IVERPOOL ANO MANCHESTER
RAI LWAY,
as BKsoiainvp r,Y
faxxv kemble (tue celebrated actress), mr. c. f. adams,
lord brougham, and other contemporary writers.
\
EDITED BY
X&XOXX.A.X&X} UPIXCXD,
Author of " Railway Adventures and Anecdotes."
*' The Opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway is the most
interesting and exciting event in Railway Annals, and forms an
important era in the World's History."
Fanny Kemhle's account of George Stephenson, in connection with
the above Railway, is by far the most lifelike portraiture of the
great engineer extant."
Manchester :
JOHN HEY WOOD, DEANSGATE AND RIDGE FIELD,
Anr 11, Paternoster Buildings, London. n»»
— G.ÍA5Í1
PRICK TWOPENCE.
Pi;INXÍ'l> Bï
F. B. "SVkiíb, DUKE Stkkkt, NEW Babvoiuv
Nottingham.
rN the Third Reading of the Liverpool and Manchester
Railway Bill coming on in the House of Commons, The
Hon. Edward Stanley moved that the bill4be read that
day six months, assigning, among other reasons, that the rail¬
way trains worked by horses would take ten hours to do the
distance, and that they could not be worked by locomotive
engines. Sir Isaac Coffin seconded the motion, indignantly
denouncing the project as fraught with fraud and imposition.
He would not consent to see widows' premises invaded, and
" how," he asked, " would any person like to have a railroad
under his parlour window ?... What, he would like
to know, was to be done with all those who had advanced
money in making and repairing turn-pike roads ? What
with those who may still wish to travel in their own^or hired
carriages, after the fashion of their forefathers? What
was to become of coach-makers and harness makers, coach-
masters and coachmen, innkeepers, horse-breeders, and
horse-dealers? Was the House aware of the smoke and
noise, the hiss and whirl, which locomotive engines, passing
at the rate of ten or twelve miles an hour would occasion ?
Neither the cattle ploughing in the fields or grazing in the
meadows could behold them without dismay. . . . Iron
would be raised in price 100 per cent., or, more probably,
exhausted altogether? It would be the greatest nuisance,
the most complete disturbance of quiet and comfort in all
parts of the kingdom, that the ingenuity of man could
invent! "
When the third reading of the Bill was passed, and
progress was made with the novel undertaking, great was
the interest excited among the general public. Mr. C. F.
Adams remarks :—" The whole world was looking at it,
with a full realizing sense that something great and
momentous was impending. Every day people watched the
gradual development of the thing, and actually took part in
it. In doing so they had sensations, and those sensations
they have described. There is consequently an element of
huiqan nature surrounding it. To their descriptions timq
4
has only lent a new freshness. They are full of honest
wonder. They are much better and more valuable and more
interesting now than they were fifty years ago, and for that
reason are well worth exhuming."
To introduce the contemporaneous story of the day,
however, it is not necessary, even to briefly review the long
series of events which had slowly led up to it. The world
is tolerably familiar with the early life of George Stephenson,
and with the vexatious obstacles he had to overcome before
he could even secure a trial for his invention. The man
himself, however, is an object of a good deal more curiosity
to us, than he was to those among whom he lived and
moved. A living glimpse at him now is worth dwelling
upon, and is the best possible preface to any account of his
great day of life triumph. Just such a glimpse of the
man has been given to us at the moment when at last all
difficulties had been overcome—when the Manchester and
Liverpool railroad was completed ; and literally, not only
the eyes of Great Britaiu but those of all civilized countries
were directed to it and to him who had originated it. At
just that time it chanced that the celebrated actor, John
Kemble, was fulfilling an engagement at Liverpool with
his daughter, since known as Mrs. Francis Kemble Butler.
The extraordinary social advantages the Kemble family
enjoyed gave both father and daughter opportunities such as
seldom came in the way of ordinary mortals. For the
time being they were, in fact, the lions of the stage, just
as George Stephenson was the lion of the new railroad.
As was most natural, the three lions were brought together.
The young actress has since published her impressions,
jotted down at the time, of the old engineer. Her account
of a ride side by side with George Stephenson, on the seat
of his locomotive, over the as yet unopened road, is one of
the most interesting and life-like records we have of the
man and the enterprise. Perhaps it is the most interesting.
The introduction is Mrs. Kemble's own, and written forty-
six years after the experience :—
" While we were acting at Liverpool, an experimental trip
was proposed upon the line of railway which was being
constructed between Liverpool and Manchester, the first
mesh of that amazing iron net which now covers the whole
surface of England, and all civilized portions of the earth,
f»
The Liverpool merchants, whose far-sighted self-interest
prompted to wise liberality, had accepted the risk of George
Stephenson's magnificent experiment, which the committee
of inquiry of the House of Commons had rejected for the
Government. These men, of less intellectual culture than
the Parliament members, had the adventurous imagination
proper to great speculators, which is the poetry of the
counting house and wharf, and were better able to receive
the enthusiastic infection of the great projector's sanguine
hope than the Westminster committee. They were exultant
and triumphant at the near completion of the work, though,
of course, not without some misgivings as to the eventual
success of the stupendous enterprise. My father knew
several of the gentlemen most deeply interested in the
undertaking, and Stephenson having proposed a trial trip as
far as the fifteen-mile viaduct, they, with infinite kindness,
invited him and permitted me to accompany them ; allowing
me, moreover, the place which I felt to be one of supreme
honour, by the side of Stephenson. All that wonderful
history, as much more interesting than a romance as truth
is stranger than fiction, which Mr. Smilea's biography of
the projector has given in so attractive a form to the world,
I their heard from his own lips. He was rather a stern-
featured man, with a dark and deeply marked countenance :
his speech was strongly inflected with his native Northum¬
brian accent, but the fascination of that story told by
himself, while his tame dragon flew panting along his iron
pathway with us, passed the first reading of the Arabian
Nights, the incidents of which it almost seemed to recall.
He was wonderfully condescending and kind, in answering
all the questions of my eager ignorance, and I listened to
him with eyes brimful of warm tears of sympathy and
enthusiasm, as he tokl me of all his alternations of hope
and fear, of his many trials and disappointments, related
with fine scorn, how the " Parliament men " had badgered
and baffled him with their book-knowledge, and how, when
at last they had smothered the irrepressible prophecy of
his genius in the quaking depths of Chat Moss, he had
exclaimed, ' Did ye ever see a boat float on water? I will
make my road float upon Chat Moss ! ' The well-read
Parliament men (some of whom, perhaps, wished for no
railways near their parks and pleasure grounds) could not
l'i
believe the miracle, but the slnewtl Liverpool merchants,
helped to their faith by a great vision of immense gain, did ;
and so the railroad was made, and I took this memorable
ride by the side of its maker, and would not have exchanged
the honour and pleasure of it for one of the shares in the
speculation,"
Liverpool, August 2títh, 1830.
" My Dear H : A common sheet of paper is enough
for love, but a foolscap extra can only contain a railroad
and my ecstacies. There was once a man born at New¬
castle-upon-Tyne, who was a common coal-digger ; this man
had an immense constructiveness, which displayed itself in
pulling his watch to pieces and putting it together again ;
in making a pair of shoes when he happened to be some
days without occupation :—finally, here there is a great gap
in my story—it brought him in the capacity of an engineer
before a Committee of the House of Commons, with his
head full of plans for constructing a railroad from Liverpool
to Manchester. It so happened that to the quickest and
most powerful perceptions and conceptions, to the most
indefatigable industry and perseverance, and the most
accurate knowledge of the phenomena of nature as they
affect his peculiar labours, this man joined an utter want of
the ' gift of gab ' ; he could no more explain to others what
he meant to do and how he meant to do it, than he could
fly, and therefore the members of the House of Commons,
after saying, 'There is a rock to be excavated to a depth of
more than sixty feet, there are embankments to be made
nearly to the same height, there is a swamp of five miles
in length to be traversed, in which if you drop an iron rod
it sinks and disappears; how will you do all this1?' and
receiving no answer but a broad Northumbrian, 'I can't
tell you how I'll do it, but I can tell you I will do it,' dis¬
missed Stephenson as a visionary. Having prevailed upon
a company of Liverpool gentlemen to be less incredulous,
and having raised funds for his great undertaking, in
December of 1826 the first spade was struck in the ground.
