DESCRIBES ENGINEERING DIFFICULTIES, A PERPLEXING CASE, AND A HARMONIOUS
MEETING.
Captain Lee's object in visiting London was twofold. He went there
primarily to attend the half-yearly general meeting of the Grand
National Trunk Railway, and secondarily, to accompany his friend Edwin
Gurwood to the Railway Clearing-House, in which establishment he had
been fortunate enough to secure for him a situation.
The various circumstances which contributed to the bringing about of an
intimacy between Captain Lee and young Gurwood are partly known to the
reader. It was natural that the captain should feel some sort of regard
for one who had twice shown himself so ready to spring to his assistance
in the hour of danger; but that which weighed still more strongly with
the old sailor--who had been a strict disciplinarian and loved a zealous
man--was the energy, with which Edwin threw himself into the work of the
department of the railway, in which he had first been placed. Perhaps
if the captain had known the motives and the hopes which actuated the
youth he might have regarded him with very different feelings! We know
not--and it matters little now.
As a clerk in the Engineers' office, Edwin had, in a few weeks, evinced
so much talent and aptitude for the work as to fill his patron's heart
with delight. He possessed that valuable quality which induces a man--
in Scripture language--to look not only on his own things but on the
things of others. He was not satisfied with doing his own work
thoroughly, but became so inquisitive as to the work of his companions
in the office that he acquired in a short time as much knowledge as some
of these companions had acquired in several years.
The engineer's department of a railway is one which involves some of the
most important operations connected with the line. But indeed the same
may be said of all the departments--passenger, goods, locomotive, and
police, each of which is independent, yet connected. They are separate
wheels, as it were, which work harmoniously together in one grand
system, and the gentlemen at the head of these departments must be men
of experience; of acknowledged talent and power, each supreme in his own
department, but all subject to the general manager.
The engineer-in-chief, who was Edwin Gurwood's superior, had charge of
the entire railway, which was something over one thousand miles in
extent. This vast line was divided into four divisions--namely, the
northern, southern, western, and eastern; each division being under the
superintendence of a resident engineer, who was, of course, subject to
the engineer-in-chief. Each division was about 250 miles long, and was
subdivided into districts varying from thirty to seventy miles. These
were under the charge of inspectors, whose duty it was to travel
constantly over their lengths--almost daily--partly on foot and partly
by train, to see that the line was kept in perfect working order. The
travelling inspectors had under them a large body of "surface-men" or
"plate-layers," men whose duty it was to perform the actual work of
keeping the line in order. They worked in squads of four or five--each
squad having a foreman or gaffer, who was held responsible for the
particular small portion of the line that he and his squad had to attend
to. The average number of surface-men was about two to the mile--so
that the entire staff of these men on the line numbered over two
thousand. Their business was to go over the entire line twice a day,
drive tight the wooden "keys" which held the rails in their chairs, lift
and re-lay broken or worn-out rails and chairs, raise or depress
sleepers wherever these required alteration, so as to make the line
level, and, generally, to keep in thorough repair the "permanent way."
Again, each of the four divisions had an inspector of signals and an
inspector of buildings, the former being responsible for the perfect
working order of all signals, and the latter, who had a few masons,
joiners, slaters, blacksmiths, and others under him, having charge of
all the stations, sheds, and other buildings on the line. Every month
each division engineer sent in to the head office a statement of
material used, and of work done; also a requisition for material
required for future use.
From all this it can easily be understood that Edwin had a fair
opportunity of finding scope for his talents; and he had indeed already
begun to attract notice as an able, energetic fellow, when Captain Lee,
as we have said, procured for him an appointment in the Clearing-House.
On the occasion of the change being made, he invited his young friend to
spend a few days at his residence in Clatterby, and thereafter, as we
have seen, they travelled together to London.
It need scarcely be said that Edwin did not neglect this golden
opportunity to try to win the heart of Emma. Whether he had succeeded
or not he could not tell, but he unquestionably received a strong
additional impulse in his good resolves--to achieve for himself a
position and a wife!
