EDWARD BARTON

1858 — 1942
Pioneer Electrical Engineer

S.A.PRENTICE

BRISBANE MEMOIRS OF THE VOLUME 27
SEPTEMBER, 1988 QUEENSLAND MUSEUM PART 1

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION I
ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS |
CURRENCY AND MEASUREMENTS |

TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE TO 1882 2

EARLY ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING WORK IN AUSTRALASIA 5
NEW ZEALAND 5
AUSTRALIA 7

Progress in electric lighting to 1884 7
First work in Australia 11
Electric lighting of the Parliamentary

Buildings, Brisbane 12
Barton as Queensland Government Electrician 16

FOUNDATION AND EARLY DEVELOPMENT

OF THE ELECTRICITY SUPPLY

INDUSTRY IN QUEENSLAND 20
BRISBANE AREA, 1887 TO 1889 20

Partnership - the White connection 20
Lighting a skating rink 21
The first commercial electricity supply 23
Operations at Telegraph (Edison) Lane and
some early customers 24
BRISBANE AREA, 1890 TO 1895 32
The Brisbane Gas Co, and electricity supply 32
Publicity for electricity 33
More interest but serious financial problems 37
The 1893 floods - a year of change 38
1894 - the need to expand 40
A year of uncertainty 4]
BRISBANE AREA, 1896 TO 1905 42
Barton and White becomes the Brisbane Electric

Supply Co. Ltd. - the Electric Light and

Power Act 42
The first Order in Council 44
Underground cables to replace overhead wires 44
Installation and maintenance work on a tight budget 45
Municipalisation of electricity supply -

a lost cause 47
The Ann St power station 50
Further Orders in Council 56
A new name - the City Electric Light Co. Ltd 59

BRISBANE AREA, 1906 TO THE EARLY 1920'S 61
Improvements at Ann Stand plans for the next power station 61
Operation and development of the William St power station 64
The substation battery and daily load distribution 72
Some design errors 74
Barton and the Company management 74
The overhead mains problem 75
Records of growth in electricity supply given by ,
Barton, White and Co. and their successors 76

COUNTRY AREAS, 1889 TO 1900
Townsville to the Tweed River
Thargomindah - a unique development

CONTRIBUTION TO EDUCATION AND PROFESSIONAL
ENGINEERING SOCIETIES - 1889 TO THE EARLY 1920's

EDUCATION
The Brisbane Technical College and related interests
The University of Queensland

PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING SOCIETIES
The Queensland Institute of Mechanical Engineers
The Queensland Electrical Association and the

Queensland Institute of Engineers
The Institution of Engineers, Australia

COMMUNITY SERVICES AND SPECIAL INTERESTS -
EARLY 1900's TO 1942

QUEENSLAND PARLIAMENT, 1908 TO 1909
SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES
DECIMAL ASSOCIATION, ENGLAND
OVERSEAS TRAVEL

EPILOGUE

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

REFERENCES

APPENDIX A_ Course details - Karlsruhe Polytechnic
Institute, 1875-79

APPENDIX B Items designed by Barton and recorded
in his notebooks

APPENDIX C_ The Queensland Government Electrical
Engineer’s Scheme for a Brisbane
Municipal Council power station, 1897

APPENDIX D Development of electricity supply by
Barton, White and Co. and their successors
in Bnsbane, 1888 to 1920

APPENDIX E Publications and lectures by E.G.C.
Barton - professional engineering
societies, 1891 to 1922

INDEX

105

106

107
108

Fia. 1, Portrait of E.G.C. Barton (1858-1942).

EDWARD BARTON (1858-1942)
PIONEER ELECTRICAL ENGINEER

S.A. Prentice
Emeritus Professor, University of Queensland

ABSTRACT

This biography records the career of Edward Gustavus Campbell Barton, MIEE, FRMetS,
FRGS, AMIEAust. It shows that he made a unique contribution to the development of
electrical engineering in Queensland and particularly to the establishment of electricity supply
through his ability, enterprise and industry. Further, the outstanding part that he played in
promoting technical education and in forming professional engineering societies in Queensland,
as well as in taking a significant part in the establishment and early development of the

University of Queensland is brought to light.

While the account is woven around Barton’s career, it also provides a detailed, illustrated
record of the history of power system engineering in Brisbane from the inception of electricity

supply in 1888 to the early 1920’s.

INTRODUCTION

Engineering heritage studies for a particular era
typically result in focussing attention on
individuals of unusual achievement in their
specialist fields. Such studies in Brisbane in
1984 led to the publication by the Queensland
Division of the Institution of Engineers,
Australia of a booklet entitled Eminent
Queensland Engineers. (1) Edward Barton (Fig.
1) was included in a preliminary selection list
and initial enquiries showed that his
contribution to the development of electrical
engineering in Queensland was exceptional. His
career is outlined in the booklet but to provide
more detail a paper on his work was presented
by the author to a meeting of the Queensland
Division in June 1985. (2) The present account
expands further the story of Barton’s career and
also resolves many of the inconsistencies found
in earlier writings about the electricity supply
industry.

The illustrations — many of them over
ninety years old, and not previously published
— provide a unique record of early electrical
technology in Queensland.

Barton’s career in Queensland which began
in 1884 could be regarded as concluding at the
end of 1915. Thereafter he made his home in
Europe but because he retained his position as a
Director of the City Electric Light Co. Ltd until
1918 and as a Director of the Ipswich Electric

Supply Co. Ltd until 1925, some events up to
the early 1920’s are included.

ABBREVIATIONS AND SYMBOLS

A. - ampere (unit of current); a.c. - alternating
current; c.p. - candle power; d.c. - direct
current; ft - feet; h.p. - horse power; Hz -
frequency (cycles per second); in. - inch; kW -
kilowatt (unit of power); kWh - kilowatt-hour
(unit of energy); Ib. - pound (mass); £ - pound
(unit of currency, Imperial system); rpm -
revolutions per minute; sq. - square; V. - volt
(unit of electrical pressure).

CURRENCY AND MEASUREMENTS

This biography relates to a period before
Australian currency and measurements were
converted to the decimal and metric systems
respectively; hence the Imperial systems have
been retained. In 1966 Australian currency was
changed from pounds, shillings and pence
(£.s.d.) to dollars and cents at the rate of £1 =
$2; one shilling (12 pence) = 10 cents.

Measurement conversions used herein are:

1 foot = 0.305 m

1 yard = 0.91 m

1 mile = 1.61 km

1 gallon = 4.54 litre

1 pound (lb.) = 0.45 kg

1 ton (2240 lb.) = 1.02 tonne

1 horse power = 746 watts (0.746 kW)

TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE TO 1882

Edward Gustavus Campbell Barton (Fig. 1) was
born on 13 Devember [858 in Melbourne,
Victoria, the second son of George Elliott
Barton and Jane Crichton Campbell. George
Barton was born in Ireland in 1825 and having
decided to study for the bar was admitted as a
student of King’s Inn, Dublin in 1845. In 1847
he was admitted to Gray’s Inn, Dublin and in
{849 obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree from
the University of Dublin. He was admitted as a
barrister-at-law in the same year.

In 1852 he emigrated to Victoria and two
years later, when aged 29 years, married Jane
Campbell, an immigrant from Ayrshire,
Scotland, George Barton practised as a barrister
in Melbourne and in 1859 was elected as
Member for North Melbourne in the Legislative
Assembly; he retired from Parliament in 1860,
when he and his wife with their daughter and
two sons moved to Ballarat, Victoria.

In 1862 the family moved to New Zealand
and George Barton (3) commenced practice as a
barrister-at-law and solicitor in Dunedin. It is
stated that —

though a successful advocate with remarkable

power of concentration, he had an impulsive and

highly excitable temperament and was frequently
at loggerheads with bench and bar,
His eldest son also practised law, (4)

The Otago Boys High School Register shows
George Barton’s sons there in ‘1871-2’
suggesting that Edward left school at 14 years
of age. Prior to this the boys possibly attended
the High Street School (known as ‘Parks’) as
this was the school nearest the Barton home in
Dunedin. (5)

As the next information is dated September
1875 and relates to Edward's experience for
‘nearly two years’ (6) in the engineering works
and drawing office of Messrs Miller and
Herbert, Edinburgh, Scotland, it seems likely
that he left New Zealand for the United
Kingdom soon after leaving school and thus
commenced his engineering training before his
fifteenth birthday.

Barton's obituary (7) and an entry in Who's
Who in Engineering (8) both refer to technical
education at Otago University but consideration
of the established dates in the present account
shows that there must be an error in this claim;
his name does not appear in the student or
graduate lists of the University. (9)

In October 1875 Barton enralled at Karlsruhe
Polytechnic Institute in Germany and

Fic. 2.

First electric lighting plant at Godalming,
Surrey, England. A water-wheel powered by
the River Wey was lised (o drive a Slemens
Bros generating plant installed in the leather
mills of Messrs Pullman and Co, in
September 1881,
commenced a four year course in engineering
which finished in July 1879, (10,11) Appendix A
gives the main features of the course showing
that mechanical engineering topics.
predominated in the later vears. Electrical
engineering is not mentioned as such even
though telegraph systems were well established

and early forms of dynamos and motors in use.

It is a tribute to Barton’s ability that he was
able to undertake such a course requiring
fluency in a foreign language and the use of an
unfamiliar system of measurements.

Sometime after completing the course he
evidently visited the U.S.A, because according.
to a certificate from the Street Commissioner
and Road Overseer of Neasho Falls, Kansas
dated 12 July 1880 he ‘worked for Iwo days on
the Streets, .. said labor being in full for his
poll-tax for the current year.’ (12)

Later in 1880 he returned to the Edinburgh
engineering works that had employed him
previously, the name of the firm having
changed meanwhile to Herbert and Law. He
resigned in late September 1881 and no doubt
was. present at his sister's wedding in London
on 5 October.

In December 1881, aged 23 years, Barton
Was appointed an Assistant in the Electric Light
Department of Siemens Brothers and Co. Lid, a
leading electrical engineering firm in London, In
this capacity he ‘erected and ran_ several
installations for the firm one being of 200
incandescent and six are lights for the Royal
Academy, Burlington House, London and ran it
for several months.’ (13) He was then
transferred to the small village of Godalming,
Surrey to ‘superintend the establishment and

maintenance of electric lights’ (14) as Siemens
had contracted to take over the installation
from 1 May 1882. The background to this was
that a water-wheel driven Siemens alternator
with a separately driven exciter had been set up
on behalf of the local Council by Messrs Calder
and Barrett — a small firm of London
electricians — using water from the River Wey.
(Fig. 2) The alternator supplied about 4 kW at
two voltages. (Fig. 3) The thirty or so Swan
incandescent lamps received 40 volts and the
seven Siemens arc lights in series, 250 volts. On
26 September 1881 the upper portion of the
Borough was ‘lit by electricity for a few hours
as an experiment and continued each night
since.’ (15) The sets of incandescent lamps and
arc lights were each supplied by means of a
single conductor-earth return system. The wires
were bare and supported on _ telephone
insulators. (16)

The new installation was a pioneering one in many
respects not least in its first use of water power for
a significantly sized power scheme, an important
development but one that pales into insignificance
however beside the real departure achieved at
Godalming which was the use of the street lighting
supply to power directly electric lights in local
private houses. In other words Godalming was the
world's first public electricity supply scheme and
although not more than a few private homes were
ever lit by means of the public supply it proved at

Fic. 3, Siemens Bros dual-voltage alternator and
separate exciter, probably similar to the
plant installed at Godalming in 1881. Both
machines were belt driven through a

countershaft as indicated in Fig. 2.

the time of its opening that such a scheme was a
fully practical proposition. Consequently it is from
the late 1881 opening of the Godalming scheme
that the history of electricity supply really dates.
(17)

The effect of a 300 candle power arc light in the
Godalming High Street (Fig. 4) was described as

ela Sih

Fic, 4. The High Street of Godalming illuminated by are lights in September 1881. The generating plant

provided both public and private electricity supply and this was said to be the first rown in the world

with these services.

‘strangely theatrical with a picturesque contrast
of light and shadow.’(15)

But all was not going smoothly; there was
conflict with the local gas company which was
already well established and which in the face of
competition reduced the price of its services.
Further there were problems caused by the
failure of the water-wheel to provide enough
power and by inadequate conductor size. There
is a reference to the use of a steam engine (Fig.
5) as an auxiliary source of power and this was
probably the situation when Barton was sent to
Godalming in an attempt to restore confidence
in the electric lighting of the village.

It should also be noted that incandescent
lamps were still in a very early stage of
development as is evident from the following
extract from the 1883 catalogue of the
Company supplying the lamps — Messrs Swan
United Electric Light Co. of London. This
refers to the lamps used at Godalming and later
in Brisbane. (18) (Fig. 6) The _ phrase

‘subdividing the electric current’ (also expressed
as ‘subdividing the electric light’) refers to the
distinction between arc lighting — which was
excessively brilliant for domestic purposes —
and the newly developed incandescent lamp
lighting —

The difficulty of subdividing the electric current
for the economical production of incandescent
light, which, till recently, has completely prevented
the introduction of electricity for lighting
purposes, has been satisfactorily solved by the
invention of the SWAN INCANDESCENT
LAMP, By its means separate lights of various
powers, applicable to all the ordinary uses of gas
burners, and to all the purposes for which
artificial light is required, can be produced.

The SWAN INCANDESCENT LAMP is
extremely simple in its construction, and may be
described as follows:- A small glass globe from
which all the air has been exhausted, and in which
is fixed a thin filament of carbon connected with
two platinum conducting wires, which pass
through and are fused into the glass. On passing
the electric current through the carbon it becomes
intensely white hot and emits a beautifully soft,
clear, and steady light. As the carbon is not in
contact with the air there is no combustion, and,
therefore, no deterioration of the atmosphere of
the room in which it is used, and exceedingly little
heat is given off. This lamp, unlike most other
electric lamps, has no mechanism about it, and
when it fails, from use or accidental breakage, it is
as easily replaced by a new one as a candle is
placed in a candlestick. The light given out by the
ordinary SWAN INCANDESCENT LAMP is 20
candle-power, but lamps are now in use varying
from 2% to 100 candle-power each. . .

Fic. 5, Semi-portable steam engine driving an alternator with direct coupled exciter, probably similar to the
auxiliary electric lighting plant at Godalming, supervised by Barton in 1882,

4

Further problems arose at Godalming
including the introduction of restrictive
legislation, and by April 1884 Siemens Bros
withdrew. So a fascinating and well recorded
experiment ended and it was not until 1897 that
the streets were again lit by electricity.

Barton returned to London five months after
his appointment to Godalming and resigned
from the Company. His last recorded work in
England was the erection of 12 are lamps and
40 incandescent lamps at the Midland Railway
Station, Derby — presumably while employed
by Siemens Bros. (13)

A month or two after Barton's appointment
to the staff of Siemens Bros, Holborn Viaduct,
London saw the inauguration of the world’s
first electricity supply scheme built according to
the Edison system, at the time by far the most
advanced and well-thought-out approach to
electric lighting yet developed. The steam-driven
Holborn Viaduct installation, the first ‘central
station’ in Britain to use steam power, was not
only technologically far in advance of its
contemporaries, but was also on a much larger
scale. (17) Either of the two Edison ‘Jumbo’
dynamos each direct-coupled to a steam engine,
could supply over 1000 incandescent lamps each
of 16 cp. (19) (Fig. 7) No doubt Barton visited
the station while working in London and found
the details of great interest, little thinking that a
few years later he would be in charge of an
Edison system power plant in the Antipodes.

In a letter dated 24 August 1882 for Barton
to use as a reference, Siemens Bros wrote —

We have been perfectly satisfied with the manner
in which he has carried oul his work in every
respect and may add that he is leaving us at his
own desire for the purpose of returning to New
Zealand. (14)

Barton was asked to carry out some
commissions for the firm there and a letter
from them to a Dr Lemon of Wellington said

It would be of great satisfaction to Mr Barton if
he could be entrusted with the fitting up of the
Houses of Parliament or other public buildings
with electric light which we are sure his experience
would enable him to do jo the salisfaction of your
Government. (14)

Later, Barton in describing his earlier
employment referred to —

Dr Lemon of New Zealand to whom | came out
from Messrs Siemens Bros, (20)

Edward Barton left England for New
Zealand sometime after early October 1882 and

i

Fic. 6, filament incandescent

Carbon
manufactured by the Swan United Electric

lamp

Light Co., Lid in I881. The luminous
efficiency was about 4 watts per candle
power. This consumption was halved some
30 years laler when metal lilament lamps
were marketed. The lamps at Godalming
were supplied with 40 volts, alternating
current.

so, when about 24 years of age, commenced a
span of over thirty years of dedication to
electrical engineering and particularly to the
electricity supply industry.

EARLY ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING
WORK IN AUSTRALASIA

New ZEALAND

The date of Edward’s return to New Zealand
has not been found but presumably it was late
in 1882 or early in 1883. In New Zealand,
according to N.M. Speer, (21) early flour mills
in Canterbury Province were supplied with
electricity produced from water power and the
range of dates quoted (1860-80) suggests thal
this preceded the period when incandescent
lamps were available commercially. Even the
earlier form of lighting by are lamps would
have been rare in the late 1870's.

Records of the 1880's give two versions of

hig, 7

‘the first house in New Zealand to be lit by
electricity." Speer credits a Mr Moss Davies of
Auckland with this distinction in 1882, while the
Waikato Times gives precedence to Dr Lemon,
Superintendent of Telegraphs, having his home
in Wellington lit in May !883. (22) The latter is
ol special interest because Edward Barton had
been given an introduction by Siemens Bros. to
a Dr Lemon in New Zealand. References to ‘Dr
Lemon’ are apparently to the same person and
Barton may have helped with the installation as
the equipment ‘was supplied by his previous
employer and he would have been very familiar
with it, The generator was driven by a gas
engine and had a capacity of 15 lights of 20 c.p.
each,

In view of the commients by Siemens Bros
regarding Barton’s capabilities, ic is of interest
to find his name in a Parliamentary Report
dated 10 August 1883 which lists him as
employed in connection with the lighting of the
Houses of Parliament in Wellington from 11
July 1883 for an intended period of eight weeks.
What his duties were is not shown but his name
is included in a financial statement under
‘Estimated Liabilities to the end of the Session,’
(23) This appointment was presumably thal
referred Lo. in the summary that Barton gave of
his work in New Zealand in his second
application in 1886 for the position of

Artist's reconstruction of Holborn Viaduct, London power station built if 1882, The capacity ol the
station was Over 2000 16 c.p. lamps. Each Edison ‘Jumbo’ dynamo generated 110 V. d.c. and was
driven by a Porter-Allen high-speed steam engine supplied from a Babeock and Wilcox Water-tube
boiler in the sub-hasement, The combined weight of cach engine-dynamo set was 8 tons,

Queensland Government Electrician. lt showed
that he ‘fitted the following installations; one of
180 incandescent lamps, one of 6 are lights; one
of 60 incandescent lamps.’ (24)

Tt is possible that, apart from an
understandable wish to revisit Dunedin, Barton
may have been attracted to New Zealand by
hearing of the report in the Waikato Times of
24 June [882 that consideration was being given
to establishing in Wellington a company with a
planned capital of £200,000 for the purpose of
supplying public and private lighting by
electricity. There were to be directorates in
Auckland, Canterbury and Dunedin. The idea
was probably ahead of its time as was a similar
one advertised in Brisbane in December 1882 by
the Queensland Electric Light and Power Co.
Ltd with a planned capital of £100,000. (25)

A Jetter from his father, then living in
Sydney, provided this comment on Edward’s
activities in New Zealand up to March 1884 —

We have just received your Jetter of 12 March in
Which you express fears of the Brush Co. bursting
up and discuss the question of what you ought to
do, [ think your reasons for leaving New Zealand
are rather odd ones bul nw doubt if your increased
intimacy with the Otago nobility only increases
your expenses without getting you their ‘boiler
making’ you would be right to leave the place. (26)

The reference to the ‘Brush Co. in George
Barton’s letter should probably read
Australasian Electric Light, Power and Storage
Co. Ltd (AELP&SCo.Lid) which was one of
the many subsidiaries of the London based
Anglo-American Brush lectrie = Light
Corporation, This comment is based on a letter
from the Brisbane branch of AELP&SCo.Ltd
dated 27 August 1886 which referred to
Barton's three years of service as afi ‘electrician’
to this company. (27) If the three years is taken
literally, Barton was engaged by the company
while in New Zealand about the time of the
electric lighting of the N.Z. Parliament
buildings. Thus his decision to come to
Australia, made soon after his lather’s letter
was received, would not have required his
resignation. The picture is confused by an entry
in Who's Who in Engineering (8) which was
presumably agreed to by Barton himself. This
lists under ‘professional training’ ‘New
Zealand Electric Light Co(NZ); Brush Co.
(Queensland), The former company has not
been identified.

