Galt to Preston

Official opening of a new electric railway.

A promising enterprise.

Prosperous manufacturing centres joined.

A day of congratulation

Inspection of the plant and machinery.

Many guests from Toronto and Hamilton are entertained by the officers of the new road.

Galt, July 26.—(Special.)—The pretty little Village of Preston, which lies four miles north of this town, and which is yearly becoming a more popular summer resort, largely on account of the curative properties of the sulphur springs which it possesses, has just been connected with Galt by an electric railway, and today the ceremonies in connection with the formal opening of the road were performed in a manner worthy of the successful completion of the undertaking. While a large amount of the stock in the project is owned in the two points which the line connects, there are among the projectors and shareholders influential men in other parts of the Province. A large number of invitations befitting the importance of the occasion were accordingly sent to gentlemen interested in the progress of electrical enterprises, and wherever possible these invitations were accepted. In Galt and Preston and the surrounding municipalities, which will be directly benefited by the operation of the railway, many representative men were in attendance on the proceedings, and thus marked the interest they take in it success. The entire length of the line, from the terminus at the G.T.R. station in Galt to its terminus in Preston, is five miles, and it runs through the main streets of both places. The construction of the road is a thoroughly satisfactory piece of workmanship, and, although it was completed and ready for operation in three months from the time it was begun, no amount of time or labor would have made it more easy to run or secure than it is. The plant and indeed the system throughout is the finest, most complete and perfect which could be procured in the market. the most improved machinery and apparati which can be produced have been put in , and it can be said without fear that although there are larger, there is no more thoroughly equipped line of electric street railway in Ontario than this one.

The visitors.

When the trains from Toronto crew in this morning at the C.P.R. and G.T.R. stations quite a number of visitors, who had come here especially for the occasion, were met by the members of the company with the President at their head and escorted to handsome vestibule cars in waiting on the electric line, in which they were taken to town. The officers of the company present were:—President, Thos. Todd; Vice-President, R. G. Cox of St. Cataherines; Secretary-Treasurer, W. H. Lutz; Directors C. Clare, J. D. Moore, H. McCulloch and D. Spiers. Among the guests who joined them at the station were:—Hon. James Young, Dr. J. H. Radford; Geo. Clare, Reeve of Preston; John W. Sykes, Reeve of Waterloo; Geo. R. Barry, Reeve of North Dumfries; J. N. Sutherland, General Freight Agent of the C.P.R.; W. B. Lanigan, General Traffic Agent of the C.P.R.; J. B. Griffith, Manager Hamilton Street Railway; R. F. Fraser, Manager City and Suburban Street Railway, Toronto; E. W. Shuch, Toronto; John Fennel, Berlin; J. D. Moore, M.P.P., High Kent, Thos. Cowan, W. F. Burton of Hamilton; W. A. Foley, Superintendent of the Goldie-McCulloch Co.; A. E. K. Greer, A. H. Hardy Trott of Halifax, F. Haworth of Toronto; John Strachan, General Canadian Agent Erie Railway.

The trip to Preston.

Before starting on the trip to Preston a general inspection of the handsome motor cars on which the party was to be carried was made. Both are of beautiful construction and contain the latest improvements in the art of coach building. The interior appointments are of the most elegant and luxurious description, and the most careful attention has been paid to the heating and ventilating. One of the coaches has about one-third of its entire length partitioned off as a baggage department, an arrangement which will give much convenience to those travellers having light traps and satchels. Shortly before 12 o'clock the party took seats in the coaches, and a start was made for Preston. There is perhaps no more charming drive in the well-settled portion of Ontario than this bit or road from Galt to Preston. From the highway there is offered a prospect of hill and vallye, of woodland and meadow and cornland, which is most gratifying to the eye in its picturesque loveliness. The Grand River, thickly skirted by trees on both banks, flows along the entire way, and beyond it to the horizon's verge the eyes travels over field rich with harvest, and rests on orchard-lawns which surround the pretty farm houses dotting the hill top. The scene was especially charming today to this company, many of whom, just fresh from the dusty streets of the cities and towns, inhaled with unusual relish the pure air of the country and lingered delightedly on the shifting panorama as they flew along the road in the comfortable car. The trip of four miles was made in fifteen minutes.

At the power house.

At the power house in Preston, the company alighted and made an inspection of the interior. The machinery, which has been manufactured and put in by the Goldie-McCulloh Company, is in keeping with the rest of the system, and as perfect as anything turned out by that old and celebrated house. The engines are tandem compound condensing engines of 100 horsepower, and the wheels are each seventeen feet in diameter and weight seven tons. The governors are perfectly arranged; there is the most beautiful finish to everything, and all the material used is of first-class quality. There are two boilers, and arrangements have been made to put in a third to increase the plant correspondingly if found necessary. Everything is neat and clean and well looked after, from the engine itself to the oil tanks supplied by McColl Bros.