"Gurwood," said Captain Lee, after Mrs Durby had taken her departure,
"I want you to aid me in a little difficulty I have about our mutual
friend, Mrs Tipps. She is ridiculously determined not to accept of
assistance from me, and I find from that excellent nurse that they are
actually up to the lips in poverty--in fact, on the point of going down.
I think from what she said, or, rather from what she didn't say, but
hinted, that her errand to London had something to do with their
poverty, but I can't make it out. Now, I have made up my mind to help
them whether they will or no, and the question I wish to lay before you
is,--how is the thing to be done? Come, you have had some experience of
engineering, and ought to be able to cope with difficulties."
"True," replied Edwin, with a smile, "but to bend a woman's will
surpasses any man's powers of engineering!"
"Come, sir," said the captain, "that is a most ungallant speech from one
so young. You deserve to die an old bachelor. However, I ask you not
to exercise your skill in bending a woman's will, but in bridging over
this difficulty--this Chat Moss, to speak professionally."
"Could you not procure for my friend, Joseph Tipps, a more lucrative
appointment?" said Edwin eagerly, as the idea flashed upon him.
The captain shook his head.
"Won't do, sir; I have thought of that; but, in the first place, I have
not such an appointment to give him at present; in the second place, if
I had, he could not draw his salary in advance, and money is wanted
immediately; and, in the third place, he would not if he had it be able
to spare enough out of any ordinary clerk's salary, because the debts
due by Mrs Tipps amount to fifty pounds--so Mrs Durby said."
"It is indeed perplexing," said Edwin. "Would it not be a good plan to
send them a cheque anonymously?"
Again the captain shook his head.
"Wouldn't do. The old lady would guess who sent it at once. Come, I
will leave it to you to devise a plan. Never could form a plan all my
life, and have no time just now, as I'm going off to the meeting in ten
minutes. I constitute you my agent in this matter, Gurwood. You know
all the circumstances of the case, and also about my bet of five hundred
pounds with the late Captain Tipps. Your fee, if you succeed, shall be
my unending gratitude. There, I give you _carte-blanche_ to do as you
please--only see that you don't fail."
Saying this, the captain put on his hat and went out, leaving Edwin much
amused and not a little perplexed. He was not the man, however, to let
difficulties stand in his way unassailed. He gave the subject
half-an-hour's consideration, after which he formed a plan and
immediately went out to put it into execution.
Meanwhile Captain Lee went to the head offices of the Grand National
Trunk Railway, and entered the large room, where the directors and
shareholders of the Company were already assembled in considerable
numbers to hold a half-yearly general meeting.
It was quite a treat to see the cordial way in which the captain was
received by such of his brother directors as sat near him, and, when he
had wiped his bald head and put on his spectacles, and calmly looked
round the hall, his bland visage appeared to act the part of a
reflector, for, wherever his eyes were turned, there sunshine appeared
to glow. In fact several of the highly sympathetic people present--of
whom there are always a few in every mixed meeting--unconsciously smiled
and nodded as his eye passed over their locality, even although they
were personal strangers to him.
Very various are the feelings which actuate the directors and
shareholders of different railways at these half-yearly gatherings.
Doubtless some directors go to the place of meeting with the feelings of
men who go to execution, and the shareholders go with the feelings of
executioners, if not worse; while other directors and shareholders
unquestionably go to hold something like a feast of reason and a flow of
soul.
The half-yearly meeting we write of was imbued with the latter spirit.
Wisdom and conscientious care had steered the ship and swayed the
councils of the Grand National Trunk Railway, so that things were in
what the captain called a highly flourishing condition. One consequence
was, that the directors wore no defensive armour, and the shareholders
came to the ground without offensive weapons.
Sir Cummit Strong having taken the chair, the secretary read the
advertisement convening the meeting.
