Ship Canal from Portsmouth to London--Machinery and
Engine Making--Screw Steam Ships--Hartlepool and Coquet
Harbours--Railways round London--Railway Mania--South-Eastern
Railway--London, Chatham, and Dover Railway.
Railways had by this time made rapid progress, and had been completely
established as the future means of conveyance for goods and passengers.
The Manchester and Liverpool and the Stockton and Darlington had been
completed with the most successful results. The Grand Junction between
Liverpool and Birmingham, the London and Birmingham, and Great Western,
were making rapid progress towards completion, and numerous other lines
were either projected or about being carried into effect. Still the
canals were not altogether supplanted; and it was proposed to make a
ship canal from London to Portsmouth, by means of which the dangerous,
tedious, and expensive navigation between those places would be avoided.
The late Mr. Horace Twiss, M.P. for Wootton-Bassett, and afterwards Under
Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, took the greatest interest in
this undertaking; and from calculations which he had carefully made from
official returns, he stated that a clear revenue of 1,000,000_l._ per
annum might be derived from it. The first Lord Ashburton, then Alexander
Baring, with whom I had a long conversation on the subject, said that, if
practicable at reasonable cost, it would be a valuable national work.
During the height of the great revolutionary war with France, long before
the public had been accustomed to the vast sums which have been raised
and expended upon great works in modern times, a canal between London
and Portsmouth had been considered as a very desirable and profitable
work. My father made a plan for it in 1807, and the then Earl of Egremont
offered to subscribe largely to it: a money crisis however occurred, and
it was abandoned for the time. A canal, however, upon a much smaller
scale was afterwards made by Mr. Josias Jessop, between the Wey and Arun,
and from thence through Chichester and Longston harbours to Portsmouth.
It was upon too small and imperfect a scale, and therefore did not answer.
A ship canal, however, capable of transporting a 74-gun ship and Indiamen
of the largest class, was afterwards contemplated. A very influential
committee requested me to investigate the subject thoroughly; firstly, as
to its practicability; secondly, what was the best time for such a canal;
and thirdly, what would be the cost. I accordingly, with the assistance
of the late Mr. Francis Giles, who took the levels and surveys, explored
and examined the three lines which were most practicable--the first by
the Merstham, the second by the Dorking, and the third by the Guildford
valley. The last was decidedly the best line, having the least height,
the easiest route, and the best supply of water for the lockage. It
commenced at the Thames, and continued up the valley of the Wey to
Guildford, where it crossed the summit, descended into the vale of the
Arun, which it crossed by an aqueduct, and thence along the base of the
hills to Portsmouth Harbour.
The canal was to have been 100 yards wide at the top, and 24 feet deep.
At the summit there were to have been ample reservoirs, and capacious
basins or docks at each end. The voyage from London to Portsmouth would
have been made in two days--that is to say, by common haulage--but
steam tugs would have reduced it to twenty-four hours. The estimate
was 7,000,000_l._, which was considered so large at the time, that all
idea of prosecuting the undertaking further was at once abandoned. The
world had not then been accustomed to the enormous sums since spent upon
railways, and then they would never have believed that 16,000,000_l._
would be spent upon the London, Chatham, and Dover Railway, only the same
length as the proposed canal, or that a similar amount would be spent in
the same county upon the South-Eastern Railway.
That the canal is perfectly practicable there can be no doubt, and it
would have been of great public advantage; but whether, after all, it
would have yielded a reasonable profit for the capital expended, is a
question which I will not undertake to determine.
One part of my father’s business was the making of machinery, of which he
was very fond, being a first-rate theoretical and practical mechanic; but
the machinery department formed only a very small part of his extensive
business, although he constructed several important works, such as the
Albion Flour Mills near Blackfriars Bridge, afterwards destroyed by
fire, and where he subsequently had his own works, which still exist.
