CHAP. X, DEPUTATION VISITS KILLINGWORTH. 191 



and invited Mr. Bradshaw to become a proprietor of 

 shares in it. But his reply was " All or none ! " The 

 canal proprietors, confident in their imagined security, 

 ridiculed the proposed railway as a chimera. It had 

 been spoken about years before, and nothing had come 

 of it then : it would be the same now. 



In order to form a better opinion as to the practica- 

 bility of the railroad, a deputation of gentlemen inte- 

 rested in the project proceeded to Killingworth, to in- 

 spect the engines which had been so long in use there. 

 They first went to Darlington, where they found the 

 works of the Stockton line in progress, though still un- 

 finished. Proceeding next to Killingworth with Mr. 

 Stephenson, they there witnessed the performances of 

 his locomotive engines. The result of their visit was, 

 on the whole, so satisfactory, that on their report being 

 delivered to the committee at Liverpool, it was finally/ 

 determined to form a company of proprietors for the! 

 construction of a double line of railway between Liver-* 

 pool and Manchester. 



The first prospectus of the scheme was dated the 29thj 

 of October, 1824, and had attached to it the names ofi 

 the leading merchants of Liverpool and Manchester. It 

 was a modest document, very unlike the inflated balloons 

 which were sent up by railway speculators in succeeding 

 years. It set forth as its main object the establishment 

 of a safe and cheap mode of transit for merchandise, by 

 which the conveyance of goods between the two towns 

 would be effected in five or six hours (instead of thirty- 

 six hours, as by the canal), whilst the charges would be 

 reduced one-third. On looking at the prospectus now, 

 it is curious to note that, while the advantages antici- 

 pated from the carriage of merchandise were strongly 

 insisted upon, the conveyance of passengers which 

 proved to be the chief source of profit was only very 

 cautiously referred to. " As a cheap and expeditious 

 means of conveyance for travellers," says the prospectus 



