Joseph Tatlow - Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland

J >> Joseph Tatlow >> Fifty Years of Railway Life in England, Scotland and Ireland

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Mr. W. M. Acworth, the well-known writer on railway economics, and a keen
but friendly critic of railway affairs, was appointed Secretary to the
English Section of the Congress, and to him fell the principal work
connected with the Session. His scholarly and linguistic attainments and
his varied travels, fitted him well for the task. My eldest son, then a
youth of 18, just entered the railway service, had the good fortune to be
selected as one of Mr. Acworth's assistants. He had not long finished
his education in France, and spoke the language fluently, which, of
course, was a recommendation. It was valuable experience to him as well
as delightful work. He conducted several parties of delegates through
various parts of England and Ireland in connection with the many
excursions that were arranged for their pleasure and profit. The weather
was very hot, and railway travelling at times oppressive, even to
delegates from the sunny land of France, and _shandy-gaff_, a beverage
new to most of the visitors, was in great request. Said a French
delegate one day to my son, as the train was approaching Rugby: "Oh!
M'sieu Tatlow, the weather it is so hot; will you not at Rugby give us
some of your beautiful _char-a-banc_?" On another occasion he was asked
if he would "be so kind as to give the _recipe_ for making that beautiful
toast."

At the close of the session in London, a number of the foreign delegates,
at the invitation of the Irish Railway Companies, visited Ireland, and
were shown its railways, and its beauty spots from east to west, from
north to south. It is not too much to say they were greatly impressed.
The splendid scenery that surrounds the island like a beautiful frame,
delighted them, and the excellence of the Irish railways was no little
surprise. They did not expect to see such fine carriages, such handsome
dining saloons, nor such permanent way and stations. Of course we showed
them our best and the best was very good. Ireland is often accused of
neglecting her opportunities, but never her hospitality. On this
occasion, personified by her railway companies, she neglected neither,
and in the latter surpassed herself.

In the autumn of this year I was able to gratify my taste for travel by a
longer excursion than usual. Hitherto my furthest flights had been to
Paris, Belgium, and Holland, but now I went as far as Spain and Portugal.
F. K. was my pleasant companion and we travelled, _via_ Paris, straight
through to Madrid, where we stayed for a week at the Hotel de la Paix, in
the bright and busy and sunny Puerto del Sol. In Madrid we visited the
Royal Palace (or so much of it as was shown to the public--principally
the Royal stables); the Escurial; the Art Galleries and Museums; drove in
the Buen Retiro; witnessed a bull fight, which rather sickened us when
the horses, which never stood a chance in the contest, were ripped up by
the bull; admired dark-eyed senoritas, their mantillas and coquettish
fans, enjoyed the southern sunshine and the Spanish wines; and then left
for Lisbon by an _express_ train that stopped at nearly every station. At
Lisbon three or four days were pleasantly passed, though we were annoyed
sometimes by the crowd of persistent beggars that thronged the streets,
and who, we were told, pursued their calling by license from the
authorities. This was a small matter, however. He who travels should be
proof against such minor annoyances. Then Oporto was visited, and the
Douro valley, the very centre of the port wine industry. A young
Englishman, a wine merchant, accompanied us in our journey through this
sultry valley and was our cicerone. Under his guidance we visited many
famous "wine lodges," sampled wonderful vintages in most generous
glasses, drank old port, green port, tawny port, and I am sure too much
port, and when, at last, we reached the port of Biarritz, where we stayed
for several days, we blessed its lighter wines and refreshing breezes.
After Biarritz Bordeaux detained us for a day or two, and so did Paris,
which we found very attractive and refreshing in early November.

This year also had for me a delightful week's interlude, in the month of
June, in the Committee Rooms at Westminster. A certain Bill was promoted
by an Irish railway company, which we considered an aggressive attempt to
invade our territory, and, of course, we vigorously opposed it. Again I
had the pleasure of giving evidence and of being crossed-examined by Mr.
Pembroke Stephens; but the Bill was passed and became an Act. Further
sign of vitality it never showed as the line was never made. It is one
thing, by the grace of Parliament to obtain an Act, but quite another by
the favour of the public to obtain capital. Parliament is often more
easily persuaded than the shrewd investor, as many a too sanguine
promoter knows.

