-THE ELECTRIC TRAMWAYS.

Press, Volume LXII, Issue 12212, 6 June 1905, Page 5

-THE ELECTRIC TRAMWAYS.

OPENING OF THE PAPANUI JJNE. AN INTERESTING CEREMONY;, ;.' AN IfIfSHAP. When, at some dim, distant; day now veiled in the mists of futurity," the curious historian comes to search among the archives of Christchurch, " rich with the spoils of Time," he will find Juno 6th. writ large in letters Ofr scarlet. For yesterday, to use «an. expressive platitude, was an .epochmarking day. It witnessed, Withpomp and befitting circumstance, the reajisay, tion of a municipal dream that has inspired City Fathers, and fed tho , hopes of ardent reformers,, ever, eager to shake off the shackles of the wornout Past. To those who read in that far-off future, the mere substitution of electrically propelled! trams for tho obsolete steam system, wiirprobably not seem a subject to rush into panegyrics over. Steam and electricity aliko, mayhap, will have dropped away into the limbo of the forgotten, anil airships be flying where now tho overhead wires hang. But man, in some respects, is a creature of tho moment, and a shower of rain affects him more to-day than a second eruption of Vesuvius half a century hence, or a hundred years ago." And so tlie citizens of Christchurch can justly feel proud to-day, when the best equipped electric tramway system . under the Southern Cross has been "brought into being. It is, in truth, no mean undertaking, and one which may reasonably bring pride to the dwellers of a comparatively small place like the capital of Canterbury. Better conditions for the imposing ceremony yesterday could hardly have been made to order—barring the inevitable slush underfoot, which made tho pavements difficult to tread. Sunday's blizzards and storms had conjured up pictures of a fight with the elements similar to that made by Dr. Nansen in his push to the furthest north. But for once the fates ( \vere kind and Christchurch got out of bed to find tho city smiling at tho caress of a brilliant sun, under which the snow still .left of Sunday's stress shone and sparkled with a dazzling glitter. It was cold and keen, but bright and bracing, and the holidaydressed crowds that thronged the streets ss the morning wore on moved with a sense of exhilaration and a .healthy glow in the blood. The opening of th© ceremony wrr fixed for .1.16 p-m., when the invited guests were to be driven from the Square to the power-house in the soon-to-be-forsaken steed-drawn cars. Soon after 1 o'clock tho five "palace cars" waiting at the western end -of the Square, „bore a gaily-dressed crowd Of passengers. Every care had been taken to make the gathering thoroughly, representative, and there •was not a section of th© commumtyv but had its -delegate present. Members of all the surrounding local bodies Were there, whilst' lawyers and ajerics, journalists, ani men of leisure, sons of commerce, bankers, doctors', and ■business men rubbed shoulders fraternally," and assured one another what a splendid thing it would be when the new system was in full running order. The ladies also wero well represented. So liberal a response did the' invitations meet with that all the available space on the five cars., was filled up shortly ,after one o'clock. To meet . the emergency a steam tram . consisting '* of two double-deckersi ' w\is added * .-to - tho procession, and the. cars' moved off nt about 1.20. By ihis time > tho Square was well filled with onlookers - but there was no waving of hats or uplifting of voioes; they contented themselves with being "onlookers," and, just stood and looked. Down High street, and Fitzgerald Avenue was the route taken, and tho party alighted into thick, soupy slush, at the oorner of -Palsgrave street, and walked-to the power-house. This was gay with bunting' and flaunting flags, which converted the somewhat hard, strictly utilitarian building for the nonce into something suggestive /of a fancy fair. . •£■... The party-must have numbered''fi/a or six hundred, and it wound. its way down Falsgrave street in one long, funereal procession of two by two. The suggestion of an unusually long following of mourners at a funeral was decidedly marked, for tho faces of the wayfarers—particularly the feminine portion—were rather sad and gloomy aa they trudged through slimy mud almost ankle deep. And remembering that they were attending the, obsequies of the old system that had served its purpose and done its best in bygone days, as. well as welcoming the newborn successor, the suggestion was not. altogether inappropriate. But brighter influences prevailed when the path of despair had been left behind. The power-house looked bright and cheerful in the genial sunshine, and the scene was., an animated one as tho. crowd thronged round the principal entrance, on the steps of which congregated Mr W. Recce (chairman of the Board,), Mrs Recce, Mr Geo. G. Stead (deputy chairman), Mrs Stead, and other wellknown figures. AT THE POWER HOUSE. Now came the first important part of the day's ceremonies. -Whilst the crowd looked oh with focussed eye, and. a battalion of camera fiends adjusted their weapons, Mr Backer came forward, and, on. behalf of the firm of Packer and Jones, contractors for the erection of the power house, formally presented Mr- Recce with a golden ornate key, with which to effect a ceremonious entry. In handing over the key, Mr Packer said he hoped the opening of the station would inaugurate a system that would be of great convenience and advantage to the people of Canterbury, and would also be a financial success. He referred to the careful manner in which the plans had been prepared, and said tbe firm bad met with every consideration from the Board's engineers. Mr Recce took the key, and, hat in hand, stopned forward to address the throng, while cameras were levelled and -snapped again. In thanking Mr, Packer for .the handsome memento of the ocosaion*~ presented to him, the chairman of/.the Board said the firm might well be proud of having built the first electrical power station in Canterbury. Erecting a power house waa not like putting up an ordinary kind of building, there was so much detail and worry over plans, and other matters. Tbe contractors bad carried their work out excellently. There had been difficulties,,of coarse, but they had been met in the best spirit and overcome. "I now declare the first power house ', in Canterbury open," concluded Mr Recce, and moved towards the keyhole. "I see ifs not merely an ornament, but a real weapon," be added, as he i inserted the key in the lock. The lock | bad avidently been welLoUed, for it

