records of a family of engineers-第11章

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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。　　On　Tweedside；　or　by　Lyne　or　Manor；　we　have　spent　together　whole　afternoons；　to　me；　at　the　time；　extremely　wearisome；　to　him；　as　I　am　now　sorry　to　think；　bitterly　mortifying。　　The　river　was　to　me　a　pretty　and　various　spectacle；　I　could　not　see　…　I　could　not　be　made　to　see　…　it　otherwise。　　To　my　father　it　was　a　chequer…board　of　lively　forces；　which　he　traced　from　pool　to　shallow　with　minute　appreciation　and　enduring　interest。　　'That　bank　was　being　under…cut；'　he　might　say。　　‘Why？　　Suppose　you　were　to　put　a　groin　out　here；　would　not　the　FILUM　FLUMINIS　be　cast　abruptly　off　across　the　channel？　and　where　would　it　impinge　upon　the　other　shore？　and　what　would　be　the　result？　　Or　suppose　you　were　to　blast　that　boulder；　what　would　happen？　Follow　it　…　use　the　eyes　God　has　given　you　…　can　you　not　see　that　a　great　deal　of　land　would　be　reclaimed　upon　this　side？'　It　was　to　me　like　school　in　holidays；　but　to　him；　until　I　had　worn　him　out　with　my　invincible　triviality；　a　delight。　　Thus　he　pored　over　the　engineer's　voluminous　handy…book　of　nature；　thus　must；　too；　have　pored　my　grand…father　and　uncles。

But　it　is　of　the　essence　of　this　knowledge；　or　this　knack　of　mind；　to　be　largely　incommunicable。　　‘It　cannot　be　imparted　to　another；'　says　my　father。　　The　verbal　casting…net　is　thrown　in　vain　over　these　evanescent；　inferential　relations。　Hence　the　insignificance　of　much　engineering　literature。　　So　far　as　the　science　can　be　reduced　to　formulas　or　diagrams；　the　book　is　to　the　point；　so　far　as　the　art　depends　on　intimate　study　of　the　ways　of　nature；　the　author's　words　will　too　often　be　found　vapid。　　This　fact　…　that　engineering　looks　one　way；　and　literature　another　…　was　what　my　grand…father　overlooked。　　All　his　life　long；　his　pen　was　in　his　hand；　piling　up　a　treasury　of　knowledge；　preparing　himself　against　all　possible　contingencies。　　Scarce　anything　fell　under　his　notice　but　he　perceived　in　it　some　relation　to　his　work；　and　chronicled　it　in　the　pages　of　his　journal　in　his　always　lucid；　but　sometimes　inexact　and　wordy；　style。　　The　Travelling　Diary　（so　he　called　it）　was　kept　in　fascicles　of　ruled　paper；　which　were　at　last　bound　up；　rudely　indexed；　and　put　by　for　future　reference。　Such　volumes　as　have　reached　me　contain　a　surprising　medley：　the　whole　details　of　his　employment　in　the　Northern　Lights　and　his　general　practice；　the　whole　biography　of　an　enthusiastic　engineer。　　Much　of　it　is　useful　and　curious；　much　merely　otiose；　and　much　can　only　be　described　as　an　attempt　to　impart　that　which　cannot　be　imparted　in　words。　　Of　such　are　his　repeated　and　heroic　descriptions　of　reefs；　monuments　of　misdirected　literary　energy；　which　leave　upon　the　mind　of　the　reader　no　effect　but　that　of　a　multiplicity　of　words　and　the　suggested　vignette　of　a　lusty　old　gentleman　scrambling　among　tangle。　　It　is　to　be　remembered　that　he　came　to　engineering　while　yet　it　was　in　the　egg　and　without　a　library；　and　that　he　saw　the　bounds　of　that　profession　widen　daily。　　He　saw　iron　ships；　steamers；　and　the　locomotive　engine；　introduced。　　He　lived　to　travel　from　Glasgow　to　Edinburgh　in　the　inside　of　a　forenoon；　and　to　remember　that　he　himself　had　‘often　been　twelve　hours　upon　the　journey；　and　his　grand…father　（Lillie）　two　days'！　　The　profession　was　still　but　in　its　second　generation；　and　had　already　broken　down　the　barriers　of　time　and　space。　　Who　should　set　a　limit　to　its　future　encroachments？　　And　hence；　with　a　kind　of　sanguine　pedantry；　he　pursued　his　design　of　‘keeping　up　with　the　day'　and　posting　himself　and　his　family　on　every　mortal　subject。　　Of　this　unpractical　idealism　we　shall　meet　with　many　instances；　there　was　not　a　trade；　and　scarce　an　accomplishment；　but　he　thought　it　should　form　part　of　the　outfit　of　an　engineer；　and　not　content　with　keeping　an　encyclopaedic　diary　himself；　he　would　fain　have　set　all　his　sons　to　work　continuing　and　extending　it。　　They　were　more　happily　inspired。　　My　father's　engineering　pocket…book　was　not　a　bulky　volume；　with　its　store　of　pregnant　notes　and　vital　formulas；　it　served　him　through　life；　and　was　not　yet　filled　when　he　came　to　die。