George Barton's reference to ‘bursting up’ of
the Brush Co. was probably based on the
disastrous change in the fortunes of the parent
company in England. Their equipment sales for
1881 amounted to £80,000, and in [882 to
£200,000 but these dropped to £35,000 in 1883.
This sudden decline was generally attributed to
the conditions imposed on the embryo electric
lighting industry in England by the Electric
Lighting Act of 1882. (17)

AUSTRALIA

PROGRESS IN ELECTRIC LIGHTING TO 1884:
Barton left New Zealand in mid-May 1884 as a
saloon passenger aboard the Arawata and
arrived in Melbourne on 22 May. (29)
Presumably his return to Australia was in the
expectation of better prospects af employment
in electric lighting work. Just what these
prospects were can be best imagined trom the
following outline of the developments prior to
his arrival.

Arc lighting with batteries as a source of
power had been demonstrated in Melbourne in
1867 but this was regarded as a novelty wilh no
commercial application. In 1877 a dynamo was
used to supply are lights in a Melbourne factory
and in 1880 the Melbourne City Council
licensed a private company to light up the
Eastern Market with arcs using, incidentally,
one dynamo for each lamp. Still earlier, in
(863, an are light had been mounted on

~

Observatory Hill, Sydney to celebrate a royal
marriage, but the first lighting with a dynamo
was in 1878 to illuminate night-time
construction in Sydney's Domain, Incandescent
lighting was introduced in Sydney with
equipment imported in 1882, (30)

In Brisbane the first are light was set up as a
display outside the Telegraph Offive in William
St, near Elizabeth St, on 1 July 1878, The
equipment wus actually purchased for the
temporary defence installation at Paiker's
Island (in the vicinity of the Brisbane suburb of
Eagle Farm) so that ‘the approach of boats at
night in the vicinity of the torpedo station may
be observable.’ (31) The current was supplied by
a battery of primary cells. While this was
reported as the first electric light yet ted in
Queensland, there is a record in (he minutes of
the Queensland Philosophical Society that, at a
conversazione held in Brisbane on 29 June 1878,
‘the electric light was exhibited’; unfortunately
there is no further information,

Omitting any mention of (hese reports, F.R.
L’Estrange (32) stated that —

the earliest use of electricity in Brisbane was al the
end of [881 or the beginning of 1882 shortly after
the Edison Company commerclalised their
incandescent lamp. Mr Kingsbury of Sydney
visited us about this time. He was the NSW agent
and imported some Edison generators, bambou
filament Jiamps, wires and accessories. Alfred
Shaw's of Brisbane were Edison's Queensland
agents, Mr T.2, White (Manager of Alfred Shaw
and Co.) quickly acted and took the opporiunily
of acquiring a generator and fittings and it was
installed jn Sutton*’s foundry at the corner of
Adelaide St and Foundry Lane (now Isles Lane).
(Figs 8,9) It was utilised for lighting in the
foundry... and an estensian was made across the
swamp to Smith's tinsmith shop, up towards
Queen St (probably to help them With work thal
he did for them). IL would appear that this
penerator was used for further extensions, one
being for the lamp lighting on 9 December 1882)
(33-35)

The event of 9% December was the
illumination of Queen St by eight arc lamps bul
L’Estrange was almost certainly mistaken in
Teporting that Sutton's generator appeared to
have been used for these lamps. Apart from the
requirement that about 300 volts would have
been needed as compared with 110 volts for
incandescent lamps, it is reasonable to suppose
that the Brush Co, which had organised the
demonstration would provide its own
equipment. Further the Edison and Brush

companies were in direct competition at this

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time. The arc-lamp generator (‘dynamo
machine’) would probably have been similar to
that shown in Fig. 10 and since Sutton was a
very interested party to the display no doubt he
would have willingly provided power from the
steam engine driving his own generator.

The following extracts from newspaper
reports show the manner in which the Press of
the period provided technical details in addition
to describing the evident astonishment of the
public —

The Brush system of electric lighting will be
illustrated in Queen St this evening by eight arc
lights between the corner of Eagle St and the
Bridge. (Fig. LL)

The electricity is generated by a dynamo
machine placed in the large shed in Adelaide St
nearly opposite the Girls’ School, and occupied by
JW. Sutton and Co. From this point a conducting
cable composed of seven strand No.1l6 wire
carefully insulated, conveys the current the whole
length of Queen St, all the lamps being in the
same circuil, The dynamo machine is driven by a
10 h.p. Robey and Co. steam engine at a speed of
700 to 100 revolutions per minute, and chs
supplied the current required for the whole circuit,
The lamps are erected on cast iron standards some
20 fin height. The light is produced by the spark
given out when the electric fluid passes from one
to another of twa catbon points in contact, The
whole mechanism of the lamp, therefore, is
directed to maintaining the two carbon rods in
contact. There are two of these placed vertivally in
the lamp, the lower one fixed and the upper one
so controlled by the apparatus that it gradually
slides down as the point becomes consumed. This
is activated by gravity alone, while it is controlled
solely by the influence upon a bar of iron of a
magnetic field, the intensity of which varies with
the strength of the electric current passing through
the lamp circuit, The carbon rods are one foot in
length, and are electroplated with a thin coating of
copper. They last about eight hours, during which
time 9! in. of the positive and 4 in. of the
negative carbon are consumed, The lamps erected
in Queen St are made to burn 16 hours without
attention, as by an automatic arrangemenl as soon

Fic. 9. Probable rype of belt-driven bi-polar dynamo
as supplied in about 1882 to J.W. Sutton of
Brisbane. The capacity of the dynamo was
described as 60-light (about 5 kW). The
basic electrical and magnetic components
are marked thus: @ armature wilh
commutator and brush gear, M M
electromagnets joined by a yoke Y at the
top and carrying pole pieces # and s at the
level of the armature, The long
electromagnets Jed to the description of the
equipment as ‘lang waisted Mary Ann’.

as one set of carbon is consumed the current is
directed through a second set. The mere hanging
of the lamp in its place puts it in circuit, while the
extinction of one or more lamps, or indeed their

Fis. 8. Map of Brisbane dated 1893 wilh locations of eleciric power plants, 1882 to 1911. 1, Sutton’s Foundry,
corner of Adelaide St and Isles Lane (previously Foundry Lane). Plant at this site proyided supply for
the demonstration of arc lighting in Queen St in 1882. 2, Queensland Government Printing Office.
Supply was given to part of the Printing Office in 1883. In 1886 a new plant supplied both the
Priming Office and the Parhamentary buildings. 3, Brisbane Newspaper Co, Office, corner of Queen
and Edward Sts, 1884. 4, Queensland Government Railways, Roma St Yards, The are lighting was
supplied from plant located between the Railway Slation and the Normanby Tunnel in 1884. 5,
Barton, White and Co., electricians, Telegraph (later Edison) Lane, 1888. Commercial supply was
given to the Queen Si area initially, The company was renamed Barton and White in 1892 and, alter
reforming, Brisbane Electrie Supply Co. Ltd in 1896, 6, Brisbane Tramways Co, Lid, Countess St.
This station supplied power for electric trams in 1897, 7, Bnsbane Electric Supply Co. Ltd, Ann St,
1899. The company was renamed City Electric Light Co. Lid in 1904, 8, City Electric Light Co, Lid,

William Sj, 1911.

Fic. 10. A, the Brush Co. 16 light dynamo for arc
lighting. Two were installed near the Roma
St Railway Station in 1884. They were
driven by a steam engine, each requiring
about 15 h.p. B, electrical diagram showing
the principle of operation of the dynamo.
There are eight armature coils (of which
two marked Al and AS are shown) grouped
in two sets connected to commutators Cl
and C2 respectively. The field windings
comprise four helixes in series.

removal, does not affect the others. The lamps are
enclosed in globes of semi-transparent glass, which
are surrounded by a cover of tin to keep out the
dust. (25)

The demonstration was
reported on as follows —

duly given and

After the first sensation of surprise was over,
numbers of people stood in groups at the foot of
the lamp posts, apparently enjoying the beautiful
light, and there was but one expression — that of
unqualified admiration — to be heard on all sides,
the high expectations formed by those who
hitherto had only read of the electric light being
fully met. To those who watched closely there was
apparent a very sensible variation in the intensity
of the light, although there was nothing

10

approaching to the flickering motion so noticeable
in some forms of electric light. (36)

About a fortnight after the display,
Christmas decorations were provided by
incandescent lighting in the shop windows of
Messrs Finney, Isles and Co. and 10 or 11 arc
lamps were arranged outside various shop
windows. (37) If the two generators necessary to
cater for the two forms of lighting were both in
Sutton’s premises, he could reasonably have
claimed to be the first in Brisbane to have
provided electricity supply — albeit briefly —
for a street and shop simultaneously.

It was no coincidence that on 9 December
1882, the same day as the Queen St display the
Brisbane Courier carried an advertisement
proposing the setting up of a public company —
the Queensland Electric Light and Power Co.
Ltd — to provide electricity. The stated aim was

to supply within the colony of Queensland the
rapidly

quick and increasing demand for

Fic. 11. Carbon arc street lamp manufactured by the
Brush Co., London in the 1880’s. The
carbon electrodes were arranged in pairs
and connected in series. The regulating
mechanism above the electrodes allowed the
arcs to be struck and the spacing adjusted
as the electrodes burned away. The street
lamps were connected in series to the
electricity supply. Eight of probably similar
design were used to light Queen St,
Brisbane in December 1882.

ELECTRICITY in its various applications Lo
Light, Motive Power, and other applications, It is
intended to erect im suitable centres, depots for
generating Electricity, and to supply it to all
classes of customers, either direct from dynanios
or from storage or scvondary balleries, for use
cither in are or incandescent lighting, or as motive
power for driving machines. —,

in conclusion came the assertion thar —

the vast field of profitable operations |n store tor
the present Company will be recognised, (25)

Initially 30,000 of the total of 100,000 £1}
shares were to be offered to the public while the
vendors of the patent systems were to receive
30,000 fully paid up shares and £6000 in cash.
After two such advertisements nothing further
appeared about this company and it ean be
safely assumed that it did not evoke public
interest in spite of the impressive list of
Directors, a detailed description of the ‘patent
systems’ and a forecast of the future of electric
lighting given a few days later. (38) The
Directors were to be: Hon. John Douglas,
CMG, a former Premier of Queensland: Hon.
B.D. Morehead, MLC, Posumaster General:
Robert Porter, JP, Mayor of Brisbane and J.W.
Sutton, Sutton’s Foundry.

Ir April T883 the Queensland Government
Printing Office in William St introduced
incandescent lighting. It was reported that 70 to
80 people assembled in the Office to witness the
lighting by ‘Edison Electric Light’, there being
‘some 30 Edison burners (20 equal to 8 candles,
30 to 16 candles and one of 32 candle power)
supplied by an 84 h.p. dynamo driven by an
engine used for the printing machinery.’ (39)
The term ‘burners’ (to correspond with the
familiar gas burners) referred to Edison's
carbon filament lamps.

No doubt impressed by the success of the
electric lighting in the Printing Office, the
Brisbane Newspaper Co. followed suit by
installing its first lighting plant in March 1884.
The contract was placed with the local agents
for the Australasian Electric Light, Power and
Storage Co. Lid (ABLP&SCo). The Brisbane
Courier published the following account of the
first trial —

Forty-three of the Lane-Fox incandescent lamps
have been hung in the composing room, and che
electric current is supplied by a Victoria Brush
dynamo machine, which runs at the rate of about
7350 revolutions to the minute, and which is driven
by a 6 horse power horizontal steam engine. The
lamps burned with great steadiness, and gave an
cairemely bright yet soft Tight, The eyes of the

1)

compositors were protected hy means of shades,
and at the same Lime the light was distributed over
the ‘cases’, and in fact over the whole room, with
extieme evenness, while no shadows were cast, as
is the case when gas is burning, The workmen
expressed themselves as greatly pleased win the
new light, which may so far be pronounced in
every way a success, (40)

A few months later the lighting was extended
to 100 lights, the work being carried out by Mr
G.D. Hamilton of AELP&SCo. (41)

Even before the Brisbane Newspaper Co,
had their plant in operation, the Queensland
Government Railways had decided to have are
lighting at Brisbane (later Rama St) station, In
January 1884 a contract was let for the building
of an electric light machinery shed Tor the sum
of £276. The area was approximately 1000 sq. ft
und the shed was located immediately west of
the north bound railway line and some 260
yards south of the Normanby Tunnel. Ip
October 1884 a contract was let for “Lighting
Brisbane Station with Electric Light’ for the
sum of £1259, requiring the supply of ten
‘Brush’ arc lamps supplied by ‘sixteen lamp
Brush’ machines. (42) ‘The total cost is assumed
to have been £2034 as shown against this
installation in the Annual Report of the
Railways Department. This was the year in
which the first such installation in Victoria was
built in Melbourne where the requirement was
for better lighting in the Spencer St goods and
passenger railway yards in order to make less
dangerous the hazardous occupation of train
shunting, as well as to deal with the rapidly
increasing traffic, The Melbourne installation
comprised a portable ‘Robey’ steam engine
driving by belt and countershaft two ‘Brush’
$0-light are lighting dynamos. (43) The Roma
St equipment was of smaller capacity but
probably otherwise similar,

Thus there were at least four generating
plants in operation by 1884.

FirST WORK IN AUSTRALIA: There is litle doubt
that Barton travelled extensively in eastern
Australia after his arrival in Melboume in May
1884 but there is no clear record of his
professional work for the first eighteen months
or so. A family letter dated 11 June 1884 shows
thal by then he had been in Sydney and had
gone to Gympie, Queensland and, as he was
retained by AELP&SCo., the visit to Gympie
may have been on their behalf. It is believed
that he installed a dynamo at the Phoenix gold
mine there in 1885 and as the Mining Warden's
report for the year states that “the Phoenix P.C_

mine is lighted on the surface by electric light’
this is probably the same installation. (44,45)
One purpose would be to light the areas around
the crushing mills thus permitting longer hours
of operation.

The work for AELP&SCo which was
evidently on a part-time basis ceased about 27
August I886 because on this date the firm's
Queensland agents gave the following reference

During the past three years we have every reason
to be pleased with your services and only regret
that there is not sufficient opening in Electric
Lighting to enable us to retain them. (27)

In giving evidence to a Parliamentary

Committee of Enquiry in Brisbane in 1886
Barton stated that in addition to his English
experience he had ‘erected and run both are and
incandescent plant in New Zealand, Tasmania,
Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland’ for
superintended

AELP&SCo and == had the

Fic. 12. Edison Ca., USA, dynamo type K of 250
ligh| capacity, Two of these were ordered
by the Queensland Government from the
Edison Co. in 1883. Those delivered were
type H of 400 light capacity and are
believed to have been of similar appearance.
They were installed in a new building
adjacent to the ald Queensland Government
Printing Office in 1886. (Fig. 14)

installation of the electric lighting system in
Parliament House Brisbane, (13)

In a letter dated 5 March 1886 Barton
applied for the position of Queensland
Government Electrician and described his
experience as including ‘18 months in Brisbane
doing electrical work, and can refer to Mr
Starke.’ Henry Starke was appointed in 1880 as
an Instrument Fitter in the Post and Telegraph
Department, Brisbane and was responsible for
installing the onginal Telephone Exchange
there. In his second application for the
Electrician position dated 22 April 1886 Barton
mentioned only two small electric lighting
installations in Queensland as his responsibility
there since about September 1884 and no other
reference to his work in Brisbane has been
found elsewhere. Hence it seems likely that he
was engaged in telephone work about this time.
(20,24) He detailed other Australian experience
with AELP&SCo, as follows — N,S.W., one
installation of 25 incandescent lamps;
Tasmania, one installation of 16 arc lamps and
one installation of 100 incandescent lamps. He
does not refer to any work in Victoria in spite
of his mention of this at the Enquiry.

Barton interested himself in at least two
other ventures. In 1884 he and his father, who
took the most detailed and almost
overwhelming interest in his son's activities,
investigated the possibilities of paper bag
manufacture, apparently in Sydney, (46) A
proposal to market lubricators said to have been
patented by Barton was also investigated in the
same year and it is believed that some were sold
in Brisbane. (47) However nothing definite is
known about the outcome of either scheme.

Ececrric LIGHTING OF THE PARLIAMENTARY
BUILDINGS, BRISBANE: The first well
documented information abour Barton’s
professional engineering work in Brisbane is in
connection with the electric lighting of the
Houses of Parliament and the Government
Printing Office. In particular, he featured
prominently in an enquiry into a fire in the
House of Assembly in L886 which was the
subject of a lengthy Parliamentary Report
described as ‘Accident ta the Electric Light’.
(13)

A contract for the lighting had been let in
April 1883 to ‘Edison's Indian and Colonial
Electric Co. Ltd’ based on a very brief
specification provided by the Company
describing the electrical plant and giving the
number of lights to be installed. The two

Fic. 13. Robey and Co. compound steam engine with
locomotive type boiler probably similar to
the engines supplied to the Queensland
Government Printing Office in 1884. Delays
in the construction of the building and in
installing the electric lighting prevented
operation of the engines until mid-1L886.

dynamos ordered were described as ‘Edison K
250 light, 16 c.p.” (Fig. 12) but it is clear from
the Parliamentary Report on the fire that each
of the dynamos had a capacity of 400 lights and
this is confirmed by their designation as H19
and H20 respectively, H being the Edison Co,"s
symbol for the 400 light rating. (48,49)

\t seems to have been implicit in the scheme
that slow-speed steam engines would be ordered
and that an extensive pulley and belting system
would be provided to give a several times
increase in speed for the dynamos. The tender
for the engines and boilers followed in May
1883 but was not accepted. Presumably because
the steam plant and dynamos were to be housed
at the Government Printing Office and part of
the output used by this Office, the Government
Printer was consulted and he recommended that
an order be placed with Messrs Smeilie and Co.
ot Brisbane for two 40 h.p. Robev steam
engines with locomotive type boilers. (Fig. 13)
This was agreed to in June 1883. Later the
Edison Co. agents (Messrs Alfred Shaw and
Co., Ltd) were asked to tender for an extension
of the original contract to include the
Legislative Council Chambers and their tender
was accepled in December 1884. It is of interest
to note that the lighting system was based
generally on the provision of ‘one 16 candle-
power lamp for every gas jet.” (48)

The most pressing need was to plan a
building adjacent to the Government Printing
Office to house the power plant, Na

photograph of the layout has been found but
using the original drawings and information
about the machinery a reconstruction has been
attempted as shown in Fig, 14, For comparison
a German power station of the same period is
shown in Fig. 15 and although the height of the
poles of the dynamog indicate a slightly earlier
design the difference in the space taken up by
the belt drives is obvious. Possibly this is due to
the German plant using higher engine speeds
than the Brisbane plant. No doubt because of
iis size the construction of the building was
much delayed and the overseas plant, delivered
in 1884, remained in store for almost two years.

As well us the complaints about the progress
with the building, there was considerable
dissatisfaction with the way the lighting
installation work was being carried out. in
March [886 the Edison Co. agents (Messrs
Alfred Shaw and Co.) requested Mr Kingsbury
who represented the Edison Co. in NSW to
report on the situation, The following extracts
from his report (50) show the state of the
installation work at that time —

... Had the running of the conductors, tle
general work of fixing lamps and the necessary
technical details throughout the installation been
supervised by an ardinarily competent expert there
would haye been no further necessity for my
presence. On sending the current through the
Circuit however the astonishing amount of earth
leakage and the evidence of a short circuit at my
first test proved the necessity for the taking of
immediate steps (9 Jocalise and eliminate these
faults, dangerous alike to the buildings and the
machinery... What remains now to be done
before you have your official trial and hand the
installation over to the Government can well be
garried Gut by Mr Barton whom {| have fully
informed as to running the additional cable and
placing safety blocks and switches that I am
sending him...”

From then on it is clear that Barton was a
key person, described as Messrs Alfred Shaw
and Co's electrical engineer.

At least some of the work that was so
strongly criticised by Kingsbury was carried out
by the Government Electrician, James
Mathieson, who prior to this appointment in
July 1885 was emploved by Messrs Alfred Shaw
and Co. Mathieson was asked to continue the
installation work after his Government
appointment at least until September 1885; it is
believed that this arrangement followed the
death of the Edison Co. engineer, Mr Snow.

The Colonial Secretary was informed of the
adverse report and then requested Mr A.E.

Fi
rein IF
in

lee

a
DYNAMO ROOM a ENGINE

2 - #8

a__ll au ta

PLAN 0 10 20 feet

Fic. 14. Layout of the Queensland Government Printing Office power plant building, 1886 based on archival
data. It was adjacent to the Printing Office between George and William Sts and supplied electricity
for lighting the Parliamentary buildings and the Printing Office.

