records of a family of engineers-第13部分

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ll　been　words　of　flattery；　but　there　was　one　thing　that　could　not　be　affected；　and　that　was　the　look　and　light　that　came　into　their　faces　at　the　name　of　Robert　Stevenson。

In　the　early　part　of　the　century　the　foreman　builder　was　a　young　man　of　the　name　of　George　Peebles；　a　native　of　Anstruther。　　My　grandfather　had　placed　in　him　a　very　high　degree　of　confidence；　and　he　was　already　designated　to　be　foreman　at　the　Bell　Rock；　when；　on　Christmas…day　1806；　on　his　way　home　from　Orkney；　he　was　lost　in　the　schooner　TRAVELLER。　The　tale　of　the　loss　of　the　TRAVELLER　is　almost　a　replica　of　that　of　the　ELIZABETH　of　Stromness；　like　the　ELIZABETH　she　came　as　far　as　Kinnaird　Head；　was　then　surprised　by　a　storm；　driven　back　to　Orkney；　and　bilged　and　sank　on　the　island　of　Flotta。　　It　seems　it　was　about　the　dusk　of　the　day　when　the　ship　struck；　and　many　of　the　crew　and　passengers　were　drowned。　About　the　same　hour；　my　grandfather　was　in　his　office　at　the　writing…table；　and　the　room　beginning　to　darken；　he　laid　down　his　pen　and　fell　asleep。　　In　a　dream　he　saw　the　door　open　and　George　Peebles　come　in；　‘reeling　to　and　fro；　and　staggering　like　a　drunken　man；'　with　water　streaming　from　his　head　and　body　to　the　floor。　　There　it　gathered　into　a　wave　which；　sweeping　forward；　submerged　my　grandfather。　　Well；　no　matter　how　deep；　versions　vary；　and　at　last　he　awoke；　and　behold　it　was　a　dream！　　But　it　may　be　conceived　how　profoundly　the　impression　was　written　even　on　the　mind　of　a　man　averse　from　such　ideas；　when　the　news　came　of　the　wreck　on　Flotta　and　the　death　of　George。

George's　vouchers　and　accounts　had　perished　with　himself；　and　it　appeared　he　was　in　debt　to　the　Commissioners。　　But　my　grandfather　wrote　to　Orkney　twice；　collected　evidence　of　his　disbursements；　and　proved　him　to　be　seventy　pounds　ahead。　With　this　sum；　he　applied　to　George's　brothers；　and　had　it　apportioned　between　their　mother　and　themselves。　　He　approached　the　Board　and　got　an　annuity　of　5　pounds　bestowed　on　the　widow　Peebles；　and　we　find　him　writing　her　a　long　letter　of　explanation　and　advice；　and　pressing　on　her　the　duty　of　making　a　will。　　That　he　should　thus　act　executor　was　no　singular　instance。　　But　besides　this　we　are　able　to　assist　at　some　of　the　stages　of　a　rather　touching　experiment；　no　less　than　an　attempt　to　secure　Charles　Peebles　heir　to　George's　favour。　　He　is　despatched；　under　the　character　of　‘a　fine　young　man'；　recommended　to　gentlemen　for　‘advice；　as　he's　a　stranger　in　your　place；　and　indeed　to　this　kind　of　charge；　this　being　his　first　outset　as　Foreman'；　and　for　a　long　while　after；　the　letter…book；　in　the　midst　of　that　thrilling　first　year　of　the　Bell　Rock；　is　encumbered　with　pages　of　instruction　and　encouragement。　　The　nature　of　a　bill；　and　the　precautions　that　are　to　be　observed　about　discounting　it；　are　expounded　at　length　and　with　clearness。　　‘You　are　not；　I　hope；　neglecting；　Charles；　to　work　the　harbour　at　spring…tides；　and　see　that　you　pay　the　greatest　attention　to　get　the　well　so　as　to　supply　the　keeper　with　water；　for　he　is　a　very　helpless　fellow；　and　so　unfond　of　hard　work　that　I　fear　he　could　do　ill　to　keep　himself　in　water　by　going　to　the　other　side　for　it。'　…　‘With　regard　to　spirits；　Charles；　I　see　very　little　occasion　for　it。'　　These　abrupt　apostrophes　sound　to　me　like　the　voice　of　an　awakened　conscience；　but　they　would　seem　to　have　reverberated　in　vain　in　the　ears　of　Charles。　　There　was　trouble　in　Pladda；　his　scene　of　operations；　his　men　ran　away　from　him；　there　was　at　least　a　talk　of　calling　in　the　Sheriff。　‘I　fear；'　writes　my　grandfather；　‘you　have　been　too　indulgent；　and　I　am　sorry　to　add　that　men　do　not　answer　to　be　too　well　treated；　a　circumstance　which　I　have　experienced；　and　which　you　will　learn　as　you　go　on　in　business。'　　I　wonder；　was　not　Charles　Peebles　himself　a　case　in　point？　　Either　death；　at　least；　or　disappointment　and　discharge；　must　have　ended　his　service　in　the　Northern　Lights；　and　in　later　correspondence　I　look　in　vain　for　any　mention　of　his　name　…　Charles；　I　mean；　not　Peebles：　for　as　late　as　1839　my　grandfather　is　patiently　writing　to　another　of　the　family：　‘I　am　sorry　you　took　the　trouble　of　applying　to　me　about　your　son；　as　it　lies　quite　out　of　my　way　to　forward　his　views　in　the　line　of　his　profession　as　a　Draper。'


