veral evenings' careful deliberations, the drawing was made, and shown
to several of the head men about the works.

Stephenson proceeded to order a lamp to be made by a Newcastle tinman,
according to his plan; and at the same time he directed a glass to be
made for the lamp at the Northumberland Glass House. Both were received
by him from the makers on the 21st October, and the lamp was taken to
Killingworth for the purpose of immediate experiment.

"I remember that evening as distinctly as if it had been but yesterday,"
said Robert Stephenson, describing the circumstances to the author in
1857: "Moodie came to our cottage about dusk, and asked, 'if father had
got back yet with the lamp?' 'No.' 'Then I'll wait till he comes,' said
Moodie, 'he can't be long now.' In about half-an-hour, in came my
father, his face all radiant. He had the lamp with him! It was at once
uncovered, and shown to Moodie. Then it was filled with oil, trimmed,
and lighted. All was ready, only the head viewer hadn't arrived. 'Run
over to Benton for Nichol, Robert,' said my father to me, 'and ask him to
come directly; say we're going down the pit to try the lamp.' By this
time it was quite dark; and off I ran to bring Nicholas Wood. His house
was at Benton, about a mile off. There was a short cut through the
Churchyard, but just as I was about to pass the wicket, I saw what I
thought was a white figure moving about amongst the grave-stones. I took
it for a ghost! My heart fluttered, and I was in a great fright, but to
Wood's house I must get, so I made the circuit of the Churchyard; and
when I got round to the other side I looked, and lo! the figure was still
there. But what do you think it was? Only the grave-digger, plying his
work at that late hour by the light of his lanthorn set upon one of the
gravestones! I found Wood at home, and in a few minutes he was mounted
and off to my father's. When I got back, I was told they had just
left--it was then about eleven--and gone down the shaft to try the lamp
in one of the most dangerous parts of the mine."

Arrived at the bottom of the shaft with the lamp, the party directed
their steps towards one of the foulest galleries in the pit, where the
explosive gas was issuing through a blower in the roof of the mine with a
loud hissing noise. By erecting some deal boarding round that part of
the gallery into which the gas was escaping, the air was made more foul
for the purpose of the exp