The chairman, who was a tall, broad-browed, and large-mouthed man, just
such an one as might be expected to become a railway king, then rose,
and, after making a few preliminary observations in reference to the
report, which was assumed to have been read, moved, "that the said
report and statement of accounts be received and adopted."
"He-ar, he-ar!" exclaimed a big vulgar man, with an oily fat face and a
strong voice, who was a confirmed toady.
"I am quite sure," the chairman continued, "that I have the sympathy of
all in this meeting when I say that the half-year which has just come to
a close has been one of almost unmixed success--"
"He-ar, he-ar!" from the toady.
"And," continued the chairman, with pointed emphasis, and a glance at
the toady, which was meant to indicate that he had put in his oar too
soon, but which the toady construed into a look of gratitude--"_and_ of
very great satisfaction to those whom you have appointed to the
conducting of your affairs."
"He-ar, he-ar!"
Captain Lee, who sat immediately behind the toady and felt his fingers
and toes tingling, lost a good deal of what followed, in consequence of
falling into a speculative reverie, as to what might be the legal
consequences, if he were to put his own hat on the toady's head, and
crush it down over his eyes and mouth.
"Gentlemen," continued the chairman, "there are three points on which we
have reason to congratulate ourselves to-day, namely, the safety, the
efficiency, and the economy with which our railway has been worked. As
regards the first, I find that ten millions of journeys have been
performed on our line during the half-year with hardly a detention, with
very few late trains, at high speeds, and with only one accident, which
was a comparatively slight one, and was unattended with loss of life or
serious damage to any one."
"He-ar, he-ar!" from the toady.
At this point a wag in the distance got up and suggested, in a very weak
voice, that if the toady would say, "he-ar, he-ar!" less frequently,
perhaps they would "he-ar" much better--a suggestion which was received
with a burst of laughter and a round of applause. It effectually
quelled the toady and rendered him innocuous for a considerable time.
"Now," resumed the chairman, "some people appear to think that it is an
easy thing to work a railway in safety, but I can assure you that such
is not the case. Intelligence, care, foresight, and the strictest
discipline, are necessary to secure this result; and, remember, we have
not the advantage of anything so powerful as military discipline to help
us. We have nothing to appeal to save the hopes and fears of our staff;
and we feel it to be our great difficulty, as it is our principal duty,
to be most careful in the selection of the thousands of men who, in
their various positions and vocations, have to be employed in the
conduct of your enterprise.
"I know well," continued Sir Cummit Strong, "how men shudder when
statistics are mentioned in their ears! Nevertheless, I shall venture
to give you a few statistics that will, I am quite sure, prove
interesting--all the more so that the figures which I quote apply to
several other railways--and, therefore, will serve to give those of you
who may chance to be unlearned on railway matters, some idea of the vast
influence which railways have on our land.
"We run on this railway (I use round numbers) about 700 trains a day.
In addition to which we have spare engines and empty trains, which
perhaps ought to be added to the number given. Now, just consider for a
moment the operations which have to be performed daily in the ordinary
working and running of your passenger traffic. These 700 trains stop
about 5000 times in the twenty-four hours, and of course they start the
same number of times. The empty trains and engines have also to stop
and start. We have on the line upwards of 1000 signals, including the
telegraphic signals and auxiliaries. Those signals have to be raised
and lowered 10,000 times in the twenty-four hours. There are on our
line 1700 pairs of points, which have to be opened and shut, to be
cleaned, oiled, and attended to, above 5000 times in the day. In
addition to all this there are the operations of shunting,
carriage-examining, greasing, and other things in connexion with trains
which involve operations amounting to nearly 6000 in number. So that--
apart from repairs to the line and to vehicles--there are above 30,000
individual operations which have to be performed every twenty-four hours
in the conduct of this enormous passenger traffic.
"All this information I have obtained from our able and excellent
passenger-superintendent, than whom there is not a more important
officer in the Company's service, unless, indeed," (here the chairman
turned with a smile and a slight bow to the gentlemen who sat on his
right hand) "I may except the general manager and secretary.