And now I will give you an account of my yesterday's
excursion. A party of sixteen persons was ushered into a
large court-yard, where, under cover, stood several carriages
of a peculiar construction, one of which was prepared for
«
J
our reception. It was a long-bodied vehicle with seats
placed across it back to back ; the one we were in had six
of these benches, and was a sort of uncovered char a banc.
The wheels were placed upon two iron bauds, which formed
the road, and to which they are fitted, being so constructed
as to slide along without any danger of hitching or becoming
displaced, on the same principle as a thing sliding on a
concave groove. The carriage was set in motion by a mere
push, and, having received this impetus, rolled with us
down an inclined plane into a tunnel, which forms the
entrance to the railroad. This tunnel is four hundred yards
long (I believe), and will be lighted by gas. At the end
of it we emerged from darkness, and, the ground becoming
level, we stopped. There is another tunnel parallel with
this, only much wider and longer, for it extends from the
place we had now reached, and where the steam carriages
start, and which is quite out of Liverpool, the whole way
under the town, to the docks. This tunnel is for waggons
and other heavy carriages ; and as the engines which are
to draw the trains along the railroad do not enter these
tunnels, there is a large building at this entrance which is
to be inhabited by steam engines of a stationary turn of
mind and different constitution from the travelling ones,
which are to propel the trains through the tunnels to the
terminus in the town without going out of their houses
themselves. The length of the tunnel parallel to the one
we passed through is (I believe) two thousand two hundred
yards. I wonder if you are understanding one word I am
saying all this while! We were introduced to the little
engine which was to drag us along the l'ails. She (for they
make these curious little fire horses all maves) consisted of
a boiler, a stove, a platform, a bench, and behind the bench
a barrel containing enough water to prevent her being
thirsty for fifteen miles,—the. whole machine not bigger
than a common fire engine. She goes upon two wheels,
which are her feet, and are moved by bright steel legs
called pistons ; these are propelled by steam, and in pro¬
portion as more steam is applied to the upper extremities
(the hip-joints, I suppose) of these pistons, the faster they
move the wheels ; and when it is desirable to diminish the
speed, the steam, which unless suffered to escape would
burst the boiler, evaporates through a safety valve in the
8
air. The reins, bit, and bridle of this wonderful beast, is a
small steel handle, which applies or withdraws the steam
from its legs or pistons, so that a child might manage it.
" The coals, which are its oats, were under the bench,
and there was a small glass tube affixed to the boiler, with
water in it, which indicates by its fullness or emptiness
when the creature wants water, which is immediately con¬
veyed to it from its reservoirs. There is a chimney to the
stove, but as they burn coke there is none of the dreadful
black smoke which accompanies the progress of a steam
vessel. This snorting little animal, which I felt rather
inclined to pat, was then harnessed to our carriage, and Mr.
Stephenson having taken me on the bench of the engine
with him, we started at about ten miles an hour. The steam
horse being ill adapted for going up and down hill, the
road was kept at a certain level, arid appeared sometimes
to sink below the surface of the earth and sometimes to rise
above it. Almost at starting it was cut through the solid
rock, which formed a wall on either side of it, about sixty
feet high. You can't imagine how strange it seemed to be
journeying on thus, without any visible cause of progress
other than the magical machine, with its flying white breath
and rhythmical, unvarying pace, between these rocky walls,
which are already clothed with moss and ferns and grasses ;
and when I reflected that these great masses of stone had
been cut assunder to allow our passage thus far below the
surface of the earth, I felt as if no fairy tale was ever half
so wonderful as what I saw. Bridges were thrown from
side to side across the top of these cliffs, and the people
looking down upon us from them seemed like pigmies
standing in the sky. I must be more concise, though, or I
shall want room. We were to go only fifteen miles, that
distance being suflicient to show the speed of the engine
and to take us to the most beautiful and wonderful object
on the road. After proceeding through this rocky defile,
we presently found ourselves raised upon embankments ten
or twelve feet high ; we then came to a moss or swamp, of
considerable extent, on which no human foot could tread
without sinking, and yet it bore the road which bore us.
This had been the great stumbling-block in the minds of the
committee of the House of Commons ; but Mr. Stephenson
has succeeded in overcoming it. A foundation of hurdles,
9
or, as he called it, basket-work, was thrown over the morass,
and the interstices were filled with moss and other elastic
matter.
" Upon this the clay and soil were laid down, and the road
does float, for we passed over at the rate of five-and-twenty
miles an hour and saw the stagnant swamp water trembling
on the surface of the soil on either side of us. I hope you
understand me. The embankment had gradually been
rising higher and higher, and in one place where the soil
was not settled enough to form banks, Stephenson had con¬
structed artificial ones of woodwork, over which the mounds
of earth were heaped, for he said that though the woodwork
would rot, before it did so the banks of earth which covered
it would have been sufficiently consolidated to support the
road. We had now come fifteen miles, and stopped where
the road traversed a wide and deep valley. Stephenson
made me alight and led me down to the bottom of this
ravine, over which, in order to keep his road level, he has
thrown a magnificent viaduct of nine arches, the middle one
of which is seventy feet high, through which we saw the
whole of this beautiful little valley. It was lovely and
wonderful beyond all words. He here told me many curious
things respecting this ravine ; how he believed the Mersey
had once rolled through it; how the soil had proved so
unfavourable for the foundation of his bridge that it was
built upon piles, which had been driven into the earth to an
enormous depth ; how while digging fora foundation he had
come to a tree bedded in the earth, fourteen feet below the
surface of the ground ; how tides are caused, and how
another flood might be caused ; all of which I have remem¬
bered and noted down at much greater length than I can
enter upon here. He explained to me the whole construction
of the steam engine, and said he could soon make a famous
engineer of me, which, considering the wonderful things he
has achieved, I dare not say is impossible. His way of
explaining himself is peculiar, but very striking, and I
understood, without difiiculty, all that he said to me. We
then rejoined the rest of the party, and the engine having
received its supply of water, the carriage was placed behind
it, for it cannot turn, and was set off at its utmost speed,
thirty-five miles an hour, swifter than a bird flies (for they
tried the experiment with a snipe). You cannot conceive
10
what that sensation of cutting the air was ; the motion is
as smooth as possible, too. I could have either have read or
written ; and as it was, I stood up, and with my bonnet off
' drank the air before me.' The wind, which was strong, or
perhaps the force of our own thrusting against it, absolutely
weighed my eyelids down.
" When I closed my eyes this sensation of Hying was
quite delightful and strange beyond description; yet strange
as it was, I had a perfect sense of security, and not the
slightest fear. At one time, to exhibit the power of the
engine, having met another steam-carriage which was un-
supplied with water, Mr. Stephenson caused it to be fastened
in front of ours ; moreover, a wagon laden with timber was
also chained to us, and thus propelling the idle steam-engine,
and dragging the loaded wagon which was beside it, and
our own carriage full of people behind, this brave little
slxe-dragon of ours Hew on. Farther on she met three
carts, which, being fastened in front of her she pushed on
before her without the slightest delay or difficulty. When
I add, that this pretty little creature can run with equal
facility either backwards or forwards, I believe I have given
you an account of all her capacities. hvow for a word or two
about the master of all these marvels, with whom I am
most horribly in love. He is a man about Hfty to fifty-live
years of age; his face is fine, though careworn, and bears
an expression of deep thoughtfulness ; his mode of explain¬
ing his ideas is peculiar and very original, striking and
forcible ; and although his accents indicates strongly Iiis
north country birth, Iiis language has not the slightest
touch of vulgarity or coarseness. He has certainly turned
my head. Four years have sufficed to bring this great
undertaking to an end. The railroad will be opened up on
the fifteenth of next month. The Duke of Wellington is
coming down to be present on the occasion, and I suppose,
what with the thousands of spectators and the novelty of
the spectacle, there will never have been a scene of more
striking interest. The whole cost of the work (including
the engines and carriages) will have been eight hundred
and thirty thousand pounds; and it is already worth double
that sum. The directors have kindly offered us three places
for the opening, which is a great favour, for people are
bidding almost anything for a place, I understand."
11
Even while Miss Kemble was writing this letter, certainly
before it had reached her correspondent, the official pro¬
gramme of that opening to which she was so eagerly looking
forward was thus referred to in the Liverpool papers :—
"The day of opening still remains fixed for Wednesday,
the fifteenth instant. The company by whom the ceremony
is to be performed, is expected to amount to eight or nine
hundred persons, including the Duke of Wellington and
several others of the nobility. They will leave Liverpool at an
early hour in the forenoon, probably ten o'clock, in carriages
drawn by eight or nine engines, including the new engine of
Messrs. Braithwaite and Ericsson, if it be ready in time.
