Mr.  Stephenson  continued  to  direct  his  close  atten-
tion 10  the  improvement  of  the  details  of  the
locomotive,  every  successive  trial  of  which  proved
more  satisfactory-  In  this  department  he  had  the
benefit  of  the  able  and  unremitting  assistance  of  his
son,  who,  in  the  workshops  at  Newcastle,  directly
superintended  the  construction  of  the  new  engines
required  for  the  public  working  of  the  raiiwa}'.  He
did  not  by  any  means  rest  satisfied  with  the  success,
decided  though  it  was,  which  had  been  achieved  by


CHAP  X!l]        FIRST  JOURNEY   ON   CHAT    MOSS


267


ihc  "  Rocket."  He  regarded  it  but  in  the  light  of  a
successful  experiment  ;  and  every  succeeding  engine
placed  upon  the  railway  exhibited  some  improve-
ment on  its  predecessors.  The  arrangement  of  the
parts,  and  the  weight  and  proportions  of  the  engines,
were  altered^  as  the  experience  of  each  successive
day,  or  week,  or  month,  suggested  ;  and  it  was  soon
found  that  the  performances  of  the  '*  Rocket  "  on  the
day  of  trial  had  been  greatly  within  ihC' powers  of
the  locomotive.
The  first  entire  trip  between  Liverpool  and
Manrliester  was  performed  on  the  14th  of  June,
1830,  on  the  occasion  of  a  Board  meeting  being  held
at  the  latter  town.  The  train  was  on  this  occasion
drawn  by  the  "Arrow,"  one  of  the  new  locomotives,
in  which  the  most  recent  improvements  had  been
adopted.  Mr.  Stephenson  himself  drove  the  engine,
and  Captain  Scoresby,  the  circumpolar  navigator,
stood  beside  him  on  the  foot-plate,  and  minuted  the
speed  of  the  train.  A  great  concourse  of  people
assembled  at  both  termini,  as  well  as  along  the  line,
to  witness  the  novel  spectacle  of  a  train  of  carriages
dragged  by  an  engine  at  a  speed  of  17  miles  an  hour.
