Railway Adventures and Anecdotes - extending over more than fifty years

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• Publié par: irkui
• Publié le: 08 décembre 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 43
• Langue: English

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The Project Gutenberg eBook, Railway Adventures and Anecdotes, by Various,
Edited by Richard Pike
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Title: Railway Adventures and Anecdotes
extending over more than fifty years
Author: Various
Editor: Richard Pike
Release Date: February 25, 2010 [eBook #31395]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)
***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK RAILWAY ADVENTURES AND ANECDOTES***
This ebook was transcribed by Les Bowler.
RAILWAY ADVENTURES
AND ANECDOTES:
extending over more than fifty
years.
EDITED BY RICHARD PIKE.
THIRD EDITION.

“The only bona fide Railway Anecdote Book published
on either side of the Atlantic.”—Liverpool Mercury.

London: Hamilton, Adams, and Co.
Nottingham: J. Derry.

1888.p. 2nottingham:
j. derby, printer, wheeler gate and hounds gate.
p. 3PREFACE.
Although railways are comparatively of recent date we are so accustomed to
them that it is difficult to realize the condition of the country before their
introduction. How different are the present day ideas as to speed in travelling
to those entertained in the good old times. The celebrated historian, Niebuhr,
who was in England in 1798, thus describes the rapid travelling of that period:
—“Four horses drawing a coach with six persons inside, four on the roof, a sort
of conductor besides the coachman, and overladen with luggage, have to get
over seven English miles in the hour; and as the coach goes on without ever
stopping except at the principal stages, it is not surprising that you can traverse
the whole extent of the country in so few days. But for any length of time this
rapid motion is quite too unnatural. You can only get a very piece-meal view of
the country from the windows, and with the tremendous speed at which you go
can keep no object long in sight; you are unable also to stop at any place.”
Near the same time the late Lord Campbell, travelling for the first time by coach
from Scotland to London, was seriously advised to stay a day at York, as the
rapidity of motion (eight miles per hour) had caused several through-going
passengers to die of apoplexy.
It is stated in the year 1825, there was in the whole world, only one railway
carriage, built to convey passengers. It was on the first railway between
Stockton and Darlington, and bore on its panels the motto—“Periculum
p. 4privatum, publica utilitas.” At the opening of this line the people’s ideas of
railway speed were scarcely ahead of the canal boat. For we are told, “Strange
to say, a man on horseback carrying a flag headed the procession. It was not
thought so dangerous a place after all. The locomotive was only supposed to
go at the rate of from four to six miles an hour; an ordinary horse could easily
keep ahead of that. A great concourse of people stood along the line. Many of
them tried to accompany the procession by running, and some gentlemen on
horseback galloped across the fields to keep up with the engine. At a
favourable part of the road Stephenson determined to try the speed of the
engine, and he called upon the horseman with the flag to get out of his way!
The speed was at once raised to twelve miles an hour, and soon after to fifteen,
causing much excitement among the passengers.”
George Stephenson was greatly impressed with the vast possibilities
belonging to the future of railway travelling. When battling for the locomotive he
seemed to see with true prescience what it was destined to accomplish. “I will
do something in course of time,” he said, “which will astonish all England.”
Years afterwards when asked to what he alluded, he replied, “I meant to make
the mail run between London and Edinburgh by the locomotive before I died,
and I have done it.” Thus was a similar prediction fulfilled, which at the time he
uttered it was doubtless considered a very wild prophecy, “Men shall take
supper in London and breakfast in Edinburgh.”
From a small beginning railways have spread over the four quarters of the
globe. Thousands of millions of pounds have been spent upon their
p. 5construction. Railway contractors such as Peto and Brassey at one time
employed armies of workmen, more numerous than the contending hostsengaged in many a battle celebrated in history. Considering the mighty