The other engines will be those constructed by Mr.
Stephenson, and each of them will draw about a hundred
persons. On their arrival at Manchester, the company will
enter the upper stories of the warehouses by means of a
spacious outside wooden staircase, which is in course of
erection for the purpose by Mr. Bellhouse. The upper
story of the range of warehouses is divided into five apart¬
ments, each measuring sixty-six feet by fifty-six. In four
of these a number of tables (which Mr. Bellhouse is also
preparing) will be placed, and the company will partake of
a splendid cold collation, which is to be provided by Mr.
Lynn, of the Waterloo Hotel, Liverpool. A large apart¬
ment at the east end of the warehouses will be reserved as
a withdrawing room for the ladies, and is partitioned oft' for
that purpose. After partaking of the hospitality of the
directors, the company will return to Liverpool in the same
order in which they arrive. We understand that each
shareholder in the railway will be entitled to a seat (trans¬
ferable) in one of the carriages, on this interesting and
important occasion. It may be proper to state, for the
information of the public, that no one will be permitted to
go upon the railway between Ordsall lane' and the ware¬
houses, and parties of the military and police will be placed
to preserve order and prevent intrusion. Beyond Ordsall
lane, however, the public will be freely admiited to view
the procession as it passes : and no restriction will be laid
upon them farther than may be requisite to prevent tbem
from approaching too close to the rails, lest accidents should
occur. By extending themselves along either side of the
road towards Eccles, any number of people, however great,
may be easily accommodated."
12
On the carrying out on the 15th the programme thus
carefully laid down, a contemporaneous reporter has left the
following oecount :—
" The town itself [Liverpool] was never so full of strangers ;
they poured in during the last and the beginning of the
present week from almost all parts of the three kingdoms,
and we believe that through Chester alone, which is by no
means a principal road to Liverpool, four hundred extra
passengers were forwarded on Tuesday. All the inns in the
town were crowded to overflowing, and carriages stood in
the streets at night, for want of room in the stable yards
"On the morning of Wednesday the population of the
town and of the country began very early to assemble near
the railway. The weather was favourable, and the Company's
station at the boundary of the town was the rendezvous of
the nobility and gentry who attended, to form the procession
at Manchester. Never was there such an assemblage of
rank, wealth, beauty, and fashion in this neighbourhood.
From before nine o'clock until ten the entrance in Crown
street was thronged by the splendid equipages from which
the company was alighting, and the area in which the railway
carriages were placed was gradually filling with gay groups
eagerly searching for their respective places, as indicated by
numbers corresponding with those on their tickets. The
large and elegant car constructed for the nobility, and the
accompanying cars for the Directors and the musicians were
seen through the lesser tunnel, where persons moving about
at the far end appeared as diminutive as if viewed through
a concave glass. The effect was siugular and striking. In
a short time all those cars were brought along the tunnel
into the yard, which then contained all the carriages which
were to be attached to the eight locomotive engines which
were in readiness beyond the tunnel in the great excavation
at Edge-hill. By this time the area presented a beautiful
spectacle, thirty-three carriages being filled by elegantly
dressed persons, each train of carriages being distinguished
by silk flags of different colours ; the band of the fourth
King's Own regiment, stationed in the adjoining area, play¬
ing military airs, the Wellington Harmonic Band, in a
Grecian car for the procession, performing many beautiful
miscellaneous pieces; and a third band occupying a stage
above Mr, Hardiug's Grand Stand, at William the Fourth's
13
Hotel, spiritedly adding to the liveliness of the hour when¬
ever the other bands ceased.
" A few minutes before ten, the discharge of a gun and
the cheers of the assembly announced the arrival of the
Duke of Wellington, who entered the area with the Marquis
and Marchioness of Salisbury and a number of friends, the
band playing ' See the conquering hero comes.' He returned
the congratulations of the company, and in a few moments
the grand car, which he and the nobility and the principal
gentry occupied, and the cars attached to it, were permitted
to proceed ; we say permitted, because no applied power,
except a slight impulse at first, is requisite to propel car¬
riages along the tunnel, the slope being just sufficient to
call into effect the principle of gravitation. The tunnel
was lighted with gas, and the motion in passing through it
must have been as pleasing as it was novel to aíl the party.
On arriving at the engine station, the cars were attached to
the Northumbrian, locomotive engine, on the southern of
the two lines of rail ; and immediately the other trains of
carriages started through the tunnel and were attached to
their respective engines on the northern of the lines.
"AVe had the good fortune to have aplace in the first
train after the grand cars, which train, drawn by the Phoenix,
consisted of three open and two close carriages, each carrying
twenty-six ladies and gentlemen. The lofty banks of the
engine station were crowded with thousands of spectators,
whose enthusiastic cheering seemed to rend the air. From
this point to Wavertree lane, while the procession was
forming, the grand cars passed and repassed the other
trains of carriages several times, running as they did in the
same direction on the two parallel tracks, whieh gave the
assembled thousands and tens of thousands the opportunity
of seeing distinctly the illustrious strangers, whose pi-esence
gave extraordinary interest to the scene. Some soldiers of
the 4th Regiment assisted the railway police in keeping the
way clear and preserving order, and they discharged their
duty in a very proper manner. A few minutes before eleven
all was ready for the journey, and certainly a journey upon
a railway is one of the most delightful that can be imagined.
Our first thoughts it might be supposed, from the road being
so level, were that it must be monotonous and uninteresting.
It is precisely the contrary ; for- as the road does not rise
14
and fall like the ground over which we pass, hut proceeds
nearly at a level, whether the land be high or low, we are
at one moment drawn through a hill, and find ourselves
seventy feet below the surface, in an Alpine chasm, and at
another we are as many feet above the green fields, travers¬
ing a raised path, from which we look down upon the roofs
of frame houses and see the distant hills and woods. These
variations give an interest to such a journey which cannot
be appreciated until they are witnessed. The signal gun
being fired, we started in beautiful style, amidst the
deafening plaudits of the well-dressed people who thronged
the numerous booths and all the walls and eminences on
both sides the line. Our speed was gradually increased till,
entering the Olive Mountain excavation, we rushed into the
awful chasm at the rate of twenty-four miles an hour. The
banks, the bridges over our heads, and the rude projecting
corners along the sides, were covered with masses of human
beings, past whom we glided as if upon the wings of the
wind. We soon came into the open country of Broad Green,
having fine views of Huyton and Prescot on the left, and
the hilly grounds of Cheshire on the right. Tehicles of
every description stood in the fields on both sides, and
thousands of spectators still lined the margin of the road ;
some horses seemed alarmed, but after trotting with their
carriages to the further hedges they stood still, as if their
fears had subsided. After passing Whiston, sometimes
going slowly, sometimes swiftly, we observed that a vista
formed by several bridges crossing the road gave a pleating
effect to the view. Under Bainhill Bridge, which, like all
the others, was crowded with spectators, the Duke's car
stopped until we passed, and on this, as on similar occasions,
we had excellent opportunities of seeing the whole of the
noble party, distinguishing the Marquis and Marchioness
of Salisbury, the Earl and Countess of Wilton, Lord Stanley,
and others, in the fore part of the car ; alongside of the
latter part was Mr. Huskisson, standing with his face always
toward us ; and further behind was Lord Hill, and others,
among whom the Mayor of Liverpool took his station. At
this place Mr. Bretherton had a large party of friends in a
field overlooking the road. As we approached the Sutton
inclined plane the Duke's car passed us again at a most
rapid rate—it appeared rapid even to us who were travelling
13
then at, probably, fifteen miles an hour. We had a fine
view of Billings Hill from this neighbourhood, and of a
thousand various coloured fields. A grand stand was here
erected, beautifully decorated, and crowded with ladies and
gentlemen from St, Helen's and the neighbourhood. Enter¬
ing upon Parr Moss we had a good view of Newton Race
Course and the stands, and at this time the Duke was far
ahead of us ; the grand cars appeared actually of diminutive
dimensions, and in a short time we saw them gliding beauti¬
fully over the Sankey Viaduct, from which a scene truly
magnificent lay before us.