This is admitted to have been one of the best pieces of that class of
engineering ever constructed, either before or since, and performed a
quantity of work in proportion to the power employed, such as has never
been surpassed. He also designed and constructed the rolling mills in the
Royal Mint, which have been in full work for more than half a century,
and are still in as efficient a state as ever. The diving bell may almost
be said to have been an invention of his, for he effected such great
improvements in it that he was enabled to apply it to building under
water at Ramsgate Harbour for the first time in 1813. It was worked
from a scaffold above water, to which were attached movable trucks with
windlasses, working upon a rack-and-pinion railway, so that the diving
bell and the apparatus for raising and lowering the bell, together
with the stones, could be worked, and the building carried on with the
same certainty and nearly the same expedition as above water. He also
erected a similar apparatus applied for raising heavy blocks of mahogany
at the West India Docks: this is the Gantry crane, which has been since
very generally employed in almost all building operations. My object in
mentioning the subject here is merely to say that when my father died he
left this machinery department to my brother George and myself, though
I believe that if he had lived a few years longer he would have given
it up altogether. The site of this manufactory was formerly one of the
most fashionable suburbs of the metropolis, and here the celebrated Nell
Gwynne had her country house. My brother and self continued the business,
rebuilt the place entirely, with considerable improvements, and did a
large amount of business here. We constructed the rolling mills for the
Calcutta and Bombay mints; the great flour mills and baking machines
of Deptford, Portsmouth, and Cremill Point yards; numerous locomotive
engines for different railways, amongst others the ‘Satellite’ for the
Brighton Railway, which was one of the first that attained the speed
of 60 miles an hour upon the narrow gauge. We made the steam engines
and machinery for Her Majesty’s ship ‘Bulldog,’ the yacht ‘Dwarf,’ and
others; also for the famous Russian steamer ‘Wladimir,’ which did so
much mischief at Sebastopol; two yachts for the Emperor of Russia, and
other vessels for the Russian navy, together with the whole of the iron
gates for the dockyard at Sebastopol, two pair of which were brought
back as trophies by the British and French armies. We built four iron
steam vessels and their machinery for the Russian Government, for the
Caspian Sea, which were the first that floated on its waters; they were
first built in London, then taken to pieces, sent to St. Petersburg, and
thence down the Volga to the Caspian; men were sent with them by us, who
put them together there, and launched them successfully. We made and
erected the small-arms manufactory at Constantinople, for making five
hundred muskets per week. We constructed the engines and machinery for
the ‘Archimedes’ screw-vessel, which was the first screw used in this
country; and again, the iron vessel, engines, and screw for the ‘Dwarf,’
which was the first screw-vessel ever introduced into the British Navy,
in the year 1839, for which I take the credit myself; for after we
had succeeded so well with the ‘Archimedes,’ I waited upon Sir George
Cockburn, then Senior Naval Lord of the Admiralty, and proposed to him
to make a small iron vessel worked by a screw. I engaged that the vessel
should make the speed of ten knots an hour by the measured mile; and that
if after she was completed and tried she did not come up to the required
conditions, of which their own officers were to be sole judges, I would
take back the vessel and machinery, without any compensation; but if they
were satisfied, they themselves were to fix the price to be paid for the
vessel and machinery. Sir George said the offer was so fair, that if
I would put it in writing in the form of an official tender, he would
recommend the Admiralty to accept it; this I accordingly did. The vessel,
engines, and screw were completed to the satisfaction of the Admiralty
officers, the price settled by them was at once paid, and so the ‘Dwarf’
was the first screw-vessel introduced into the British Navy. It was
certainly no small gratification to myself to have introduced the first
vessel propelled by the screw into the Royal Navy, as I felt convinced
that it was the only proper method of propelling vessels of war: it
was the more gratifying, because my father was the first who, in 1819,
introduced the paddle-wheel system into the Navy; and thus our family
have had the honour--and a great one it is--of introducing into the Navy
the two greatest improvements of modern times. My father, who was always
consulted by the Admiralty, proposed machinery in every department
where it could be applied with any advantage; such as railways; the
Gantry crane, and others, worked by machinery; heating anchors in
furnaces, by means of which only could they be properly made; employing
convicts to do the labour, with a moderate gratuity to stimulate their
exertions, and thus reduce the expense of their keep; and employing
private establishments wherever they could do the work cheaper than in
the dockyards. The state must and ought to have such establishments as
should be able to do their own work when occasion requires; but in a
country like England, where the arts and manufactures are carried to the
highest possible extent by individual competition, and where the field of
exertion is so vast and the prizes of success are so great, no government
establishment can compete with them. It cannot hold out sufficient
inducement for exertion, and hence we find that no great invention
has ever emanated from a public establishment. Certain officers the
government must have, and these must be at fixed salaries, for which they
have to do a certain quantity of work, and for this the hours are fixed;
they have no inducement to go beyond this. Yet this perhaps is the wisest
course for a government like ours; it can always command the talent of
the day, and it is far more economical for a government to pay the market
price, whatever it may be, than to take persons, however well qualified,
wholly into its employment; the moment this is done the inducement to
extra exertion ceases, and the government must go again to the market for
the next best talent, and so on. Hence it is my opinion that a government
should have the fewest possible establishments it can get on with, so
as not to leave itself wholly dependent upon private firms; and that it
should go liberally to the public, specifying in general terms what is
required, then it will obtain the best workmen in the wisest manner,
without being taxed by extra pensions or any other drawback; by this
means a government would command all private establishments, and make the
most of its own.