"Well, now, gentlemen, I put it to you, is it surprising that the 6000
men who have to perform these 30,000 operations in the day--amounting to
the vast total of ten millions of operations in the year--is it
surprising, I say, that these 6000 men should now and then fall into
some error of judgment, or make some mistake, or even be guilty of some
negligence? Is it not, on the contrary, most surprising that accidents
are not far more numerous; and does it not seem almost miraculous that
where duties are so severe, the demands made by the public so great--
speed, punctuality, numberless trains by day and night--there should be
only one accident to report this half-year, while last half-year there
were no accidents at all? And does it not seem hard that the public
should insist that we shall be absolutely infallible, and, when the
slightest mistake occurs, should haul us into court and punish us with
demands for compensation for accidents which no human ingenuity or
foresight could prevent?
"Before leaving this subject allow me to direct your attention to the
fogs which occurred this half-year. There were thirty days in which
during a part, if not the whole, of the twenty-four hours we had out our
fog-signal men; that is to say, an additional staff of 300 men, each
with his flag and detonating signals, placed within sight, or within
sound of one another, to assist the ordinary signalmen in the safe
conduct of the traffic. During these fogs the omnibuses had to be
withdrawn from the roads, the steamers had to be moored on the river,
and the traffic on the streets was almost at a standstill, nevertheless
we carried through the fog, in and out of London, above one million six
hundred thousand passengers _without_ _accident_!"
The "hear, hear," which burst from the audience at this point might have
satisfied even the toady himself!
"And yet," continued the chairman, with emphasis, "if a single mishap
had occurred owing to the mistake of any of our half-blinded men, we
should probably have been let in for compensation to the extent perhaps
of 20,000 pounds! Is this fair? If it be so, then one may be tempted
to ask why does not the same `sauce' suit shipowners, many of whom are
notorious for sending to sea unseaworthy craft, and who consign above
one thousand human beings to an untimely grave _every_ _year_ without
being punished in any way or being asked for a farthing of compensation?
"I have already said so much on this point gentlemen, that I shall make
but a few remarks on the other two subjects. Well, then, as to
efficiency. Our carrying ten millions of passengers in safety and
comfort is one proof of that--and, I may remark in passing, that our
receipts for the conveyance of these ten millions amounts to nearly half
a million of money. Another proof of our efficiency lies in the fact
that all the compensation we have had to pay for loss or detention of
luggage has been only 100 pounds. Then as to goods. For merchandise
carried we have received about 150,000 pounds, and the total
compensation for the half-year amounts to only about 660 pounds. Surely
I may say with truth that such facts speak to the regularity and
efficiency of your service.
"If the public only knew the anxiety and care with which its interests
are looked after both by night and by day by our excellent passenger and
goods-managers they would perhaps present each of these gentlemen with a
testimonial piece of plate, and would for evermore lay aside that wicked
and ungrateful idea that railway companies are `fair game,' to be
plundered by every one who receives, or fancies he has received, the
slightest possible amount of damage to limb or property. Railway
companies are not perfect any more than other companies. There are
certain faults, it may be, and weak points, which all of us deplore, and
which are being remedied as fast as experience and the progress of human
knowledge will admit, but I hold, gentlemen, that the management of
railway companies is above the average management of many other
companies. We have much more work--more dangerous work--to do than
other companies, and we do it with much less proportional loss to life,
limb, and property."
"He-ar, he-ar!" burst from the toady in spite of his recent rebuke; but
as it was drowned in a round of hearty applause no one was the wiser or
the worse of his note of approval.
"When I think," continued the chairman, "of the condition this country
was in before the days of railways--which probably most of those present
remember--the ingratitude of the public seems to me utterly
unaccountable. I can only understand it on the supposition that they
have somehow obtained false notions as to the great value of railways
and the great blessing they are to the community.
"Why, our goods-manager informs me that there is a certain noble lord,
whom of course I may not name in public, who has a farm at a
considerable distance out of town. He has a fancy that the milk and
cream produced on his own farm is better than Metropolitan milk and
cream--(laughter). He therefore resolves to have fresh milk and cream
sent in from his farm every morning, and asks us to carry it for him.