" The fields below us were occupied by thousands who
cheered us as we passed over the stupendous edifice ; car¬
riages filled the narrow lanes, and vessels in the water had
been detained in order that their crews might gaze up at
the gorgeous pagent passing far above their masts heads.
Here again was a grand stand, and here again enthusiastic
plaudits almost deafened us. Shortly, we passed the borough
of Newton, crossing a fine bridge over the Warrington road,
and reached Parltside, seventeen miles from Liverpool, in
about four minutes under the hour. At this place the
engines were ranged under difieront watering stations to
receive fresh water, the whole extending along nearly half a
mile of road. Our train and two others passed the Duke's
car, and we in the first train had had our engine supplied
with water, and were ready to start, some time before M'e
were aware of the melancholy cause of our apparently great
delay. We had, most of us, alighted, and were walking
about, congratulating each other generally, and the ladies
particularly, on the truly delightful treat we were enjoying,
all hearts bounding with joyous excitement, and every
tongue eloquent in the praise of the gigantic work now com¬
pleted and the advantages and pleasures it afforded. A
murmur and an agitation at a little distance betokened
something alarming and we too soon learned the nature of
that lamentable event, which we cannot record without the
most agonized feelings. On inquiring, we learnt the dreadful
particulars. After three of the engines with their trains
had passed the Duke's carriage, although the others had to
follow, the company began to alight from all the carriages
which had arrived. The Duke of Wellington and Mr.
Huskisson had just shaken hands, and Mr. Huskisson,
Iß
Prince Esterhazy, Mr. Bircli, Mr. H. Earle, Mr. William
Holmes, M.P., and others, were standing in the road when
the othfer carriages were approaching. An alarm being
given, most of the gentlemen sprang into the carriage, but
Mr. Huskisson seetned fluried, and from some cause, not
clearly ascertained, he fell under the engine of the approach¬
ing carriages, the wheel of which shattered his leg in the
most dreadful manner. On being raised from the ground
by the Earl of Wilton, Mr. Holmes, and other gentlemen,
his only exclamations were:—'Where is Mrs. Huskisson?
I have met my death. God forgive me.' Immediately
after he swooned. Dr. Brandreth, and Dr. Southey, of
London, immediately applied bandages to the limb. In a
short time the engine was detached from the Duke's car¬
riage, and the musician's car being prepared for the purpose,
the Bight Honourable gentlemen was placed in it, accom¬
panied by his afflicted lady, with Dr. Brandreth, Dr. Southey,
Earl of Wilton, and Mr. Stephenson, who set off in the
direction of Manchester.
" The whole of the procession remained at least another
hour uncertain what course to adopt. A consultation was
then held on the open part of the road, and the Duke of
Wellington was' soon surrounded by the Directors and a
mournful group of gentlemen. At first it was thought
advisable to return to Liverpool, merely despatching one
engine and a set of carriages to convey home Lady Wilton
and others who did not wish to return to Liverpool. The
Duke of Wellington and Sir Robert Peel seemed to favour
this course ; others thought it better to proceed as originally
intended : but no decision was made till the Boroughreeve
of Manchester stated, that if the procession did not reach
Manchester, where an unprecedented concourse of people
would be assembled, and would wait for it, he should be
fearful of the consequeuces to the peace of the town. This
turned the scale, and his Grace then proposed that the whole
party should proceed, and return as soon as possible, all
festivity at Manchester being avoided. The Phoenix, with
its train, was then attached to the North Star and its train,
and from the two united a long chain was affixed to his
Grace's car, and although it was on the other line of rail
it was found to draw the whole along exceedingly well.
About half-past one, we resumed our journey ; and we
17
should here mention that the Wigan Branch Railway
Company had erected near Parkside Bridge a grand stand,
which they and their friends occupied, and from which they
enthusiastically cheered the procession. On reaching the
twentieth mile post we had a beautiful view of Rivington
Pike, and Blackstone Edge, and at the twenty-first the smoke
of Manchester appeared to be directly at the termination of
our view. Groups of people continued to cheer us, hut we
could not reply ; our enjoyment was over. Tyldesley
Church and a vast region of smiling fields here met the eye,
as we traversed the flat surface of Chat Moss, in the midst
of which a vast crowd was assembled to greet us with their
plaudits ; and from the twenty-fourth mile post we began to
find ourselves flanked on both sides by spectators extend¬
ing in a continuous and thickening body all the way to
Manchester. At the twenty-fifth mile post we met Mr.
Stephenson returning with the Northumbrian engine. In
answer to innumerable and eager inquiries, Mr. Stephenson
said he had left Mr. Huskisson at the house of the Rev.
Mr. Blackburne, Vicar of Ecoles, and had then proceeded to
Manchester, whence he brought back medical assistance, and
that the surgeons, after seeing Mr. Huskisson, had expressed
a hope that there was no danger. Mr. Stephenson's speed
had been at the rate of thirty-four miles an hour during
this painful errand. The engine being then again attached
to the Duke's car, the procession dashed forward, passing
countless thousands of people upon house tops, booths, high
ground, bridges, etc., and our readers must imagine, for we
cannot describe, such a movement through an avenue of
living beings, and extending six miles in length. Upon one
bridge a tri-eoloured flag was displayed; near another the
motto of ' Vote by ballot' was seen ; in a field near Eccles,
a poor and wretchedly dressed man had his loom close to the
roadside, and was weaving with all his might; cries of
'No Corn Laws' were occasionally heard, and for about
two miles the cheerings of the crowd were interspersed with
a continual hissing and hooting from the minority. On
approaching the bridge which crosses the Irwell, the 59t.li
regiment was drawn up, flanking the road on each side, and
presenting arms as his Grace passed along. We reached
the warehouses at a quarter before three, and those who
alighted were shown into the large upper rooms, where a
18
most elegant cold collation had been prepared by Mr, Lynn
for more than one thousand persons. The greater portion
of the company, as the carriages continued to arrive, visited
the rooms and partook in silence of some refreshment. They
then returned to their carriages, which had been properly
placed for returning. His Grace and the principal party
did not alight ; but he went through a most fatiguing office
for more than an hour and a half in shaking hands with
thousands of people, to whom he stooped over the hand-rail
of the carriage, and who .seemed insatiable in their desire to
join hands with him. Many women brought their children
to him, lifting them up that he might bless them, which he
did, and during the whole time he had scarcely a minute's
respite. At half-past four the Duke's car began to move
away for Liverpool.
" They would have been detained a little longer, in order
that three of the engines which had been to Eccles for
water, might have dropped into the rear to take their places ;
hut Mr. Lavender represented that the crowd was so
thickening in upon all sides, and becoming so clamorous
for admission into the area, that he would not answer for
the peace of the town if further delay took place. The
tlu-ee engines were on the same line of rail as the Duke,
and they could not cross to the other line without getting to
a turning place, and as the Duke could not be delayed on
account of his keeping the crowd together, there was no
alternative but to send the engines forward. One of the
other engiues was then attached to our train, and we
followed the Duke rapidly, while the six trains behind had
only three engines left to bring them back. Of course, we
kept pace with the Duke, who stopped at Eccles to inquire
after Mr. Huskisson. The answer received was that there
was now no hope of his life being saved ; and this intelli¬
gence plunged the whole party into still deeper distress.
We proceeded without meeting any fresh incident until we
passed Prescot, where we found two of the three engines
at the 6^ mile post, where a turning had been effected, but
the third had gone on to Liverpool ; we then detached the
one we had borrowed, and the three set out to meet the six
remaining trains of carriages. Our carriages were then
connected with the grand cars, the engine of which now
drew the whole number of nine carriages, containing nearly
Ii)
three hundred persons, at a very smart rate. We were now-
getting into vast crowds of people, most of them ignorant of
the dreadful event which had taken place, and all of them
giving us enthusiastic cheers which we could not return.
" At Roby, his Grace and the Child walls alighted and
proceeded home; our carriages then moved forward to
Liverpool, where we arrived about seven o'clock, and went
down the great tunnel under the town, a part of the work
which, more than any other, astonished the numerous
strangers present. It is, indeed, a wonderful work, and
makes an impression never to be effaced from the memory.
The Company's yard, from St. James' Street to Wapping,
was filled with carriages waiting for the returning parties,
who separated with feelings of mingled gratification and
distress, to which we shall not attempt to give utterance.