In 1832 I was requested by the authorities of the Isle of Man to examine
the whole of the coast of the Island, and to give my opinion as to
the best plan for improving the harbours. I accordingly sent over my
assistant, Mr. Coombe; and having carefully surveyed Douglas, Derby
Haven, Castleton, Peel, Ramsey, and Laxey, made complete hydrographical
surveys of the whole, and detailed plans for the best way of improving
them. At Douglas I proposed to make an extensive low-water asylum
harbour, and also at Derby Haven, which were the most important places,
and possessed the greatest capability of making good refuge harbours
at the most economical rates for the numerous vessels trading between
Ireland and England, and also for foreign vessels bound for Liverpool.
The other ports susceptible of improvement were chiefly local, and
therefore only a moderate sum was proposed to be expended upon them. A
great harbour might, indeed, have been made near the Calf of Man; but
this would have involved an expense which the revenues of the Island had
no means of paying, though a harbour there would have been of importance
to the vast number of vessels of all classes trading between Liverpool
and America; and therefore, if anything was to be done there, Liverpool
ought to have contributed largely towards it. Liverpool, however, thought
differently. They had no idea of encouraging their vessels to stop so
near home. So that all idea of making a refuge harbour near the Calf of
Man was abandoned. Neither could the Islanders obtain foreign aid for
Douglas, or Castleton, or Derby Haven. They were therefore left to their
own resources, and were obliged to confine their operations to making
a small addition to Douglas Pier, which I designed for them, and which
was carried into effect by Mr. James Brown--a most excellent practical
engineer--who had been employed many years by my father at Holyhead
Harbour and elsewhere.
About the same time I was asked to make a plan for the improvement of the
ancient port of Hartlepool (I think one of the oldest in England), for
shipping coal from the coal-fields of South Durham, which were then being
developed to an extraordinary extent. I made a plan, which was afterwards
carried into effect under my direction, the late Mr. James Brown, above
mentioned, being the resident engineer. When I visited the place, it
was the most secluded, primitive fishing village I ever saw. It has now
become one of the most thriving and populous towns of Durham.
At this time I was also requested by a society of gentlemen--amongst
whom were Messrs. Ladbrooke, Mills, Smith, Webb, &c.--to examine the
mouth of the Coquet, near Warkworth, in order to make a harbour there
for the shipping of coal from some collieries which were about to be
opened in that district. This harbour, which consisted of a north pier
and south pier, was made under my direction; Mr. George Remington being
the resident engineer. It was merely intended as a tidal harbour, with
floating docks attached to it; which latter, for want of funds, were
never made. By extending the northern pier farther seaward, they could
easily obtain 12 feet or more at low water; and the Coquet Island outside
forms an excellent and safe roadstead for vessels drawing 20 feet at
low water--an advantage that no other port on the east coast possesses.
There is plenty of coal in the vicinity, that has never been developed
for want of capital; but no doubt the day will come when this port will
be of considerable consequence. Whilst superintending these works, the
late Earl Grey, then Prime Minister, who lived at Howick, about nine
miles to the north of the Coquet, invited me to spend a day there. I
accordingly went over, and was most kindly received. I there met his
son, the present Earl, and the present Sir George Grey, and passed my
time very agreeably and instructively. The late Earl, when Commissioner
of Portsmouth Dockyard, knew my father well, and had great respect for
his talents.
