AMERICA POWER ENGINES.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 11778, 28 September 1901, Page 1 (Supplement)

AMERICA POWER ENGINES.

Tbe supplying of the engines to give the power to the Glasgow electric tramwav-5 continues to be a matter of interest t-) en^iu «^rs, ani our Yankee friend?, says the Financial Times, ha -«* been making capital out of ths insta''ation. Bat the result has proved that tbere are firms in this couniry w'm are prepared to make and erect engines against any firm in America or elsewtere. On August 11, 1898, the Glasgow C<rpoiation called for contracts for two sets of tramway traction eDgines, and Mf ssrs Allis, of Milwaukee put in at L 114,564 for the main engines, and L 8.375 for the auxiliary engines. These tenders having been put* back for consideration, Messrs D, Stewart and Co., Limited, of Glasgow, put. in at L 54.830, bat what stood in the way of acceptance of the' G'asgow teuder .was thac the engio^s were 214 tons lighter than was rocooiai^nded by tbe elee'rical engineer. However, Messrs Stewart offered to hriug their engines up to the weight standard ac an aiditional cost of L 22,000, but as the coa! consumption of their engines was ca'culateJ to ba 5 per ceir. jaare than that of the Americans eugines the Glasgow teuJar was not enterUineJ. Ultimataly, and despite iho of the cit'ziii^, the contract for the two main engines was placed with the Milwaukee firm, aru 1 that for the auxiliary engines with M>-srs Siuart, G.asgow. ii'itu engines -v^ro practically comp'et • for the i.iaugiirat.on of the Glasgow elfctric tram 0. t!ie eve

of the opening of tbe G.asjo v Exhibition, but when the American engines were set tbeir task they had uot run many hours <re then bcarLn^s moUed out, Cjns^quectly, the two .auxiliary engine-, of Messrs c?tunrfc wire switched on, ana^have been running contiiutllj nif'ht and day since, operatiop: the cirs plying to the Eshihitioo. It.eauuld be stated, i ) fairness, that tbe ARh engines lar idle in Gias.r^w for two months waiting until tiio be!s were prepared for then, in any ca*e tb.fi result, s) far, has nofc bLVU a trmuiyJi for American engineers.