revolutions that have been wrought in social affairs and in the commerce of the
world by railways, John Bright was not far wrong when he said in the House of
Commons “Who are the greatest men of the present age? Not your warriors,
not your statesmen. They are your engineers.”
The Railway era, although of modern date, has been rich in adventures and
incidents. Numerous works have been written upon Railways, also memoirs of
Railway Engineers, relating their struggles and triumphs, which have charmed
multitudes of readers. Yet no volume has been published consisting
exclusively of Railway Adventures and Anecdotes. Books having the heading
of Railway Anecdotes, or similar titles, containing few of such anecdotes but
many of a miscellaneous character, have from time to time appeared.
Anecdotes, racy of the Railway calling and circumstances connected with it are
very numerous: they are to be found scattered in Parliamentary Blue Books,
Journals, Biographies, and many out-of-the-way channels. Many of them are
highly instructive, diverting, and mirth-provoking, having reference to persons in
all conditions. The “Railway Adventures and Anecdotes,” illustrating many a
quaint and picturesque scene of railway life, have been drawn from a great
variety of sources. I have for a long time been collecting them, and am willing
to believe they may prove entertaining and profitable to the railway traveller and
the general reader, relieving the tedium of hours when the mind is not disposed
to grapple with profounder subjects.
p. 6The romance of railways is in the past and not in the future. How desirable
then it is that a well written history of British Railways should speedily be
produced, before their traditions, interesting associations, and early workers
shall be forgotten. A work of such magnitude would need to be entrusted to a
band of expert writers. With an able man like Mr. Williams, the author of Our
Iron Roads, and the History of the Midland Railway, presiding over the
enterprise, a history might be produced which would be interesting to the
present and to future generations. The history although somewhat voluminous
would be a necessity to every public and private library. Many of our railway
companies might do worse than contribute £500 or £1000 each to encourage
such an important literary undertaking. It would give an impetus to the study of
railway matters and it is not at all unlikely in the course of a short time the
companies would be recouped for their outlay.
Before concluding, it is only right I should express my grateful
acknowledgments to the numerous body of subscribers to this work. Among
them are noblemen of the highest rank and distinction, cabinet ministers,
members of Parliament, magistrates, ministers of all sections of the Christian
church, merchants, farmers, tradesmen, and artisans. Through their helpful
kindness my responsibility has been considerably lightened, and I trust they
will have no reason to regret that their confidence has been misplaced.
p. 7CONTENTS.
A.B.C. and D.E.F. 171
Accident, Abergele, The 220
,, Beneficial Effect of a Railway 186
,, Extraordinary 128,, ,, 265
,, Remarkable 172
,, Versailles, The 96
Action, A Novel 255
Advantages of Railway Tunnels 126
Advertisement, Remarkable 124
Adventure, Remarkable 146
Affrighted Toll Keeper 19
Agent, The Insurance 269
Air-ways, instead of Railways 83
Alarmist Views 28
Almost Dar Now 122
American Patience and Imperturbability 183
A’penny a Mile 170
Army with Banners, An 207
Atmospheric Railroad Anticipated 14
Baby Law 216
Balloonists, Extraordinary Escape of 275
Bavarian Guards and Bavarian Beer 198
Bill, Expensive Parliamentary 102
,, First Railway 16
Bishop, A Disingenuous 267
,, An Industrious 248
Blunder, An Extraordinary 254
Bookshops, Growth of Station 130
Booking-Clerk and Buckland, The 248
Bookstalls, Messrs. Smith’s 131
Brahmin, The Polite 260
Bride’s Lost Luggage, A 142
Brassey’s, Mr., Strict Adherence to his Word 264
Brougham’s, Lord, Speech 60
Box, Shut up in a large 273
Buckland’s, Mr. Frank, First Railway Journey 175
Buckland, Mr. Frank, and his Boots 261
Bridge, Awful Death on a Railroad 273
Bully Rightly Served, The 190
Burning the Road Clear 179Business, Railway Facilities for 118
Calculation as to Railway Speed 28
Capture, Clever 105
Catastrophe 165
Carlist Chief as a Sub-contractor, A 213
Carriage, The Duke’s 60
Casuality, Curious 193
Chase after a Runaway Engine, A 136
Child’s Idea on