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The life of George Stephenson and of his son Robert Stephenson
The life of George Stephenson and of his son Robert Stephenson Author:Samuel Smiles Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: nan- Chap.I.] ORIGIN OF THE RAILWAY. 51 fled into a neighboring wood for concealment, and lay there perdu for thrfee days ancfnights, to escape the fury of... more » the populace. The plates of these early tram-ways had a ledge cast on their outer edge to guide the wheel along the road, after the manner shown in the preceding cut. In 1789, Mr. William Jessop constructed a railway at Lot borough, in Leicestershire, and there introduced the cast-i edge-rail, with flanches. cast -upon the tire of the wagon-wheels to keep them on the track, instead of having the margin or flanch cast upon the rail itself; and this plan was shortly after adopted in other places. In 1800, Mr. Benjamin Outram, of Little Eaton, Derbyshire (father of the distinguished General Outram), used stone props instead of timber for supporting the ends or joinings of the rails. Thus the use of railroads, in various forms, gradually extended, until they became generally adopted in the mining districts. Such was the growth of the railroad, which, it will be observed, originated in necessity, and was modified according to experience; progress in this, as in all departments of mechanics, having been effected by the exertions of many men; one generation entering upon the labors of that which preceded it, and carrying them onward to farther stages of improvement. The invention of the locomotive was in like manner made by successive steps. It was not the invention of one man, but of a succession of men, each working at the proper hour, and according to the needs of that hour; one inventor interpreting only the first word of the problem which his successors were to solve after long and laborious efforts and experiments. " The locomotive is not the invention of one man," said Robert Stephenson at Newcastle," but of a natio...« less