The electrical apparatus and cars were furnished by Ahearn & Soper, Ottawa. The equipment consists of one vestibuled, side-seated car and one long combination car. Each car has two 30 horse-power Westinghouse motors. The generator at the power house if a 85 kilowatt Westinghouse multipolar. The overhead construction is principally of the bracket style, and is perfect in alignment.

After a thorough inspection of the power house the party visited the gardens and baths in connection with the sulphur springs. These grounds are prettily laid out, and during the summer months the establishments are filled with guests, who come for the benefit they obtain from the waters, whose curative properties seem beyond question. At present there are several sufferers from rheumatism, who have come from Toronto to try and get rid of their aches and pains.

The luncheon.

At 2 o'clock the company sat down to a well-ordered luncheon, served by the Hotel del Monte in a marquee on the lawn. The chair was occupied by President Todd, and about 150 persons surrounded the board. After showing proper appreciation of the menu a number of toasts were proposed and speeches made. Letters of regret at unavoidable absence were read from Sir. Wm. Van Horne; Vice-President Shaughnessy of the C.P.R.; G. M. Bosworth of the C.P.R.; W. R. Brock, Toronto; Mayor Gilho'me, Galt; J. W. Leonard of the C.P.R.; W. T. Jennings, Toronto; Supt. Tait of the C.P.R.; Manager Fred. Hague, Merchants' Bank, Montréal; Manager B. E. Walker of the Canadian Back of Commerce, and Cashier D. R. Wilkie of the Imperial Bank, and others.

The Chairman then welcomed the guests to the opening of the Galt & Preston Street Railway. This road, he said, was a departure from the ordinary street railway. It was the best equipped line in Canada, and it joined together two important manufacturing centres, which were destined in the near future to be one city. It also ave Preston a connection with one of the leading, if not the leading, trunk lines of the country. He had no doubt it would prove a success, and would be the beginning of lines to extended to the neighboring towns. He closed by proposing the toast of The Queen, which was drunk with the usual enthusiasm.

Hon. James Young made a graceful speech in reply to The Parliament of Canada and the Local Legislature. It was gratifying, he said, to observe how the bitter political feeling was passing away, and that members of the opposite parties were joining in business enterprises. He congratulated the President and directors, the engineer and the contractors on the successful completion of the line. He congratulated all concerned on having united Preston and Galt, and he felt convinced that as the population increased their enterprise would be appreciated by the public at large. He then touched lighly on questions of the day.

Mr. John D. Moore, M.P.P., briefly spoke on the same lines.

Mr. J. H. Radford, Geo. Clare, John Sykes and Geo. R. Barry replied for the municipalities. They all expressed their satisfaction at the completion of the road and their confidence that it would soon be extended to Hespeler and other surrounding towns.

Canadian Railroad Interests elicited excellent speeches from J. N. Sutherland and W. B. Lanigan of the C.P.R.; R. F. Fraser of Toronto, and J. B. Griffith of Hamilton.

The company toasted.

Mr. John Fennel of Berlin proposed The Galt & Preston Street Railway. He said the people of Berlin had watched the construction with great interest. He understood that it was to be extended to Hespeler, and he hoped it would be pushed as far as Berlin.

President Todd in replying said that the projectors of the road had met with difficulties, but these difficulties had vanished as they had progressed. The municipalities had treated then well, and he hoped that this would form only the first link in a long chain reaching north.

Messrs. D. Spiers, R. G. Box, H. McCulloch and W. H. Lutz also spoke.

Our Guests was responded to by W. F. Burton of Hamilton, Thomas Cowan of Galt, and George Patterson of Preston. Mr. Burton replied very happily, and referred to the transition from horse cars to electricity, exemplifying the advancement in all trades and industries as well as in the professions, even in the administration of justice, where great changes had been brought about in the same time, rendering the movement of legal machinery much more simple. Mr. Cowan made an eloquent speech, referring in a humorous way to the C.P.R. officials, and expressing the hope that the link that day completed between Preston and Galt might prove lasting.

During the afternoon a number of capital songs were sung by Messrs. Sutherland and Schuch. At the conclusion of the speeches the company adjourned to the electric coaches and returned to Galt.

There is every reason why the new line should pay a good dividend. The passenger traffic over this road is of itself a sufficient warrant for its construction, and in addition it has other sources of revenue. By arrangement with the C.P.R. Company it forms the connecting link between this trunk line and Preston. It will not only carry passengers but freight. The gauge of the street railway is the same as that of the C.P.R., and a switch has been put in at the station connecting the two lines. Freight cars will simply be shunted on the street car rails and hauled to Preston by a dummy engine. Switches, too, have been run into all the factories in Preston, every manufacturing there being a stockholder in the Street Railway Company, and the freight cars will be run into the proper yard and left until unloaded, when it will be returned to the railroad company. The most active spirit in pressing forward the construction of the new street railway and smoothing its way was Mr. Thomas Todd, the President to whom yesterday Vice-President Cox, on behalf of the directors, presented a life pass over the road. the pass consisted of a card of coin silver beautifully engraved.

Railways: C.P.Ry., G.P. & H.St.Ry.

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