We afterwards learnt that the parties we left at Manchester
placed the three remaining engines together, and all the car¬
riages together, so as to form one grand procession, including
twenty-four carriages, and were coming home at a steady '
pace, when they were met near Newton by the other three
engines, which were then attached to the rest, and they
arrived in Liverpool about ten o'clock.
" Thus ended a pageant which, for importance as to its
object and grandeur in its details, is admitted to have
exceeded anything ever witnessed. We conversed with
many gentlemen of great experience in public life, who
spoke of the scone as surpassing anything they had ever
beheld, and who computed, upon data which they considered
to be satisfactory, that not fewer than 500,000 persons must
have been spectators of the procession."
So far from being a success, the occasion was, after the
accident to Mr. Huskisson, such a series of mortifyiug dis¬
appointments, and the Duke of Wellington's experience at
Manchester had been so very far removed from gratifying,
that the directors of the company felt moved to exonorate
themselves from the load of censure by an official explana¬
tion. This they did in the following language r—
" On the subject of delay which took place in the starting
from Manchester, and consequently in the arrival at Liver¬
pool of the last three engines with twenty-four carriages
and six hundred passengers, being the train allotted to six
of the engines, we are authorized to state that the Directors
20
think it due to the proprietors and others constituting the
large assemblage of company in the above trains to make
known the following particulars :
"Three out of the six locomotive engines which belonged
to the above teams had proceeded on the south road from
Manchester to Eccles, to take in water, with the intention
of returning to Manchester, and so getting out of that line
of road before any of the trains should start on their return
home. Before this, however, was accomplished, the following
circumstances seemed to render it imperative for the train
of carriages containing the Duke of Wellington and a great
many of the distinguished visitors to leave Manchester,
The eagerness on the part of the crowd to see the Duke
and to shake hands with hitn was very great, so much so
that his Grace held out both his hands to the pressing
multitude at the same time ; the assembling crowd becoming
more dense every minute, closely surrounded the carriages
as the principal attraction was this particular train. The
difficulty of proceeding at all increased every moment, and
consequently the danger of accident upon the attempt being
ruade to force a way through the throng also increased.
At this juncture, Mr. Lavender, the head of the police
establishment of Manchester, interfered and entreated that
the Duke's train should move on, or he could not answer
for the consequences. Under these circumstances, and the
day being well advanced, it was thought expedient at all
events to move forward while it was still practicable to do
so. The order was accordingly given, and the train passed
along out of the immediate neighbourhood of Manchester
O
without accident to anyone. When they had proceeded a
few miles they fell in with the engines belonging to the
trains left at Manchester, and thesë engines being on the
same line as the carriages of the procession, there was no
alternative but bringing the Duke's train back through the
dense multitude to Manchester, or proceeding with three
extra engines to the neighbourhood of Liverpool (all passing
places from one road to the other being removed, with a
view to safety, on the occasion) and afterwards sending
them hack to the assistance of the trains unfortunately left
behind. It was determined to proceed towards Liverpool,
as being decidedly the most advisable course under the
circumstances of the case • and it may be mentioned for the
21
satisfaction of any party who may have considered that he
was in some measure left in the lurch, that Mr. Moss, the
Deputy Chairman, had left Mrs. Moss and several of his
family to come with the trains which had been so left
behind. Three engines having to draw a load calculated
for six, their progress was of course much retarded, besides
a considerable delay which took place before the starting
of the last trains, owing to the uncertainty which existed
as to what had become of the three missing engines. These
engines after proceeding to within a few miles of Liverpool
were enabled to return to Parkside, in the neighbourhood of
Newton, where they were attached to the other three and
the whole proceeding safely to Liverpool, where they
arrived at ten in the evening."
The. case was however here stated, to say the least, in
the mildest possible manner. The fact was that the
authorities at Manchester had, and not without reason,
passed a very panic-stricken hour on account of the Duke
of Wellington. That personage had been in a position of
no inconsiderable peril. Though the reporter preserved a
decorous silence on that point, the Ministerial car had on
the way been pelted, as well as hooted ; and at Manchester
a vast mass of not particularly well disposed persons had
fairly overwhelmed both police and soldiery, and had taken
complete possession of the tracks. They were not riotous,
but they were very rough ; and they insisted on climbing
upon the carriages and pressing their attentions on the
distinguished inmates in a manner somewhat at variance
with English ideas of propriety. The Duke's efforts at con¬
ciliatory manners, as evinced through much hand-shaking,
were not without significance. It was small matter for
wonder, therefore, that the terrified authorities, before they
got him out of their town, heartily regretted that they had
not allowed him to have his own way after the accident to
Mr. Huskisson, when he proposed to turn back without
coming to it. Having once got him safely started back to
Liverpool, therefore, they preferred to leave the other
guests to take care of themselves, rather than have the
Duke face the crowd again. As there were no sidings on
that early road and the connections between the tracks
had as a measure of safety been temporarily removed, the
ministerial train in moving towards Liverpool had necessarily
pushed before it the engines belonging to the other trains.
The unfortunate guests on those other trains, thus left to
their fate, had for the rest of the day a very dreary time of
it. To avoid accidents, the six trains abandoned at Man¬
chester were united into one, to which were attached the
three locomotives remaining. In this form they started.
Presently the strain broke the couplings. Pieces of rope
were then put in requisition, and again they got in motion.
In due time, the three other engines came along, but they
could only be used by putting them on in front of the
three already attached to the train. Two of them were
used in that way, and the eleven cars thus drawn by five
locomotives, and preceded at a short distance by one other,
went on towards Liverpool. It was dark, and to meet the
exegencies of the occasion the first germ of the present
elaborate system of railroad night signals was improvised
on the spot. Prom the foremost and pioneer locomotive
obstacles were signalled to the train locomotives by the
very primitive expedient of swinging the lighted end of a
tar-rope. At Rainhill the weight of the train proved too
much for the combined motive power, and the thoroughly
wearied passengers had to leave their carriages and walk up
the incline. When they got to the summit, and resuming
their seats, were again in motion, fresli delay was occasioned
by the leading locomotive running into a wheel-barrow
maliciously placed on the track to obstruct it. Not until
ten o'clock did they enter the tunnel at Liverpool, Mean¬
while all sorts of rumours of general disaster had for hours
been circulating among the vast concourse of spectators who
were assembled waiting for their friends, and whose relief
expressed itself in hearty cheers as the train at last rolled
safely into the station.
We have also Miss Kemble's story of this day, to which
in her letter of August 25th she had looked forward with
such eager interest. With her father and mother she had
been staying in a country place in Lancashire, and in her
account of the affair, written in 1876, she says :—
"The whole gay party assembled at Heaton, my mother
and myself included, went to Liverpool for the opening of
the railroad. The throng of strangers gathered there for
the same purpose made it almost impossible to obtain a
night's lodging for love or money ; and glad and thankful
were we to put up with and be put up in a tiny garret by
an old friend, Mr. Kadley, of the Adelphi, which many
would have given twice what we paid to obtain. The day
opened gloriously, and never was an innumerable concourse
of siglit-seers in better humour than the surging, swaying
crowd that lined the railroad with living faces
After this disastrous event [the accident to Mr. Huskisson]
the day became overcast, and as we neared Manchester the
sky grew cloudy and dark, and it began to rain. The vast
concourse of people who had assembled to witness the
triumphant arrival of the successful travellers was of the
lowest order of mechanics and artisans, among whom great
distress and a dangerous spirit of discontent with the govern¬
ment at that time prevailed. Groans and hisses greeted
the carriage, full of influential personages, in which the
Duke of Wellington sat. High above the grim and grimy
crowd of scowling faces a loom had been erected, at which
sat a tattered, starved-looking weaver, evidently set there
as a representative man to protest against this triumph of
machinery, and the gain and glory which the wealthy
Liverpool and Manchester men were likely to derive from
it. The contrast between our departure from Liverpool and
our arrival at Manchester was one of the most striking
things I ever witnessed.
Manchester, September 20 th, I SSO,
Mv Dearest H—:
*********
"You probably have by this time heard and read accounts
of the opening of the railroad, and the fearful accident
which occurred at it, for the papers are full of nothing else.
The accident you mention did occur, but though the unfor¬
tunate man who was killed bore Mr. Stephenson's name,
he was not related to him. [Besides Mr. Huskisson, another
man, named Stephenson, had about this time been killed 011
the railroad.] I will tell you something of the events on
the fifteenth, as though you may be acquainted with the
circumstances of poor Mr. Huskisson's death, none but an
eye-witness of the whole scene can form a conception of it.
