In the year 1819, Thomas Gray—a deep thinker with a mind of comprehensive
grasp—was travelling in the North of England when he saw a train of
coal-wagons drawn by steam along a colliery tramroad. “Why,” he
questioned the engineer, “are not these tramroads laid down all over
England, so as to supersede our common roads, and steam engines employed
to convey goods and passengers along them, so as to supersede horse
power?” The engineer replied, “Just propose you that to the nation, sir,
and see what you will get by it! Why, sir, you will be worried to death
for your pains.” Nothing daunted by this reply, Thomas Gray could
scarcely think or talk upon any other subject. In vision he saw the
country covered with a network of tramroads. Before his time the famous
Duke of Bridgewater might have some misgivings about his canals. It is
related on a certain occasion some one said to him, “You must be making
handsomely out of your canals.” “Oh, yes,” grumbled he in reply, “they
will last my time, but I don’t like the look of these tramroads; there’s
mischief in them.” Mr. Gray, with prophetic eye, saw the great changes
which the iron railway would make in the means of transit throughout the
civilized world. In 1820 he brought out his now famous work, entitled
“Observations on a General Iron Railway, or Land Steam Conveyance, to
supersede the necessity of horses in all public vehicles; showing its
vast superiority in every respect over all the present pitiful methods of
conveyance by Turnpike-roads, Canals, and Coasting Traders: containing
every species of information relative to Railroads and Locomotive
Engines.” The book is illustrated by a plate exhibiting different kinds
of carriages drawn on the railway by locomotives. He evidently
anticipated that the locomotive of the future would be capable of going
at a considerable speed, for on the plate is engraved these lines:—
“No speed with this can fleetest horse compare;
No weight like this canal or vessel bear.
As this will commerce every way promote,
To this let sons of commerce grant their vote.”
Mr. Gray in his book exhibits a marvellous insight into the wants and
requirements of the country. He remarks, “The plan might be commenced
between the towns of Manchester and Liverpool, where a trial could soon
be made, as the distance is not very great, and the commercial part of
England would thereby be better able to appreciate its many excellent
properties and prove its efficacy. All the great trading towns of
Lancashire and Yorkshire would then eagerly embrace the opportunity to
secure so commodious and easy a conveyance, and cause branch railways to
be laid down in every possible direction. The convenience and economy in
the carriage of the raw material to the numerous manufactories
established in these counties, the expeditious and cheap delivery of
piece goods bought by the merchants every week at the various markets,
and the despatch in forwarding bales and packages to the outposts cannot
fail to strike the merchant and manufacturer as points of the first
importance. Nothing, for example, would be so likely to raise the ports
of Hull, Liverpool, and Bristol to an unprecedented pitch of prosperity
as the establishment of railways to those ports, thereby rendering the
communication from the east to the west seas, and all intermediate
places, rapid, cheap, and effectual. Anyone at all conversant with
commerce must feel the vast importance of such an undertaking in
forwarding the produce of America, Brazils, the East and West Indies,
etc., from Liverpool and Bristol, _via_ Hull, to the opposite shores of
Germany and Holland, and, _vice versa_, the produce of the Baltic, _via_
Hull, to Liverpool and Bristol. Again, by the establishment of morning
and evening mail steam carriages, the commercial interest would derive
considerable advantage; the inland mails might be forwarded with greater
despatch and the letters delivered much earlier than by the extra post;
the opportunity of correspondence between London and all mercantile
places would be much improved, and the rate of postage might be generally
diminished without injuring the receipts of the post office, because any
deficiency occasioned by a reduction in the postage would be made good by
the increased number of journeys which mail steam carriages might make.
The London and Edinburgh mail steam carriages might take all the mails
and parcels on the line of road between these two cities, which would
exceedingly reduce the expense occasioned by mail coaches on the present
footing. The ordinary stage coaches, caravans, or wagons, running any
considerable distance along the main railway, might also be conducted on
peculiarly favourable terms to the public; for instance, one steam engine
of superior power would enable its proprietors to convey several coaches,
caravans, or wagons, linked together until they arrive at their
respective branches, when other engines might proceed on with them to
their destination. By a due regulation of the departure and arrival of
coaches, caravans, and wagons along these branches the whole
communication throughout the country would be so simple and so complete
as to enable every individual to partake of the various productions of
particular situations, and to enjoy, at a moderate expense every
improvement introduced into society. The great economy of such a measure
must be obvious to everyone, seeing that, instead of each coach changing
horses between London and Edinburgh, say twenty-five times, requiring a
hundred horses, besides the supernumerary ones kept at every stage in
case of accidents, the whole journey of several coaches would be
performed with the simple expense of one steam engine. No animal
strength will be able to give that uniform and regular acceleration to
our commercial intercourse which may be accomplished by railways; however
great animal speed, there cannot be a doubt that it would be considerably
surpassed by mail steam carriages, and that the expense would be
infinitely less. The exorbitant charge now made for small parcels
prevents that natural intercourse of friendship between families resident
in different parts of the kingdom, in the same manner as the heavy
postage of letters prevents free communication, and consequently
diminishes very considerably the consumption of paper which would take
place under a less burdensome taxation.”
Mr. Gray’s book would no doubt excite ridicule and amazement when
published sixty years ago. The farmers of that day might well be excused
for incredulity when perusing a passage like the following:—“The present
system of conveyance,” says Mr. Gray, “affords but tolerable
accommodation to farmers, and the common way in which they attend markets
must always confine them within very limited distances. It is, however,
expected that the railway will present a suitable conveyance for
attending market-towns thirty or forty miles off, as also for forwarding
considerable supplies of grain, hay, straw, vegetables, and every
description of live stock to the metropolis at a very easy expense, and
with the greatest celerity, from all parts of the kingdom.”
A writer in Chambers’s Journal, 1847, remarks:—“It was not until after
four or five years of agitation, and several editions of Mr. Gray’s work
had been published and successively commented upon by many newspapers,
that commercial men were roused to give the proposed scheme its first
great trial on the road between Liverpool and Manchester. The success of
that experiment, insured by the engineering skill of Stephenson, was the
signal for all that has since been done both in this island and in other
parts of the world. Unfortunately, the public has been too busy these
many years in making railways to inquire to whom it owes its gratitude
for having first expounded and advocated their claims; and probably there
are few men now living who have served the public as effectually, with so
little return in the way of thanks or applause, as Mr. Thomas Gray, the
proposer in 1820 of a general system of transit by railways.”
Poor Gray! He was far ahead of his times. Public men called him a bore,
and people in Nottingham, where he resided, said he was cracked. The
_Quarterly Review_ declared such persons are not worth our notice, and
the _Edinburgh Review_ said “Put him in a straight jacket.” Thus the
world is often ignorant of its greatest benefactors. Gray died in
poverty. His widow and daughters earned their living by teaching a small
school at Exeter.