Whilst employed in constructing the piers of Sunderland Harbour, I
made acquaintance with Mr. Lambton, afterwards the Earl of Durham, who
married one of Earl Grey’s daughters. He was one of the commissioners
of the harbour, and a great coalowner. He was a slight-made person, of
the middle size, with an olive complexion, dark, piercing eyes, and a
profusion of jet-black hair. He possessed considerable talent, great
firmness, and a stern, haughty, proud bearing, with great impetuosity
of temper. Being heir to a large fortune, he was spoiled in his youth,
although not without kindly, generous, and noble feelings, and where he
took a liking, was a firm friend. He was always very kind and friendly
to me, and took a leading part in promoting the success of Sunderland
Harbour. His violent temper, and inability to control it, was the cause
of his failure as a public man. When Governor-General of Canada he,
contrary to all rules of order and subordination, threw up his command in
a pet on account of some trifling provocation, and returned to England
without authority. The obloquy which this foolish and imprudent step
entailed upon him for ever after rendered him unfit to take a leading
part in public affairs, for which otherwise he was well calculated, and
he died soon after, it is believed of a broken heart.
Railways having been now fairly established, and having to a considerable
extent superseded roads and canals, the Brighton Railway scheme was
started again. The history of this work I have already described. During
the years 1837-1838 it occupied a considerable portion of my time, and
although I was then very ill, and totally unfit for business, I was
obliged to struggle through it, and carried it at last. At times I was
so nervous and unwell that I scarcely knew what I was about. I felt
perfectly stupid, and thought that my life must end in a lunatic asylum;
and many, even of my friends, considered that my career was over. When
cross-examined before parliamentary committees, which examinations I was
obliged to undergo at this time, after two or three hours my head got so
confused that I could see nothing distinctly--everything appeared either
double or upside down. However, I got through not only the Brighton, but
also the Blackwall, Railway Bills. Apropos of the Blackwall Railway, I
long had an idea that Blackwall, including the East and West India, the
Regent’s Canal, and the London Docks, should be connected with London by
a railway, and that this line should form the grand trunk and terminus
for all the railways which were to connect the eastern counties of
Essex, Suffolk, Norfolk, and Cambridge with London. A Bill for making
the Eastern Counties Railway through Essex and Suffolk had then passed,
having their terminus in Shoreditch, which was quite out of the way,
and left out all the docks; whereas the line which I proposed would
not only have connected them with London at Fenchurch Street, which is
within half a mile of the Royal Exchange, but would have brought the
great traffic of the eastern counties there also. Mr. Stephenson, seeing
the importance of my Blackwall line, started another in opposition,
which was defeated in Parliament, and my line was carried; but my party
was not strong enough to carry it into effect; Mr. Stephenson’s was,
therefore they took up my line, and he was appointed the chief engineer.
He wholly ignored my principle of making the Blackwall line the main
trunk for the eastern counties’ traffic, but declared that the Blackwall
line should be considered distinct; and as he thought that so short
a line was not adapted for locomotives, he said that it would be far
better to work it by means of ropes attached to powerful engines fixed
at each end of the line. I foresaw that this plan would not succeed,
and told my friends so; however, it was of no use, the rope system was
adopted, until it was found that the constant breaking of the ropes,
their great friction, and the power required to work them, entailed so
much expense and inconvenience, that the line would not pay a dividend.
The company therefore resolved to abolish the rope system altogether,
and adopt locomotive engines, according to my original plan; and the
line was extended to join the Eastern Counties Railway at Stratford,
and the Tilbury and Southend Railway, and it has been connected with
the Victoria, East and West India, London, and St. Katharine Docks,
and now pays a dividend of about 3 to 3½ per cent. In fact, all that I
recommended has been done, and the result has been successful; but it
would have been much more profitable if my plan had been adopted in the
first instance, while the extra expense of the rope system would have
been saved.
In the year 1844 came the great railway mania. Railways were considered
as a mine of wealth to whoever would undertake them; and consequently
new lines were projected in all directions, and I had my full share of
them: amongst others the Great Northern, the Leeds and Carlisle, the
Leeds and Bradford, the York and Scarborough, the Bristol and Monmouth,
the Bishop’s Stortford and Thetford (called the Direct Norwich), the
Birmingham and Boston, the Newry and Enniskillen, the East Lincolnshire,
the Lincoln and Hull, the Cannock Chase, and the North Wales, &c. The
consequence was that the demand for engineering surveyors and assistants
was very great. Engineering was considered to be the only profession
where immense wealth and fame were to be acquired, and consequently
everybody became engineers. It was not the question whether they were
educated for it, or competent to undertake it, but simply whether any
person chose to dub himself engineer; hence, lawyers’ clerks, surgeons’
apprentices, merchants, tradesmen, officers in the army and navy, private
gentlemen, left their professions and became engineers; the consequence
was that innumerable blunders were made, vast sums of money were
recklessly expended, and the greater part of the lines were thrown out of
Parliament in consequence of the innumerable errors committed in them.