CHAPTER XXIV.
TOM ROBERTSON, MORE ABOUT LIGHT RAILWAYS, AND THE INLAND TRANSIT OF
CATTLE

By his friends and intimates he was called _Tom_, and mere acquaintances
even usually spoke of him as _Tom Robertson_. Rarely was he designated
_Thomas_. A man who is known so familiarly is generally a good fellow,
and Tom Robertson was no exception, though he possessed some pretty
strong qualities, and was particularly fond of getting his own way.

In his early days at the Great Northern, sundry skirmishes at the
Clearing House had taken place between him and me, which for a time
produced a certain amount of estrangement, but we afterwards became
excellent friends and saw a good deal of each other. He was no longer a
_general manager_, having given up that post for another which was
pressed upon him--the post of Chairman of the Irish Board of Works. It
was certainly unusual, unheard of one might say, in those days, for an
important government office to be conferred upon a railway official,
though now it would excite but little surprise. The Government it was
thought contemplated something in the shape of a railway policy in
Ireland, and had spotted Robertson as the man for the job; it was
certainly said that someone in high authority, taken greatly by his
sturdy independence, his unconventional ways, and his enormous energy,
had determined to try the novel experiment which such an appointment
meant. I do not think that Robertson himself ever really enjoyed the
change. He liked variety it is true, but governmental ways were not, he
often said, his ways, and he seemed to lack the capacity to easily adapt
himself to new grooves. Unconventional he certainly was, and never in
London even would he wear a tall hat or a tail coat; nor could he ever be
persuaded to attend a levee or any State function whatever. He usually
dressed in roughish tweeds, with trousers unfashionably wide, and a
flaming necktie competing with his bright red cheeks, which contrasted
strongly with his dark hair and beard. He was, however, a strong manly
fellow, with a great deal of determination mingled with good humour.
Usually in high spirits, he often displayed a boyish playfulness that
resembled the gambols of a big good-natured dog. He was musical too, and
would sing _Annie Laurie_ for you at any time, accompanying himself on
the piano. To practical joking he was rather addicted, and once I was
his reluctant accomplice, but am glad to say it was the last time I ever
engaged in such rude pleasantry. I can write of him now the more freely
that he is no longer of this world. Excessive energy hastened his death.
In 1901 he went to India to investigate for the Government the railways
there, and to report upon them. It was a big task, occupied him a long
time, and I am told he worked and lived there as though he were in his
native temperate zone. His restless energy was due I should say to
superabundant vitality. Once, when he and I were in London together, on
some railway business, we took a stroll after dinner (it was summertime)
and during a pause in our conversation he surprised me by exclaiming:
"Tatlow, I'm a restless beggar. I'd like to have a jolly good row with
somebody." "Get married," said I. This tickled him greatly and restored
his good humour. He lived and died a bachelor nevertheless.

In 1896 the _Railways (Ireland) Act_ was passed, and with it Robertson
had much to do. Its purpose ran: "To facilitate the construction of
Railways and the Establishment of other means of Communication in
Ireland, and for other purposes incidental thereto." It provided for
further advances by the Treasury, under prescribed conditions, for
constructing railways and for establishing lines of steamers, coaches,
etc., which were shown to be necessary for the development of the
resources of any district, where owing to the circumstances of such
district, they could not be made without government assistance. It also
authorised the construction and maintenance, as part of such railways, of
any pier, quay or jetty. This little Act, which consisted of thirteen
sections (I wonder he did not think the number unlucky), was Robertson's
particular pet. Concerning its clauses, from the time they were first
drafted, many a talk we had together over a cup of tea with, to use his
own expression, "a wee drappie in't." I may have hinted as much, but do
not think I have mentioned before that he was a Scotchman and a
Highlander.

In the same year was passed the _Light Railways Act_, an Act which
applied to Great Britain only. Ireland had already had her share (some
thought more than her share) of light railway legislation, with its
accompanying doles in the shape of easy loans and free gifts, whilst
England and Scotland had been left in the cold. It was their turn now;
but as this Act, and the subject of light railways generally, formed the
substance of a paper which I prepared and read in 1900 before the
International Railway Congress at Paris, and of which I shall speak later
on, I will pass it now without more comment.

