CHAP. XIII. 



A PKIZE OFFERED. 



259 



removed and another substituted without interruption to 

 the traffic ; whereas the fixed engine system might be 

 regarded in the light of a continuous chain extending 

 between the two termini, the failure of any link of which 

 would derange the whole. 1 But the fixed engine party 

 were very strong at the board, and, led by Mr. Cropper, 

 they urged the propriety of forthwith adopting the 

 report of Messrs. Walker and Eastrick. Mr. Sandars 

 and Mr. William Eathbone, on the other hand, desired 

 that a fair trial should be given to the locomotive ; and 

 they with reason objected to the expenditure of the 

 large capital necessary to construct the proposed engine- 

 houses, with their fixed engines, ropes, and machinery, 

 until they had tested the powers of the locomotive as 

 recommended by their own engineer. Mr. Stephenson 

 continued to urge upon them that the locomotive was 

 yet capable of great improvements, if proper induce- 

 ments were held out to inventors and machinists to 

 make them ; and he pledged himself that, if time were 

 given him, he would construct an engine that should 

 satisfy their requirements, and prove itself capable of 

 working heavy loads along the railway with speed, 

 regularity, and safety. At length, influenced by his f 

 persistent earnestness not less than by his arguments, the 

 directors, at the suggestion of Mr. Harrison, determined I 

 to offer a prize of 500/. for the best locomotive engine, 

 which, on a certain day, should be produced on the rail- 

 way, and perform certain specified conditions in the 

 most satisfactory manner. 2 



1 The arguments used by Mr. Ste- 

 phenson with the directors, in favour 

 of the locomotive engine, were after- 

 wards collected and published in 1830 

 by Robert Stephenson and Joseph 

 Locke, as " compiled from the Reports 

 of Mr. George Stephenson." The 

 pamphlet was entitled, ' Observations 

 on the Comparative Merits of Locomo- 

 tive and Fixed Engines.' Robert Ste- 

 phenson, speaking of the authorship 

 many years after, said, ' I believe I 



furnished the facts and the arguments, 

 and Locke put them into shape. 

 Locke Avas a very rlowery writer, 

 whereas my style was rather bald and 

 unattractive ; so he was the editor of 

 the pamphlet, which excited a good 

 deal of attention amongst engineers at 

 the time." 



2 The conditions were these : 



1. The engine must effectually con- 

 sume its own smoke. 



2. The engine, if of six tons weight, 



s 2 



