438 



THE QUEEN'S VISIT. 



When the Queen first visited the Britannia Bridge, on 

 her return from the North in 1852, Robert Stephenson 

 accompanied Her Majesty and Prince Albert over the 

 works, explaining the principles on which the bridge 

 had been built, and the difficulties which had attended 

 its erection. He conducted the Eoyal party to near the 

 margin of the sea, and, after describing to them the 

 incident of the fall of the tube, and the reason of its 

 preservation, he pointed with pardonable pride to a pile 

 of stones which the workmen had there raised to com- 

 memorate the event. While nearly all the other marks 

 of the work during its progress had been obliterated, 

 that cairn had been left standing in commemoration of 

 the caution and foresight of their chief. 



The floating and raising of the remaining tubes need 

 not be described in detail. The second was floated 011 

 the 3rd December, and set in its permanent place on the 

 7th January, 1850. The others 1 were floated and raised 



permanent set, sufficient material was 

 at length brought into play, with 

 sufficient tenacity to withstand the 

 pressure; and thus an obstacle, appa- 

 rently insurmountable, and which 

 threatened at one time to render much 

 valuable machinery useless, was en- 

 tirely overcome. The workman may 

 be excused for calling the stretched 

 cylinder stronger than the new one, 

 though it is only stronger as regards 

 the amount of its yielding to a given 

 force." Clark, vol. I. 306. The hy- 

 draulic-presses used in raising the 

 tubes of the Britannia Bridge, it may 

 be remembered, were afterwards used 

 in starting the Great Eastern from her 

 berth on the shore at Milwall where 

 she had been built. 



1 While the preparations were in 

 progress for floating the third tube, 

 Mr. Stephenson received a pressing 

 invitation to a public railway celebra- 

 tion at Darlington., in honour of his 

 old friend Edward Pease. His reply, 

 dated the 15th May, 1850, was as 

 follows : " I am prevented having 

 the pleasure of a visit to Darlington, 

 on the 22nd, owing to that or the fol- 



lowing day having been fixed upon 

 for floating the next tube at the 

 Menai Straits ; and as this movement 

 depends on the tide, it is, of course, 

 impossible for me to alter the arrange- 

 ments. I sincerely regret this circum- 

 ! stance, for every early association con- 

 nected with my profession, would 

 I have tended to render my visit a gra- 

 ' ti tying one. It would, moreover, 

 | have given me an opportunity of say- 

 ! ing publicly how much the wonderful 

 | progress of railways was dependent 

 ' upon the successful issue of the first 

 | great experiment, and how much that 

 I issue was influenced by your great 

 I discernment, and your confidence in 

 I my late revered father. In my re- 

 I membrance you stand amongst the 

 foremost of his patrons and early ad- 

 visers; and I know that throughout 

 his life he regarded you as one of his 

 very best friends. One of the tilings 

 in which he took especial delight, was 

 in frequently and very graphically 

 describing his first visit to Darlington, 

 on foot, to confer with you on the sub- 

 ject of the Stockton and Darlington 

 Railway." 