At Robertson's request I appeared as a witness this year for the Great
Northern Railway, before Committees of both Houses of Parliament, in
connection with a Bill which sought powers to construct an extension of
the Donegal railway from Strabane to Londonderry. Robertson himself did
not give evidence in the case. Before the Committees sat he had left the
Great Northern for the Board of Works, and Henry Plews, his successor,
represented the Great Northern Railway. The proposed line was in direct
competition with the Great Northern, and they sought my aid in opposing
it. Certainly there was no need for two railways, but Parliament thought
otherwise and passed the Bill. Indeed Parliament is not free from blame
for many unnecessary duplicated lines throughout the kingdom.
_Competition_ was for long its fetish; now it is _unification_, and
(blessed word!) _co-ordination_. Strange how men are taken with fine
words and phrases, and what slaves they are to shibboleths! Before the
House of Commons Committee which sat on this Bill I had the pleasure, for
the first time, of being examined by Balfour Browne. He was leader in
the case for the Great Northern, and I met him also in consultations
which took place. Since then I have crossed swords with him too, and
always I must confess with keen enjoyment. His knowledge of railway
matters was so remarkable, his mind so practiced, alert, and luminous,
that it was rare excitement to undergo cross-examination at his hands. In
his book, _Forty Years at the Bar_, he himself says: "I have not had many
opportunities of giving evidence, but I confess that when I have been
called as a witness I have enjoyed myself." Well, I can say that I have
had many such opportunities, and can truthfully declare that I have
enjoyed them all.

A few weeks holiday in Holland, Cologne, the Rhine and Frankfort, with
some days on the homeward journey in Brussels, all in company of my dear
delightful friend, Walter Bailey, complete the annals of this year,
except that I recall a little arbitration case in which I was engaged. It
was during the summer, in July I think. The Grand Canal (not the canal
which belongs to the Midland and is called the Royal) is a waterway which
traverses 340 miles of country. Not that it is all canal proper, some of
it being canalised river and loughs; but 154 miles are canal pure and
simple, the undisputed property of the Grand Canal Company. On a part of
the river Barrow which is canalised, an accident happened, and a trader's
barge was sunk and goods seriously damaged. Dispute arose as to
liability, and I was called on to arbitrate. To view the scene of the
disaster was a pleasant necessity, and the then manager of the company
(Mr. Kirkland) suggested making a sort of picnic of the occasion; so one
morning we left the train at Carlow, from whence a good stout horse
towed, at a steady trot, a comfortable boat for twenty miles or so to the
_locus_ of the accident. We were a party of four, not to mention the
hamper. It was delightfully wooded scenery through which we passed, and
a snug little spot where we lunched. After lunch and the arbitration
proceedings had been despatched, our Pegasus towed us back.

I must return again to Robertson, the Board of Works, and light railways.
Preliminary to the authorisation of light railways in Ireland, the
legislation which had been passed concerning them required that the Board
of Works should appoint fit and proper persons to make public inquiry
regarding the merits of proposed lines, as to engineering, finance,
construction, the favour or objection with which they were regarded by
landowners and others, the amount of capital required, the assistance
that would be given by landowners, local authorities and others towards
their construction, and their merit generally from all points of view;
such fit persons after they had done all this, to report to the Board of
Works. In 1897 Robertson thought that "Joseph Tatlow of Dublin, and
William Roberts of Inverness, were fit and proper persons" for conducting
the necessary inquiry concerning a proposed light railway in north-west
Donegal, from Letterkenny to Burtonport, a distance of 50 miles. William
Roberts was the Engineer of the Highland Railway of Scotland, a capable,
energetic, practical man, and a canny Scot. This line was promoted by
the Londonderry and Lough Swilly Railway Company. Roberts and I gladly
undertook the work. We held public meetings, which were largely attended
(for it was an event in Donegal) in Letterkenny, Falcarragh and
Burtonport, examined nearly fifty witnesses, and heard a great variety of
evidence.

But the hearing of evidence was by no means all we did. It was our duty
to examine the route, and determine if it were the best practicable route
(keeping steadily in view that the available funds were limited in
amount), scrutinise and criticise the estimates, consider the stations to
be provided, inquire as to the probable traffic and working expenses, and
inform ourselves thoroughly on all the aspects and merits of the case. We
drove some 240 miles, not of course by motor car (motors were not common
then) but with stout Irish horses, and inspected the country well. After
we presented our report, certain procedure followed; the Baronies
guaranteed interest on 5,000 pounds of the capital; the government gave
the rest (some 313,000 pounds) as a free grant; an Order in Council was
passed, and the line was made and opened for traffic in 1903. It has
more than verified all predictions as to its usefulness, and has proved a
blessing to north-west Donegal. My relations with the line by no means
ended with the inquiry, and more about it will later on appear in this
authentic history.

