VICTORY OF THE "ROCKET" LOCOMO- 

 TIVE. 



[Part of Chapter XII. Part II. of "The Life of George 

 Stephenson and of His Son, Robert Stephenson," by 

 Samuel Smiles New York, Harper & Brothers. i868.fl 



THE works of the Liverpool and Manchester 

 Railway were now approaching completion. 

 But, strange to say, the directors had not yet 

 decided as to the tractive power to be employed 

 in working the line when open for traffic. The 

 differences of opinion among them were so great 

 as apparently to be irreconcilable. It was 

 necessary, however, that they should come to 

 some decision without further loss of time, and 

 many board meetings were accordingly held to 

 discuss the subject. The old-fashioned and 

 well-tried system of horse-haulage was not with- 

 out its advocates; but, looking at the large 

 amount of traffic which there was to be con- 

 veyed, and at the probable delay in the transit 

 from station to station if this method were 

 adopted, the directors, after a visit made by them 

 to the Northumberland and Durham railways 

 in 1828, came to the conclusion that the employ- 

 ment of horse-power was inadmissible. 



Fixed engines had many advocates; the loco- 

 motive very few: it stood as yet almost in a 

 minority of one George Stephenson. 

 163 