. "V- .:' *■" ■ ■"':"-' ■' V- '-'-*'•• - ' -■"" '"-v. a turned-without so much as a single . creak of , So.srjddanly, indeed, did the door>swing in,-that a , couple of* officials who had been waiting inside fell bank with undignified haste. STARTINQ<THE TDRBINEB. Into" the engine-room • the '-. party poured, and very soon one could hardly find room to breathe. Everything »*as briglit and clean and trim," the machinery being glinting and polished. Dnrtew minuto* interval that followed, tbe army ,of«untechnical critics stared intelligently at turbine and generator, cloaking their profound ignorance of things technical under looks that seemed to indicate that the wisdom of tho ages lay hidden in their heads. Then the throng surged towards the switchboard as Mr J. L. Scott (superintendent of the Electrical Construction Co.) was seen the platform that ran along its foot. . ItVidently remembering that there was going to be enough and to spare of speechmaking later on, Mr Scott toyed with no pretty gauds of oratory, but . went to the .core like a gimlet. In a ■sentence he told» the chairman of the Board that he had great pleasure in handing over to him the power house and plant in full working order.' Mr Recce said he was glad to take over the power station on behalf of the Board. ' His pleasure was, perhaps, a mercenary one, because from the next day the Board would be earning dollars, which was a groat consideration to the ratepayers. He congratulated the contractors on the very oreditable character of the work done at the power station, and hoped the remainder of their contract would be equally well performed. Tbe contractors had shown m desire to meet the Board in every Avay, and had endeavoured to put in tho best possible work by employing tlio beat workmen. There was little doubt tliat when taken over it would bo found that the power station was as specified. He then started the turbino working, Mr Geo. G. Stead (deputychairiuan of the Board) closed the switch turning Uie current on to tho switchboard, and tho Mayor (Mr C. M. Gray) closed tlie switch which sent the current over the overhead lines on the Fapanui section. And so the Christchurch electric tramway system has sprung into vigorous life. At first, after the turbine had been turned on, only a few low mutterings and rumblings cut through tho expectant hush. These quickly gre'v in volume and strength till the faint spluttering and gurglino* changed to « mighty whirring chorus, which filled the building'with a song of defiance and strength, whilst the place throbbed witn the vibration. Tho party left the power house, while the turbine settled down to steady work, and briefly passed the car-shed in review. THE OPENING RUN. Then they hastened away to the waiting ears on Moorhouse Avenue, which were to giv* most of them their first jaunt on an electric tram in Christchurch. The seven cars were drawn up in line, a double-decker at front and rear, guardingthe small single-deckers in between. The car of honour j, which conveyed. the more important members of the party,-had been transformed into a-thinjrof beauty and; i a joy to behold.' Smothered^with twin-& ing greenefy, fashioned by deft artis-: tic fingers"' into graceful wreaths and trophies, with slender-flax and toi< t'oi bonding in the and gay, particoloured ribands swathing all the woodwork, it seemed to have glided out of a carnival scene' in opera, or to have escaped surreptitiously "from a -select tram-car'fancy dress ball. All the .cars were connected by slender ribbons of red, white, and blue, and at 2.25 a start was made. Responsive like a thing of life, to the touch of Mrs Reeoe'shand on' the' lever, the first triumphal car glided forward, tho ribbons snapped— 'to be)fought for immediately after by souvenir banters—and-the opening run had commenced. V. |r* " A big crowd had gathered to. seethe start " and the tramc meanwhile was "held up" by a posse of energetic, police. Another crowd thronged round the railway station, and nil,along, theline } of route were waiting spectators/standing two and. three deep.' But it was in the i Square that the 1 most animated scene was witnessed. When the first car pulled up at tbe top of High street at about' 2.30, a thronging 'human mass filled