LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS LIBRARY AT URBANA-CHAMPAIGN BOOKSTACKS /: RAILWAY ADVENTURES AND ANECDOTES: Extending over more than Fifty Years. EDITED BY RICHARD PIKE. in " Soon shall thy arm. unconquer'd steam, afar Drag the slow barge, or drive the rapid car." — Dr. Darwin's Botanic Garden, 1789. LONDON: HAMILTON, ADAM^, AND CO. NOTTINGHAM : J. DERRY. 1884. NOTTINGHAM I GATE J. DERRY, PRINTER, ALBERT STREET AND HOUNDS 385 P63r PREFACE Although railways are comparatively of recent date we are so accustomed to them that it is difficult to realize the ro condition of the country before their introduction. How 5 different are the present day ideas as to speed in travelling ^ to those entertained in the good old times. The celebrated historian, Niebuhr, who was in England in 1798, thus describes the rapid travelling of that period: —"Four horses drawing a coach with six persons inside, four on the roof, a sort of conductor besides the coachman, and overladen with luggage, have to get over seven English miles in the hour and as the coach on ; goes without ever stopping except at the principal stages, it is not surprising that you can traverse the whole extent of the country in so . few days. But for any length of time this rapid motion is too 4, quite unnatural. You can only get a very piece-meal view of the country from the windows, and with the tremendous speed at which you go can keep no object long in are unable also to at sight ; you stop any place." Near C the same the time late Lord Campbell, travelling for the first time A by coach from Scotland to London, was seriously advised to stay a day at York, as the rapidity of motion miles per hour) had caused several through-going passengers to die of apoplexy. /(eightIt is stated in the year 1825, there was in the whole world, only one railway carriage, built to convey passengers. It was on the first railway between Stockton and Darlington, " J^ftnd bore on its panels the motto — Periculum privatum, 9S1 4-2G 4 PREFACE. publica utilitas" At the opening of this line the people's ideas of railway speed were scarcely ahead of the canal "boat. For we are told, "Strange to say, a man on horseback carrying a flag headed the procession. It was not thought so dangerous a place after all. The locomotive was only supposed to go at the rate of from four to six miles an hour; an ordinary horse coidd easily keep ahead of that. A great concourse of people stood along the line. Many of them tried to accompany the procession hy running, and some gentlemen on horseback galloped across the fields to keep up with the engine. At a favourable part of the road Stephenson determined to try the speed of the engine, and he called upon the horseman with the flag to get out of his way! The speed was at once raised to twelve miles an hour, and soon after to fifteen, causing much excitement among the passengers." George Stephenson was greatly impressed with the vast possibilities belonging to the future of railway travelling. When battling for the locomotive he seemed to see with " true prescience what it was destined to accomplish. I will do something in course of time," he said, "which will astonish all England." Years afterwards when asked to what he alluded, he replied, "I meant to make the mail run between London and Edinburgh by the locomotive before I died, and I have done it." Thus was a similar prediction fulfilled, which at the time he uttered it was doubtlesss considered a very wild prophecy, "Men shall take supper in London and breakfast in Edinburgh." From a small beginning railways have spread over the four quarters of the globe. Thousands of millions of pounds have been spent upon their construction. Bailway con- PREFACE. tractors such as Peto and Brassey at one time emploved armies of workmen, more numerous than the contend : ng hosts in a battle engaged many celebrated in history. Considering the mighty revolutions that have been wrought in social affairs and in the commerce of the world by rail- ways, John Bright was not far wrong when he said in the House of Commons "Who are the greatest men of the present age? Not your warriors, not your statesmen. They are your engineers." The Eailwny era, although of modern date, has been rich in adventures and incidents. Numerous works have been written upon Bailways, also memoirs of Eailway Engineers, relating their struggles and triumphs, which have charmed multitudes of readers. Yet no volume has been published consisting exclusively of Eailway Adventures and Anecdotes. Books having the heading of Eailway Anecdotes, or similar titles, containing few of such anecdotes but many of a miscellaneous character, have from time to time appeared. Anecdotes, racy of the Eailway calling and circumstances connected with it are very numerous: they are to be found scattered in Parliamentary Blue