us far with little more than the clothes upon their backs.
Almost the only remnant of precious metal saved by Trevithick was a pair
of silver spurs, which he took back with him to Cornwall. Robert
Stephenson lent him 50 pounds to enable him to reach England; and though
he was afterwards heard of as an inventor there, he had no further part
in the ultimate triumph of the locomotive.

But Trevithick's misadventures on this occasion had not yet ended, for
before he reached New York he was wrecked, and Robert Stephenson with
him. The following is the account of the voyage, "big with adventures,"
as given by the latter in a letter to his friend Illingworth:--"At first
we had very little foul weather, and indeed were for several days
becalmed amongst the islands, which was so far fortunate, for a few
degrees further north the most tremendous gales were blowing, and they
appear (from our future information) to have wrecked every vessel exposed
to their violence. We had two examples of the effects of the hurricane;
for, as we sailed north we took on board the remains of two crews found
floating about on dismantled hulls. The one had been nine days without
food of any kind, except the carcasses of two of their companions who had
died a day or two previously from fatigue and hunger. The other crew had
been driven about for six days, and were not so dejected, but reduced to
such a weak state that they were obliged to be drawn on board our vessel
by ropes. A brig bound for Havannah took part of the men, and we took
the remainder. To attempt any description of my feelings on witnessing
such scenes would be in vain. You will not be surprised to learn that I
felt somewhat uneasy at the thought that we were so far from England, and
that I also might possibly suffer similar shipwreck; but I consoled
myself with the hope that fate would be more kind to us. It was not so
much so, however, as I had flattered myself; for on voyaging towards New
York, after we had made the land, we ran aground about midnight. The
vessel soon filled with water, and, being surrounded by the breaking
surf, the ship was soon split up, and before morning our situation became
perilous. Masts and all were cut away to prevent the hull rocking; but
all we could do was of no avail. About 8 o'clock on the following
morning, after a most miserable night, we were taken off the wreck, and
were so fortunate as to reach the shore. I saved my minerals, but Empson