In the same year, 1897, with G. P. Culverwell, the engineer of my old
railway, the Belfast and County Down, as co-adjutor, I was entrusted by
Robertson with a similar inquiry concerning the Buncrana to Carndonagh
line (18 miles in length) also in Donegal, and also promoted by the
Londonderry and Lough Swilly Company. It was a smaller affair than the
Burtonport line, but involved similar pleasant and interesting work. This
line was also constructed and was opened in 1901.

Pleasant times, Joseph Tatlow, you seem to have had, and much variety and
diversion; but what of your own railway and your duties to it? Well,
these Parliamentary proceedings, arbitration cases, and light railway
adventures were, after all, only interludes, and I can conscientiously
say that the Midland line and its needs and interests were never
neglected. I am one of those who always believed that everything which
served to enlarge experience and mature judgment made a man more
competent for his daily work.

In July a Departmental Committee was appointed by the Board of
Agriculture "To inquire into and Report upon the Inland Transit of
Cattle." The Committee numbered ten, Sir Wm. Hart Dyke, M.P., being
chairman. Three other M.P.s were members of the Committee, one being
that redoubtable champion of the cattle trade and chairman of the Irish
Cattle Trades Association, Mr. William Field. Two railway
representatives were amongst the ten, one of them, Sir William Birt,
general manager of the Great Eastern Railway; the other the Honourable
Richard Nugent, a director of the Midland Great Western Railway, the
latter having considerable experience of the cattle trade and of cattle
transit in Ireland. He was no bad judge himself of a beast. He farmed
in County Galway, and farming in the west of Ireland meant the raising of
cattle, though nowadays some tillage is also done. He loved attending
cattle fairs, and more than once turned me out of bed before the break of
day to accompany him to a fair green, much to my discomfiture; but so
great was _his_ enjoyment, and so pleasant and lively his company that I
believe I thanked him on each occasion for bringing me out.

Sir William Hart Dyke did not act as chairman of the Committee; in fact
he was prevented by illness from attending any meeting after the first,
and in his absence the chair was taken by Mr. Parker Smith, M.P.

The scope of the inquiry included Great Britain and Ireland; but, as the
Committee stated in their report, "In Ireland the proportional importance
of the cattle trade is much the greater," and that no doubt was why they
examined in Dublin 42 witnesses against about half that number in
England.

Plews, Colhoun and I gave evidence for the Irish railways, supplemented
with testimony on matters of detail by some of our subordinates. My
railway (the Midland) being, relatively at any rate, the principal cattle-
carrying line in Ireland, it was agreed that I should give the greater
part of the evidence and appear first. The railway companies, of course,
came on after the public witnesses had had their say.

The Committee in their report made some useful recommendations both for
Great Britain and Ireland, not only in regard to the transit of cattle by
railway, but also in reference to public supervision at fairs;
accommodation and inspection at ports; the licensing of drovers;
dishorning of young cattle, etc. With respect to railway transit the
recommendations were directed principally to control and accommodation at
stations; pens and loading banks; improvement in cattle trucks; and rest,
food and water.

It is but fair to the railway companies to say that for some years
previous to the inquiry they had been making constant and steady
improvements in these matters, and I believe the Irish Department of
Agriculture, which was established by Act of Parliament in 1899, and in
which are vested the powers and functions of the Privy Council in regard
to live stock, with some added powers as well, would, were they appealed
to now, bear testimony to the good work of the Irish railways in regard
to the "Inland Transit of Cattle."

CHAPTER XXV.
RAILWAY AMALGAMATION AND CONSTANTINOPLE

It would be tedious as well as tiresome to describe the many railway
contests in the Committee Rooms at Westminster in which, during the
remainder of my managerial career, it was my lot to be engaged; but one
great case there was, in 1899 and 1900, which, by its importance to my
company, and I may say, to the south and west of Ireland generally,
should not pass unnoticed, and of it I propose to give a short account.