Books, Journals, Biographies, and many out-of-the-way channels. Many of them are highly instructive, diverting, and mirth-provoking, having reference to persons in all conditions. The ' ' Eailway Adventures and Anecdotes," illustrating many a quaint and picturesque scene of railway life, have been drawn from a great variety of sources. I have for a long time been collecting them, and am willing to believe they may prove entertaining and profitable to the railway traveller and the general reader, relieving the tedium of hours when the is mind not disposed to grapple with profounder subjects. G BBEFACB. The romance of railways is in the past and not in the future. How desirable then it is that a well written history of British Railways should speedily he produced, before their traditions, interesting associations, and early workers shall he forgotten. A work of such magnitude would need to be entrusted to a band of expert writers. With an able man like Mr. Williams, the author of Our Iron Reads, and the History of the Midland Railway, presiding over the enterprise, a history might be produced which would be interesting to the present and to future generations. The history although somewhat voluminous would be a necessity to every public and private library. Many of our railway companies might do worse than contribute £o00 or £1000 each to encourage such an important literary undertaking. It would give an impetus to the study of railway matters and it is not at all unlikely in the course of a short time the companies would be recouped for their outlay. Before concluding, it is only right I should express my grateful acknowledgments to the numerous body of sub- scribers to this work. Among them are noblemen of the highest rank and distinction, cabinet ministers, members of Parliament, magistrates, ministers of all sections of the Christian church, merchants, farmers, tradesmen, and artisans. Through their helpful kindness my responsibility has been considerably lightened, and I trust they will have no reason to regret that their confidence has been misplaced. CONTEXTS. A.B.C. and D.E.F. .. Accident. Abergele, The ~- li' m filial Effect of a Railway « Extraordinary- Remarkable Versailles, The Action, A N ... Advantages of Railway Tunnels .. Advertisement, Remarkable Adventure, Remarkable Affrighted Toll Keeper \ The Insurance Air-ways, instead of Railways Alarmist Views Almost Dar Now American Patience and.Imperturbability A'penny a Mile . Army with Banners, An Atniosplieiie Railroad Anticipated Baby Law Balloonists, Extraordinary Escape of Bavarian Guards and Bavarian Beer Bill, Expensive Parliamentary First Railway Bishop, A Disingenuous An Industrious Blonder, An Extraordinary .. Bookshops, Growth of Station Booking-Clerk and Buckland, The Bookstalls. Messrs. Smith's Brahmin, The Polite Bride's Lost Luggage, A Brassey's, Mr., Strict Adherence to his "Word Brougham's, Lord, Speech Box, Shut up in a huge Buckland's, Mr. Frank, First Rail-way Journey -Buckland, Mr. Frank, and his Boots Bridge, Awful Death on a Railroad Bully Rightly Served, The Burning the Road Clear Business, Railway Facilities for Calculation as to Railway Speed .. ' apture, Clever Catastrophe .. .. Carlist C hit 1 as a Sub-contractor, A Duke's Carriage, The Casuality, Curious Chase niter a Runaway Engine, A . Child's Idea on Railways, A Child, Remarkable Rescue of a Claim for goodwill for a Cow kiiled on the Railway i OXTKXTS. Clergy, Appealing to the Clever, Quite too Coach versus Railway Accidents Compensation for Land , A Widow's Claim for Competition, Early Railway For Passengers . —— Goods Conductor, A Wide-awake .. Coincidences, Remarkable Cook's Railway Excursions, Origin of . Cool Impudence and Dishonesty .. Coolness, A Little Boy's Constable, The Electric Contracts, Expensive Contractor, An Accommodating . Contractors and the Blotting Pad, Rival Contrast, National Conversion of the Gauge Counsel, The bothered Queen's on a miles an hour Courting Railway thirty in Crimea, The First Railway the. Croydon. It's Curious Classification, A Custom of the Country, The. Cuvicr's Description of the Locomotive Damages easily adjusted Day. The Great Railway Mania . Death, Faithful unto Decision. A Quick Decoy Trunk, The Deodand, The Difficulties encountered in making Surveys Difficulty solved, A . Discovery, A Great Discussion, An Unfortunate Disguise, Duty in Dissatisfied Passengers Doctor and the Officers, The Dog Ticket Down Brakes, or Force of Habit Drink. That accursed . ... Drinking from the Wrong Bottle Driving a last spike " " Dropping the letter L . Dukes and the traveller, The two . Dying Engine Driver, The Early American Railway Enterprise Early Morning Ride Early Steam Carriages COXTEXES. Elevated Sight-seers "Wishing to Descend . 69 Engine Driver, A Brave . 217 A Mad.. .. .. .. 27s Engine Driver's Presence of Mind Driving.