We agree; but he further insists that the milk and cream shall be
delivered at his residence punctually at nine a.m. To this we also
agree, because the thing can be done; yet it is sharp practice, for it
is only by the train arriving at its time, punctually to a minute, and
by our horse and van being in readiness to start the instant it is
loaded, that the thing can be accomplished. Now, gentlemen, it is owing
to the extreme care and vigorous superintendence of our goods--I had
almost said our good-manager that that noble lord has never missed his
milk or cream one morning during the last six months. And the same
punctuality attends the milk-delivery of `Brown, Jones, and Robinson,'
for railways, as a rule, are no respecters of persons. Should not this,
I ask, infuse a little of the milk of human kindness into the public
heart in reference to railways?
"Then, consider other advantages. In days not long gone by a few
coaches carried a few hundreds of the more daring among our population
over the land at a high cost and at the truly awful rate of ten miles an
hour. In some cases the break-neck speed of twelve was attained. Most
people preferred to remain at home rather than encounter the fatigues,
risks, and expense of travelling. What are the facts now? Above three
hundred millions of separate journeys are undertaken by rail in the
United Kingdom in one year. Our sportsmen can breakfast in London on
the 11th of August, sup the same night in Scotland, and be out on the
moors on the morning of the 12th. On any afternoon any lady in England
may be charmed with Sir Walter Scott's `Lady of the Lake,' and, if so
minded, she may be a lady on the veritable lake itself before next
evening! Our navvies now travel for next to nothing in luxurious ease
at thirty miles an hour, and our very beggars scorn to walk when they
can travel at one penny a mile. But all this is nothing compared with
our enormous increase of goods traffic throughout the kingdom. I have
not time, nor is this the place, to enlarge on such a subject, but a
pretty good commentary on it exists in the simple fact that on your line
alone, which is not, as you know, the largest of the railways of this
land, the receipts for goods, minerals, and live-stock carried amounted
to 500,000 pounds in the last half-year, as you will see from the
report.
"There is one point to which I would now direct your attention--namely,
the great facilities which we give to residential and season-ticket
holders. I think it a wise and just course to afford the public such
facilities, because it tends to produce a permanent source of traffic by
tempting men, who would otherwise be content to live within walking or
'bus distance of their offices, to go down into the country and build
villas there, and if you extend that sort of arrangement largely, you
cause villages at last to grow into towns, and towns to spread out with
population and with manufactures. I regard our course of action in
regard to season-tickets, therefore, as a sowing of the seed of
permanent and enduring income. The receipts from this source alone, I
am happy to say, amounts to 84,000 pounds."
Captain Lee's spirit had, at the bare mention of season-tickets, gone
careering down the line to Clatterby, in the beautiful suburbs of which
he had the most charming little villa imaginable, but he was abruptly
recalled by a "he-ar, he-ar," from the toady, who was gradually becoming
himself again, and a round of applause from the audience, in which,
having an amiable tendency to follow suit, he joined.
After this the chairman expatiated at some length on the economical
working of the line and on various other subjects of great importance to
the shareholders, but of little interest to the general reader; we will
therefore pass them all by and terminate our report of this meeting with
the chairman's concluding remark, which was, that, out of the free
revenue, after deduction of the dividends payable on guaranteed and
preference stocks and other fixed charges, the directors recommended the
payment of a dividend on the ordinary stock of six and a half per cent.
It need scarcely be said that this latter statement was received with
hearty applause and with an irrepressible "he-ar, he-ar!" from the
toady, which was not only tolerated by the meeting, but echoed by the
wag in the distance, who, though his words that day had been few, had
done the shareholders good service nevertheless, inasmuch as he had
quelled, to some extent the propensities of a self-sufficient "bore."
Lest the reader should regard us as a statistical bore, we shall bring
this chapter to a close.