o one wheel behind, which
was toothed and worked in the cog-rail, and so drove the engine. It
began running on Middleton Coal Rail to Leeds, three and a quarter
miles, on the 12th August 1812, and continued a great curiosity to
strangers for some years. In 1816 the Grand Duke Nicholas of Russia saw
this engine working with great interest and expressions of no slight
admiration. An engine then took thirty coal-waggons at three and a
quarter miles in an hour.

We next come to Messrs. Chapman of Newcastle, who in 1812 tried to
overcome the supposed want of adhesion by a chain fixed at the ends of
the line and wound round a grooved drum driven by the engine. It was
tried on the Heaton Rail near Newcastle, but was found to be so clumsy
that it was soon abandoned. The next was a remarkable contrivance--a
mechanical traveller to go on legs. It never got beyond its experimental
state, and unfortunately blew up, killing several people. All these
plans show how lively an interest was then being taken in endeavouring
to bring out a good working locomotive. Mr. Blackett, however,
persevered hard to perfect a railway system, and to work it by
locomotives. The Wylam waggon-way, one of the oldest in the North, was
made of wooden rails down to 1807, and went to the shipping-place for
coals on the Tyne. Each chaldron-waggon was originally drawn by a horse
with a man in charge, only making two journeys in the one day and three
on the following, the man being allowed sevenpence for each journey.
This primitive railway passed before the cottage where George Stephenson
was born, and was consequently one of the first sights his infant eyes
beheld; and little did his parents think what their child was destined
to work out in his day for the advancement of railways. Mr. Blackett
took up the wood and laid an iron plate-way in 1808, and in 1812 he
ordered an engine on Trevetbick's principle. It was a very awkward one,
had only one cylinder of six inches diameter, with a fly-wheel; the
boiler was cast-iron, and was described by the man who had charge of it
as having lots of pumps, cog-wheels, and plugs. It was placed on a
wooden frame with four wheels, and had a barrel of water on another
carriage to serve as a tender. It was at last got on the road, but
would not move an inch, and her driver says:--"She flew all to pieces,
and it was the biggest wonder we were not all blown up." Mr. Blackett
persevered, and had another engine, which did its work