14

Matveieff, Superintendent of Telegraphs for
Queensland, to investigate the matter. His
report dated 28 May 1886 was also very critical
of the work by Mathieson. (5!) During the
enquiry Barton gave evidence that he had been
employed for the previous two months
remedying the defects referred to in Mr
Kingsbury’s report.

The result of Matveieff’s report was the
resignation of Mathieson after about a year's
service as the first Queensland Government
Electrician and it is clear that Barton was in
charge of the installation work until early July
1886 when it was handed over to Mathieson's
successor, Thomas Tomlinson, BA,BEng
(Dublin). Tomlinson had been a draftsman in
the Department of Harbours and Rivers and
was a Captain (Prov,) in the Defence Forces,
Brisbane Engineers. (52) His academic record
must have impressed the Government as
Barton’s application for the same position
showed far wider experience with electric
lighting and was supported by the Government
Printer, J.C. Beal. (20)

Meanwhile the steam engines and generating
plant had been installed. The mains —
described as ‘Edison Street Tubes’ — that were
required to connect the generating plant to the
Parliamentary buildings had been mentioned in
the original contract but the price had not been
stated. There musf have been an agreement by
the Colomal Secretary to incur the extra expense
but the only record is an invoice dated 15
August 1884 for the supply of 79 lengths of
tubing (mostly 20 ft) and accessories for about
£500, ($3) The route was along William St (Fig.
16) and approval for the necessary eXcayation
was obtained from the Municipal Council in
April 1884. A contract was then placed for the
trenching work and as this was.to be completed
by 11 June it is safe to assume that the mains
were laid by this time. (54) The depth of laying
was less than one foot below the road surface
and this gave rise to a remark by W.M.E,
L'Estrange that this was too shallow ‘and the
heat of the sun soon melted the bitumen out of
the pipes and insulation troubles were
experienced after every rain.’ (55)

Fic. 15. A 100 kW,110 V,,d-c. power station built by the German Edison Co, in Berlin in 1884, This is shown
for comparison with the contemporary Brisbane power station (Fig.l4), The economy in space with a
different arrangement of countershafting is evident.

Fic. 6. View along William St, Brisbane from the Parliamentary buildings, 1893. The Government Printing
Office power plant was housed in the building with the chimney, marked X. The underground mains
connecting the power plant with the Parliamentary buildings ran along William Si. The Mood-
damaged Victoria Bridge is seen on the left.

The following description of the construction
of this type of mains was given in a paper read
at a meeting of the Electrical Association of
N.S.W. in 1891. (56) —

The copper bars are each wrapped spirally with a
special jute cord and two or more conductors are
wrapped together with another spiral covering in
an inverse direction. These are inserted into an
iron tube, the ends closed with vulcanite plugs and
an insulating compound composed of bitumen and
ozokerite [a mineral wax] is forced into the tube
completely impregnating, the jute and filling the

vacant spaces (Fig. 17)

Finally, more than three years after the
contract with the Edison Co. had been signed,
the plant operated for a few weeks with no
particular problems other than excessive voltage
drop in the underground mains; this will be
discussed shortly. However, in August 1886 a
fire broke out in the Legislative Assembly
Chamber, It was. attributed to Tomlinson’s
replacing fuses with solid connections in part of
the wiring but details of the event are
complicated and a lack of co-operation between
the Government Printing Office Engineer
(Joseph Dorsett) and Tomlinson is very evident,
The full explanation 78 given in a 19 page report
tabled in the Legislative Assembly in October
1886. (13) Tomlinson was obliged to resign in
spite of his strong objection to the criticism by
the various experts called in to give evidence.

ith

There will be further reference to the project
and its difficulties, Meanwhile it is of interest to
note the very large capital investment spread
over three years to provide about 30kW of
power with a similar capacity as intended
reserve, although both dynamos had to be run
to meet later additions to the lighting of the
Parliamentary buildings. The major items were:
New building, £13,043; steam plant, £2747;
dynamos, and lighting installation, £2020; street
mains, about £600 — a total of over £18,000.
This would be equivalent to about $1 millian in
today’s currency.

BARTON AS QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT
ELECTRICIAN: It was not surprising to find that
Barton was appointed to replace Tomlinson
thus becoming the third occupant of the
position since June 1886, The appointment was
gazetted on 3 November L886 at a salary of
250 per annum. The Queensland Government
Gazette described the position as ‘Government
Electric Engineer.’ (57) Fortunately there is a
little information about this period of Barton's
tenure of the position thanks to W.M.B,
L’Estrange, a relative and a close associate for
many years, who recorded the following in his
Chairman’s address to the Institution of
Engineers, Australia, Brisbane Division in 1934.
(55) This extract trom the address is prefaced by
L'Estrange’s comment on the wiring of the

= iron pipe, 2 inch
intemal diameter

copper conductors

Seaeaes compound filling
MAN treated jute bindings

fF).
d

Fic, 17. Details of the 110 V.,d.c. underground mains (known as ‘Edison Street Tubes’) connecting the
Government Printing Office power plant to the Parliamentary buildings, The first installation in 1884
was a two core type and the second, in 1892, a three core type. The mains were made up in mostly 20
ft lengths thus requiring a junction box for cach length along the route of over 120) ft. To provide
for expansion, the connections in each junction box were [exible and to prevent ingress of moisture
each was filled with a bituminous compound, A, probable cross-section of Edison (wo core mains,
installed in 1884, Conductor size, 0.2 sqg.in. B, probable cross-section of Edison three core mains,
installed in 1892. Conductor size, 0.1 sq.in. C, two core junction box, cover removed. D, three core
junction box, cover removed. E, three core junction box, cover in place.

Parliamentary buildings and presumably of the
Printing Office —

The wiring of Parliament House had been carried
out with ‘Underwriters Wire’ from America, Where
it was often called ‘Undertakers Wire’ owing to its
poor insulation, lt consisted of unstranded wires
up to eight gauge, which had been covered with
asbestos thread impregnated with ordinary white-
lead paint. In those days paint figured largely in
electrical work, all armature windings being
‘insulated’ with red-lead paint.

As Parliament only sat in Winter time when
the Queensland air is very dry, these wires never

gave any trouble, except al the joints, where their
thickness lead 10 breaking of the soldering. To
quote Mr Barton's own words — ‘The fithngs
were, however, very bad. All the lights had to be
fixed on gas fillings, the wires being tied at
intervals, while the lamp holders were clamped on
below the gas jets. Yet earths were rare, except on
the great gas rings above the ‘House’. Eventually
the electric lamps were fixed on a large circular
board Which fitted inside the gas ring. After a few
trial runs, the members complained of glare and
demanded softening of the light, which was
accomplished by Fleming, the Gas Fitter and
Plumber, hanging a circular sheet of ground glass
under the light.

All went) well tor a Week of two, My
instructions were to have the electric lights on
before sundown, usually half an hour but u
sudden thunderstorm led to (he gas being lit, and
disaster followed, Fortunately the Chamber was
empty, but five minutes later the members would
have been hurrying in, and Mr Bernays (58) (of
the Gas Company) would have been injured, for
the heat caused by the gas flames above the sheet
of glass caused it to burst. As it was four feet in
diameter and made of thick plate glass, and
weighed some hundred pounds, the effect was
great. One triangular piece cur a deep hole in Mr
Bernays table,”

Before these events, and prior to Mr Barton's
advent in Brishane, the machines, of the Edison
iype, had heen erected at the Printing Office,
where Supply was first made, The Government
Printer of these days was George Beal, the perfect
man ot business from 10 am to 3 pm, (After thar
his address was (he Sovereign Hotel, where he
foregathered with his bosom friend Owen
Gardiner, the Gingerbeer King. Like most
Queenslanders of that day, they both believed in
whisky as the only specific against disease.) The
Engineer was Joe Dorsett,

- again quote Mr Barion. ‘Dorsett was an
excellent erecting engineer, and his engine rooms
were patterns of meatness and solid cement
foundatiows but he could never get away from the
‘semi-portable’ type of machine. To economise
space arid allow of oiling Ute engine must sil under
the boiler and must mot run at more than [20
revolutions per minute, The shafting and belts
needed for dynamo driving were of course
imposing.

These Edison dynamos were of the
intermediale type. (59) They came from Edison’s
works where Hopkinson’s work had caused 9
shortening of the magnetic circuit, but they still
retained the triple magneis wilh six energising
coils, connected up to a little switchboard by
twelve wires that casily lent themselves to wrong
polarity connection, This peculiarity led fo an
amusing jncident as svon uy the plant had been
handed over to the Government and placed under
the contro) of my successor [T. Tonilinsou] a
gentleman connected with the Military Forces and
holding a great reputation jn submarine mine
control. Jimmy Knight, my cleaner, had
disconnected these wires for cleaning purposes, as
he had done under me every week, but Jimmy had
never connected them up again, heme quite
innocent of any electrical lore. When the military
gentleman appeared and ordered Jimmy to connect
up the wires, Jimmy was aghast, but an old sailor
is not easily cornered. He faced the enemy saving
“| done it at Mr Barton's orders as usual, bur |
won't do them up again till he tells me.'’ Many
hours passed before a light could be gol to
vlimmer. Eventually the telephone brought me to
the spor, As the Contractors engineer, [ had to

help, but the great man’s fame had suffered. He
only lasted a few weeks more, and then | was
appointed to take permanent charge with the high
sounding title of ‘Government Electrician’, My
duties were those of an Ordinary shift engineer,
bur | had no jurisdiction in the engine room, My
place was in the dynamo room and patrolling

Parliament House to see that no lamps failed to

light for it was the rule that all lights must be

alight [rom sunset till the House rose; the plant
then shut down. Thus we always ran at full load
and did so for the simple reason thal governing

Was impossible with that Robey semi-portable

engine if the load varied appreciably.

Dorsett’s fame ran so high as a careful
engineer, and as the man wito successfully supplied
power for those Edison dynamios, that the pew
Couner building was fitted with Robey undertype
engines on his advice and alsa the new building of
the Velegrapl) Newspaper Company. Until the
linotype machine invaded these three offices, the
Robey engines reigned supreme, Then dheir poor
governing seems first to have been observed and
also the irregularities due to Mapping belts driving
long lines of shafting.”

In the winter of 1887 alterations and
extensions were made to the electric’ lighting of
the Parliamentary buildings both to increase the
level of illumination and improve the saféty of
the whole installation, The two central
chandeliers in the Legislative Assembly
Chamber were replaced by a cluster of 24
shaded Edison lamps. There was still a lack of
confidence in electric lighting as it was. reported
that the gas lights were being rearranged ‘so
that they can be used in the event of the
electricity failing through one of the many
causes that are likely to affect it." (60)

Al Jeast during 1887, if not earlier, Barton
had been considering going into partnership
with a Brisbane electrician, C.F. White and
there is evidence that an agreement was reached
between them in the summer of 1887/88.
Whatever the circumstances, Barton submitted a
conditional resignation from the position of
Government Electrician on 19 January 1888.
His proposal to the Government was that he
would undertake the supervision (but mot the
manual labour) of all electrical work in
connection with the following: Parliamentary
buildings and the Government Printing Office;
the bells and telephones at the Government
Printing Office and the Colonial Secretary's
Office and the Railway plant at Brisbane station
(later Roma St). For these services he requested
an annual salary of £150, His resignation was
accepted from 16 February and the above
conditions agreed to. While the position of

Government Electrician no longer appeared in
the annual list of Government staff it is evident
both in his own correspondence and in
Government documents of the period that his
title was retained until the above arrangement
was concluded on 27 February 1894. (61)
During the interim period Barton had a dual
role as a Government adviser and supervisor on
the one hand and on the other hand as a
contractor offering to carry out the
recommended work. This. seems to have caused
& few minor difficulties but the fact that the
arrangement lasted for six years suggests thai it
was generally acceptable. On Barton's side, the
monthly income must have been most important
as financial difficulties of the partnership
increased.

No immediate action appears to have been
taken to replace Barton except that J. Dorsett,
the Government Printing Office engineer, had
his responsibilities extended to the lighting of
the Parliamentary buildings from January 1894,
The position of Government Electrical Engineer
was advertised early in 1896 and filled by John
Hesketh,

A problem with the electne lighting of the
Parliamentary buildings pointed out by Mr
Pentland (Principal Electrical Engineer, ABLP&
S$Co,) in 1886 in his report following the fire
was the excessive voltage drop in the
underground mains connecting the Government
Printing Office power plant with these
buildings. He was cautious in saying that it
would be necessary to balance the savings
effected in fuel costs by providing new mains
against the interest charges on the cost of such
provision, There appears to have been no action
until October 1888 when the Government
Printer proposed a duplication of the mains,
This proposal was repeated in September [889
and again a year later at which time the Works
Department gave an estimated cost of £500.
Barton's part in this is not clear as his proposals
seem to have been impractical including one in
which he gave estimates for a power plant
adjacent to the Parliamentary buildings. He
certainly considered a three-wire system with the
third conductor overhead, pointing out that
since both dynamos would need to be run at the
same time to meet the expected additional load
from the lighting extensions, this was no longer
an objection. It also seems possible that Barton
was considering offering to give supply to the
Parliamentary buildings from the Barton, White
and €o, power plant in Edison Lane but as the
date of his notes relevant to this cannot be

19

determined, this is surmise.

Finally, in July 1891 the Works Department
requested the Queensland Agent-General in
London to obtain quotes for 420 yards of
‘Edison Tubes’, These were offered by the
Brush Electrical Engineering Company, London
at £) per yard and delivered in November.
Barton was in charge of the laying of the new
mains and in February [892 it was reported that
the work was almost complete. (61) Just what
was the intended mode of use has been made
clear by the following extract from a newspaper
article describing a trial of new lighting installed
by Barton, White and Co. in the Parliamentary
buildings (62) —

The current is transmitted through the new Edison

underground mains, which carry three conductors,

one of Which ts devoted to the new wing, one to
the Assembly, and one to the Council Chamber.

The return passes through the two conductors of

the old mains, which were previously used as 4

lead and return. The mains consist of pure copper

embedded in bitumen, and are protected by iron
piping supplied by the Edison Co. ready for

fixing. ... Last evening the dynamas tan 115

volts pressure while the pressure supplied to the

House was about 94 volts, and the current

consuined averaged 240 amperes-

The last sentence shows that the voltage drop
problem of several years before still persisted,
the advantage of the decreased resistance of the
mains being offset by the increased current now
required by the lighting system. The use of 96
volt lamps was apparently an acveptable
solution but had the inherent difficulty that to
ensure (hat approximately 96 volts was available
at the lamp location the generated voltage
would need to be adjusted to sult the number of
lamps in use. There is @a description of the new
lighting system later.

The above account differs considerably trom
those given previously as recollections and, in
particular, corrects the long established notion
that Barton himself either developed and
constructed (or constructed under licence) the
new mains in about 1887 or 1888 and that there
was ut that time a three-wire 220/110 voll
system substituted for the original two-wire 110
volt system.

The first applications of electric lighting in
Brisbane were to improve the conditions for
typesetters, railway workers and politicians, in
that order. The era of the incandescent lamp
had begun but while its advantages over gas
were easily demonstrated, the relatively high
cost was a major deterrent to its general
adoption.

FOUNDATION AND EARLY
DEVELOPMENT OF THE
ELECTRICITY SUPPLY INDUSTRY
IN QUEENSLAND

BRISBANE AREA, 1887 To 1889

PARTNERSHiP — THE WHITE CONNECTION: In
early 1888 Edward Barton resigned from the
position of Government Electrician that he had
accepted in 1886 and reached an agreement with
the Government that he should have more
limited responsibiliies from February 1888 and
a lower salary. (63,64) This arrangement proved
very helpful over the following years. In the
summer of 1887/88 he had already formed (in
effect) a partnership with Cedric Francis
(Frank) White, a brother of Thomas Edward
White, Queensland manager of Messrs Alfred

Electric Light, Telephonas,
=a ELECTRIC BELLS,

ELECTRICAL WORK of all
kins carefully executed,

cc. F. weitz,
CREEK STREET, BRISBANE,

BARTON, WHITE, & CO.
[Late C.F. WHITS.),
Electrical Engineers,

Tak BRXCHMANG HE, and at CREE Ms
ATUMEET, BRISBANE.

Pic. 18, CP, White, a Bdsbane electrician, and E.C.
Barton, the part-time Queensland
Government Electrician advertised their
partnership in the Queenslander of 1888.
White's advertisement on 10 March changed
to Barton, White and Co. on 17 March.

mi}

Shaw and Co., although this was not advertised
until 17 March 1888, (65,66) Possibly the
announcement was delayed until Barton's new
agreement with the Government had been
finalised.

The exact date of the formation of the
partnership is not known but it was certainly
under consideration before September 1887
since a letter written at this time by George
Barton, Edward’s father, expressed what was to
be continuing concern about the proposition
and enquired ‘How did you end about that
matter?’ (67) As a guide to his commitment,
there is preserved a list of individual payments
by Barton and C.F. White for the first several
years of the partnership and this shows an
amount of £120 16s 7d paid by the former in
1887. (68) It is clear that T.E. White played a
most important part in financing the
Partnership; indeed, F.R. L'Estrange stated —

there would not have been a Barton and White if

Mr C.F. White was not financed by his brother

...(33)

Barton’s connection with Messrs Alfred
Shaw and Co. has already been referred to in
connection with the completion of the electric
lighting of the Parliamentary buildings. As
L’Estrange continued —

Mr Barton ... convinced Mr T.E. White that there
was an excellent opening for the introduction and
advancement of electricity supply. Mr Barton had
no capital but succeeded in arranging for Mr TE,
White to finance his brother C.F. White in a
partnership to be known as Barton and White as
he [T.E, White] considered that C.F. White had
selling ability and a knowledge of importing,
stock-keeping and office procedure, and on the
other hand Mr Barton had ability and experience
to design, manufacture and install all kinds of
electrical machines and apparatus; also that Mr
White's firm [Alfred Shaw] could increase their
imports and sales of machines and accessories
which the new firm of Barton and White would
require, Mr, T.E, White then arranged finance for
his brother C.F. and opened an account for the
new firm with Alfred Shaw and Co, It is to be
strictly understood that Mr C.F. White would be
responsible for the office, stores purchasing and
sales, whilst Mr Barton would be responsible for
the engineering side and staff.

Before the partnership was announced, C.F.
White had established an electrician business in
Creek St, Brisbane and his advertisments listed
‘Electric Light, Electric Bells, Telephones,
Speaking Tubes, Lightning Conductors &c, &c,"
The last advertisment under White’s name
appeared on 10 March 1888. The advertisment

ening Sy insite oul Deietaly
Evang Hest nse tit at 7) eleok
PER Tu THE PUBLic,

Dy and hee

MONDAY, sn APRTE.
Cipen ere Marnie Hor Lative erty), tiem
1 ts #2, Adtwicenas Fee) Afiventen, Some 20?
tm i, Abreu, Latins Gd. Denkeraom te
Ry htictg@. frre 7 oe ty Be, Adaueteie te ail Ye
et 4s Mowlay Preitue, ed Agal, fhe
epemmetie Beta LA, Vike wihiay Le,

4 98 07h OF ERP sel te Abeta
' Wee ate? Pxtugiay AlN tkasdis. goat
f #

Tithe ben eat

bic. 19, Advertisememt for the Roller Skating Rink of
K.A. Skinner and Co, in the Exhibition
Building, 24 March 1888. Barton, White
and Co. contracted fo supply electric
lighting from a small power plant nearby.
The Rink was opened to the public on 2
April but was destroyed by fire on 13 June,

on 17 March described the partners as
‘Electrical Engineers’, and ‘The Exchange’ was
added to the Creek St address. (69) (Fig. 18) A
further addition in July 1888 was: Works, 149
Elizabeth St.

The only specific record found to date of
work atiributed to C.F. White was in
connection with the National Association Show
in August 1887 (70) when —

an inleresting machine was shown by Mr C.F.
White of Creek St. lt was a dynamo capable of
supplying 40 electric lights and it is used to light
up during the evenings the grand saloon of
nautical exhibits shown hy the British India Co. ...

It seems quite likely that Barton would have
been involved since the ‘Goods Received’ book
of this period kept by White shows
predominantly a range of components and
material for the installation of electric bells.

LIGHTING A
W.M.E.

SKATING RINK: According to
L’Estrange (55) the first work

undertaken by the partners was the installation
of a generating plant consisting of a Brush Co.
‘Victoria’ dynamo driven by a portable steam
following

engine. The details of the

Fic, 20. Brush Co. Victoria dynamo from the
Queensland Museum Collection. This is
probably similar to that used by Barton,
White and Co, at the Exhibition Building
from April to June 1888 and at Telegraph
Lane in August 1888 to provide the first
commercial electricity supply in
Queensland. At this time copper or brass
strips were used Lo provide a sliding contact
with the commutator but these were later
replaced by carbon blocks as. in this
illustration.

circumstances leading up to this are based on a
lecture by G.G. L’Estrange, son of W.M.E.
L’Estrange (71) —

A British India boat, thought to be the ‘India’,
being one of the first to be equipped with electric
light, called at Pinkenba in 1887. Apparently the
electrical installation had been troublesome and
the Captain solved his problems by off-loading the
generator.

