The Life of George Stephenson and of his Son Robert Stephenson: Comprising Also a History of the Invention and Introduction of the Railway LocomotiveSmiles, Samuel
History
The Life of George Stephenson and of his Son Robert Stephenson: Comprising Also a History of the Invention and Introduction of the Railway Locomotive
Neither the "Novelty" nor the "Sanspareil" was ready for trial until
the 10th, on the morning of which day an advertisement appeared,
stating that the former engine was to be tried on that day, when it
would perform more work than any engine on the ground. The weight of
the carriages attached to it was only about seven tons. The engine
passed the first post in good style; but, in returning, the pipe
from the forcing-pump burst and put an end to the trial. The pipe
was afterward repaired, and the engine made several trips by itself,
in which it was said to have gone at the rate of from twenty-four to
twenty-eight miles an hour.
The "Sanspareil" was not ready until the 13th; and when its boiler
and tender were filled with water, it was found to weigh four hundred
weight beyond the weight specified in the published conditions as
the limit of four-wheeled engines; nevertheless, the judges allowed
it to run on the same footing as the other engines, to enable them to
ascertain whether its merits entitled it to favorable consideration. It
traveled at the average speed of about fourteen miles an hour, with its
load attached; but at the eighth trip the cold-water pump got wrong,
and the engine could proceed no farther.
It was determined to award the premium to the successful engine on
the following day, the 14th, on which occasion there was an unusual
assemblage of spectators. The owners of the "Novelty" pleaded for
another trial, and it was conceded. But again it broke down. Then
Mr. Hackworth requested the opportunity for making another trial of
his "Sanspareil." But the judges had now had enough of failures, and
they declined, on the ground that not only was the engine above the
stipulated weight, but that it was constructed on a plan which they
could not recommend for adoption by the directors of the company.
One of the principal practical objections to this locomotive was the
enormous quantity of coke consumed or wasted by it--about 692 lbs. per
hour when traveling--caused by the sharpness of the steam-blast in the
chimney, which blew a large proportion of the burning coke into the air.
The "Perseverance" of Mr. Burstall was found unable to move at more
than five or six miles an hour, and it was withdrawn from the contest
at an early period. The "Rocket" was thus the only engine that had
performed, and more than performed, all the stipulated conditions,
and it was declared to be entitled to the prize of £500, which was
awarded to the Messrs. Stephenson and Booth accordingly. And farther to
show that the engine had been working quite within its powers, George
Stephenson ordered it to be brought upon the ground and detached from
all incumbrances, when, in making two trips, it was found to travel at
the astonishing rate of thirty-five miles an hour.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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