{4} In the Newcastle dialect, a chare is a narrow street or lane. At
the local assizes some years since, one of the witnesses in a criminal
trial swore that "_he saw three men come out of the foot of a chare_."
The judge cautioned the jury not to pay any regard to the man's evidence,
as he must be insane. A little explanation by the foreman, however,
satisfied his lordship that the original statement was correct.

{5} 'Six Months' Tour,' vol. iii. 9

{26} Father of Mr. Locke, M.P., the engineer. He afterwards removed to
Barnsley, in Yorkshire.

{33} The Stephenson Memorial Schools have since been erected on the site
of the old cottage at Willington Quay represented in the engraving at the
head of this chapter.

{38} This incident was related by Robert Stephenson during a voyage to
the north of Scotland in 1857, when off Montrose, on board his yacht
_Titania_; and the reminiscence was communicated to the author by the
late Mr. William Kell of Gateshead, who was present, at Mr. Stephenson's
request, as being worthy of insertion in his father's biography.

{52} Speech at Newcastle, on the 18th of June, 1844, at the meeting held
in celebration of the opening of the Newcastle and Darlington Railway.

{57} Robert Stephenson was perhaps, prouder of this little boyish
experiment than he was of many of his subsequent achievements. Not
having been quite accurately stated in the first edition of this book,
Mr. Stephenson noted the correction for the second, and wrote the author
(Sept. 18th, 1857) as follows:--"In the kite experiment, will you say,
that the copper-wire was insulated by a few feet of silk cord; without
this, the experiment cannot be made."

{70} Mr. Zerah Colburn, in his excellent work on 'Locomotive Engineering
and the Mechanism of Railways,' points out that Mr. Davies Gilbert noted
the effect of the discharge of the waste steam up the chimney of
Trevithick's engine in increasing the draught, and wrote a letter to
'Nicholson's Journal' (Sept. 1805) on the subject. Mr. Nicholson himself
proceeded to investigate the subject, and in 1806 he took out a patent
for "steam-blasting apparatus," applicable to fixed engines. Trevithick
himself, however, could not have had much faith in the steam-blast for
locomotive purposes, or else he would not have taken out his patent for
urging the fire by means of fanners. But the fact is, that while the
speed of the locomotive was only four or five miles an hour, th