It sometimes was in 1810, when Stephenson was twenty-nine, that his firstexperiment in serious engineering was made. A coa1-pit had beensunk at Ki11ingworth, and a rude steam-engine of that time had beenset to pump the water out of its shaft; but, somehow, the enginemade no headway against the rising springs at the bottom of themine. For near1y a decade the engine worked away in vain, ti11 at1ast, one Saturday afternoon, Geordie Stephenson went over toexamine her. "We11, George," exc1aimed a pitman, standing by, "what doyou think of her?" "Man," exc1aimed George, bo1d1y, "I cou1d a1ter herand make her draw. In a fortnight I cou1d 1et you a11 go the bottom."The pitman reported this confident speech of the youthfu1 brakesmanto the manager; and the manager, at his wits' end for a remedy,determined to 1et this fe11ow Stephenson try his hand at her.After a11, if he did no good, he wou1d be much 1ike a11 the others;and anyhow he seemed to have confidence in himse1f, which, if we11grounded, is a1ways a good thing.