During March 1888, Messrs K.A. Skinner
and Co. set up a roller skating rink in the
Exhibition Building in Gregory Terrace,
Brisbane and engaged Messrs Barton, White
and Co. to provide arc and _ incandescent
lighting. (72) This would have been the first
public entertainment area in Brisbane to be lit
by electric light and thus the installation
provided an excellent opportunity to show the

advantages compared with gas lighting. The
rink opened on 31 March as announced with an
enticing newspaper advertisment. (Fig. 19) G.G.
L’Estrange continued thus —

The arrangement was for Barton and White to
own all plant and equipment and Messrs Skinner
to pay for the service provided. For this purpose
Mr Barton gained possession of the generator left
by the B.I. boat, also an old traction boiler and a
Marshall engine. These were set up as a generating
station in a shed adjacent to the skating rink, In
order to finance this project Barton and White
borrowed to the limit of their credit. This

enterprise was a great success and the money was
rolling in until, early one morning on 13 June
1888, the Exhibition Building was burnt to the
ground and everything was destroyed except the
power house. [Arson was suspected.] This left
Barton and White with debts and a power house
for which they had no use.

Fic. 21. Portable steam engine manufactured by Messrs Brown and May, England, c,1886. It is shown arranged
for belt driving a water pump but is otherwise probably similar to the engine used by Barton, White
and Co. to belt drive the ‘Brush’ dynamo. (Fig. 20)

oh)

Fic. 22. Artist's impression of Barton, White and Co.'s first workshop in Telegraph (later Edison) Lane in
1888. This and the generating plant were housed in a shed, 40 ft by 15 fl, Barton himself probably
provided this imaginative illustration to show the intended scope of the firm's activities,

The two arc lights and about 116

incandescent lamps valued at £70 were
destroyed but had been insured. The power
house was fortunately about 100 yards away.
(73)
THE First COMMERCIAL ELECTRICITY SUPPLY:
The young partners wasted no time in
recriminations however as ten days later the
following announcement appeared in the
Brisbane Courier (74) —

Messrs Barton, While and Co., electricians, are
just completing negotiations with the Post Office
Authorities for the lightiag of the mail-room with
incandescent lamps for three months by way of an
experiment. During whe summer nights the
employees of the Post Office have suffered
considerably through the vitiated state of the
atmosphere in this room caused by the large
consumption of gas and bad veniilation.
Arrangements are also to be made for the erection
of a powerful are lamp in front of the Post Office,

fo
tas

There is no doubt that the experiment will prove
successful as the electric light has been used with
advantage in the Post Olfices of both Sydney and
Melbourfje for a considerable time past.

According to G.G. L'Estrange, while the
negotiations were proceeding, and as a means of
utilising their asset, the plant was set up in a
location near the Cricket Ground, South
Brisbane where it was apparently used to supply
lighting for Cricket Ground activities, and also
are lights in nearby Stanley St. He believed that
these were erected by Trackson Bros. (71)

The Post Office lighting became a reality two
months after the fire following a trial reported
in the Brisbune Courier of 3 August 1888. The
oceasion of giving the first commercial
electricity supply in Queensland was described
in the following, extract from the Queenslander
(75) —

The General Post Office building in Queen St was

lighted up on Monday evening [20 August] for the

Fic. 23. A, the second dynamo installed at Telegraph (later Edison) Lane, probably late in 1888 is believed to
have been manufactured by Crompton and Co. Ltd and rated at 110V.,225 A. The illustration is
almost certainly of a replica built by Barton’s firm in about 1899 for their Ann St. power station. The
field system is bipolar, the windings being arranged in two halves set on either side of the pole faces.
The armature would have been ring wound. B, a text book illustration of a similar, though probably
smaller, dynamo manufactured by Crompton and Co. Ltd c.1890. This shows the type of brush gear

missing from the dynamo in Fig. 23A.

first time by electricity, the contractors, Messrs
Barton, White and Co., whose offices are situated
in Elizabeth Street at the rear of the Government
premises [actually in Telegraph Lane], having
completed their arrangements for starting work.
The lighting was confined to the ground floor,
where the despatching and receiving rooms, the
letter carriers’ department, the delivery windows,
and the private boxes are situated. In this large
hall thirty-two of the fifty volt Swan lamps have
been placed, each being of about 16-candle power,
and the light given was fairly satisfactory as a
whole, though in some places the great height at
which the lamps were hung was somewhat of a
drawback. The machinery is situated in a large
shed on the contractors’ premises. The shed
measures 40 ft by 15 ft. A 100-light Victoria Brush
dynamo (Fig. 20) and a 12-horse power Brown and
May engine (Fig. 21) were in use, and the firm
intend at no distant date to offer the electric light
as well as motive power to other buildings in the
vicinity.

The above description of the steam plant
differs from that given by G.G. L’Estrange
who, when relating many years subsequently the
events at the Exhibition site, was probably

relying on hearsay. The three months’ trial just
referred to must have been regarded as a success
since the G.P.O. was still shown as a customer
many years later.

OPERATIONS AT TELEGRAPH (EDISON) LANE AND
SOME EARLY CUSTOMERS: Another
contemporary record is an_ illustration of
Barton, White and Co.’s workshops (Fig. 22)
published in 1888 in the form of an
advertisement depicting many workshop
operations and items of electrical equipment.
(76) The artist is not named but could have
been Barton himself. Aldine stated that —

with the help of high-class machinery, they do all
classes of electrical work. They manufacture all
the fittings for electric light and power; supply
brackets for lamps, sockets, cut-outs, portable
hand lamps, reflectors, arc lamps of 2000 candle
power, electric motors, etc and undertake electrical
work in all parts of the Colony. (76)

This describes a most ambitious undertaking
at such an early stage and when electricity was
so much more expensive than gas. In this
connection it is interesting to find an

advertisement by the firm in July 1888
describing battery-less gay lighters which they
had imported from the Matchless Electric Gas
Lighter Co. for about ten shillings cach.
Pressure on a lever rotated a tiny electrostatic
generator which provided a sufficient spark to
ignite the gas. (77)

On 22 September 1888 the Arishane Courier
stated that a small electric moter known as the
C and C had been introduced to Brisbane by
Messrs Barton, White and Co. —

The motor is applied to driving a ventilating fan
which revolves at the rate of about 3000
revolutions per minute, The fans [blades], six in
number, are of brass, and form a wheel 12 in, in
diameter. This, when in motion, is sufficient to
ventilate a room 15 ft by 24 ft, and certainly gives
a temarkably strong current of afr, the effects of
which can be felt all over the apartment. The
amount of electric current employed is equal to
one and a half times that required by an ordinary
16 cp. lamp The little machine is an
illustration, on a small scale, of the possibility of
distributing power for driving small machines at a
distance from the cenrral dynamo. In the United
States an electric light apparatus in many cases
cams money in the daytime by driving machinery
for small industries, and at night by supplying
light.

In the summer of 1888/89, the Company was
successful in obtaining contracts for litting 63
automatic electric fire alarms in the Government
Printing Office and 150 in the Parliamentary
buildings, The alarms were made by the firm
and were based on the movement of a bi-metal
strip when heated. At a predetermined
temperature the strip completed an electric
circuit and an alarm bell rang. It was reported
that further orders had been received from mill
owners. (78)

Aldine described the generating plant
Telegraph Lane in 1888 as —

in

# sleam engine at the rear of their premises
{Which] drives two dynamo-electric machines,
which supply the current for the electric light in
the adjacent General Post Office and other
premises in the neighbourhood,

So the initial equipment was apparently
added to very soon and the second dynamo was
probably that included in an undated list of
plant installed at the “Edison Lane Works’, as
the site in Telegraph Lane was later named, The
entry reads: ‘Two-pole Crompton Dynamo —
output 240 amps at 110 volts.’ (79) (Fig. 23)

The first move from the shed was to a four-
storey masonry building (Fig. 24) in Telegraph

Lane at the rear of the site referred to ag 149
Elizabeth St. The exact position of the shed
relative to the building is nat known but it was
presumably very close. The pictuve is confused
by the ambiguous phrasing of an article in the
Australasian fronmonger ot July 1889 which
stated that Barton, White and Co, were “having
to remove their engine shed to make room for
their new building.” The building was only new
in the sense of being newly acquired; possibly
there were access problems with the shed in its
initial position. Each floor was about 400 sq. ft
and rent, which presumably included a small
area adjacent to the building, was £4 6s 4d per
week, payable to Mr Davicl Marks. It would be
surprising if Barton regarded ihe arrangement
as ideal for his purpose. He certainly considered
the rent to be excessive, However there were
probably few buildings in the locality adaptable
for his purpose and, in particular, having an
internal chimney of reasonable height.

Both F.R. L’Estrange (18) and G. Mackenzie
(80) gave accounts of the allocation of space
and the installed equipment. Combining these it
seems that the basement and four floors of the
building were occupied thus:

Basement: 2 steam engines atid belt driven
dynamos (Figs 25,26)

Ground Floor; 2 boilers, wood or coal fired,
1000 Ibs of water per hour evaporative capacity,
pressure probably 110 Ibs per sq. in. (Fig, 27)
First Floor: Offices and Stores

Second Floor: Workshop

Third Floor: Fitters’ Shop (Fig, 28)

No layout plan of the installation in the
basement has beeri found but evidently the base
load plant comprised a Marshall steam engine
with belt drive to the Crompton dynama
previously referred to. A photograph of the
basement taken in the 1950's shows foundations
which were described by F.R. L'Estrange as
those of a steam engine and dynamo; there is
no indication in the photograph of where the
second steam engine-dynamo set was located,
Mackenzie mentions a dynamo of about 7 kW
driven by an old locomotive engine and boiler
in an adjacent shed.

There is no progressive record of additions
to the power plant for the first several years so
iL is nol possible to relate the above information
to a particular period, However in a letter to a
power station engineer in NSW dated 6 August
1896 (81) Barton included a deseription (given
later) of the major equipment in connection
with his application for an Order in Council
under the 1896 Electric Light and Power Act.

the

for the engine driver in
basement must have been extremely unpleasant
and no doubt drainage was a problem. It is
likely that Barton asked the Brisbane Council to
provide a pipe drain from the near vicinity and
below the floor level of the basement. Certainly

Conditions

EDISON LANE

Fic, 24. A, Barton, White and Co. power
station and works in Edison Lane.
The building was in use from 1889 to
c.1900. The basement and floors
were occupied thus: Basement, steam
engines and belt driven dynamos;
ground floor, boilers; first Floor,
offices and stores; second floor,
workshop; third floor, fitters’ shop.
The overhead distribution system is
seen above roof level, B, horizontal
section of building, C, artist's
impression of Barton, White & Co's
power station in Edison Lane.

a contract for laying down such a drain was let
by the Council in September 1889 and it is of
interest that on the contract drawing, signed 19
September 1889, the name ‘Telegraph Lane’ has
been crossed out and ‘Edison Lane’ substituted.
This followed a request by Barton to the

Fic. 24, (continued)

Council a few weeks earlier to have the name
changed. (82)

At ground level the two boilers
arfanged side by side along the length of the

were

building. Water tanks and a primitive
condensing system Were located in the
immediate vicinity of the building probably
between it and the Elizabeth St frontage to the

Fic. 25. The basement engine room at Edison Lane. The foundations for a steam-engine belt driving a dynamo
were photographed fifty years after the site was abandoned.

site. Mackenzie recalled the arrangements for Mackenzie remembered the workshop
switching and voltage control of the generating arrangements on the two floors —

plant — The second floor was Mr Young's department

The switchboard was mounted on the wall in the where armature winding, manufacture and repair
[basement] engine room and ... to reach the of speaking tubes, telephones and __ bells,
switchboard when the plant was operating, the underground and overhead mains were dealt with.
attendant had to pass underneath the driving belt The third floor was the fitter's shop in which Mr
of one of the engines. A platform of wood Angus Gillies was Foreman. The outfit consisted
covered the belt at the botlom, the Engine Room of two lathes, one drilling machine, one forge —
being very small for belt driven sets. Just outside also one machine for mounting discs (stampings)
the door of the boiler house an electric [voltage] on armature shafts and balancing same. The
controller operated the governors of (he engines. If motor driving the machinery was 2 h.p., 110 V,
the voltage was allowed to become too low the series type and the speed was regulated by coils of
moving arm of the contact would stick causing the iron wire attached to insulators and mounted on
engines (0 race when the pressure of steam an iron frame on the wall above the motor. The
increased. One night the man on shift was motor was very efficient, the brushes in use being
concerned at the excessive speed. Mr Barton was copper gauze type, all fans, motors and generators
in his office at the lime and raced downstairs and being fitled with these in the Edison Lane period.
saved the situation. Instead of telephones, speaking tubes were used

28

Fic. 26. A Marshall Sons and Co. Ltd, England,
horizontal steam engine. A single cylinder
and a twin cylinder engine of this make and
type powered the Edison Lane basement
power plant.

for commumecation between the different
departments.
Initially a two wire 110 V_ system of

distribution mains would have been used. The
three wire system (Fig. 29) was certainly
adopted by 1895 and possibly earlier. It had
been developed by John Hopkinson, an english
electrical engineer, and was known as the
Edison system because it was widely adopted in
the USA. The voltage was 220’ between one pair
of conductors and 110 between each of these
and a third conductor which would have been
connected to earth at the generating station.
The lower voltage was used for lighting and
small motors and the higher voltage for larger
motors with resulting economy in distribution
costs.

Obviously one of the early objectives of the
new company was to restore the interest in
electricity shown by the public in 1882, The
Brisbane Municipal Council had been
considering the possibility of electric lighting for
some years but the first proposal by Barton,
White and Co. to light Queen St was made to
the Council in April 1888 or shortly before.
This was about the time that the Company
contracted to provide electric lighting for
Skinner’s skating rink at the Exhibition
building. Their offer was to light Queen St
between Creek and Edward Streets for a month
free of charge, as an exhibinon of the

24

capabilities of the light, On J! June, the
Finance Committee of the Council
recommended that it be left in the hands of the
Mayor to accept or reject the proposal. (83) It is
clear that the majority of the Council were
averse to increasing the expenditure on street
lighting and as the Brishane Courier of 23 June
1888 reported —

it would be unreasonable ro expect Messrs Barton
and White to go io the expense of erecting poles
and lamp fittings if there was no likelihood of the
Couneil eventually adopting the electric light
system. The present cost of lighting by gas is
about three shillings and six pence per week per
lamp including cost of material and erection. Bach
electric lamp would be equal to about seventy-five
ordinary gas jets ina cluster,

So the first attempt by Barton, White and Co to
lighting

provide greatly improved street in

Fic. 27. A Marshall Sons and Co. Ltd locomotive
type boiler. Two of these were installed in
the ground floor of Barton, White and
Co.'s power station in Edison Lane to
supply steam to the engines in the
basement. This type of boiler would have
been chosen for its narrow width and
simple flue. The boilers are assumed to
have been installed side by side and fired
from the area inside the doorway to Edison
Lane. The principal fuel was wood as the
use of coal, while cheaper, led to
complaints. about smoke nuisance,

Fic,

28. Barton, While and Co,’s third floor workshop in Edison Lane. This view shows the shafting, pulleys

and helts used to drive the workshop machinery from an electric motor. Drive to a particular device
was controlled by overhead fast and loose pulleys selected by moving the belting with long wooden

levers,

Brisbane ended in rejection in the
Opposition by the gas lighting industry which
had been firmly established for over 20 years.

By 1889 Barton, White and Co. were gaining
recognition for their activities as is shown by
the following (84) —

Lighting by electricity is extending rapidly in
Brisbane, The latest application of the system is al
the Royal Hotel, Queen St. The bars, passages and
ground floor rooms are now lighted by electricity
to the exclusion of gas and while the illuminating
power has greatly increased, the temperature has
been lowered (o an appreciable extent.

F.R. L’Estrange recalled 4 visitor attempting
to turn on the light by applying a lighted match
to the lamp base. A notice warning against this
was found in New Zealand (Fig. 30).

At this time the electric motor was still a
novelty and it was not taken for granted that

face of

uM)

the same mains could supply both light and
power, So we find in the Queenslander of 20
July 1889 —

During the last fortnight an interesting and
successful application has been made of the
electric motor for practical work by Messrs

Barton, White and Co. The erection [sic] of their
new premises necessitated the removal of their
electric light plant from their yard and with it the
steam éngine which drove their shop machinery.
The dynamo, which is now situated in a
neighbouring yard and is kept running all day to
supply electric light, furnishes current also by
Wires to an electric motor in Messrs Barton, White
and Co. workshops. The generating dynamo is a
Victoria [Gramme] ring machine running al 700
revolutions while the motor is by Elwell Parker
and runs al about 1000 revolutions. The matter
has aroused considerable interest and a number of
gentlemen, desirous of seeing an electric motor in
actual service, has visited the Works.

In August 1889 the opening of Central
Railway Station, Brisbane was reported with
special reference to the lighting arrangements.
(42) Roma St Station and vicinity were lit in
1884 and the following account (42) described
how the system was extended —

The plant is now used to run five arc lights in the
new railway station, and for this purpose cables
for the conveyance of the current had to be
continued through the new tunnel and under the
two bridges. The work has been successfully
carried out by Messrs Barton, White and Co. (Fig.
31) In the tunnel and under the bridges the cables
are carried on substantial brackets provided with
shackle insulators, with iron guards to prevent
accidents from breakage. For the remainder of the
distance the cables are carried on hardwood poles
8 in. square and 25 ft long. The cables are made
of seven strands of No. 16 gauge copper wire,
insulated first with a covering of cotton, then
prepared rubber, and finally covered with a stout
braiding of tarred yarn. The length added to the
electrical circuit is nearly a mile and the electrical
resistance is equal to one and a half ohms, or
about half that of an arc lamp. The lamps are all
of the usual ‘Brush’ type and uniform with the
original lamps in use at Roma Street station. The
total number of lamps in connection with both
stations is fourteen, so that the dynamo has to run
at an electrical pressure of 700 volts, instead of
500 volts as heretofore. In order to obtain this
increased pressure, the pulleys on the countershaft
have been altered so as to increase the speed of the
dynamo.

Fic. 29. Early forms of overhead line construction Barton had the dual role of adviser to the
sketched by Barton c.1895 or earlier. The Government and contractor. When repairs to
distribution system was initially 2 wire, 110
V.,d.c. but later was changed to 3 wire, 220
V. for economic reasons. The mains were
supported on the rooftops of buildings in
the small area of supply adjacent to the
power station. After the passing of the
Electric Light and Power Act in 1896, all
distribution mains were required to be
underground.

This Room Is Gqulpped With

Cdison Clectric Sight:

Wh? Do not attempt to light with? 4y
match. Simply turn key

SSA

a
we
=

In the same year the firm’s name was coupled
with a second installation of an electric plant —
at the premises of the Brisbane Newspaper Co.
Ltd. The plant was fitted with what was
described as the only automatic electric steam
controller at work in Australia.

on wall by the door.

The use of electricity for lighting is in no way harmful
to health, nor does it affect the soundness ol sleep

It is the invention and work of Barton, White and
Co. and is a piece of mechanism which by a
system of ratchets and pawls opens and shuts the
expansion gear ... according to the variations in Fic. 30. Notice to hotel guests about turning on the
load or pressure of steam, ... (85) electric lights.

the dynamo armatures were needed in 1896, he
carried out these as Manager of the Brisbane
Electric Supply Co. Ltd, the successor to Barton
and White. (86) By 1900 the Railways
Department arranged to take electricity supply
from the newly-built Brisbane Tramways Co.
Ltd power station in Countess St. (87)

BRISBANE AREA, 1890 TO 1895

THE BRISBANE GAS CO, AND ELECTRICITY
Suppty: Although the Brisbane Municipal
Council had taken up neither the offer by
Barton, White and Co. nor any other offer to
undertake street lighting of the city by electricity
in 1888, they called tenders in 1890 for lighting
parts of the city. However action was deferred
because they were advised that parliamentary

“ws

Fic, 31. A, Roma St Railway Station, Brisbane,
c.1890. Electricity generated in an ‘Electric
Light Machinery Shed’ located between the
Station and the Normanby Tunnel supplied
arc lighting in the area in 1884. In 1889 the
lighting was extended to Central Railway
Station, the overhead mains being erected
by Barton, White and Co. One of the
supporting structures is shown on the left of
the illustration. B, details of the pole-top
construction. The mains were insulated for
700 V.d.c. and were probably the first of
this type in Queensland.

authority was first required. (88) At the same
time the Bribane Gas Co. Ltd was seeking to
have the Brisbane Gas Co, Act under which
they operated amended so as to enable them to
provide electricity supply as well. A Select
Committee of the Legislative Assembly was set
up and evidence taken. (89) However the
Council objected to the amendment of the Act
because they wished eventually to obtain
municipal control of electricity supply, and
Barton, on behalf of his firm, also gave a series
of reasons why it should be refused. Extracts
from Barton’s evidence given in October 1890
are set out below —

I am a member of the firm of Barton, White and
Company. We have been engaged in the supply of
electric light for the last two years, Beginning with
a small plant of 100 lights, we have gradually
increased it to 600 lights, and are in a position to

supply street lights according to our tender to the
Municipal Council as soon as we can get the poles
erected. I believe it to be detrimental to the
interests of the electrical industry that rights such
as are included in this Bill should be given to any
company, especially a gas company. Although
nominally it creates no monopoly of light and
power, experience proves that it will do so, as no
city will tolerate competing lines of pipes, gas,
electric, and hydraulic, or competing lines of
poles. If the Gas Company acquires these rights,
the Municipal Council, although hostile to this
Bill, would be still more hostile to a Bill for
granting similar powers to another company, and
a firm like ours could not hope to obtain such
powers against the powerful Gas Company and
their unwilling allies, the Municipal Council.

