During the voyage to Liverpool he whiled away the hours on shipboard
by whittling thin wood into shapes of imaginary cross sections until
he finally decided which one was best suited to the needs of the new
road.
He was familiar with the Berkenshaw rail, with which the best English
roads were then being laid, but he saw that, as it required an
expensive chair to hold it in place, it was not adapted to our
country, where metal workers were scarce and iron was dear. He added
the base to the T rail, dispensing with the chair. He also designed
the "hook-headed" spike (which is substantially the railroad spike of
to-day) and the "iron tongue" (which has been developed into the fish
bar), and the rivets (which have been replaced by the bolt and nut) to
complete the joint.
A fac-simile of the letter[2] which he addressed to the English iron
masters a short time after his arrival in London is preserved in the
United States National Museum. It contains a cross section, side
elevation and ground plan of the rail for which he requested bids.
The base of the rail which he first proposed was to be wider where it
was to be attached to the supports than in the intervening spaces.
This was afterward modified, so that the base was made the same width
(three inches) throughout.
[Footnote 2: This letter reads:
LIVERPOOL, November 26th, 1830.
GENTLEMEN,--At what rate will you contract to deliver at
Liverpool, say from 500 to 600 tons of railway, of the best
quality of iron rolled to the above pattern in 12 or 16 feet
lengths, to lap as shown in the drawing, with one hole at each
end, and the projections on the lower flange at every two
feet, cash on delivery?
How soon could you make the first delivery, and at what rate
per month until the whole is complete? Should the terms suit
and the work give satisfaction a more extended order is likely
to follow, as this is but about one-sixth part of the quantity
required. Please to address your answer (as soon as
convenient) to the care of Francis B. Ogden, Consul of the
United States at Liverpool.
I am
Your obedient servant,
ROBERT L. STEVENS,
_President and Engineer of the Camden and
South Amboy Railroad and Transportation Company._ ]