CHAP. XVI. MAGNITUDE OF THE WORK. 331 



attention of the visitors to the completeness of the arch 

 overhead, where not the slightest fracture or yielding 

 could be detected. Speaking of the work, in the course 

 of the same day, he said, " I will stake my character, 

 my head, if that tunnel ever give way, so as to cause 

 danger to any of the public passing through it. Taking 

 it as a whole, I don't think there is such another piece 

 of work in the world. It is the greatest work that has 

 yet been done of this kind, and there has been less 

 repairing than is usual, though an engineer might 

 well be beaten in his calculations, for he cannot before- 

 hand see into those little fractured parts of the earth he 

 may meet with." As Mr. Stephenson had promised, 

 the invert was put in ; and the tunnel was made per- 

 fectly safe. 



The construction of this subterranean road employed 

 the labour of above a thousand men for nearly "four 

 years. Besides excavating the arch out of the solid 

 rock, they used 23,000,000 of bricks, and 8000 tons of 

 Roman cement in the building of the tunnel. Thirteen 

 stationary engines, and about 100 horses, were also 

 employed in drawing the earth and stone out of the 

 shafts. Its entire length is 2869 yards, or nearly af 

 mile and three-quarters, exceeding the famous Kilsbyl 

 Tunnel by 471 yards. Mr. T. L. Gooch was the acting! 

 engineer on the line, and was afterwards promoted, at 

 Mr. Stephenson's recommendation, to the post of joint 

 principal engineer, sharing the . responsibilities of that 

 office with his chief. 



The Midland Railway was a favourite line of Mr. 

 Stephenson's for several reasons. It passed through a 

 rich mining district, in which it opened up many 

 valuable coal-fields, and it formed part of the great 

 main line of communication between London and 

 Edinburgh. The line was originally projected by 

 gentlemen interested in the London and Birmingham 

 Railway. Their intention was to extend that line from 

 Rugby to Leeds ; but, finding themselves anticipated in 



