. La vie de George Stephenson, ingénieur de chemin de fer . e Great Western Company, cependant, n'adopterait pas le pas asimilar ; ils sont détenus par la supériorité de leur jauge. TheCompany avait investi une grande somme d'argent dans la construction de la ligne d'alors, et peut-être pensé qu'il était trop tard pour remédier à l'addutidinconvenance de la recherche de la continuité. Les BirminghamManufacturers ont été les premiers à expérimenter ses maux, en conse-quence de la rupture de jauge à Gloucester, qui involvedgrand retard et la perte du transfert de marchandises. En 1844, theya tenu une réunion publique sur le sujet, et a protesté contre elle asa comm
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. The life of George Stephenson, railway engineer . e Great Western Company, however, would not adopt asimilar step ; they held by the superiority of their gauge. TheCompany had invested a vast sum of money in constructing then-line, and perhaps thought it was too late to remedy the admittedinconvenience of the want of continuity. The Birminghammanufacturers were the first to experience its evils, in conse-quence of the break of gauge at Gloucester, which involvedgreat delay and loss from the transfer of goods. In 1844 theyheld a public meeting on the subject, and protested against it asa commercial evil of the first magnitude. This formed the com-mencement of The Battle of the Gauges. In the followingEession of Parliament, the London and Birmingham and GreatWestern Companies were competitors for the supply of railroadaccommodation to the country between Oxford and Wolverhamp-ton. The Board of Trade reported against the Great Westernextensions, on account of the break of gauge. The House of * Evidence before the Gauge Commission, 1845.. North-Western Railwasr Train. BATTLE OF THE GAUGES. 377 Commons, however, stepped in and reversed the decision, deter-mining nothing. Mr. Cobden then moved for a roj^al commissionto ascertain whether, in future private acts for the constructionof railways, provision ought to be made for securing a uniformgauge; and whether it would be expedient and practicable totake measures to bring railways already constructed, or in pro-gress of construction, into uniformity of gauge. The addresswas unanimously voted; and a commission was accordingly ap-pointed, before which the principal engineers and railway men ofthe day were examined at great length. In 1846, they reportedsubstantially against the broad, and in favor of the narrow, asthe futuie national gauge of British railways. They also ex-pressed their opinion as to the desirableness of adopting someequitable means of producing an entire uniformity of gauge onthe lines already constructed