The committee rooms of the Houses of Lords and Commons were thronged
to such a degree with engineers, lawyers, and witnesses, that it was
scarcely possible to find sufficient room for them. The barristers,
solicitors, and parliamentary agents made enormous sums, and so did
those engineers who were fortunate enough to get paid. My labours were
most arduous. I had to work night and day for several weeks in preparing
plans for Parliament, and if I had only got paid, I should have made a
good fortune, for I employed in one department or another above three
hundred assistants. It is true that I received a great deal of money; but
the expenses were so great that the advances made to me were immediately
absorbed, and before I could balance my accounts, most of the companies
had vanished, remaining largely in my debt. As to recovering my debts in
a court of law, it was impossible on account of the difficulty of proving
whether there was a sufficient number of directors present when the order
was given, and what were the names of the directors present; because, as
they were not legally constituted companies, the different members of
the board could only be sued in their individual capacities, whilst I,
who employed the different parties to make the surveys and work out the
details, was clearly liable to them; so that the claims against me were
innumerable, and made without mercy, and I had the greatest difficulty in
satisfying them without material loss.
To give an example of the difficulties I had to contend with in
establishing my case against one of the companies that employed me--viz.
the Cannock Chase Railway, an essentially good concern, which has since
been carried into effect with considerable profit to another company who
took it up afterwards: My company had paid me 2500_l._ on account of the
expenses, and they owed me 2700_l._ more, which they never disputed. They
had 12,000_l._ in hand, and could have easily paid my bill; but finding
that they could not at that time carry their line, they united with
another company without paying me, and handed over to them the 12,000_l._
subscribed for my company. I then got them to call a meeting, and said
that as their original company had collapsed, I was prepared to meet them
upon the most equitable terms, namely, that they should pay the balance
of my disbursements actually out of pocket; this they declined to do. I
then offered to deduct my share of the disbursements if they would pay
the balance; this they declined also, and they would pay no more. Finding
that I could do nothing with them, I sued them at law, and brought an
action against the chairman; he, however, proved that he was not present
when the order was given to me, I was therefore nonsuited, and had to
pay my expenses and his, which cost me 500_l._ I then brought an action
against two other parties, who were present when the order was given; but
then it was proved against me that there was not a quorum, and as I could
not get hold of the books, the secretary having absconded with them, I
was nonsuited again at the cost of 500_l._ more. At last this secretary
having got into difficulties, I got hold of the minutes of proceedings
by an extraordinary combination of circumstances, went to the Court of
Chancery, and eventually established my case, and recovered the whole
of my claim, viz. 2700_l._; but without the costs. So that after seven
years’ litigation I recovered the 2700_l._, which was wholly absorbed in
the expenses; and therefore I was where I began.
The principal parliamentary battle I had was in 1844-5; and in the
following year I had another with the Great Northern Railway. The late
Mr. Gravatt had the dual line from King’s Cross by Barnet, Welwyn,
Stilton, Stamford, Corby, Lincoln, Asking to York; this was in every
respect the shortest and the most easy of execution; unfortunately,
our company was not formed until the end of September, so that it was
extremely difficult, in so short a time, to get the surveys and levels
made correctly. The late Mr. Francis Giles undertook to have the whole
completed in the most perfect manner by the 30th November, 1844, for
depositing with the respective Clerks of the Peace, as required by the
Standing Orders of Parliament. Mr. Giles’s well-known reputation as
a first-rate engineering surveyor appeared to Mr. Gravatt and myself
a sufficient guarantee that the surveys would be well completed by
the required time; in this, unfortunately, we were most grievously
disappointed, for Mr. Giles, who had a good deal of other business in
hand, could not devote his whole attention to it, which was absolutely
necessary; in fact, he ought never to have undertaken it; but he always
assured us that it would be properly done in time. However, finding
that he did not go on so well as we expected, we endeavoured, as far
as practicable, to remedy the evil by setting on additional surveyors
ourselves, under the control of Mr. Giles; but in spite of all our
exertions, Mr. Giles failed completely, and our line, in consequence
of the numerous defects in the survey, was thrown out upon Standing
Orders, and the present Great Northern line, which was our rival, but
acknowledged to be not so good, notwithstanding a strong opposition, was
carried through Parliament, very much to the annoyance of Mr. Gravatt and
myself, and Mr. Gravatt never forgave Mr. Giles’s neglect.
