Sadly, the once-vibrant coal industry in northeast England has vanished now, but Beamish Museum in County Durham maintains a loving recreation of a typical mine in the region, as it might have been in the 1900s, almost a century after the events in this story took place.
ON one occasion, Stephenson’s handling of the winding mechanism displeased miner Ned Nelson, who on reaching the top berated him offensively.
This Nelson was a notorious bully, used to getting his own way, so he was taken aback when instead of cowering, Stephenson defended himself honestly.
The argument ended with Nelson demanding a pitched-battle in the Dolly Pit field some days hence, and taking immediate sick-leave to prepare himself.
Stephenson, meanwhile, got on with his daily round, constantly interrupted by awe-struck miners asking him if he really meant to fight Nelson and pledging their support (so long as Nelson was not in earshot).
Unlike his adversary, Stephenson was not a veteran brawler; it was in fact his first and last fight. His only desire was to deal with the pit’s resident bully for the pit’s sake.
He stripped like a professional boxer, and put his opponent down with such cool efficiency that he won Nelson’s respect and friendship ever after.
Précis
When George Stephenson was still a young man, he was the brakesman at Black Callerton pit in Northumberland. The mine’s resident bully, Ned Nelson, found fault with Stephenson’s work, and Stephenson decided it was time to take Nelson down. Despite no experience in fighting, Stephenson won both the fight and Nelson’s respect. (52 / 60 words)
