TRIAL OF THE TRAMWAY.

New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 5422, 13 August 1878, Page 2

TRIAL OF THE TRAMWAY.

Yesterday at noon a trial of one of theengines belonging to the Tramway Company was made on the Adelaide-road, and proved in the highest degree successful. On the engine we observed the Hon. Sir John Richardson, Speaker of the Legislative Council ; Hr. Hector, C.M.G. ; and Mr. Charles O’Neill, C.E.; and among the spectators were the Hon. Mr. Lahmann, M.L.0.; Messrs. J. Evanj Brown and Stevens, M.H.R.’s, George Crawford, J.P., J. Billing, C. Fairlie, Captain Rowan, Messrs. Mace and T. K. Macdonald (directors of the company), and Mr. Jackson (manager), &c., <fec. The steam horse Wellington, with its sinews of brass and muscles of iron, started forth from its smoky stable, and then glided along a portion of the Adelaideroad, taking the curves with the most perfect ease. Various speeds were tried, aud the p jwer of stopping carefully tested, the results being that at five to six miles an hour a dead stop was made within two yards, and at from nine to eleven miles per hour a stop was made in from three to four yards. At the above speed horses could never be pulled up so suddenly. This power of stopping in so short a space is a strong argument in favor of the safety of the engine, so completely is it under the control of the driver. The guarantee of the makers, Messrs. Merryweather and Sons, has been fully borne out by the trial. The engine is noiseless, smokeless, &c., while horses passing and repassing showed no sign of alarm, except one young horse who, pricking up his ears, seemed unable to understand his steam opponent; however, even he went on quietly after taking a good look at the engine. On the whole the trial was highly satisfactory in every particular, so that iu a few days from this time the tramway in'- full working order will be an accomplished fact, and many who pooh-poohed the idea of tramways in Wellington will now see in the year IS7S thereality and practicability of the scheme. No doubt the idea was novel in New Zealand - too far advanced for those who shook their sago heads at the strides of progress. Certainly the conception was bold, to have engines instead of horses, especially at a time when such a mode of traction had not received the approval of Parliament in England. New Zealand has taken the lead, and Wellington in a few days will be able with pardonable pride to boast of the only street tramway in these islands. Christchurch and Dunedin are now following in the wake of Wellington. We have seen how the tramway has ra : sed so largely the value of property along its route, and far beyond its termini. For all this the public are indebted to Mr. Charles O’Neill, 0.8., whom Sir Julius Vogel designated “ the father of tramways in this country,” who labored hard in the midst of all sorts of obstructions since his first application to the authorities in January, 1873, until he obtained the final “ order” for himself and the other promoters, Messrs. Henderson and Macdonald. The " order,” iu terms of the Tramways Act, was signed on Juno 29, 1876, jby Sir William Fitzberberfc, K.C.M.G., who always earnestly encouraged the advancement of the tramway, and whose last act as Superintendent of the Province of Wellington was the signing of the “order” referred to. We wish the tramway all success, aud judging from the success of tramways generally there is no reason to fear that the Wellington tramway will not be as abundantly productive of good returns as others. The Home papers show that the average receipts from the railways of England, Scotland, and Ireland are about £BO per mile per week, while the receipts of the street tramways are about £IBO per mil© per week. The feeling of investors of capital is strongly in favor of tramways as capable of yielding good dividends, while practical minds say there can be nothing hid from the shareholders of tramways ; everything can be seen by all, directory, management, working expenses, &c, ; no heavy tunnels or big bridges to swamp capital; each shareholder can see and know the exact cost of everything connected with the tramway.