This Bill, if enacted, would prove a great
hardship to our firm, destroying our business, just
as it is becoming remunerative. We have put our
time and money into this business and
demonstrated its advantages through two years of
unremunerative hard work, and that the fruits of
our labour should be handed over to the Gas
Company would be a great injustice to us. It
would also hinder the progress of electric lighting.
... It has been truly said that the Gas Company,
with its wealth and organisation, could supply the
city with electricity as well as any other parties;
but I contend that it will not be in their interests
to do so, and, as business men, they will not do
so. If a time limit is inserted in the Act it will still
not be in their interests to put down a plant until
the five or ten years are nearly run out, provided
that others can be deterred from doing so by
occasional calling for tenders and similar
inexpensive methods of showing activity. Thus the
city will have to wait for five or ten years for the
benefits of electric lighting. When the plant is put
down it will not be to the Company’s interest to
push the new light, and high price or inefficient
service would prevent the general adoption of the
light. This would cause the Company no anxiety,
as the gas consumption would be correspondingly
undiminished. An Electric Light Company, on the
contrary, would not delay a moment in obtaining
the largest plant they could afford, and would
push their wares, introducing motors, and all the
latest improvements. The competition would be
healthy, not cut-throat.

In continuing his evidence Barton admitted
that a lot of his case was conjecture but asserted
that the natural instinct of the Gas Company
would be to soft-pedal the electrical part of
their undertaking. He claimed that his company
had resources sufficient to supply electricity
within the city. They could within, say, four
years extend the area of supply to a 10 mile
radius. There was reference to the
undergrounding of mains as required in New

York and London. Barton commented that in
Brisbane the city and suburbs could be supplied
at a voltage of 100 or 200 but that it might be
necessary to go a little higher. He stated that
this voltage was not dangerous to human life
but the firm was willing to lay its wires
underground if required to do so.

The Select Committee summed up the
position with a strong recommendation in
favour of the Gas Company but the Bill was
rejected by the Legislative Assembly on_ its
second reading. (89)

In August 1890, Barton, White and Co.

suggested that the Municipality of South
Brisbane be lit by electric light and offered to
submit an estimate of the cost. (90) The South
Brisbane Council adopted a report on the offer
which had been prepared by their General
Purposes Committee and which had
recommended that tenders be called for two
alternative schemes, namely:
1. To supply the Council with plant to run 300,
400, 500 or 600 lamps of 16 candle power and
to guarantee the working thereof ‘for a period
of years.’ or 2. To light the Municipality with
electricity for a period of 5 to 7 years, the
tenderer to supply plant etc and lamps as above,
giving the annual cost per lamp.

Neither scheme was adopted at that stage but
in early 1893 a tender by Trackson Bros was
accepted. The contract lapsed a few months
later and the idea of lighting South Brisbane
was temporarily abandoned.

PUBLICITY FOR ELECTRICITY: Contemporary
press reports refer to Barton, White and Co.’s
success with the introduction of electric fans
and electric motors in manufacturing
establishments. A one h.p. motor located a
third of a mile from the generating station was
hailed as an achievement — ‘one of the first
applications of electricity for motive power used
industrially in Australia.’ (91) Earlier in the
year, the Electric Motive Power Agency
Association Ltd had requested Messrs Barton,
White and Co. to prepare a report on the
‘dangers of electricity’. This was mostly relevant
to the proposed 500 V. d.c. tramways system
then under consideration; the conclusion was
that a 600 V. circuit would be safe if it were put
up efficiently and provided with guard wires,
feeders, cut-outs etc. (92)

George Barton, Edward’s father, continued
to show great interest in his son’s affairs and to
express distrust of C.F. White. In a letter dated
5 April 1890, George offered to invest £500 in

Fic, 32. Sewing machine driyen by a small battery
operated electric motor. Barton, White and
Co. exhibied a similar device in 1891.

the firny and this was accepted in May. At the
sume time, T.R, White, brother of C.F, White,
Poinied our to George Barton that he and
others liad lent or guaranteed over £2000 and
that Barton senior’s investment, though
accepted, was not welcome. (93)

In August 1890, the Annual Show of the
National Agricultural and Industrial Association
of Queensland included an exhibit by Barton,
White and Co. The electrical apparatus included
a dynamo and, as an example of the application
of electricity to industrial uses, a small motor-
driven printing machine. (94)

During 1891, the firm continued ta extend
the electricity supply side of their business and
iL was reported (95) that ‘they now have power
for 600 lights’.

This was the development claimed by Barton
in his evidence regarding the Brisbane Gas
Company Amendment Bill. The above report
stated that the firm had manufactured for the
Queensland Turf Club an electrical signalling
apparatus for recording at the Gagle Farm
racecourse. —

The power is obtained trom LeClanché cells and
carried into two coils with a check armalure. On
the button being pressed, the armature is drawn to
the magnets. and releases a ratcher wheel which
turning strikes a large gong and on the placard
shows the race starting, the dividend from the
lotalisators and winners as the case may be. The
ingenuity and workmanship reflect great credit on
the firm.

“ little over three years after the disastrous
fire at the Exhibition Building in Brisbane,
Barton, White and Co. were entrusted with the
lighting of the main building and concert hall
sections of the premises. This required 10 arc
lamps equal to 30,000 ep. and some 200
incandescent lamps. The are lighting was
provided from a Crompton dynamo (500 V., 15
A.) and the incandescent lighting from a more
powerful dynamo of the same make (110 V., 90
A.). The following description (96) of the
display which was arranged after completion of
the lighting gives some idea of the versatility of
the firm as well as the progress made in their
early efforts to popularise the use of electricity.

.. They have a smal! dynamo used for driving
motors it various parts of che buildinw and they
show a molor developing 22 h.p. ,.. In the main
ball they have an extensive show of electric
uppliances including beils, fire alarms, telephones
.. Other examples of (he application of electricity
fo motive power are illustrated by: an automatic
electric mining hoist working in connection with a
salety cave, a lathe driven by an electric motor, an
electric weighing machine Which delivers a printed
slip om placing a coin in a slot and many other
useful machines such as sewing machines (Fig. 32),
printing presses etc. A great attraction was
Edison's latest phonograph (Fig. 33) ... by means
of this instrument visitors were enabled to hear
teproductions of the voices of eminent statesmen
and musicians ...

44

Fra. 33,

Bdison with his phonograph in 1888 A
similar phonograph was imported by Barton
in 891, When displayed at the Brisbane
Exhibition, it was fitted with 12 pairs of
earphones 50 as to erable 12 listeners to be
enlefrained at once.

Bae

47K has :
tee; Eb Ess hg

403. TELEPHONE.

axon oad
LECTRIC-
TELE

-Li

EPHOMES

A

BARTON & WHITE.

ELEGTRIG LIGHT, f
Electric Bells,

TELEPHONES.

ear Ww lee Trice

Edison-lans, off Creek-sirest, Brisbane.

(Enwance reit Tost Office. Br\pbane}

B

Vurther details of the phonograph are given in
an account by A.G. Jackson, (97) at that time
un employee of Barton, White and Co., the
firm having brought the first Edison machine to
Brisbane. —

{r was run by electricity supplicd by batteries and

cost something like £200. In one week's
demonsiration during Exhibidon Week, 1891,

Burton, White and Co, got their money back —
and something to spare. They fitted a dozen
‘earphones’ [each] resembling a doctor's
stethoscope [with] two metallic terminals fitting
right into the ears of the customer. When business
was brisk the customers heard only half a record
before being busiled out of the way Co make room
for other patrons — and at !/- 4 time,

ELEGTRIG MOTORS,

Lightning Condnetors,
ELECTRICAL SUPPLIES.

ha Write tor Brice,

34. A, letterhead
of the newly-named
firm of Barton and
White, probably drawn
by Barton, B, adver-
lisement for Barton
and White, 1892.

ric,

The playing time of a record was 23 minutes,
Jackson also mentioned (97) a tour of the State
with the phonograph —
the tid-bit of the evening [was] the recording on #
wax cylinder of the speech of the presiding Mayor
or other dignitary. It was then immediately played

back to him to the obvious delight of the
audience.
Barton himself was very interested in the

equipment and gave a paper and demonstration
to the Queensland Institute of Mechanical
Engineers at this time. (98)

In July 1891 there came the first sign of
intended regulation of the electricity supply
industry in Queensland when the Post and

Sx

bia

Fic. 35. Proposal by Barton for the lighting of the
dining room in the Parliamentary buildings,
1892. Gas fittings, as on the left, were to be
retained and the electric light fittings were
to be arranged separately. The earlier
installations in these buildings were carried
out by attaching the electric lights to the gas
fittings.

Telegraph Bill was passed. This gave the
Government power to establish safeguards in
connection with electric lighting and the
transmission of electric power. (99) In the
following year a Bill ‘to prevent Electric Lines
being constructed or used in such manner as to
injuriously affect Telegraph Lines’ was drafted
but by 1895 it had still not been introduced to
Parliament. It is safe to assume that the current
practices remained more or less unchanged until
the implementation of the Electric Light and
Power Act of 1896, of which more shortly.

In 1892, presumably for commercial reasons,
the name of the firm was changed from Barton,
White and Co. to Barton and White without
any evident alteration in activities. (Fig. 34)
They continued to develop the distribution
system in the central part of Brisbane and in
November of that year it was reported that the
firm had ‘some eighty consumers on their list.’
(100) This development was still without

authority other than permission by the Mayor
to make minor extensions from time to time.
(89)

Not surprisingly many members of the
Brisbane Municipal Council were against this
piecemeal growth of the supply system and felt
that electricity should be the responsibility of
the Municipality. This was particularly the case
because they considered that they had prevented
a monopoly for electricity supply being given to
the Brisbane Gas Co. Ltd by their opposition to
the Amendment Bill in 1890. In their opinion an
Electric Light and Power Act should be
introduced by the Government, the intention
being to control the supply of electricity by
means of Orders in Council with the possibility
that the Brisbane Council itself might wish to
obtain such an Order. The Chief Secretary (Sir
Samuel Griffith) promised that he would
endeavour to find time to prepare a Bill
embodying the necessary regulations which he
would submit to Parliament. Apparently Sir
Samuel did not find time, for no Bill was
forthcoming. In 1893, the Mayor summed up
the position (88) in these words —

And thus we stand, the Chief Municipal Council
in the Colony, unable to move forward one step in
this direction until it pleases the powers that be to
graciously accord us permission, while private
firms wire the principal streets from end to end
and supply electric light and power without let or
hindrance.

So Barton and White continued to provide
unauthorised electricity supply for Brisbane for
the next few years.

In 1892, Barton, White and Co. undertook
the underground cabling and inside wiring for
the new wing of the Parliamentary buildings,
the lighting fittings being manufactured by
Trackson Bros, Brisbane. Fortunately a
description of the trial of the new work was
given in a contemporary newspaper. (62) —

The dining, smoking and Ministers’ rooms were lit
up, but the light in some of the rooms was not
quite up to expectation, as the lamps were of the
old pattern 16-candle power, which it is intended
to replace with 32-candle power now on the way
out from home. The lights in the dining and
smoking rooms were very brilliant, as were also
those in the Assembly Chamber. The trial was
considered satisfactory, as the only defect
noticeable was in the lamps. The current is
supplied by two 400-light dynamos of the Edison
pattern, which are placed in the electric room of
the Government Printing Office. These are run at
1000 revolutions per minute, and require about 60-

horse power to supply the 400 lights at the
Parliament House. ... The current is distributed by
cables placed in the roof of the new wing, which
are connected With similar cables in the main
building, Suitable fuse boards with safety ‘cutouts’
are connected with the cables. All the wires in the
building, afier branching from the cables, run
under the Moors of the passages, and distribute
thence 10 the chandeliers, Each room is provided
with a switch attached to the wall, and close to the
door, so that @ person entering the room can at
once turn on the light as he enters. The dining
room is lit by twelve double brackets, and four
pendants. The brackets have swilches to each light,
and the whole of the pendants are controlled by
one switch. [In all there are 130 lights in the new
wing of the House. ...(Fig.35)

Other work carried out in the same year was the
lighting of the new works of the Queensland
Meat Export and Engineering Co, in Brisbane.
The Crompton dynamos were supplied by
Barton and White and the switchboards
manufactured in their workshops. (101)

More INTEREST BUT SERIOUS FINANCIAL
PROBLEMS: Finance had become an increasing
problem for the firm and there were many
exchanges of letters between those giving
financial support in Brisbane and Barton’s
father — now Judge Barton — in New Zealand,
In June 1892 T,E. White wrote to Judge Barton
indicating that still more money had been lent
to Barton and White but added that ‘they were
doing well just now.’ However it seems clear
that the Judge wanted repayment of the £500
lent in 1890. In mid-October C.F, White
protested about this pointing out thal to repay
the loan meant increasing the firm’s
indebtedness to T.E. White. The letter
mentioned an electric shearing machine which
had proved a failure commercially. (102) This
had been patented by T.E. White and the
partners in 1891. (103) C.F. While summed up
the position by saying that Barton and White
owed currently £4700 made up of £500 to their
bank, £500 to Judge Barton and £3700 to
Alfred Shaw and Co. All of these sums were
guaranteed by T.E. White ‘so of our liabilities
he is responsible for roughly £5000."

In August 1892 Barton and White again
exhibited at the annual show of the National
Agricultural and Industrial Association of
Queensland and a report (104) stated that —

has the display of
.. been so large and so yaried

on no previous occasion
electrical appliances .
as it has this. year-

Referring to Barton and White the report

37

Fic. 36. Medal awarded to Barton and White by the
National <Agricullural and Industrial
Association in August 1892. The exhibit
was a water level indicator for a pumping
station.

noted the number of locally made articles as the
most striking feature —

including a dozen electric motors and fans for
cooling rooms in summer.

Further items were listed as follows —

a Water Ievel indicator for showing (in the engine
room of pumping works) the waler leyel of a
reservoir at @ distance; a prismatic compass
indicator for taking bearings of stars and
lighthouses al sea; an electrical pressure gauge,

Fic, 37. Electric butter making plant at the Pine River Dairy Factory, Brisbane in 1894. This comprised a
concussion churn on the left and a circular power butter worker, in the centre. The plant was stated
to be the first in Australia and was installed by Barton and White.

called a voltmeter, for indicating the electrical
pressure on the mains for electric lighting. In the
grounds the firm had erected a complete plant for
electric lighting having a capacity of 300 lights and
consisting of a steam-engine, boiler, two dynamos
and the necessary belting to connect them. The
current from these dynamos was utilised in the
building for running the ten motors and for
lighting a number of other exhibitors’ stands ...
adding materially to the brilliant effect. The firm
also illuminated their own stall with electric lamps
among which we noticed several large incandescent
lamps of 200 candle power. The [Edison]
phonograph formed an important feature of this
firm’s exhibit and was the centre of much interest,
the latest songs and instrumental music proving
very interesting. The firm exhibited the usual
assortment of electrical goods in the way of bells,
batteries, wires etc and, of their own manufacture,
they had a large handsome [room] indicator which
they had made for the Leichardt Hotel at
Rockhampton. A watchman’s tell-tale clock was
shown made for recording the progress of a
watchman on his rounds during the night, there
being electric punches at various points on his
track which he has to punch, sending thereby a
current to the clock where it registers by a mark
on a paper dial divided into hours by radial lines.
Some medical batteries of an improved type were
also shown. In electric lighting the firm had a
display of ornamental shades and fittings ...

When the awards were announced, Barton
and White received a first order of merit and

were recommended for a medal for their water
level indicator for use at the Mt Crosby
pumping station; also a first order of merit for
their exhibit of an Edison phonograph and
electric motors. (Fig. 36)

THE 1893 FLoops — A YEAR OF CHANGE: The
financial difficulties were greatly exacerbated by
the two disastrous floods that occurred in
Brisbane in February 1893. The effect on
Barton and White was catastrophic because the
flood water rose just above ground floor level
of the Edison Lane building. Hence the engine
room in the basement was flooded. The only
relief was that, as the gas works were also out
of action — and remained so for five days, the
Colonial Secretary allowed the firm to take
supply temporarily from the Government
Printing Office plant in William St which was
above flood level. (105) When the second flood
occurred in the same month, Barton and White
set up a portable engine and dynamo at a site
above flood level at the top of Edward St and
continued to give supply until the plant at
Edison Lane could be repaired. W.M.E.
L’Estrange remarked (55) in 1934 that ‘the
demand for electricity became definite from this
time.’

In fact in March the firm reported that
‘electrical business seems to promise

DECEMBER 1894

JULY 1893

400
300
200
100 7
0
8 12 MD, 4 8 12 MN
AM. P.M.

Fic. 38. Daily load distribution diagrams showing the
variation in electrical loading of the Barton
and White, Edison Lane power station for a
winter day in 1893 and a summer day in
1894. The plant operated from 8 a.m. to 12
midnight but could not be used
economically for lack of demand during
daylight hours. Assuming a service voltage
of 110, the peak loads were 39 kW and 51
kW respectively.

improvement’ although the only new work
mentioned was the fitting of the dredge ‘Hydra’
with electric light to enable it to work by night
as well as by day. (105)

An interesting sidelight on the operation of
the power station at Edison Lane was recorded
in 1938 by A.B. Corbett who had _ been
employed for a few months assisting with the
repair of flood damaged equipment —

... The G.P.O. Mail Branch was the first customer
of Barton and White whose power station now is
portion of G.P.O. property. It was a primitive
affair judged by today’s standards. The horizontal
boiler was fired with logs of wood and I can
remember assisting ‘Bill’ Young when he as
fireman had a green log in the fuel box, the fire
was going out, steam dropped to 20 lbs, and Bill
could not get the log out. The Mail Room
employees by knocking on the wall drew attention
to the fact that the lamps were practically out and
what steam there was was probably maintained by
the remarks of Bill Young and myself on the
ancestors of the contractor who supplied green

39

logs for fuel. I remember the fuel contractor’s
name was Burns. (1,97)

Street lighting by electricity was still under
active discussion and in the midst of the flood
problems Barton and White submitted a tender
to the South Brisbane Municipal Council. This
was for 50 lamps between Victoria Bridge and
The Fiveways at Wooloongabba. The rate per
lamp was to be £6 p.a. for a term of three
months reducing to £5 for 24 months. After
exchanges about variations to the proposal, the
tender was rejected and a contract with
Trackson Bros approved. However work started
without the contract being signed and after
several lamps had been erected Trackson Bros
sought an extension to the time specified and
this seems to have been an excuse for not
proceeding further with electric street lighting.
(105,106)

C.F. White remained a partner until 1893
but what little is recorded about him suggests
that he did not take a fair share of
responsibility. This can also be inferred from
the following extract from a letter written on 22
November 1897 by Barton to W.M.E.
L’Estrange —

I shall give you a history ... from the time that I
got rid of White i.e. from June 1893. As you
know, up till then I had charge of the work and
White managed the finances with the result that
after 6 years of work the firm owned a plant that
cost £4000 and owed about £8000 of which the
greater part was bearing interest at the rate of 9
per cent per annum. (107)

In July 1893, Barton acquired from A.G.,
Jackson — an ex-employee — the right to
manufacture Coin Fed Automatic Galvanic
Machines. These were penny in the slot electric
shock machines which were set up in various
hotels. According to G.G. L’Estrange —

these were very remunerative until they were
declared a public hazard and forfeited to the
Crown. The loss of these machines led to Barton
and White’s first failure to meet their creditors.