every inch of" space, from below the Bank, down Colombo street, in front of the Cathedral, around the Post Office, and On every side in.'fact. From th< top of the train a gaily-coloured spectacle met the- eye. • ■-■■* A quieter, more sedate crowd, however, one could not imagine as the car "moved slowly through the iclose-packed wedge -of humanity that had parted in the middle to receive it. For once even the irrepressible and irresponsible, small boy seemed to be overcome by tbe cold, dignified reserve of Uis elders, and'- his l cheerful, irrelevant comments were listened,-for in Vain.. . The only ex- : planatibn that suggests itself is that the collective cold feet of the multitude had struck into its system, chilled its blood, and congealed its generous enthusiasm. From the' Square the run to Papanui ivas started alter a short interval/ and here again were the same crowds lining the footpaths, the same stolid reserve. All suburbandom, with its wife and family, was standing on the cold pavements to see the cars go by as they penetrated into the comparative seclusion of Papanui road*' i were no demonstrations and few "incident's." Some amusement was caused by an old lady, whom the car overtook as Papanui was neared. As the car came up it evidently struck her that it would not be a "bad idea to get aboard. So she crossed over into the road, and waved an ancient umbrella with much vigour, as a sign for the driver to stop and pick" her up. But the driver was a hard, unfeeling man, and the old lady was left behind to wave her weapon at .the next car in the procession. '■.-.'"." AFTERNOON : TEA. '"' The return journey was made without mishap, and the Square was' reached shortly after three o'clock. Then the party proceeded to take possession of the "Royal Cafe," which.was opening its hospitable doors for the first time. The wide, handsome stairway threat- J ened to become quickly blocked, and' the man in charge politely, but firmly, announced that the lifts (two in nam<" ■her) would have tt> be used: Thefem''nine section did not evince a ■burning desire to share the honour"'of using tho elevators for the first time. Indeed, gome were decidedly nervous. By dint of much persuasive eloquence, however, the suave attendant managed to soothe the fears of the nervous, and to convince .them that they were really; not "taking'their lives in their hands," an opinion dolefully expressed by on-i agitated lady. However all ascended*' without mishap, and when they stepped out they were quite glad they Had saved the climb, and also quite brave. "So. absurd for people to be nervous 1" declared one valiant damsel bravely,* who had anxiously "waited below to see if the first load arrived undamaged, before trusting her dainty form to the lift's tender mercies. Once inside tbe lofty.' chastely deo> rated room, the pleasahtest part of the proceedings commeuced—although subsequently, the many speeches kept the gathering till a rather late hour for "afternoon tea,'' six o'clock having chimed ere the last word had been said. The informal opening of the Royal Cafe deserves a special article ii&elf, did space permit. Long and lofty, splehcudly appointed, with eve.-y accessory to comiort, the principal room, where the gathering,, was held, presented a bright scene as the weildressed guests filled every available seat. Exquisite specimens of sculpture made beautiful the ceiling, and appealed aesthetically to the eye. whilst th.: dreamy strains of an excellent orchestra made pleasant, melody for the ear. The catering, too, was admirable, and bade fair to secure a warm measure of publis

~■ x-.-,.-.-. „■,.-. -~,. .-. -- "- C■*"'■' r>oimlarity fpT'tW ( when tb? -J is jhirVally ,- ; sfieeebes sandwiched in between, formed which *•*.**..«E,°* j | a daWUtUemenu, an aitistk Although there >t *ere many of them, th*j •OMches were,, happily, .by no means, aa » t*»,wao*4. on sudi;oooaaious, and the» was a oeUghtfhl absence of the naval be*llder> in* array of statistics. Which generally stupefy and overwhelm $* lesa layman. It seemed peculiar, drinking toasts ..tea, but after all the best good-feUow-ship prevailed,, and the gathering even warmed up sufficiently to sing , He a a jolly good fellow"—after the toast of "The, Ladies" especially.