My rule on all these occasions was to endeavour to conciliate the
landowners through whose estates we went, always asking and obtaining
their permission before entering upon their lands, and by this means we
made friends wherever we went; amongst other great proprietors we went
through a considerable portion of the Marquis of Exeter’s estate, near
Stamford. Upon going down the line I found one of our surveyors drunk,
and he had so completely departed from his instructions that I paid and
discharged him at once. I called on the Marquis to explain this, but he
was not visible, as he was busy with preparations for the reception of
Her Majesty and H.R.H. the Prince Consort, who were expected to arrive
the next day. I then went down the line as far as York, and upon my
return called again upon the Marquis at Burleigh, who received me very
coldly, and said when he gave me permission to go through his estate, it
was upon a particular line, which I faithfully promised to adhere to;
but he was much surprised and sorry to find that I had broken my word,
for that when H.R.H. the Prince Consort was shooting in his preserves
he found one of my surveyors with several assistants breaking into and
carrying the line through them, which he had strictly forbidden, and
which I had as strictly promised to his Lordship that I would not touch;
and it was most fortunate that the surveyor and his assistants were not
shot, for it was never for a moment expected that they would be there.
After having heard his Lordship quietly, and having asked the day, and
the name of the surveyor, which his Lordship told me, I said that the
man was not in my employment, for the very day on which I last called at
Burleigh I found this same surveyor drunk, and carrying the line into the
preserves, which I had strictly forbidden, and I immediately discharged
him. And I added that as his Lordship found him in the preserves, he must
have been sent there by somebody else. His Lordship was at once perfectly
satisfied with this explanation, and became as friendly as ever, and
pressed me to stop and dine with him; this invitation I courteously
declined, for I was so much occupied that I had not an hour to spare.
One very important feature of our line, besides making it shorter, more
direct, and easier of execution, was the position of the station at
York, which we proposed to make on the main line, immediately outside
the walls of the city; and in order to effect this we carried our line
by a bridge across the railways then entering the York station, while
our rivals proposed to carry their line into the station itself; which
scheme having been adopted, compels them to back in and out, and not only
occasions considerable loss of time, but materially increases the risk of
collisions.
Another important line was the Bristol and Chepstow, which would
materially have shortened the distance between Bristol, Birmingham, and
Liverpool, instead of going round by Gloucester, and would have enabled
the South Wales Railway to shorten materially their distance to London.
In order to effect this I proposed to carry the line across the Severn at
the old passage by an iron bridge, with a clear height of 100 feet above
the high-water level of spring tides, so as to enable the largest ships
to pass under. It happened that the rocks in the river afforded excellent
foundations for the piers.
The late Mr. Cobden was chairman of the Committee in the House of
Commons to whom this Bill was referred, and they were all astonished
at the boldness and grandeur of the undertaking; although the late Mr.
Brunel and others did not deny its practicability, yet the promoters of
the undertaking could not see their way to find the means for carrying it
into effect, and therefore the Bill was withdrawn.
I forgot to mention the Central Kent Railway line, 1838. It had long been
considered a desirable object to connect Dover and London by a railway
for the Continent, and the South-Eastern had already obtained an Act to
make a line by Redhill, thence to Tunbridge, Ashford, and Folkestone,
to Dover, the distance being 86 miles, whereas the old coach road was
only 72. Moreover, the South-Eastern avoids all the principal towns
and population in Kent; so much so, that it was considered to be very
objectionable, and that it would not pay.