III


A　professional　life　of　Robert　Stevenson　has　been　already　given　to　the　world　by　his　son　David；　and　to　that　I　would　refer　those　interested　in　such　matters。　　But　my　own　design；　which　is　to　represent　the　man；　would　be　very　ill　carried　out　if　I　suffered　myself　or　my　reader　to　forget　that　he　was；　first　of　all　and　last　of　all；　an　engineer。　　His　chief　claim　to　the　style　of　a　mechanical　inventor　is　on　account　of　the　Jib　or　Balance　Crane　of　the　Bell　Rock；　which　are　beautiful　contrivances。　　But　the　great　merit　of　this　engineer　was　not　in　the　field　of　engines。　　He　was　above　all　things　a　projector　of　works　in　the　face　of　nature；　and　a　modifier　of　nature　itself。　A　road　to　be　made；　a　tower　to　be　built；　a　harbour　to　be　constructed；　a　river　to　be　trained　and　guided　in　its　channel　…　these　were　the　problems　with　which　his　mind　was　continually　occupied；　and　for　these　and　similar　ends　he　travelled　the　world　for　more　than　half　a　century；　like　an　artist；　note…book　in　hand。

He　once　stood　and　looked　on　at　the　emptying　of　a　certain　oil…tube；　he　did　so　watch　in　hand；　and　accurately　timed　the　operation；　and　in　so　doing　offered　the　perfect　type　of　his　profession。　　The　fact　acquired　might　never　be　of　use：　it　was　acquired：　another　link　in　the　world's　huge　chain　of　processes　was　brought　down　to　figures　and　placed　at　the　service　of　the　engineer。　　‘The　very　term　mensuration　sounds　ENGINEER…LIKE；'　I　find　him　writing；　and　in　truth　what　the　engineer　most　properly　deals　with　is　that　which　can　be　measured；　weighed；　and　numbered。　　The　time　of　any　operation　in　hours　and　minutes；　its　cost　in　pounds；　shillings；　and　pence；　the　strain　upon　a　given　point　in　foot…pounds　…　these　are　his　conquests；　with　which　he　must　continually　furnish　his　mind；　and　which；　after　he　has　acquired　them；　he　must　continually　apply　and　exercise。　　They　must　be　not　only　entries　in　note…books；　to　be　hurriedly　consulted；　in　the　actor's　phrase；　he　must　be　STALE　in　them；　in　a　word　of　my　grandfather's；　they　must　be　‘fixed　in　the　mind　like　the　ten　fingers　and　ten　toes。'