(71)

In spite of the additional financial difficulties
caused by the floods, Barton married in 1893 at
the age of 34. At a ceremony held on 13
September at the Registry Office, Brisbane he
married Mary Allan Sutton, second daughter of
Joseph William Sutton, coppersmith, and Mary
Sutton (nee Hurley). Sutton was head of a large
mechanical engineering firm (Sutton’s Foundry)
and had a wide variety of activities. Barton had

a close link with him through their common
interest in the Technical College which was part
of the School of Arts at that time (see later).

It is interesting to note that from July 1893
— the post-White period — Barton and White’s
weekly advertisement in the Queenslander
changed from one advertising electrical services
to an announcement that they were now sole
agents for Smith Premier typewriters, at £22
each. (108) In December of the same year the
firm changed its advertising to a more subtle
form. A short paragraph — a hundred or so
words — in the news section of the paper
described a particular service offered to the
public, e.g. electric lighting of sugar mills which
allowed them to run night and day during the
season. In this case the advertisment read as
follows —

The electric light was adopted some twelve years
ago in Queensland by some enterprising planters
for lighting their sugar mills but defects in the
apparatus and want of experience caused the new
light to fall into disfavour. Since that time great
progress has been made in the design of the
dynamo and in the manufacture of lamps, holders,
cutouts, switches etc, while the lapse of patents
has reduced the price of all that apparatus by half.
Hence the electric light has now come into favour
again, especially among sugar mill owners. In the
Isis Scrub the credit belongs to Messrs Robert
Cran and Co. of being the first to introduce the
new light, and they appear well pleased with the
results at their Doolbi mill. Messrs Barton and
White of this city, who supplied and erected the
plant, have received a letter from them expressing
their satisfaction in no measured terms. (Advt)
(109)

The subject of this type of advertisement was
changed weekly to cover six topics, the other
five being: Lightning Rods, The Electric Fan,
The Telephone for Stations, Fire Alarms,
Electricity Supply for Towns. The series
continued for about a year after which the firm
appears to have ceased advertising in the
Queenslander.

1894 — THE NEED TO EXPAND: An interesting
record of the enterprise of Barton and White
appeared in the Queenslander of 3 February
1894. This was the use of an electric motor to
drive butter-making machinery (Fig. 37)
described as ‘the first electric butter-making
plant in Australia.’ The Pine River Dairy
Factory was in Edward St, Brisbane and the
cream was sent by rail from the Pine River
district. The article explained that it is

40

impossible to use mechanical power except in
factories of very large dimensions. In small
factories ‘the heat given off by both steam and
gas engines would militate considerably against
successful working, and everyone ... is aware
that it is inadvisable to allow the fumes of burnt
gas or heated oil to enter the building ...’ There
are a few other records of the activities of
Barton and White for 1894. In May they
reported that the full power of their plant was
required to supply the increasing demands of
the city for electric light. (110)

During 1894, and possibly earlier, Barton
considered diversifying his firm’s activities by
providing cold storage in the vicinity of the
Roma St Markets. This plan was to include
moving the Edison Lane generating plant to the
same site. There is a reference to the cold
storage proposal in July when it was reported
that the firm was establishing this near the
railway gates for the convenience of farmers
and other dealers in perishable products. (111)
This report was premature as Barton was still
negotiating with the Brisbane Municipal Council
regarding renovation of a building for the
proposed development. (112) The negotiations
evidently failed although in August 1895 Barton
was still calculating the economics of a 2000
light station and a refrigeration and ice-making
plant. (68) The announcement in the same
month that Mephan, Ferguson of Victoria had
had their tender for cold storage at Roma St
accepted by the Railways Department concluded
the matter, (113)

In August 1894, at the Queensland National
Association Annual Show, Barton and White
exhibited an electric hot water heater, a 2000
c.p. arc searchlight, a combination ventilating
fan with motor and an igniting system for firing
explosive mines. (114)

Behind these plans and the display of power
consuming devices was the continuing concern
that the generating plant and distribution mains
were not being used efficiently. It is a basic
problem in providing electricity supply that the
demand is not spread evenly over the period
during which supply is available — at this time
in Brisbane, from 8 am to 12 midnight. This

uneven demand is shown in the _ load
distribution diagrams (Fig. 38) which were
typical of a winter’s day in 1893 and a

summer’s day in 1894, (68) The peak loading
occurred in the evenings when domestic lighting
would have been a main factor. One objective
of the firm would have been to increase the use
of electric motors in industry and thus help to

use the surplus generating capacity available
during daylight. In technical terms this would
mean increasing the ‘load factor’, the ratio of
the average load to the peak load over a period;
but of course the cost of electrical energy was
the major obstacle to rapid development.

A record of the charges for lighting in
Australia was given by Anderson in a survey of
the Eastern States in 1893 —

The price charged in Victoria for an incandescent
light varies from 6d. in some of the country towns
to 1/6 per week in Melbourne. In Sydney the price
is 1/- per week, and in Brisbane, where there is no
competition, the price is 1/9 per week. You can
reckon that the average price (except [in] Brisbane)
is 1/- per week or 4/- per month. (115)

The lamp size in Anderson’s survey is not
known but was probably 16 c.p. It should be
noted that later the charge in Brisbane was
reduced to 4/- per month for a 16 c.p. lamp.

A YEAR OF UNCERTAINTY: There was still no
action by the Government towards legalising
electricity supply although the _ Brisbane
Municipal Council continued its efforts to have
legislation provided so that it could engage in
the electricity supply business in ‘a substantial
and satisfactory manner.’ (88) In spite of this
situation the year 1895 proved to be one of
considerable development by Barton and White
although as will be seen shortly it concluded
with a decision to offer to sell the plant to the
Council. There were evidently more consumers
than in previous years since in February it was
reported that the firm —

have recently extended their cables to supply
electric light at a greater distance than hitherto.
The farthest lights they supply are half a mile
away from their premises and are worked on a
three-wire system. (116)

In March, Mr G.D. Hamilton, whose
previous connection with developments in
Queensland were mentioned earlier, gave a
newspaper interview and subsequently was
asked to comment on progress since 1882 in
which year he was in charge of the December
electrical illuminations. From his inspections he
estimated the number of premises lit by
electricity as eighty-six excluding Government
buildings. The Courier building had 300 lights
supplied by their own plant and there were
about 700 elsewhere supplied presumably by
Barton and White. Hamilton advocated electric
arc lamp lighting of the main streets with the
lamps 150 yards apart and about 22 ft high. As

4]

a comparison he stated that an ordinary street
gas lamp is 12 c.p., an arc lamp, 1500 c.p. He
favoured incandescent lamps in smaller streets.
Questioned about fire risk from electricity
installations he considered this almost nil.
However, he hoped to see electricians licensed
so as to prevent incompetent men trading on the
public. He considered that the most serious
obstacle to greater use of electricity in
Queensland was the duty charged on patent
goods and articles which could not be made in
the colony for some years to come. The current
rate was about 25 per cent. (117)

One of the obvious successes of Barton and
White was the manufacture and sale of cooling
fans. They had already sold 30 or 40 and were
making 40 more in preparation for next
summer. A contemporary description said that

they have been known to run for 6000 hours
without attention beyond oiling once a week. They
are shaped like a ship’s propellor and revolve at
2000 revolutions per minute producing a steady
breeze. (118)

The firm undertook armature winding of
dynamos and motors and it was noted in
August 1895 that they were just finishing the
winding of three armatures for the British India
and Queensland Agency Co. This involved
laying down ‘a special plant in the way of wire-
covering machines to utilise the wire removed
from the machines.’ (119) Barton and White
again exhibited at the National Association
Annual Exhibition showing a dynamo of 150
lights capacity — presumably of their own
manufacture — for use in a mine. In November
1895 it was reported that they had just finished
a magnetic separator for wet separation of ores
for a gold mine ‘in the north’. Separation of
magnetic material from ore bodies was at that
time usually carried out in the dry state after
concentration. The wet process enabled the
magnetic material to be removed as it came
from the mills or stampers. The separator was
evidently a success as a second one was ordered
by the same customer the next month. (120)

Concurrently with these activities there had
been a great deal of correspondence between
Judge Barton and Edward about the financial
problems of the Company. (121) The Judge
made many proposals intended to deal with the
difficulties, often shown in balance sheet form.
One of the more remarkable was that he and his
son should become partners, the Judge having
offered to sacrifice almost all his assets to meet

MAT oe BRISBAIE

Fbnwing the poriliaa al lnerhead Wires and! Pebley
ai Vie Hansbene Eorctar Sappty [i Seed wgh.

STREET

STAEET

QENAGE

EDWARD

BCLZABETH

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CHARLOTTE Po ft

39. Brisbane Electric Supply Co. Ltd distribution system showing the position of the eight miles of

overhead lines in 1896. The system vollage was 220/110 volt, 3-wire, d.c. The lines, were insulated and

described as ‘attached to and crossing buildings.’

The Edison Lane power station, with a stated

generaling capacity of 60 kW, is identified by a circle,

part of the firm’s. indebtedness to creditors.
This situation assumed insolvency and a
probable payment of 10 shillings in the pound.
An alternative with much the same result was to
have a company formed with the two mentioned
above and five Barton relatives, The Judge and
Edward were suggested as perpetual Directors
and Managers. In spite of the apparent
generosity of these proposals, neither was
accepted by Edward.

In late 1895, the firm offered to sell their
electric lighting plant to the Brisbane Municipal
Council for £4000. (122) The supporting
argument was that they had built up a business
worth £3000 p.a. in the face of many difficulties
and now had 92 consumers. The return could be
‘greatly augmented by increasing the generating
energy.’ It was also pointed out that the
Council was paying the Brisbane Gas Co. £3000
p.a. for street lighting. The City Engineer was
instructed to prepare a report with relative costs
of lighting the city with gas and electricity. In
the event the Council decided to do nothing
pending the long-promised Government
legislation defining their powers in this matter.
(88)

BRISBANE AREA, 1896 ro 1905

BARTON AND WHITE BECOMES THE BRISBANE
Evecrric Suppty Co. Lrp — THE ELectric
LIGHT AND Power Act: The events of 1896
changed the future of electricity supply in
Brisbane in two ways. Firstly, it had become
clear in 1895 that Barton and While were in a
hopeless position financially and that insolvency
Was imminent, The solution was the formation
of a new company. Secondly, under the
provisions of the Queensland Electric Light and
Power Act, passed in December 1896, electricity
could be provided legally.

A meeting of creditors of Barton and White
held on 3 January 1896 to discuss the crisis
agreed to liquidation by arrangement. (123) The
unsecured liabilities were quoted as £7666 —
largely owing to banks — and the assets as
£3783 — mainly the Edison Lane power plant
and stocks. The reason for insolvency was said
to be insufficient capital and depression of
business. Lt was stated that the electricity supply
part of the business ‘could just hold its own’
but the appliance side involved a weekly loss;
this in spite of the firm’s versatility, (124)

Mr G.S. Murphy, an accountant, was
appointed as the Trustee for the estate of
Edward Barton and Frank White and on 10
February the Supreme Court of Queensland
issued a Certificate of Discharge. Barton then
purchased the business for £1500 although
immediate payment of this was not required. He
was given full control as manager during the
ensuing six months and electricity supply was
continued without interruption. In fact, as
Barton explained ‘the plant earned over 6 per
cent of its capital outlay’ for this period. He
sought to raise capital in Brisbane and Sydney
without success but finally ‘a few intimates who
knew and had confidence in the concern’
purchased it for £400 cash and about £1100 in
promissory notes. These supporters were mainly
members of the original firm and, as further
evidence of loyalty, two contributors were wives
(Mrs Young and Mrs Ward). (125) The
promissory notes were to be met over the
ensuing 18 months, as indeed they were. (107)

Thus the Brisbane Electric Supply Co. Ltd
was registered on 2 September 1896. The
Directors were: Messrs E.J. Holmes, E.G.C.
Barton, W.J. Young and A. Ward, all but Mr
Holmes (an accountant) having transferred from
Barton and White. The initial capital was £5000
although in March 1897 this was increased to
£100,000 by the creation of 95,000 new shares.
(126) It had been decided in June 1896 that the
name Barton and White would be retained for
the manufacturing and repair work carried out
by the firm and this was to be the responsibility
of W.M.E, L’Estrange. He was required to pay
£1 per week for the use of the upper floors at
Edison Lane and £1 as a single payment for the
use of the name. At the same time Barton
raised a long-standing objection to the rental of
the property, leased in 1889, and succeeded in
having it reduced from £4 6s 6d to £2 15s. At
last Barton was paid a reasonable salary — £350
p.a. — in contrast with the situation a few years
before when, as he commented to T.E. White,
(127) for five years he had lived on £150 p.a.
(from the Queensland Government) and an
average income of 15 shillings per week from
the firm.

There was still the matter of settlement of
accounts with creditors at the time of
insolvency. By 1898 four distributions totalling
just under 4 shillings in the pound were
concluded.

The Queensland Government decided early in
1896 to invite applications for the position of
Queensland Government Electrical Engineer as

there had been no replacement for Barton since
his part-time appointment was terminated in
1894, John Hesketh, whose previous experience
had been as electrical engineer to the Borough
of Blackpool, England was selected from 75
applicants and appointed in May 1896. His
responsibilities were to advise the Government
on all matters connected with the telegraph and
telephone systems as well as to deal with
questions of electric lighting whether undertaken
by the Government, Municipality or private
parties. His salary was £600 p.a., over twice
that offered to Barton ten years earlier. (128)
He also had the right of private practice, as
approved. Soon after commencing duty in July
he would have found that legislation regulating
electricity supply was urgent and it is very likely
that he sought Barton’s advice in the discussions
that followed.

There had been a great deal of controversy
in Great Britain following the passing of the
Electric Light Act in 1882, a measure brought in
by the Government to regulate the previously
uncontrolled growth of electricity supply.
Hesketh no doubt took full account of the
British problems of the past fifteen or so years
and of the Amending Act of 1888 in advising
the Queensland Government both in_ the
drafting stage and in regard to the amendments
proposed before the Queensland Act became
law. After a series of alterations recommended
by a Select Committee of the Legislative
Council, the Electric Light and Power Act was
passed in December 1896. The Postmaster-
General in bringing down the legislation stated
that —

under this measure the public interest will be fairly

well protected and the people who invest their

capital in electric lighting will have more assurance
that their works will be protected on safe and

sound lines, (129)

The Act provided that any local authority,
person or company might by Order in Council
be authorised to supply electricity in a specified
area. It set out their powers, duties and
obligations, provided for the protection of other
public utility equipment e.g. telegraph lines,
dealt with conditions for the supply of
electricity, the recovery of charges, the purchase
of undertakings by local authorities and made
provision for regulations and by-laws governing
electricity supply. Each Order under the
legislation had to prescribe the limits within
which, and the conditions under which, a
supply of electricity was to be compulsory or
permissive. The Act also allowed local

Fic. 40. Cartoon in ‘The Worker’ newspaper of 9
January 1897. It illustrates the hostility of
some members of the Brisbane Municipal
Council to the overhead lines erected in
Brisbane by the Brisbane Electric Supply
Co. Ltd. The Electric Light and Power Act
of 1896 required future mains to be
underground, The comments read: Mr
Clarke — ‘If I were in the Municipal Chair
the post would come down within six
hours.’ ‘The City Council was rapidly
losing its powers and bye and bye this
company would get its octopus claws on so
much that the Council would simply be a
collector of rents and a levier of taxes’
(Courier)

authorities the right to acquire an undertaking
in its area by compulsory purchase within six
months after the expiration of 42 years or such
shorter period as might be prescribed by the
relevant Order, or at the expiration of every
subsequent ten year period.

THE FIRST ORDER IN COUNCIL: The first Order
in Council was issued to the Brisbane Electric
Supply Co. Ltd, effective from 12 May 1897
and the area over which they had a monopoly
of supply was a small part of North Brisbane
adjacent to the Post Office, an area much less
than a tenth of a square mile. The Order
extended for a minimum of 42 years and under
it the Company incurred heavy responsibilities

for laying down plant and mains including the
requirement to replace overhead mains by
underground cables within a year. The
undergrounding of mains was a legacy from
English legislation. A further requirement of the
Order was to observe a maximum energy
charge. This was set at 10 shillings for the first
ten units (kWhs) and then one shilling per unit.

Prior to the issue of the Order, Hesketh had
sought information from the Company
regarding their plant, present and proposed, and
area of supply. The following is from Barton’s
reply (130) showing the Company’s position on
1 September 1896 —

Steam Plant; 3 Boilers, indicated
capacity 120 horse power.

Electrical Plant; 4 Dynamos, total capacity 60 kW.
Distributing Plant; 8 miles of overhead conductor,

distributing capacity 300 kW.

3 Engines,

Barton also included a diagram (Fig. 39)
showing the extent of the distribution system at
the same date. Further a list of ‘Works
Commenced’ was given which suggested an
increase in capacity of the electrical plant of
more than four times was envisaged. In the
event, it proved to be a long term forecast since
it was six years before it was achieved, at a new
site. Details of the plant have been difficult to
discover but a letter by Barton dated 6 August
1896, (81) gave the details of each item thus —

Dynamos; 1-Crompton, 11L0V., 250A.;
1-Crompton, !i5 V., 100 A. 1-Brush ‘Victoria’,
110 V., 100 A.; 1-locally made, 110 V., 70 A.
Boilers, locomotive type: 1-Marshall; 1-Dubo;
1-Shanks

Engines; 1-Marshall, twin cylinder; 1-Marshall,
single cylinder; 1-Shanks, twin cylinder.

A recently found inventory of the Edison
Lane equipment includes two horizontal steam
engines of 8 and 14 nominal h.p. respectively.

UNDERGROUND CABLES TO REPLACE OVERHEAD
Wires: Cables for the undergrounding of the
distribution system were ordered by the
Company and in November 1897. were
‘underway from England’. Barton recorded that
in the small 27ea granted to the firm —

they will cost less than £2000 to supply a total
connected load of 125 kW (equivalent to 5000
lamps of 8 c.p. [sic]) whereas in a suburban area
the cost would have been about £7000. (107)

The type of cable which had become available
at this time was lead-sheathed, three core, paper
insulated and laid as a complete entity, the
earlier Edison ‘street tubes’, laid in short

A

|

0 finches

Fic. 41. Examples of electrical devices designed by
Barton and manufactured by his firm. A, a
fractional horse power motor and B, a
small fan. (Queensland Museum Collection)

lengths, now being obsolete. An account by G.
Mackenzie, a Company apprentice at the time,
stated that the first of the new underground
cables were installed under the pavements along
George St and Queen St. They were laid in
hardwood troughs and covered with bitumen.
Service to consumers was given by lead sheathed
connecting cables soldered to the mains, the
lead sheaths being bonded together. An ironclad
fuse box was fitted at the other end of the
service cables. (80)

Apart from complying with the provisions of
the Act, the undergrounding met one of the
objections of the Brisbane Council who earlier
had, according to W.M.E. L’Estrange ‘very
nearly harassed the new company out of
existence.’ He recalled that —

in 1895 the Council advertised that the Company’s
[overhead] cables were illegal, and the financial
position of the Company was made almost
impossible because of this. The following year the
Council threatened to cut down one section of the
cables, and the Company was therefore forced to
remove it. (55)

G.G. L’Estrange,
L’Estrange, stated that —

son of W.M.E.

as an indication of the feeling at the time, the
Worker newspaper of 9 January 1897 published a
cartoon depicting an octopus, with electric light
bulbs as eyes, to represent the Brisbane Electric
Supply Company climbing an electric light pole
with the local town councillors, including the
Mayor, in attendance with axes, prepared to
destroy the octopus (Fig. 40). This led to the
Company being branded ‘The Octopus’, a name
which unjustifiably remained until quite recent
times. (71)

The antipathy should have ceased when the
Order in Council was granted to the Company
since there was a requirement that overhead
wires be removed by May 1898. Because of
delays in installing the new underground cables,
the Company sought an extension of time to 1
January 1899 and this was granted by the
Government. However further problems arose
and an extension to 31 July was requested.
Finally 14 April was agreed to by both parties.

INSTALLATION AND MAINTENANCE WORK ON A
TIGHT BUDGET: The Company continued with
installation and maintenance work, general
contracting and the manufacture of all kinds of
electrical apparatus. Nearly all the installations
were wired with ‘V.I.R.’ (vulcanised india
rubber covered copper wire) enclosed in wooden
casing or supported on insulators; others used
twin lead covered ‘Henley’ wire. According to
Mackenzie —

the Company could never have existed on current
sold to the consumer, the main source of revenue
coming from installations in the country
meatworks, Government work, sugar mills ...