I was accordingly requested by a most influential committee to examine
the county of Kent carefully, and endeavour to find out a better line. I
was not long in discovering one, namely, to commence at London Bridge,
thence by Lewisham, Eltham, the Crays, the Darent, 4 miles above
Dartford, thence by Gravesend, through Gad’s Hill, crossing the Medway a
mile above Rochester, thence, within a mile of Maidstone, to Eastwell,
where it was to separate into two branches, one to Ashford, and thence on
to Folkestone and Dover; another to Canterbury, thence to Sandwich, where
it was to terminate; while from the Darent another branch was intended to
run up the valley of that river, with a tunnel at its head, and thence
to Sevenoaks and Tunbridge. From this it will be seen that the main line
connected all the principal towns in the county together; each was at the
same time within the shortest distance from the metropolis, and nearly
14 miles nearer to Dover than the present South-Eastern line; and there
was no inclination steeper than 1 in 264, or 20 feet to the mile, and the
New Cross inclined plane of the Greenwich and Croydon line of 1 in 100
for three miles would have been avoided. This line was so obviously the
best for Kent and the sea-coast, that when submitted to the South-Eastern
Company, who had not commenced theirs, they admitted it, and told their
solicitors, Messrs. Fearon, to tell our solicitors, Messrs. Freshfield,
that they would make terms with us for carrying it into effect. How
the negotiations fell through I never heard; whether it was from the
opposition of Maidstone and Lord Winchelsea, who, as well as Sir Percival
Dyke, violently opposed it--although since, I understand, they have
sincerely repented--I never could learn; but the negotiation failed,
although we were perfectly ready to give up the line to the South-Eastern
upon a reasonable compensation, and they (the South-Eastern Railway)
commenced and completed their line round by Tunbridge, and bitter cause
they had to repent it. Two of my assistants--Crampton and Morris--after
leaving me, considering that it would be a good speculation to get up a
shorter line to Dover, persuaded a very worthy nobleman, Lord Harris, who
has considerable property near, between Sittingbourne and Canterbury,
and some other influential landowners on the line, to form a company to
make a line between Rochester and Canterbury, and Mr. George Burge, the
contractor of the St. Katharine Docks and Herne Bay Pier, under the late
Mr. Telford, joined them.
Burge had invested a good deal of money at Herne Bay, and naturally
expected that one day a line of railway would be made to it, and that
the value of his property would be considerably increased thereby.
Morris, a very honest, painstaking, and industrious man, who had been
in my service many years, and afterwards became one of the contractors
of the South-Eastern Railway, and made a good deal of money there, had
the sagacity to purchase the old harbour of Folkestone, it is said for
10,000_l._, and sold it to the South-Eastern Railway Company, profiting
considerably by the transaction. Crampton had made some improvements in
the locomotive engine, and afterwards became the principal executive
engineer to Messrs. Samuda. At the time Crampton came into my employment
Messrs. Samuda had had a vessel constructed, and had made the engines for
propelling her upon a new principle. The vessel was called the ‘Gipsey
Queen,’ and a day was appointed for the trial. Whether Crampton had
some misgivings about the success of the experiment, or whether he was
tired of the employment, I do not know, but he was anxious to come under
me. Knowing him to be a clever, hard-working person, I took him, and
he continued serving me faithfully for four years. Crampton entered my
service four days before the experimental trial of the ‘Gipsey Queen,’
which took place, I think, in the year 1840. The result of the trial was
that the boiler blew up, Samuda’s brother and four men were killed, and
if Crampton had remained in their service, he would probably have been
killed also. During the time Crampton was in my service, he made the
acquaintance of my solicitors, the Messrs. Freshfield, who conceived a
high opinion of his talents and energy.
Morris, Crampton, and Burge, then, commenced the London, Chatham, and
Dover Railway with comparatively very little support for an undertaking
of the kind, and experienced very great uphill work; so much so, that
Burge got alarmed, and Morris and Crampton bought him out. Morris and
Crampton still struggled on with it, and then Morris went out, and
Crampton remained alone. At last he got Peto and Betts to join him, and
then the concern went ahead. Lord Sondes, a large proprietor in Norfolk
and in Kent, also joined them, and they completed the original line.
They then went to Parliament to extend their railway by an independent
line to London, and from Canterbury to Dover, and, subsequently, by lines
to the City, so as ultimately to join the Metropolitan Railway, and from
thence with the Great Northern Railway at King’s Cross. How they raised
the enormous amount of capital to execute these works was a miracle, but
the tale has at last been unfolded, and the unfortunate subscribers have
found it out, to their cost; the concern has become bankrupt, and the
great contracting firm of Peto and Betts, as well as Crampton, have ended
in the ‘Gazette,’ as a melancholy example of what energy and capital
will come to when pushed beyond their just limits. The original shares
of 100_l._ may now (at the time of writing) be bought at 18_l._, and the
South-Eastern Railway have been compelled to expend nearly 700,000_l._
to cut off the angle between London and Tunbridge; whereas, if they had
only adopted my line of the Central Kent Railway, as they agreed to do in
1838, all this would have been avoided; the London, Chatham, and Dover
would never have been made, the enormous losses would not have occurred,
thirty-two millions would not have been spent in railways for a single
county, and the South-Eastern shares would not (at the time of writing)
be at 65.