I told you that we had had places given to us, and it was
the main purpose of our returning from Birmingham to
Manchester to be present at what promised to be one of the
24
most- striking events in the scientific annals of oui* country.
We started on Wednesday last, to the number of about
eight hundred people, in carriages constructed as I before
described to you. The most intense curiosity and excitement
prevailed, and though the weather was uncertain, enormous
masses of densely packed people lined the road, shouting
and waving hats and handkerchiefs as we tíew by them.
What with the sight and sound of these cheering multitudes
and the tremendous velocity with which we were borne
past them, my spirits rose to the true champagne height,
and I never enjoyed anything so much as the first hour of
our progress. I had bren unluckily separated from my
mother in the first distribution of places, but by an exchange
of seats which she was enabled to make she rejoined me
when I was at the height of my ecstacy, which was con¬
siderably damped by finding that she was frightened to
death, and intent upon nothing but devising means of
escaping from a situation which appeared to her to threaten
with instant annihilation herself and all her travelling
companions. While I was chewing the cud of this disap¬
pointment, which was rather bitter, as I expected her to be
as delighted as myself with our excursion, a man flew by
us, calling out through a speaking trumpet to stop the
engine, for that somebody in the Directors' car had sustained
an injury. We were all stopped accordingly, and presently
a hundred voices were heard exclaiming that Mr. Huskisson
was killed. The confusion that ensued is indescribable ;
the calling out from carriage to carriage to ascertain the
truth, the contrary reports which were sent back to us, the
hundred questions eagerly uttered at once, and the repeated
and urgent demands for surgical assistance, created a sudden
turmoil that was quite sickening. At last we distinctly
ascertained that the unfortunate man's thigh was broken."
"From Lady W—-, who was in the Duke's carriage, and
within three yards of the spot where the accident happened,
I had the following details, the horror of witnessing which
we were spared through our situation behind the great
carriage. The engine had stopped to take in a supply of
water, and several of the gentlemen in the Directors' carriage
had jumped out to look about them. Lord W—, Count
Batthyany, Count Matuscenitz, and Mr. Huskisson among
the rest were standing talking in the middle of the road
25
Avlieii an engine on tlie other line, which was parading up
and down merely to show its speed, was seen coming down
upon them like lightning. The most active of those in peril
sprang back into their seats; Lord W. saved his life only
by rushing behind the Luke's carriage, Count Matuscenitz
had but just leaped into it, with the engine all but touching
his heels as he did so; while poor Mr. Huskisson, less
active from the effects of age and ill health, bewildered too
by the frantic cries of 4 Stop the engine ! Clear the track ! '
that resounded on all sides, completely lost his head, looked
helplessly to the right and left, and was instantaneously
prostrated by the fatal machine, which dashed down like a
thunderbolt upon him and passed over his leg, smashing
and mangling it in the most horrible way. (Lady W—
said she distinctly heard the crushing of the bone.) So
terrible was the effect of the appalling accident that except
that ghastly 'crushing' and poor Mrs. Huskisson's piercing
shriek, not a sound was heard or a word uttered among the
immediate spectators of the catastrophe. Lord W— was
the first to raise the poor sufferer, and calling to his aid his
surgical skill, which is considerable, be tied up the severed
artery, and for a time at least prevented death by a loss of
blood. Mr. Huskisson was then placed in a carriage,
with his wife and Lord W—, and the engine having been
detached from the Directors' carriage, conveyed them to
Manchester. So great was the shock produced on the whole
party by this event, that the Luke of Wellington declared
his intention not to proceed, but to return immediately to
Liverpool. However, upon its being represented to him
that the whole population of Manchester had turned out to
witness the procession, and that a disappointment might
give rise to riots and disturbances, he consented to go on,
and gloomily enough the rest of the journey was accom¬
plished. We had intended returning to Liverpool by the
railroad, but Lady W—, who seized upon me in the midst
of the crowd, persuaded us to accompany her home, which
we gladly did. Lord W— did not return till past ten
o'clock, at which hour he brought the intelligence of Mr.
Huskisson's death. I need not tell you of the sort of
whispering awe which this event threw over our circle ;
and yet great as was the horror excited by it, I could not
help feeling how evanescent the effect of it was after all.
26
The shuddering terror of seeing our fellow-craatures thus
struck down by our side, and the breathless thankfulness
for our own preservation, rendered the first evening of our
party at Heaton almost solemn ; but the next day the
occurrence became a subject of earnest, it is true, but free
discussion ; and after that, was alluded to with almost as
little apparent feeling as if it had not passed under our eyes,
and within the space of a few hours."
MRS. BLACKBURNE'S PRESENTIMENT.
Miss Kemble was mistaken in stating Mr. lfuskisson
after his accident was removed to Manchester. He was
conveyed to the vicarage at Eccles, near Manchester. Of
the Vicar's wife, Dean Stanley's mother thus writes.
(January 17th, 1832) :—"There is one person who interests
mo very much, Mrs. Tom Blackbume, the Vicaress of
Eccles, who received poor Mr. Huskisson, and immortalised
herself by her activity, sense, and conduct throughout." A
writer in the Cornhill Magazine, for March, 1884, referring
to the opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway,
remarks :—" In celebration of this experiment for even
then moat people only looked upon it as a doubtful thing,
the houses of the adjacent parts of Lancashire were filled
with guests. Mr. John Blackbume, M.P., asked his brother
and sister-in-law, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Blackbume, to stay
at Hale Hall, near Liverpool, (which his ancestors in the
direct line had possessed since 1199), and to go with his
party to the ceremony and fetes of the day.
The invitation was accepted, and Mr. and Mrs. Blackbume
went to Hale. Now, however, occurred one of those strange
circumstances utterly condemned by critics of fiction as
'unreal,' 'unnatural,' or 'impossible'; only in this case it
happened to be true, in spite of all these epithets. Mrs.
Blackbume, rather strong-minded than otherwise, at all
events one of the last women in the world to be affected by
imagination, became possessed by an unmistakeable pre¬
sentiment, which made her feel quite sure that her jrresence
was required at home ; and she went home at once. There
were difficulties in her way ; every carriage was required, but
she would go. She drove to Warrington, and from thence
' took boat ' up the Irwell to Eccles. Canal boats were then
regular conveyances, divided into first and second classes.
•27
Inhere were no mobs or excitement anywhere on the 14tii,
and Mrs. Blackburne got quickly to Eccles without any
adventures. When there, except that one of her children
was unwell, she could find nothing wrong or in the least
likely to account for the presentiment which had driven her
home in spite of all the natural enough ridicule of her
husband and friends at Hale.
44 Early on the morning of the loth, an incident occurred,
the narration of which may throw some light on the temper
of the times. Mr. Barton, of Swinton, came to say that a
mob was expected to come from Oldham to attack the
Duke of Wellington, then at the height of his unpopularity
among the masses; for just by Eccles three miles of the
line was left unguarded. 4 Could Mr. Blackburne say what
was to be done '1 '
"My husband is away.'said the Vicaress, 4 but I know
that about fifty special constables were out last year, the
very men for this work, if their licences have not expired.'
4 Never mind licences,' replied Mr. Barton, with a superb
indifference to form, quite natural under the circumstances.
4 Where can I find the men 'I '
4 Oh,' replied Mrs, Blackburne, 41 cau get the men for
you.'
Mr. Barton hesitated, but soon with gratitude accepted
the offer, and with the help of the churchwardens and
constables 4 a guard for the Duke ' was soon collected on
the bridge of Eccles, armed with staves and clubs, to be
dispersed along the line.
44 This done, she had a tent put up for herselfand children,
with whom were Lord Wilton's little daughters, the Ladies
Elizabeth and Katherine Egerton, and their governess. The
tent was just above the cuttiug and looked down on to it,
and they would have a good.view of the first train, expected
to pass about eleven o'clock. The morning wore on, the
crowds were increasing, and low murmurs of wonder were
heard. It was thought that the experiment had failed. A
few of the villagers came into the field, but none troubled
the little band of watchers. The bright sunshine had passed
away and it had become dark, with large hot drops ot rain,
forerunners of a coining thunderstorm. The people lined
the whole of the way from Manchester to Liverpool, and,
as far as the eye could reach, faces were seen anxiously
58
looking towards Liverpool. Suddenly a strange roar was
lieard from the crowd, not a cheer of triumph, hut a pro¬
longed wail, beginning at the farthest point of travelling
along the swarming banks like the incoming swirl of a
breaker as it runs upon a gravelled beach.
