Chapter 19

ROBERT STEPHENSON'S VICTORIA BRIDGE, LOWER CANADA--ILLNESS AND DEATH--STEPHENSON CHARACTERISTICS.

Robert Stephenson's inheritances--Gradual retirement 357-380 from the profession of engineer--His last great works--Tubular Bridges over the St. Lawrence and the Nile--The Grand Trunk Railway, Canada--Necessity for a great railway bridge near Montreal--Discussion as to the plan--Robert Stephenson's report--A tubular bridge determined on--Massiveness of the piers--Ice-floods in the St. Lawrence--Victoria Bridge constructed and completed--Tubular bridges in Egypt--The Suez Canal--Robert Stephenson's employment as arbitrator--Assists Brunel at launching of the "Great Eastern"--Regardlessness of health--Death and Funeral--Characteristics of the Stephensons and resume of their history--Politics of father and son--Services rendered to civilization by the Stephensons

INDEX 381

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

PAGE Portrait of George Stephenson _to face title page_ High Level Bridge, _to face_ 1 Map of Newcastle District 2 Flange rail 6 Coal-staith on the Tyne 10 Coal waggons 11 Wylam Colliery and village 12 High Street House, Wylam--George Stephenson's birthplace 14 Newburn on the Tyne 20 Colliery Whimsey 30 Stephenson's Cottage, Willington Quay 31 West Moor Colliery 37 Killingworth High Pit 46 Glebe Farm House, Benton 47 Rutter's School House, Long Benton 51 Bruce's School, Newcastle 53 Stephenson's Cottage, West Moor 57 Sun-dial at Killingworth 60 Colliers' Cottages at Long Benton 62 Cugnot's Engine 64 Section of Murdock's Model Locomotive 66 Trevithick's high-pressure Tram-Engine 70 Improved Wylam Engine 78 Spur-gear 83 The Pit-head, West Moor 91 Davy's and Stephenson's Safety-lamps 101 West Moor Pit, Killingworth 108 Half-lap joint 111 Old Killingworth Locomotive 113 Map of Stockton and Darlington Railway 123 Portrait of Edward Pease 124 The first Railway Coach 139 The No. 1 Engine at Darlington 142 Middlesborough-on-Tees 145 Map of Liverpool and Manchester Railway (Western Part) 150 ,, (Eastern part) 151 Surveying on Chat Moss 172 Olive Mount Cutting 184 Sankey Viaduct 186 Robert Stephenson's Cottage at Santa Anna 198 The "Rocket" 212 Locomotive competition, Rainhill 215 Railway _versus_ Road 220 Map of Leicester and Swannington Railway 233 Stephenson's House at Alton Grange 236 Portrait of Robert Stephenson, _to face_ 237 Map of London and Birmingham Railway (Rugby to Watford) 242 Blisworth Cutting 243 Shafts over Kilsby Tunnel 246 Dutton Viaduct 254 Entrance to Summit Tunnel, Lancashire and Yorkshire 256 Railway Land-slip, near Ambergate, North Midland Railway 259 Bullbridge, near Ambergate 260 Coalville and Snibston Colliery 274 Tapton House, near Chesterfield 275 Lime-works at Ambergate 278 Newcastle, from the High Level Bridge 301 Royal Border Bridge, Berwick-upon-Tweed 311 High Level Bridge--Elevation of one Arch 318 Penmaen Mawr 322 Map of Menai Straits 325 Conway Tubular Bridge 334 Britannia Bridge 339 Conway Bridge--Floating the first Tube 340 View in Tapton Gardens 341 Pathway to Tapton House 347 Trinity Church, Chesterfield 355 Tablet in Trinity Church, Chesterfield 356 The Victoria Bridge, Montreal 357 Robert Stephenson's Burial-place in Westminster Abbey 369 The Stephenson Memorial Schools, Willington Quay 380

[Picture: Newcastle-upon-Tyne and the High-level Bridge]