A Hundred Years Ago
THE " SPECTATOR," SEPTEMBER 18TH, 1830.
OPENING OF TEE LIVERPOOL AND MANCHESTER RAILWAY.
The bustle in the town of Liverpool on the night of Tuesday and the morning of Wednesday was, it may be easily conceived, very great. The hour of starting had been fixed for ten o'clock ; but long before that hour, the greater part of the travellers had assembled in the enclosed yard of the Company. At a quarter past ten, the Duke of Wellington arrived in the yard ; and at a quarter past eleven, the several parties having taken their seats, the signal-gun was fired, and the procession issued forth. The railway consists of two roads, one for going and the other for returning. Had the Directors been content to use one of the roads only, all would have now been well ; but incapable of making a sufficient show of the Duke by this simple ement of the procession, they determined on occupying both
The Northumbrian, with which were the Duke of Wellington, Prince Esterhazy, Sir Robert Peel, Mr. Huslcisdon, Mr. Holmes, and a number of other visitors, had been propelled at various rates during its journey, sometimes passing on before, sometimes falling behind the procession of cars on the other line. It arrived at Park- side before any of the rest, and halted. The next car that Came up was the Phoenix ; it was followed close by the North Star, and at a considerable interval by the Rocket. This was about ten minutes before 12 o'clock. It had been specially requested by the Directors, that no one should alight during the journey, and even the tickets of the party bore the same admonition. Not- withstanding these strong cautions, the Northumbrian had no sooner stopped, than twelve of fourteen of the party of the attached car got out. There were no steps by which to enter the ear; • the entrance had been made at Liverpool by a ladder, which was afterwards unhooked and suspended to the end of the vehicle. This will sufficiently amount for the difficulty which was experienced in getting again into the car, and which only one of those whom the advance of the Rocket placed in jeopardy, namely Mr. Calcraft, seems to have effected.
Mr. Ifuskisson had been conversing with Mr. Joseph Sanders. one of the principal promoters of the railway, and warmly congratu- lating him on the success which had at length crowned his plans, and as he turned away fnew that gentleman, he exclaimed—', Well. I must go and shake hands with the Duke of Wellington on this day at any rate." He did see the Duke, and shook hands with him very cordially, but an instant before the advance of the Rocket Was announced, and the cry raised to the gentlemen-on the railwayto save themselves. Mr. Huskisson fell to the ground at the moment the Rocket engine passed. The fatal injury was purely accidental, and not the slightest imputation of blame rests on the machines, the railway, or any individual.
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