Like a true woman, her first thought was for her husband,
as Mrs. Blackburne heard the words repeated on all sides,
' An accident ' ! ' The Vicarage ' 1 She flew across the field
to the gate, and met a sad procession bringing in a sorely-
wounded yet quite conscious man. She saw in a moment
that he had medals on his coat and had been very tall, so
that it could not be as she feared. The relief of that moment
may be imagined. Then the quiet presence of mind, by
practice habitual to her, and the ready flow of sympathy
left her no time to think of anything but the suflferer, who
said to her pathetically, 'I shall not trouble you long!'
She had not only the will, but the power to help, even to
supplying from her own medicine chest and stores, kept for
the poor, everything that the surgeons required.
" It was Lord Wilton who suggested the removal of Mr.
Huskisson to Eccles Vicarage, and improvised a tourniquiet
on the spot, while soon the medical men who were in the
train did what they could for him. Mr. Blackburne, as will
be remembered, was not with his wife, and only the pre¬
sentiment which had brought Mrs. Blackburne home had
given the means of so readily and quickly obtaining surgical
necessaries and rest. Mr. Blackburne writing to his
mother-in-law the day after this accident, referring to Mr.
Huskisson, remarks :—'To the last he retained his senses.
Lord Granville says when the dying man heard Wilton
propose to take him to this house he exclaimed, ' Pray take
me there ; there I shall indeed be taken care of,'
" But fancy my horror! Not one word did 1 know of his
being here till I had passed the place, and was literally eating
my luncheon at Manchester ! In vain did I try to get a con¬
veyance, till at last the Duke of Wellington sent to me and
ordered his car to start, and I came with him back, he
intending to come here ; but the crowd was so immense that
the police dared not let him get out. To be sure, when my
people on the bridge saw me standing with him, they did
shout, 'That's as it should be—Vicar for us'1 He said,
' These people seem to know you well.'
2 Ô
Entre nom, at the door I met my love, and after a good
cry (I don't know which was the greatest fool !) set to work.
The poor fellow was glad to see me, and never shall I forget
the scene, his poor wife holding his head, and the great
men weeping, for they all wept ! He then received the
Sacrament, added some codicils to his will, and seemed
perfectly resigned. But his agonies were dreadful ! Bansome
says they must have been so. He expired at nine. We
never left him till he breathed his last. Poor woman!
How she lamented bis loss ! yet her struggles to bear with
fortitude are wonderful. I wish you could have heard him
exclaim, after my petition 'Forgive us onr trespasses as we
forgive , . ' I have not the smallest ill-will to any one
person in the whole world.' They stay here till Saturday,
when they begin the sad journey to convey him to Sussex.
They wanted to bury him at Liverpool, but she refused.
I forgot to tell you that he told Lawrence before starting
that he wished he were safe back.'
Mr. Huskisson was not buried at Chichester, for, at last,
Mrs. Huskisson consented to the popular wish that his body
might have a public funeral at Liverpool, where a statue of
him by Gibson now stands in the cemetery."
elevated sight-seers wishing to descend.
»
Sir J. A. Picton, in his Memorials of Liverpool, relates
an amusing incident connected with the opening of the
railway at that town :—" On the opening of the railway,"
he remarks, " Of course, every poiut and ' coin of vantage '
from whence the procession could be best seen was eagerly
availed of. A tolerably high chimney had recently been
built upon the railway ground, affording a sufficient plat¬
form on the scaffolding at the top for the accommodation of
two or three persons. Two gentlemen connected with the
engineer's department took advantage of this crowning
eminence to obtain a really 'bird's eye view' of the whole
proceedings. They were wound up by the tackle used in
hoisting the bricks, and enjoyed the perspective from their
airy height to their hearts' content. When all was over,
they, of course, wished to descend, and gave the signal to be
let down again ; but alas ! there was no response. The
man in charge, excited by the events of the day, confused
so
by the sorrowful news by which it was closed, and, it may
be, oblivious from other causes, had utterly forgotten his
engagement and gone home. Here was a prospect ! The
shades of evening were gathering, the multitudes departing,
and every probability of being obliged to act the part of
St. Simeon of Stylites very involuntarily. Despair added
force and strength to their lungs, and at length—their con¬
dition and difficulty having attracted attention—they were
relieved from their unpleasant predicament."
THE DUKE'S CARRIAGE.
A correspondent of the Athenceim, in 1830, speaking of
the carriage prepared for the Duke of Wellington at the
opening of the Liverpool and Manchester railway, remarks :
"It rather resembled an eastern pavilion than anything
our northern idea considers a carriage. The floor is 32 feet
long by 8 wide, gilt pillars support a crimson canopy 24
feet long, and it might for magnitude be likened to the car
of Juggernaut; yet this huge machine, with the preceding
steam engine, moved along at its own fiery will even more
swimmingly, a "thing of heart and mind," than a ship on
the ocean."
LORD BROUGHAM'S SPEECH.
At a dinner given at Liverpool in celebration of the
opening of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, Lord
Brougham thus discourses upon the memorable event and
the death of Mr. Haskisson:—" When I saw the difficulties
of space, as it were, overcome; when I beheld a kind of
miracle exhibited before my astonished eyes; when I saw
the rocks excavated and the gigantic power of man penetra¬
ting through miles of the solid mass, and gaining a great,
a hasting, an almost perennial concjuest over the powers of
nature by his skill and industry : when I contemplated all
this, was it possible for me to avoid the reflections which
crowded into my mind, not in praise of man's great success,
not in admiration of the genius and perseverance he had
displayed, or even of the courage he had shown in setting
himself against the obstacles that matter afforded to his
course—no ! but the melancholy reflection that these pro¬
digious efforts of the human race, so fruitful of praise but
so much more fruitful of lasting blessing to mankind, have
M
forced'a tear from my eye by that unhappy casuality which
deprived me of a friend and you of a representative ! "
AN EARLY RIDE ON TILE LIVERPOOL AND MANCHESTER RAILWAY.
No account of its first beginnings would, however, be
complete for our time, which did not also give an idea of
the impressions produced on one travelling over it before
yet the novelty of the thing had quite worn away. It was
a long time, comparatively, after September, 1830, before
the men who had made a trip over the railroad ceased to be
objects of deep curiosity. Here is the account of his
experience by one of these far-travelled men, with all its
freshness still lingering about it
"Although the whole passage between Liverpool and
Manchester is a series of enchantments, surpassing any in
the Arabian Nights, because they are realities, not fictions,
yet there are epochs in the transit which are peculiarly
exciting. These are the startings, the ascents, the descents,
the tunnels, the Chat Moss, the meetings. At the instant
of starting, or rather before, the automaton belches forth
an explosion of steam, and seems for a second or two
quiescent. But quicklv the explosions are reiterated, with
shorter and .'shorter intervals, till they become too rapid to
be counted, though still distinct. These belchings or
explosions more nearly resemble the pantings of a lion or
tiger than any sound that has ever vibrated on my ear.
During the ascent they became slower and slower, till the
automaton actually labours like an animal out of breath,
from the tremendous efforts to gain the highest point of
elevation. The progression is proportionate; and before
the said point is gained, the train is not moving faster than
a horse can pace. With the slow motion cf the mighty and
animated machiue, the breathing becomes more laborious,
the growl more distinct, till at length the animal appears
exhausted and groans like the tiger when overpowered in
combat by the buffalo.
, " The moment that the height is reached and the descent
commences, the pantings rapidly increase ; the engine with
its train starts off with augmenting velocity; and in a few
seconds it is flying down the declivity like lightning, and
with a uniform growl or roar, like a continuous discharge of
distant artillery.