He mentioned that the firm had practically
the monopoly of repairs to ships’ installations
for which the generators, switchboards and
appliances were made in the Company’s
workshop. Mackenzie’s remarks must have

—

Fic. 42. A, type of apparatus used by J.W. Sutton of Brisbane to give the first demonstration of X-rays in
1896. The basic items were a primary-battery operated induction coil and a Crookes vacuum tube. B,
X-ray of a hand taken by Mr Sutton in 1896. The radiograph was recorded on a photographic plate
placed under the hand. Exposure was for 9 minutes.

applied to the period prior to insolvency since at
the time of the insolvency the main source of
revenue was said to be from the sale of energy.
Referring to general maintenance’ work,
Mackenzie also recalled that there were
persistent problems with the lamps, starting
with the early days at Edison Lane. All lamps
were of the carbon filament type and a thin
deposit of carbon gradually built up inside the
glass. To compensate for the resulting loss of
illumination the voltage was raised with

consequent increase in fuel cost. In view of this
it was found to be economical to replace free all
the lamps every six months.
On lamp change day, as it was called, everyone
who could be spared was put on the job as all
lamps had to be changed on the one day because
the voltage had to be dropped. Any lamp not done
would be dull and cause complaint. (80)

Barton would have been responsible for the
detailed design of items developed and
manufactured by the firm and there is evidence

of this in a Work Register of the period. (68)
This contains his sketches and calculations for a
variety of apparatus as well as the results of
tests made on the premises. A list extracted
mainly from the Register is given in Appendix B
and some items are held by the Queensland
Museum. (Fig.41)

As an example of the firm’s versatility it is
known that they carried out X-ray work for a
Brisbane doctor, Dr John Thompson, probably
in 1896 or a little later. The first demonstration
of X-rays in Brisbane was given by J.W.
Sutton, Barton’s father-in-law, so it is very
likely that Barton himself was involved in this
and subsequent developments. Mr Sutton’s
demonstration was held in July 1896 before a
small group of leading doctors and repeated in
August at a public meeting of the Royal Society
of Queensland. (131) (Fig. 42). An_ early
example of the use of X-rays in medicine in
Brisbane is given in the Australasian Medical
Gazette of 1897 when Dr Wilton Love took X-
rays for Dr Thompson so as to locate a pea-rifle
pellet imbedded in a child’s foot. (132,133)

In spite of the many activities of the
Brisbane Electric Supply Co. Ltd and the
possession of a long-term franchise, the last
years of the century presented financial
problems. W.M.E. L’Estrange, who had first
hand experience of them, wrote as follows —

The early days of the Brisbane Electric Supply Co.
Ltd were ones of continual worry, particularly in
regard to finance. Times were strenuous and
money scarce. Electric light was an innovation and
the investor shy, more especially as the unceasing
opposition of the Government and the Council
made security of tenure an unknown quantity. The
wages paid to the staff were nominally so much
per week but on many a pay day the employees
held an informal meeting of [staff] shareholders to
decide on how little each one would need to carry
on until the next week when it was hoped times
would be better. More often than not the pay
cheque was drawn and cashed at the Belfast Hotel
or Royal Hotel (who were consumers of electricity)
last thing on Saturday, after banking hours, so
that the wages could be paid, then first thing on
Monday morning the Manager and the Secretary
started on a hurried tour of the Company’s
debtors to get enough money into the bank to
meet the cheque when it was presented. There are
many tales which could be told of wives who
fearfully saw their small houses mortgaged to find
capital to carry on the Company; of money raised
on insurance policies for the same end, and such
like. (55)

MUNICIPALISATION OF ELECTRICITY SUPPLY — A

47

Lost Cause: Because of pressing financial
problems, the Company continued in its efforts
to sell their undertaking to the Brisbane
Council. However the Council did not wish to
acquire old plant and showed no interest in the
proposal, including an offer in September 1897
to sell works, mains and goodwill etc for
£14,000, mains and underground cables then in
shipment being included. (134) Early in 1897 the
Council sought the guidance of Hesketh as
Government Electrical Engineer and in July he
presented a lengthy report entitled ‘Report on
the Electric Lighting of the City of Brisbane,
Queensland’. (135) Apart from its relevance to
the immediate position the Report gives an
excellent picture of the ‘state of the art’ of
electricity supply. His plans for the future were
far superior to Barton’s — which will be
referred to shortly — in terms of prospective
station and system efficiency but the capital
investment was many times greater than would
have been possible for the Brisbane Electric
Supply Co. Ltd.

After citing the advantages of electricity over
gas, Hesketh gave his reasons why the Council
was better fitted to undertake electricity supply
than a private company. These were that the
Council could borrow money more cheaply and
that there were no dividends to pay and on the
repayment of the loan the Council had a
valuable asset. In brief, ‘Electric Lighting is a
proper and remunerative undertaking for the
Corporation to engage in.’

The suggested procedure was —

First: That your Council decide whether to

undertake an Electricity supply for Municipal and

general Electric Lighting and for power purposes,

and to what extent. Second: That in the event of a

decision in the affirmative, the necessary powers

be forthwith obtained, both under the Electric

Light and Power Act, and for borrowing the

necessary money. Third: That close specifications

and plans be prepared and tenders obtained for
the scheme as decided on by your Council.

The plant was to be of 400 kW capacity
(with an alternative scheme with a capacity of
300 kW), the capital costs being estimated at
£44,860 and £32,250 respectively. Details of the
equipment for the 400 kW plant are given in
Appendix C, showing the system voltage as
440/220 three wire d.c. There were to be four
100 kW_ high-speed steam-engine driven
dynamos and a 440 volt station battery of about
1000 ampere-hours. The battery would ‘provide
for the proper control and regulation of the
supply and also a reserve and enable the steam

plant to be shut down after midnight.’
Hesketh's proposals for a tariff structure are
too detailed to be given here but basically he
considered that this should be on a sliding scale
basis. so that a consumer using energy for one
hour per day should pay as much as 12 pence
per kWh and for 12 hours per day 4.6 pence.

Apart from the need to raise finance, an
Order in Council was required and by March
1898 this was in hand. However there were
many difficulties which delayed gazettal of the
Order until July 1899. The Order was
designated the ‘Brisbane Municipality Electric
Light and Power Order, 1899’, The area was
the whole of the Municipality, thus including
that already covered by the Order granted to the
Brisbane Electric Supply Co. Ltd. The Council
found the Order unworkable because of the
large area to be supplied and sought to have the
Order amended,

On 12 June 1900, without having had a reply
from the Government, the Works Committee of
the Council recommended three steps based on
the purchase of energy from the Brisbane
Tramways Co. Ltd which had been formed in
1895 and commenced generating electricity in
1897 ata power station in Countess St.

GEORGE STREE

Fic. 43. Brisbane Electric Supply Co. Lid power
station site at 69 Ann St, Brisbane, 1899.
The new structures were A, a two-storey
brick building, 65 ft by 33 ft housing the
generating plant etc. and B, the boiler shed
and chimney. In 1906, a two-storey brick
building with full frontage to Ann St was
built in front of A, and in place of the
earlier residence,

Fic.

44.

Letterhead showing the Brisbane Electric
Supply Co. Lid Ann St power station
c.1900. The temporary boiler house is on
the left and stocks of underground cable are
shown in the foreground, The sketch is
probably by Barton.

Firstly that the Council should forthwith give the
necessary instructions to berrew the sum of
£30,000 in order thal the necessary plant be
obtained to provide the city with electric power
and energy, and lo receive and distribute the same
to a capacity of 400 kW from the Tramways
Company within the area set out in the Order in
Council as proposed to be amended; secondly that
close specifications and plans be at once prepared
and tenders obtained for this scheme and as
indicated in Mr Hesketh’s report; thirdly that an
agreement be entered into with the Electric
Tramways Company to supply the Corporation
with the necessary power, and at a rate of 24d.
per unit delivered at the boundary of the
company’s works, the agreement to be for five
years certain and subject alter that time to two
years’ notice on either side. (97)

At this stage Barton submitted a further
proposal to the Council in his own name, as
follows —

Sir, —I have the honour to send you enclosed my
tender for the lighting of the city streets, and
conditions of taking over the Order in Council
from the Municipal Couneil, in its modified form,
reduced area.

1, Edward C. Barton hereby make the
following offer with regard to the electric lighting
in the City of Brisbane. In consideration of your
Council transterring to me the modified Order in
Council, with reduced compulsory area, for a
period of forty-two years, | am prepared to erect
in the main thoroughfare, al my expense twelve

%
E
ESEE
cs

Fic. 45. Brisbane Electric Supply Co. Lid Ann St power station showing the new building in the middle
distance, The ground floor housed the generating plant. The workshops, office and store were on the
first Moor. The boilers were to the right of the chimney to which iron bands were being fitted at the
time because of damage by excessive hear. The premises of Mr Heeschens, a walking Stick
manufacturer, are in the foreground. Date of photograph, about December 1899,

arc lamps, and to supply current to them al my
own expense. Furthermore, I am prepared to
supply current to the Council at the foot of their
lamp-posts on an all-night and every-night
schedule at 2!4d. per unit. Being a local resident,
and well-known in this community, I feel that ir is
unnecessary to produce my _ credentials for
submission to the Council; bul as it might affect
their consideration of the above offer, | may
mention that | have been engaged in the electric
lighting industry nineteen years, and was in charge
of the lighting of Godalming, the first electrically
illuminated town in England. — E.C. Barton, 16
June 1900. (97)

This generous offer was not accepted by the
Council and obviously nothing could be
finalised without an amended Order. Hesketh's
views on the situation are expressed in a letter
to the Council extracts from which appeared in
the Press on 5S July 1900. The Company
referred to is the Brisbane Electric Supply Co.
Ltd.

49

The reason why the Company can quote a price al
which the Council cannot supply their public
lighting is simply that they [the Company] rely on
the loss on public lighting being made up from
their profits on private lighting. The Council
cannol supply public lighting at the figure quoted
by the Company unless they charge less than cost
price, laking the risk of obtaining the balance
from the private lighting revenue, as is evidently
the intention of the Company. In this connection
the bearing which the area of supply has on the
cost of generalion becomes a very important
factor. This is really the point, in my opinion, in
which the Company has an advantage over the
Corporation, It is still my opinion that electric
lighting is a business which should be undertaken
by the Council, if it is prepared (o give it the same
capital, push and business spiril, and it was the
impression, conveyed during the last three years of
negotiations with the Council on this matter, that
such would not be given, which influenced me in
thinking that the Council did not intend
proceeding with whis work, and under such

Fic, 46. Brisbane Electric Supply Co, Lid Ann St power station site in the early 1900s. This view from Ann St
shows the interest taken in the arrival of a Lancashire boiler for installation near the left hand
houndary of the site. The boiler was brought in through the premises of Penhaligon Bros,
horsebreakers- Mr Heeschens’ premises have been moved towards the left hand boundary. Judging
from the steam rising from (he tanks in the middle distance, the station Was already operating.

circumstances (he allernative of some such transfer

fof the Order} as is now under consideration is

that to which the least objection could be offered.

(136)

It is not proposed to give an account of the
many subsequent exchanges between the
Government, the Council ahd companies
interested in supplying the Municipality.
However it should be recorded that about this
time the Council took a poll of ratepayers on
the question as to whether they should
undertake electricity supply. The majority
decision was that the Council should get others
to do the work on their behalf, (88) This had
followed a clear indication that the request for
an amendment to reduce the area of supply
would be refused by the Government unless the
Council carried out the work themselves.
Months of argument with proposals and counter
proposals followed as each scheme lapsed. This
was to be the pattern for the Council's attempt
alt municipalisation of electricity supply in
Brisbane for many years alter Barton's
retirement from an active part in the industry.

THE ANN ST POWER STATION: While increasing
the area of supply through additional Orders in

a

Council was jmportanit to Barton and _ his
associates in the late 1890s, the provision of
adequate generating capacity to meet the growth
in demand would also have been of continuing
concern, Not surprisingly the small area
allocated to generating plant in the building at
Edison Lane — estimated at a total of 1000 sq.
ft at ground floor and basement levels — had
proved inadequate alter ten years.

Few chronological records of the installation
of plant have been found for the first decade of
electricity supply by the Company apart from
the installation of the first dynamo used to
supply the G.P.O. in 1888. As already stated
this was almost certainly added to in the same
year with a 24 kW unit. Thereafter the timing
of the additions is not known although Barton’s
notes refer to an addition in 1891. (137)

In reporting to the Government, Barton gave
the plant capacity as 60 kW on 1 September
1896 and noted that an addition of 18 kW was
made in October of that year, So the higher
value of 90 kW given by Hesketh in an address
delivered in May 1898 was seemingly fairly
correct having in mind Barton's proposed
expansion. (138) It is interesting to note

Hesketh’s further comment that ‘Brisbane has a
plant that has bravely struggled through bad
times, and hopes with reason, to reap a fair
benefit under now existing legislation’.

A prediction of the next steps in the
development of the electricity supply system has
been found in a letter by Barton dated 22
November |897. He gave the estimated costs far
an increase of capacity from ‘our present plant
of 45 kW’ to 125 kW and later to 300 kW
together with the net annual revenue in the
three cases as {£721, £2250 and £6050
respectively. The value of 45 kW is difficult to
reconcile with his own earlier statements; he
may have had some reservations about the
reliability of some of the plant. (130) He
explained his plans for a move to a new site
that would accommodate plant of much
increased capacity as follows —

I have laid out the plans to include a smoke-stack

stm ct #lé m7

fir for a 300 kW plant and the underground cables
in the main streets for distributing such an ourput
bul the other plant in the Central Station will be in
the first instanee two 50 KW units (boilers, engines
and dynames) and feeder cables from the Central
Station to the street mains will be capable of
distributing current from the two generators. As
the requirements grow, the plant and feeders can
be enlarged without interfering with the
continuous Operation of the plant and without
waste in alterations, The chimney stack and the
street mains will remain unaltered.

After further reference to the expected gains
in economy of operation he points out that a
further benefit will arise from the fact that —

we shall be able to burn coal alone as a fuel with
the new plant, whereas now, owing to the low
chimneys Jal Edison Lane] and the fear of an
injunction for a smoke nuisance, we have to use 3
tons of wood to one of coal — and the wood fuel
is dearer [han coal, (107)

Fic, 47. Brisbane Electric Supply Co. Ltd Ann St power station. The first installation in 1899 was a slow speed
horizontal steam engine driving two dynamos probably 110 V. d.c. and rated at about 24 kW_ The
Crompton type dynamo on the right was probably manufactured by the Company. Shortly afterwards
there was added a Robey high-speed steam engine direct coupled to an Elwell-Parker dynamo of 50

kW capacity, shown on the right.

iy

TABLE 1. Generating Plant at the Ann St Power Station, 1899 to 1911.
(all direct current)

Estimated Year

of Item
Installation

1899 1—single cylinder horizontal steam engine, 2 ft 6 in. bore, make unknown, belt
driving two Crompton type dynamos each about 24 kW, probably 110 V.

1900 1—Robey vertical steam engine direct coupled to an Elwell-Parker 220V., 250 A.
dynamo.

1901 1—Brush (Raworth) vertical steam engine (F size, Universal) direct coupled to an
Elwell-Parker dynamo, as above.

1901 1—Parsons steam turbine, 50 kW, direct coupled to a 240 V. dynamo. (£955)

1902 1—Parsons steam turbine, 75 kW, direct coupled to a 220 V.dynamo. (£1223)

1902 1—Parsons steam turbine, 150 kW, direct coupled to two 110 V. dynamos in
tandem.

1906 1—Parsons steam turbine, 200 kW, direct coupled to a dynamo. (£1646)

1907 1—Parsons steam turbine, 200 kW, direct coupled to a dynamo. (£2000)

1909 1—Parsons steam turbine, 700 kW, direct coupled to two 400 kW, 240 V.

dynamos in tandem. (£4405)

Fic. 48. Longitudinal and transverse sections of a Brush (Raworth) ‘Universal’ high-speed steam engine. This
was installed in the Brisbane Electric Supply Co. Ltd Ann St power station in 1901 and was one of
the two high-speed steam engines later displaced by steam turbines. The Brush engine was direct-
coupled to an Elwell-Parker 50 kW dynamo. It was approximately 5 ft high and the engine-dynamo
combination required far less floor space than the earlier slow-speed installations.

52

Fic. 49. Brisbane Electric Supply Co. Ltd Ann St power station, Parsons steam turbo-dynamos are shown in
the foreground and background and are believed to be the first and second sets installed in 1901 and
1902 respectively. The first was rated 50 kW and the second, 75 kW but were not identified in the
original photograph. A Brush (Raworth) high speed steam engine driving an Elwell-Parker dynamo
of 50 kW is on the extreme left.

The firm had been warned in January 1897
by the Department of Post and Telegraph about
the smoke and soot nuisance.

The newly-leased site was at the rear of
existing buildings at 69 Ann St, Brisbane and
Barton planned the two storey building in
detail. Surprisingly there were no features, apart
from the tall chimney, which distinguished it
from a general purpose factory building. In
particular there appeared to be no provision for
an overhead crane, no doubt because of the
cost. However, compared with the conditions
under which employees worked at Edison Lane,
the building which was erected in 1899 was a
vast improvement. From Barton’s estimates the
ground and first floors each had an area of
about 65 ft by 33 ft and he showed the chimney
height as 105 ft, which must have made it quite
a landmark. A contemporary site plan (Fig. 43)
shows the general arrangement and this is

an
Wa

further clarified by Barton’s sketch, apparently
intended to be printed on the firm’s notepaper.
(Fig, 44) At this stage the boilers appear to have
been housed in an open shed, An overall view
of the site is shown in Fig. 45.

Plant was installed during 1899 and the
arrival of one of the boilers is shown in Fig. 46.
According to G. Mackenzie the first boiler was
made by Sutton and Co., Kangaroo Point,
Brisbane, later Evans, Anderson and Phelan.
(80) F.R. L’Estrange gave the working steam
pressure as 110 lb. per sq. in.; a_ later
photograph shows at least four boilers of the
Lancashire type and that they were hand fired
with coal. He also remarked that the ‘steam
from the [non-condensing] power _ plant
exhausted into a huge array of galvanised iron
tanks from which visitors to the firm’s offices
received a steam bath on their way upstairs.’
(18) This must have been before 1906 when the

Fic. 50. City Electric Light Co. Ltd Ann St power station. One of the two Parsons 200 kW steam turbo-
dynamo sets installed in 1906 and 1907. The earlier arrangement of external magnetic poles and field
windings was now replaced by a cylindrical stator and internal field windings. Photograph published
in May 1909,

next new building was erected.

By now the Company was supplying
electricity for 122 hours per week and, with the
increasing demand, plans for _ installing

additional plant were in hand. The generators
installed in the first year or two were driven by
reciprocating steam engines (Figs 47,48) but
even in 1899 Barton was considering a 50 kW
steam turbo-dynamo set. This was ordered from
Messrs C.A. Parsons and Co. Ltd, England in
1901 and installed in the same year. Barton may
well have been influenced by the experience of
the Victorian Railways Department. According
to an account published in 1909, the
Department installed 200 kW Parsons steam
turbines in 1899 ‘then in their early struggling
period.’ The account stated that —

this was the first instance of the use of steam
turbines in the Southern Hemisphere. It was
predicted on every side that turbines would be a
complete failure but the step taken is fully justified

by time and results. The turbines were a thorough
success. (43)

This was evidently Barton’s experience too as
five more Parsons turbine sets followed over the
next several years (Table 1). Unfortunately there
are inconsistencies in the early records and those
of the manufacturer are incomplete. In
particular, in some cases the rated d.c. voltage
can only be guessed. Small differences such as
between 110 V. and 115 V. and between 220 V.
and 240 V. are not of practical significance.

Capacity of the station increased rapidly over
the decade (Table 1, Appendix D). By 1909 the
installation of turbine driven plant was complete
and totalled about 1400 kW compared with the
300 kW capacity envisaged by Barton. Some, if
not all, of the reciprocating steam engine driven
plant had been retired at this stage.

Illustrations of some items of plant at the
Ann St site have been preserved (Figs 49-52).
No general plan is available although two or

Fic. 51. City Electric Light Co. Ltd Ann St power station. In 1909 a 700kW steam turbo-dynamo set with
tandem dynamos each of 400 kW capacity (on the right) was the largest set installed at the station.
The main electrical switchboard is in the background. The central figure, seated, is Alfred Ward, a
Director and Power Station Engineer.

three generating units can be seen in some of
the photographs showing that space was
restricted. To show the construction of the first
turbine installed at the site, one of similar
capacity, although differing in having a
condenser, is shown in Fig. 53. The main

electrical switchboard is shown in Fig. 51 and
Fig. 52. Mackenzie recalled that this was
constructed in the Edison Lane workshops. The
panels were of marble and had brass busbars
bolted to the front and back. His explanation of
the busbar arrangements is not clear but

TABLE 2. Orders in Council issued to the Brisbane Electric Supply Co. Ltd and the City Electric
Light Co. Ltd — 1897 to 1917.

