308 ON LANDSLIPS. 



Jack Hurst, whom the other men nicknamed " Hell-lire 

 Jack." He always looked for me as he came up to the slip, 

 and when I gave him the signal " All right," he put on steam 

 boldly and w^ent over it without trouble. He made the offer 

 to stay there and take all the trains over, as the other men 

 were afraid ; but he was not allowed to do this. 



After a big lift of the road, and a quantity of fresh fagots 

 and sand had been jDut under to pack it up, these materials 

 lay of course very hollow ; so, as the heavy engine passed 

 over it, the road sank down a couple of feet under the wheels 

 of the engine as it ran over, much like a wave of the sea 

 running along in front of the wheels ; but there never was 

 the least hitch or accident. Of course there were no " Board 

 of Trade " regulations affecting railways in those days. 



These slips cost the Company more than a quarter of a 

 million of money. 



In the neighbourhood of Wootton Bassett the Great 

 Western Railway passes through a considerable length of 

 the same Kimmeridge clay formation, and there they had 

 very great difficulties with the landslips. These slips were 

 in progress at the same time, though they had begun some 

 months before those in the Swindon bank ; but the Wootton 

 Bassett banks being deeper, the slips were more formidable 

 — both sides of the bank slipping at the same time and 

 leaving a wedge-shaped piece between them. Many piles 

 were driven there, with, I have no doubt, very little service, 

 as in my case, until at last rows of very strong piles were 

 driven in pairs opposite each other and about half-way down 

 the batter of the slope, and the tops of each pair were then 

 tied together by strong chain-cables ; but with what amount of 

 success I did not learn, though not much, I should judge, from 

 after-appearances; for it is evident that enormous quantities 

 of earth had to be tipped against and upon the toes of these 