32
" At this period, the whole train is going at the rate of
thirty-five or forty miles an hour ! I was on the outside,
and in front of the first carriage, just over the engine. The
scene was magnificent, I had almost said terrific. Although
it was a dead calm, the wind appeared to be blowing a hur¬
ricane, such was the velocity with which we darted through
the air. Yet all was steady ; and there was something in
the precision of the machinery that inspired a decree of
confidence over fear—of safety over danger. A man may
travel from the Pole to the Equator, from the Straits of
Malacca to the Isthmus of Darien, and he will see nothing
so astonishing as this. The pangs of Etna and Vesuvius
excite feelings of horror as well as of terror; the convulsion
of the elements during a thunderstorm carries with it nothiDg
but pride, much less of pleasure, to counteract the awe
inspired by the fearful workings of pertnrbed nature ; but
the scene which is here presented, and which I cannot
adequately describe, engenders a proud consciousness of
superiority in human ingenuity, more intense and convincing
than any effort or product of the poet, the painter, the
philosopher, or the divine. The projections or transits of
the train through the tunnels or arches are very electrifying.
The deafening peal of thunder, the sudden immersion in
gloom, and the clash of reverberated sounds in confined
space combine to produce a momentary shudder or idea of
destruction—a thrill of annihilation, which is instantly
dispelled on emerging into the cheerful light.
" The meetings or crossings of the steam trains flying in
opposite directions are scarcely less agitating to the nerves
than their transits through the tunnels. The velocity of
their course, the propinquity or apparent identity of the
iron orbits along which these meteors move, call forth the
involuntary but fearful thought of a possible collision, with
all its horrible consequences. The period of suspense,
however, though exquisitely painful, is but momentary;
and in a few seconds the object of terror is far out of sight
behind." •
"Nor is the rapid passage across Chat Moss unworthy
of notice. The ingenuity with which two narrow rods of
iron are made to bear whole trains of wagons, laden with
many hundred tons of commerce, and bounding across a
wide semi-fluid morass, previously impassible by man or
beast, is beyond all praise and deserving of eternal record.
Only conceive a slender bridge of two minute iron rails,
several miles in length, level as Waterloo, elastic as whale¬
bone, yet firm as adamant ! Along this splendid triumph
of human genius—this veritable via triumphalis—the train
of carriages bounds with the velocity of the stricken deer;
the vibrations of the resilient moss causing the ponderous
engine and its enormous suite to glide along the surface of
an extensive quagmire as safely as a practised skater skims
the icy mirror of a frozen lake.
" The first class or train is the most fashionable, but the
second or third are the most amusing. I travelled one day
from Liverpool to Manchester in the lumber train. Many
of the carriages were occupied by the swinish multitude,
and others by a multitude of swine. These last were
naturally vociferous if not eloquent. It is evident that the
other passengers would have been considerably annoyed by
the orators of this last group, had there not been stationed
in each carriage an officer somewhat analogous to the Usher
of the Black Rod, but whose designation on the railroad I
found to be ' Comptroller of the Gammon.' No sooner did
one of the long-faced gentlemen raise his note too high, or
wag his jaw too long, than the f Comptroller of the Gam¬
mon ' gave him a whack over the snout with the butt end
of his shillelagh ; a snubber which never failed to stop his
oratory for the remainder of the journey."
To one familiar with the history of railroad legislation
the last paragraph is peculiarly significant. For years after
the railroad system was inaugurated, and until legislation
was invoked to compel something better, the companies
persisted in carrying passengers of the third class in un¬
covered carriages, exposed to all weather, and with no
more decencies or comforts than were accorded to swine.
EARLY RAILWAY TRAVELLING.
A writer in Notes and Queries remarks:—"On looking
over a diary kept by my father during two journeys north¬
ward in 1830-31,1 thought the readers might be amused
with his account of what he saw of railway travelling, then
in its infancy :—
Wednesday, Oct. 27th, 1830.—Left Manchester at ten
o'clock by the railroad for Liverpool. We enter upon it by
a staircase through the office from the street at present,
but there will, I suppose, be an open entrance by-and-bye;
they have built extensive warehouses adjoining. We were
two hours and a half going to Liverpool (about thirty-two
miles), and I must think the advantages have been a good
deal overrated, for, prejudice apart, I think most people
will allow that expedition' is the only real advantage gained ;
the road itself is ugly, though curious and wonderful as a
work of art. Near Liverpool it is cut very deeply through
rock, and there is a long tunnel which leads into a yard
where Omnibusses Avait to convey passengers to the inns.
The tunnel is too low for the engines at present in use, and
the carriages are drawn through it by donkeys. The engines
are calculated to draw fifty tons I cannot say
that I at all liked it ; the speed was too great to be pleasant,
and makes you rather giddy, and certainly it is not smoother
and easier than a good turnpike road. When the carriages
stop or go on, a very violent jolting takes place, from the
ends of the carriages jostling together. I have heard many
say they prefer a horse-coach, but the majority are in favour
of the railroad, and they will, no douhf, knock up the
coaches."
"Monday, Sept. 12, 1831.—Left Manchester by coach at
ten o'clock, and arrived in Liverpool at half-past two. . .
The railroad is not supposed to answer vastly well, but they
are making a branch to Warrington, which will hurt the
Sankey Navigation, and throw 1,500 men out of employ¬
ment ; these people are said to be loud in their execrations
of it, and to threaten revenge. It is certain the proprietors
clo not all feel easy about it, as one living at Warrington
35
lias determined never to go by it, and was coming to Liver¬
pool by our coach if there liad been room. He would gladly
sell his shares. A dividend of 4 per cent had been paid for
six months, but money had been borrowed. . . Charge
for tonnage of goods, 10s. for thirty-two miles, which appears
very dear to me."
ckabb bobinson's first railway journey.
" June 9th, 1833.—(Liverpool). At twelve o'clock I got
upon an omnibus, and was driven up a steep hill to the
place where the steam carriages start. We travelled in the
second class of carriages. There were five carriages linked
together, in each of which were placed open seats for the
travellers, four or five facing each other ; but not all were
full ; and, besides, there was a close carriage, and also a
machine for luggage. The fare was four shillings for the
thirty-one miles. Everything went on so rapidly that I
had scarcely the power of observation. The road begins
at an excavation through a rock, and is to a certain extent
insulated from the adjacent country. It is occasionally
placed on bridges, and frequently intersected by ordinary
roads. Not quite a perfect level is preserved. On setting-
off there is a slight jolt, arising from the chain, catching each
carriage, but once in motion, we proceeded as smoothly as
possible. For a minute or two the pace is gentle, and is
constantly varying. The machine produces little smoke or
steam. First in order is the tall chimney ; then the boiler,
a barrel-like vessel ; then an oblong reservoir of water; then
a vehicle for coals; and then comes, of a length infinitely
extendible, the train of carriages. If all the seats had been
tilled, our train would have carried about 150 passengers;
but a gentleman assured me at Chester that he went with
a thousand persons to Newton fair. There must have been
two engines then. I have heard since that two thousand
persons or more went to and from the fair that day. But
two thousand only, at three shillings each way, would
36
liave produced £600 ! But, after all, the expense is so
great that it is considered uncertain whether the establish-
•o
ment will ultimately remunerate the proprietors. Yet I
have heard that it already yields the shareholders a dividend
•of nine per cent. And Bills have passed for making rail¬
roads between London and Birmingham, and Birmingham
and Liverpool. What a change it will produce in the
intercourse ! One conveyance will take between 100 and
200 passengers, and the journey will be made in a forenoon !
Of the rapidity of the journey I had better experience on
my return ; but I may say now that, stoppages included, it
may certainly be made at the rate of twenty miles an hour !
" I should have observed before that the most remarkable
movements of the journey are those in which trains pass
■one another. The rapidity is such that there is no recogniz¬
ing the features of a traveller. On several occasions, the
noise of the passing engine was like the whizzing of a
rocket. Guards are stationed in the road, holding flags, to
give notice to the drivers when to stop. Near Newton 1
noticed an inscription recording the memorable death of
lluskisson,—Cr abb Robinson's Diary,
Crown Bvo., 3s. öd.
"RAILWAY ADVENTURES AND ANECDOTES."
EXTENDING OVER MORE THAN FIFTY YEARS.
Edited by BICHABD PIKE.
It is just the sort of book to be taken into companionship of those
who have been worried through half the year with business, and to
-whom the sensational novel is just as great a bore as the Chancellor of
the Exchequer's exposition of his budget.—St. y ames'' Gamite.
The book itself is a kind of bird's-eye view of railways from their
first introduction up to the present time. The anecdotes are remarkably
well told.—/ ublic Opinion.
Wherever the reader may chance to open the book he is sure to find
something of interest-—Scotsman.
It is unique of its sort, and may well claim to be the only bana-ftde
railway anecdote book published on either side of the Atlantic.
—Liverpool Mercury.