These　are　the　certainties　of　the　engineer；　so　far　he　finds　a　solid　footing　and　clear　views。　　But　the　province　of　formulas　and　constants　is　restricted。　　Even　the　mechanical　engineer　comes　at　last　to　an　end　of　his　figures；　and　must　stand　up；　a　practical　man；　face　to　face　with　the　discrepancies　of　nature　and　the　hiatuses　of　theory。　　After　the　machine　is　finished；　and　the　steam　turned　on；　the　next　is　to　drive　it；　and　experience　and　an　exquisite　sympathy　must　teach　him　where　a　weight　should　be　applied　or　a　nut　loosened。　　With　the　civil　engineer；　more　properly　so　called　（if　anything　can　be　proper　with　this　awkward　coinage）；　the　obligation　starts　with　the　beginning。　　He　is　always　the　practical　man。　　The　rains；　the　winds　and　the　waves；　the　complexity　and　the　fitfulness　of　nature；　are　always　before　him。　　He　has　to　deal　with　the　unpredictable；　with　those　forces　（in　Smeaton's　phrase）　that　‘are　subject　to　no　calculation'；　and　still　he　must　predict；　still　calculate　them；　at　his　peril。　　His　work　is　not　yet　in　being；　and　he　must　foresee　its　influence：　how　it　shall　deflect　the　tide；　exaggerate　the　waves；　dam　back　the　rain…water；　or　attract　the　thunderbolt。　　He　visits　a　piece　of　sea…board；　and　from　the　inclination　and　soil　of　the　beach；　from　the　weeds　and　shell…fish；　from　the　configuration　of　the　coast　and　the　depth　of　soundings　outside；　he　must　deduce　what　magnitude　of　waves　is　to　be　looked　for。　　He　visits　a　river；　its　summer　water　babbling　on　shallows；　and　he　must　not　only　read；　in　a　thousand　indications；　the　measure　of　winter　freshets；　but　be　able　to　predict　the　violence　of　occasional　great　floods。　　Nay；　and　more；　he　must　not　only　consider　that　which　is；　but　that　which　may　be。　　Thus　I　find　my　grandfather　writing；　in　a　report　on　the　North　Esk　Bridge：　‘A　less　waterway　might　have　sufficed；　but　the　VALLEYS　MAY　COME　TO　BE　MELIORATED　BY　DRAINAGE。'　　One　field　drained　after　another　through　all　that　confluence　of　vales；　and　we　come　to　a　time　when　they　shall　precipitate　by　so　much　a　more　copious　and　transient　flood；　as　the　gush　of　the　flowing　drain…pipe　is　superior　to　the　leakage　of　a　peat。

It　is　plain　there　is　here　but　a　restricted　use　for　formulas。　　In　this　sort　of　practice；　the　engineer　has　need　of　some　transcendental　sense。　　Smeaton；　the　pioneer；　bade　him　obey　his　‘feelings'；　my　father；　that　‘power　of　estimating　obscure　forces　which　supplies　a　coefficient　of　its　own　to　every　rule。'　　The　rules　must　be　everywhere　indeed；　but　they　must　everywhere　be　modified　by　this　transcendental　coefficient；　everywhere　bent　to　the　impression　of　the　trained　eye　and　the　FEELINGS　of　the　engineer。　　A　sentiment　of　physical　laws　and　of　the　scale　of　nature；　which　shall　have　been　strong　in　the　beginning　and　progressively　fortified　by　observation；　must　be　his　guide　in　the　last　recourse。　　I　had　the　most　opportunity　to　observe　my　father。　　He　would　pass　hours　on　the　beach；　brooding　over　the　waves；　counting　them；　noting　their　least　deflection；　noting　when　they　broke。　　O