It was from the grasp of the Waterford and Limerick, as I have mentioned
before, that in 1892 we (the Midland) sought, though unsuccessfully, to
snatch possession of the Ennis line. Now the Waterford and Limerick were
to lose, not only the Ennis line, but all their lines and their own
identity as well. A great struggle ensued which, from the length of time
it lasted, and the number of combatants engaged, was one of the biggest
railway fights the Committee Rooms had for many a long year witnessed.
For 106 days, from first to last, the battle raged. In it thirty-one
companies and public bodies participated, most of them being represented
by counsel. There was a famous Bar, including all the big-wigs of course,
and some lesser wigs, and numbering more than twenty in all. The
promoters were very strongly represented, but we had Littler for our
leader, who, indeed, was our standing senior counsel. Their team
consisted of Pope, Pember, Balfour Browne, Seymour Bushe, McInerny and
two juniors; our, much smaller but well selected, of Littler,
Blennerhassett and Vesy Knox; the last-named then a rising junior, but
long since a senior, and for some time past a leader, is still to the
front in the bustling, reckless, impatient world of to-day. Most of the
others, alas, are no longer with us. Littler later on was knighted, but
is beyond all earthly honours now, and so are Pope, Pember and
Blennerhassett.

As I have said, the proceedings occupied two sessions. In the first,
1899, two Bills came before a Select Committee of the House of Commons,
one promoted jointly by the Great Southern and Western and the Waterford
and Limerick Companies, the other by the Great Southern and the Waterford
and Central Ireland. But the Great Southern were the real promoters of
both; they paid the piper and, therefore, called the tune. The Great
Southern being the largest railway company in Ireland aspired to be
greater still, nor need this be considered in the least surprising, for
who in this world, great or small, is ever satisfied? The Waterford and
Limerick, a line of 350 miles, then ranked fourth amongst the railways of
Ireland, and its proposed absorption by the Great Southern and Western
Company aroused no little interest. The Central Ireland, a small concern
of 65 miles, running from Maryborough to Waterford, was a secondary
affair altogether and I shall say little more about it. The Waterford
and Limerick had its headquarters at Limerick, its southern terminus at
Waterford, its northern at Sligo--a direct run from south to north of 223
miles, certain branch lines making up the rest of its mileage. Its
access to Sligo was by means of the Athenry to Tuam, the Tuam to
Claremorris and the Claremorris to Collooney lines, all of which it
worked. The last-mentioned was one of the "Balfour" light railways
(constructed on the ordinary Irish gauge of 5 feet 3 inches) and should
have been given to the Midland Company, but by some unfortunate
_contretemps_, when constructed, it passed into the hands of the
Waterford and Limerick. From Collooney to Sligo (six miles) running
powers were exercised by that company over the Midland line into Sligo.
This Claremorris-Collooney line intersected the Midland system and in the
hands of the Waterford and Limerick Company introduced a competition in
Connaught which that poor district could ill afford to bear--a district
in which one railway system alone, though it enjoyed the whole of the
traffic, would scarcely earn a living. The Waterford and Limerick was
not what would be called a prosperous line, nor was its physical
condition anything to boast of, but it had latent possibilities, and was
in active competition with the Great Southern. Such railway competition
as existed in Ireland was dear to traders and the general public. In
country towns in the sister Isle there is not (more the pity!) much afoot
in the way of diversion, and to set the companies by the ears or get the
better of either one or the other was looked upon as healthy and innocent
amusement.

On the 7th of June the contest began, and this, the first engagement,
lasted for 44 days, when the Chairman of the Committee announced that the
Bills would not be passed. Great was our delight and that of our allies,
though the cup of joy was a little dashed on learning that the Great
Southern had determined to renew the struggle in the following year.

My company was the principal opponent, and bore the brunt of the fight,
though the Dublin, Wicklow and Wexford Railway (now the Dublin and South-
Eastern) were vigorous opponents too. A. G. Reid (from Scotland, who I
have mentioned before) was general manager of the Dublin and Wicklow
Railway. Like myself he is a pensioner now enjoying the evening of life.
Living near each other in the pleasant Kingstown-Dalkey district, we meet
not infrequently, and when we do our talk, as is natural, often glides
into railway reminiscence. We fight our battles over again. We had many
allies, prominent amongst them being the City and Harbour Authorities of
Limerick. They were represented by good men who were hand and glove with
us. Sir (then Mr.) Alexander Shaw, John F. Power and William Holliday
were particularly conspicuous for their valuable assistance. Power (well
named) was a host in himself. Strong, keen, clever, energetic,
enthusiastic, yet cautious and wary, he was a splendid witness. I
sometimes said he would have made a fine railway manager, had he been
trained to the business. Could I give him higher praise?

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