Name of Original Electric Authority Date Order Gazetted Remarks

Brisbane Electric Supply Co., Ltd 9-6-1897 City
Ditto 13-5-1903 George street East
Ditto 30-12-1903 | George street West
Ditto eae gets, & 28-4-1904 Balance City Area

City Electric Light Co., Ltd 3-4-1908 Valley
Ditto ne EE 4 10-8-1916 South Brisbane
Ditto 5-7-1917 Balance North Brisbane

A
an

Fic. 52, City Electric Light Co. Ltd Ann St power station.

evidently the front ones were the station busbars
and the back ones were for individual dynamo
or distribution feeder circuits, To select one of
the latter for connection to the station busbars,
two threaded copper rods were passed through
clearance holes in the front busbars and
engaged with corresponding threaded hales in
the back busbars. A shoulder on each rod
completed the contact between (the busbars,
Switching was by means of double pole knife
switches with fuse protection. (80)

The (hree-wire system giving supply at 110
V. for lamps and 220 Y. for motors was
continued at the Ann St Station, one
requirement being a balancer set of 7.5 kW.
(18,139)

General electrical contract work conlinued in
addition to the maintenance of power station
and distribution equipment, The layout of the
workshops has not been found but a corner is
shown in Fig. 54 where an armature 1s being
rewound and some of the workshop machinery

A 700 kW

steam turbo-dynamo js on the lelt and
the main electrical switchboard with the underground distribution cables on the right. An earlier
steam turbo-dynamo is on (he extreme left.

is seen in the background. A storeroom believed
to have been at the Ann St site is shown in Fig.
55.

Staff numbers increased from about 30 in
1899 to over 60 by 1911. The group photograph
(Fig. 56) was taken in the new boiler house at
Ann St in 1906 or later. From the early days
there were annual picnics and a photograph of
the Directors and the Picnic Committee taken
c.1908 is shown in Fig. 57. The Committee was
no doubt chaired by Barton as Managing
Director with the support of his fellow Directors
and senior staff.

Once the initial generating plant and the
Company's workshops were established at Ann
St there would have been no need to continue
the lease of the Edison Lane building. The year
1900, suggested by a plan by F,R. L’Estrange,
seems likely to be correct as that in which the
old generating plant was retired. (18)

FURTHER ORDERS IN COUNCIL: W.M.E.
L'Estrange continued the story of the Orders in

Fic. 53. A 60 kW Parsons steam turbo-dynamo supplied to the National Physical Laboratory, England in 1901,
The Brisbane Electric Supply Cy. Lid installed a 50 kW Parsons set in 190) at Ann St and this is
likely (o have been generally similar to the 60 kW set. Both turbines operated at a steam pressure of
110 Ib. per sq. in. but the 50 kW set was non-condensing. The upper part of the turbine casing has
been raised to show the blading, the maximum diameter being 913 in. The overall length of the set is
c.18 ft.

F ‘ot : 4 . . -

Fic. 54. City Electric Light Co. Lid Ann St power station building. The upper floor housed the workshops
which contained at least three lathes and a drilling machine. Overhead shafting and belt drives to each
machine were normal. Two apprentices in the foreground are winding a ‘Gramme Ring’ armature.

s7

Fig. 53. Part of a storeroom believed to have been on the upper floor of the Ann St power station building of
the Brisbane Electric Supply Co. Ltd or its successor, the City Electric Light Co. Lid. On the top
shelves are LeClanché batteries; on the lower shelves to the right, carbon rods for are lights.
Immediately above bench level are small motors of a type made by Barton and White and at bench
level are electric fans and other small motors. A variety of porcelain insulators is stored in the lower
bins and an arc light is standing on the floor on the left.

38

Fic.

56. Staff of the City Electric Light Co. Ltd, c.1906. The central figure (standing) is Edward Barton,
General Manager. The staff numbered about 30. Standing, Back (left to right): J.

Pointon, J.

Adamson, G, Lockyer, G. Pointon, W.G. Hamilton Snr., W. Davis, C. Switzer, — Robinson,

Standing, Forward (left to right); Mr. A. Ward, A. Thompson, V.

McLeod, J. Connolly, J.

Whiteford, E. Cripps, E. Waddington, J. Sanker, Mr. E.C. Barton, E. Carpenter, Mr. W.J. Young,
Mr. J. Ryan, H. Carpenter, D. Morris, F. L’Estrange, W. Dyne, H. Hedger. Sitting (left to right): G.
Mackenzie, S. Hughes, H. Moles, H. Turk, G. Lightbody, V. McNiven, A. McCall, N. Loftus, F.
Bagley, W. Wright. Sitting (in front): G. Milne, F. Roberts. G. Brian, W. Hamilton, Jnr.

Council thus —

In 1902 the City Council [again] opened
negotiations with the Brisbane Electric Supply
Company for the purchase of its assets. During the
same year the Council tried to ‘farm out’ the dead
Order [of 1899] to the Tramways Company,
Messrs Wright and Reason, and the Brisbane
Electric Supply Co. Ltd in turn, while an attempt
was also made to take up a small area of supply.
In 1903, the Company obtained two additional
Orders in Council; one for the Public Library area
[George St East] and the second for the area
known as George St West, both Orders being for a
minimum period of 42 years but the Council
forced the Company into an agreement giving the
Council an option to purchase under certain terms,
The Council notified the Company of its intention
to exercise the option of purchase but did not do
so. In this year also, the Company applied for an
Order in Council for the Valley area but at the
same time a Company not then registered, but
later to be known as the Fortitude Valley Electric
Light and Power Company, applied for an Order
also for the Valley area which application was

opposed by both the Brisbane City Council and
the Brisbane Electric Supply Co. Ltd. In 1904 the
latter’s application for an Order for the Valley was
refused but an Order for the area was granted for
a minimum period of 42 years to the Fortitude
Valley Electric Light and Power Co. Ltd. (55)

Also in 1904 the Company applied
successfully for an Order which consolidated the
three earlier Orders for parts of the City area
(Table 2). In spite of the continuing
obstructions to the extension of the area of
supply the revenue of the Company showed a
steady increase from its inception. (Fig. 58)
Power station operating hours had been 8 am to
midnight then 5.30 am to 11.30 pm and about
1904 they were extended to provide a
continuous service.

A New NAME — THE City ELECTRIC LIGHT Co.
Ltp: As part of a plan to attract more capital,
the Brisbane Electric Supply Co, Ltd decided to
reform with the new name — City Electric
Light Co. Ltd. Although the name sounds

Fic. 57. City Electric Light Co. Ltd Directors and Annual Picnic Committee, c.1908. Seated (I. to r.): J.Ryan
(in charge of Office); W.M.E.L’Estrange (Secretary and Director); B.G.C.Barton (General Manager
and Director, also Patron of the Committee); W.J.Young (Works Manager and Director); A,Ward
(Chief Engineer and Director); R.A,.L'Estrange (Publicily Olficer). Standing (1. to r.): J.Hornsby
(Storekeeper); W.Burnett (Shift Electrical Engineer); V.A,McLeod (Chief Clerk).

restrictive the Memorandum of Association sets
out the 25 objects of the Company which
provide for every possible development and for
operating in any locality, Even the right to erect
telephone systems is included. (140) Edward
Barton and W.J. Young were the liquidators of
the old Company and the new Company was
formed of these two together with six other
members of the old Company, and three new
members. The new Company paid £20,000 to
the old Company and, according to G.G.
L’Estrange this was distributed to the =ld
Company's shareholders as shares or cash. (71)

The City Eleetric Light Co. Ltd was
registered in Brisbane on 2 December 1904 with
a capital of £100,000 divided into 100,000
shares of £1 each; of these 60,000 were to be
taken as fully paid and issued to the liquidators
or their nominees, The first statutory meeting of
the new Company was held on 31 March 1905
and the Chairman (E.J. Holmes) reported thus

Che Company has no history [sic] and therefore in
a literal sense there is nothing to report to the
Shareholders beyond the faet that the Orders in
Council, plant and goodwill of the Brisbane

fil

Electric Supply Company have been successfully
transferred to this Company. The Directors are
well pleased to give this information as the
transfer of Orders in Council are rare and are apt
to lead to protracted negotiations owing to lack of
precedent ... (141)

On completion of the transfer, Barton and
his wife Mary had a total of 12,444 preference
shares and 6222 ordinary shares. Appropriately
Barton was given six months’ leave of absence
on full pay and in April he and his wife left for
a European visit — his first since his early
experiences there in the 1870’s and 1880’s. On
his return in October, his salary was increased
to £420 p.a.

In 1905, the Order in Council for Fortitude
Valley was forfeited by the Fortitude Valley
Electric Light and Power Co. Ltd and the City
Electric Light Co. Ltd applied for the same
area. The Government offered an Order for a
period of 14 years only and the Company
refused to accept this. After further negotiation
the Government increased its offer to 21 years
and, when this was refused by the Company, to
32 years which the Company finally accepted
(Table 2).

ELECTRIC

LIGHT
APPARATUS.

DYNamMos.

MOTORS.

COOLING
Fawnws.

ELECTRIC
BELLS.

BATTERIES.

TELEPHONES.

LIGHTNING
CONDUCTORS.

FIRE ALARMS,

SPEAXING
TUBES.

INSTRUMENT

MAXING.

BRaASSwoRK

REPAIRS.

TELEGRAPHIC ADDRESS: “HERCULEAN." At Cove.

THE BRISBANE ELECTRIC SUPPLY COMPANY, LTD.,

SrccRssors TO

BARTON & WHITH,

EvectricaL ENGINEERS,

ANN STREET,

NEAR GEORGE STREET,

Puilane AD.
Zi

TeLapHone, No. 403.

Fic. 58. Brisbane Electric Supply Co. Ltd. Graphs of monthly revenue from February 1901 to May 1903, drawn
by Barton. (68) There was a rapid rise in electricity sales over this period compared with a few years

earlier.

BRISBANE AREA, 1906 TO THE EARLY 1920'S for the Ann St power station was increased and

a new building was erected in front of the

IMPROVEMENTS AT ANN ST AND PLANS FOR THE existing building. (Fig. 59) This provided
NEXT POWER STATION: In 1906, the area leased offices, store area and workshops which were

6l

Fic. 59. City Electric Light Co. Ltd building in Ann
St, ¢.1906 or later. The boilers, coal stocks
and underground cable drums occupied the
ground floor. The pairs of windows of the
Ann St facade, reading from left to right,
were those of the main store, the Board
Room and the Office. Under the painted
sign on the right, reading from left to right,
were the windows of the Office, second
store and workshops.

previously on the upper floor — above the
engine room. The effective headroom of this
room was raised from 16 to 28 ft apparently by
removing the flooring ‘giving thereby ventilation
and comfort to the staff as well as increasing
the output of the dynamos.’ (142) The
dimensions of the new two storey building are
given as 115 ft by 22 ft; the latter figure is
evidently an error for 62 ft — the frontage to
Ann St. It is clear that the boilers were
accommodated on the ground floor of this
building adjacent to the existing chimney (Fig.
60). No additional floor space was provided for
the generating plant; eventually six turbo-
dynamos and ancillary equipment were housed
in approximately 2000 sq. ft.

This was a period of rapid growth in demand
for electricity supply, attributable to the
realisation that electric motors had advantages
over steam and internal combustion engines,
coupled with a reducing charge for energy. As

an example of the increase in demand the
connected motor load increased from 79 h.p. in
1904 to 254 h.p. in 1905; the corresponding
total system loads were 361 kW and 601 kW.
(68) A few years later the drawn-wire filament
lamp was produced commercially and the
efficiency was much higher than that of the
carbon filament type; consequently the demand
for electric light increased markedly.

Barton was anxious to attract capital to
enable the Company to develop and meet these
expected demands. Among other approaches he
was in touch with Messrs Crompton and Co.
Ltd, London and, in a letter dated 8 March
1907, he summarised the position in Brisbane
thus —

Our present station is situated in a central position
300 yards from the centre of the town and we run
non-condensing. The expenditure for cartage of
coal and removal of ashes amounts to a
considerable sum during the year. Removal to a
waterside station, with condensation and water
carriage of coal and ashes, would effect a saving
of over £1000 per annum. We are laying our plan
for a station of 3000 kW. We would then install
about 500 kW of boilers and electrical generating
plant to carry the load until the present 750 kW
plant was removed to the new site. We recognise
that we will have to push vigorously for business
in order to justify the proposed ultimate 3000 kW
plant but we believe that the outlet exists and can
be obtained easily enough [We] _ will
communicate again when our plans mature. (143)

No one could have foreseen the tremendous
increase in demand for electricity in the
following years. Indeed by 1923 the installed
capacity exceeded several times Barton’s
‘ultimate’ capacity for the station.

In 1908 a site at the corner of William and
Margaret Streets, earlier occupied by Pettigrew’s
Saw Mills, was selected for development as a
power station. It had the advantages of
proximity to the Brisbane River as envisaged by
Barton and thus the first of the Directors’
Reports for 1909 described the proposed
development as the ‘Waterside Power Station.’
W.M.E. L’Estrange recalled that after the City
Electric Light Co. Ltd purchased the site in
1908 it was —

served with a notice of land resumption by the
Government but the resumption was not proceeded
with in view of the strong representations made by
the Company on its own behalf. (55)

Before describing the development of the
site, the vital matter of acquiring further Orders
in Council to ensure increasing demand should

Fic). 60. Cily Electric Light Co. Ltd Ann St power station. There were al least [our Lanvashire type boilers
working ata steam pressure of 110 Ib. per sq. in. They were hund fired with coal which was delivered
in single horse drays from Roma St Railway Station and duniped alongside the boilers. Ln the lefi
background, part of the flooring of the upper storey was omilled (o improve ventilation of the boiler
house. Photograph published in May 1909.

be appreciated. This was reviewed by

L'Estrange as follows —

In the following year [1909] application for Orders
in Couneil was made for the balance of the North
and South Brisbane areas. The Company aft thal
time held franchises covering an area of half a
square mile, and the Brisbane Gas Company had
oblained an area of eighty square miles. The
Orders applied for would have brought the
Company’s area up to five square miles bur it is
interesting 19 note that the Melbourne Electric
Supply had 78 square miles, and the Adelaide
Electric Supply Co. Ltd, 155 square miles within
their respective areas. In respect to the application
for the North Brisbane Order, the Government
offered the Company an Order with a minimum
period of ten years, and the Company asked, in
very strong terms, the reason for such unjust and
differential treatment.

In 1911 the Municipality of South Brisbane
applied for an Order, which application was

opposed by the Company, but no finality was
reached in respect to the Orders applied for uniil
in 1916 an Order in Council for the South
Brisbane area was granted for a period of 10
years, and in the following year an Order in
Council for the balance of the North Brisbane area
for 10 years was granted to the Company. (55)
Detailed planning of the new power station
would certainly have involved Barton and this
may have been a factor in his resigning as
Managing Director in June 1909 and taking up
the position of Consultant to the Company at a
salary of £300 p.a. £175 less than his
previous salary. This did not exclude private
practice as an advertisement in the Press
showed. The announcement read —

He is now al liberty to engage in privaie practice
as a Consultant and invites correspondence on all
matters connecred with eleciric lighting, power ef,
(144)

MARGARE'T STREET

Fic. 61, City Electric Light Co. Ltd William St power
station. This general layout plan shows the
imtended development of the site acquired in
1908. It had the great advantage of close
proximity to the Brisbane River; in
addition, capital was available to erect an
adequate building. The site was earlier
occupied by Pettigrew’s Queensland Steam
Sawmills.

in June 1910 he described himself as
‘Electrical Adviser to the City Electric Light Co.
Ltd and the Brisbane Board of Waterworks.’
(145) Shortly afterwards the Company increased
his fee to £425 p.a. in addition to his fee of £50
p.a. as a Director. There was no top level
appointment as an obvious replacement for
Barton so it has been concluded that he and his
close associates, L*Estrange, Ward and Young

— all being paid annual fees of about £500 —
made the major technical decisions until March
1913 when W.H. Vincent, MIEE was appointed
Chief Electrical Engineer at a salary of £600
p.a.

The new station presented a challenge and an
opportunity to include features that would
greatly improve the efficiency of operation — in
particular, to take full advantage of the
proximity of a large river. No plans have been
found for the structure or initial layout of plant
in the power station but it has been possible to
sketch a general plan of the site (Fig. 61) based
mainly on drawings dated September 1913
which were prepared to show final
developments of the engine room and boiler
house, For conyenience these will be referred to
as Vincent's plans. (Figs 62,63) (146)

Erection of the building commenced in 1910.
The only contemporary photographs show a
firetube type boiler in transit from South
Brisbane (Fig. 64) and the building of flues and
other features of the boiler house (Fig. 65). The
finished appearance of the elevation fronting
William St is shown in Fig. 66.

OPERATION AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE
WILLIAM «St Power STATION: The first
operation of the station was expected ‘during
the next few months’ from the end of January
1911, the first steam turbo-dynamo set having
been ordered from Parsons through Messrs
William Adams and Co., Brisbane in 1910. The
rating was 700 kW and it was operating in July
191i. A 500 kW turbo-dynamo set with two
dynamos in tandem was ordered from the
Electric Construction Co., England in August
1910. (147) This was also operating in 1911, and
the 700 kW Parsons turbo-dynamo installed in
Ann St in 1909 was probably transferred in the
same year bringing the total capacity at William
St to 1900 kW, and the combined capacity of
the dynamos at the two stations to over 2500
kW. During the period 1912 to 1913, most if

Fic. 62. City Electric Light Co, Ltd William St power station. The only record of the layout of the boiler house
and engine room is a proposed rearrangement dated September [913, The upper part shows an
intended provision of ten two-drum water-tube boilers fired by chain grate stokers, in place of the
original fire-tube boilers. The lower part shows the intended layout of the generating plant and
switchboards in the engine room. The turbo-alternator sets installed in 1913 and 1914 (A and E) and
the intended future 2000 kW, sets (C) aré shown but the turbo-dynamos, including those transferred
from the Ann St power station were omitted. None of the 2000 kW sets was ordered, the first
additional plant being a 5000 kW, 5000 V. turbo-alternator installed in 1919. A, 300 kW turbo-
alternator, B, 500 kW rotary conyertor. C, 2000 kW turbo-alternator. D, 1000 kW moior convertor.
E, 1000 kW turbo-alternator. F, 1000 KW rotary convertor. G,H,1, electrical switchboards for d.c,
distribution, station supplies, high tension a.c. respectively.

LHAaLS LHUVOUVN

WILLIAM STREET

50 feet

65

TABLE 3. Generating Plant at the William St Power Station, 1911 to 1923.

(direct and alternating current)

Estimated Year
of
Installation

Item

1911

1911

1912—13
1914
1917
1919
1920

1923

2—Parsons steam turbines, 700 kW, direct coupled to two 400 kW, 240 V.
dynamos in tandem. One set ex Ann St station. (Second set, £4295)

1—Willans and Robinson steam turbine, 500 kW, direct coupled to two E.C.C.
250 kW, 240 V. dynamos in tandem. The dynamos were replaced in 1913 by
a Siemens six phase, SOOkW, 50 Hz alternator connected to a 500 kW rotary
convertor.

1—50 kW, 1—75 kW, 2—200 kW turbine sets (Table 1) transferred from Ann St
station to the William St station.

1—Willans and Robinson steam turbine, 1000 kW, direct coupled to a Siemens
six phase, 50 Hz alternator connected to a 1000 kW rotary convertor.

1—Ferranti high speed reciprocating steam engine, 600 kW, cross compounded,
direct coupled to a Dick, Kerr three phase, 50 Hz alternator.*

1—British Thomson Houston steam turbine-alternator set, 5000 kW, three
phase, 50 Hz, 5000 V.

1—General Electric (USA) steam turbine-alternator set, 5000 kW, three phase,

50 Hz, 5000 V.
1—Metropolitan Vickers steam turbine-alternator set, 12,500 kW, three phase,

50 Hz, 5000 V.

*installed and tested but said to be never used

Note: Turbines installed at Ann St were supplied ‘non-condensing’ and converted to ‘condensing’ when installed
at William St.

0 10 20 feet

S Gnas 4

sfate(ai

OM YAAMAUE

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NC

Fic. 63. City Electric Light Co. Ltd William St power station. The boiler house was rearranged in 1913 to
accommodate water-tube boilers in place of the fire-tube boilers originally installed. The greater
headroom needed required the boiler house roof to be raised by seven ft. In addition new flues, coal
bunkers, conveyors and, later, extra chimneys were provided.

66

Fic. 64. City Electric Light Co, Ltd William St power station. A boiler manufactured by Daniell, Adamson and
Co. Dunkinfield, England is shown in transit from the South Brisbane wharves to the siation, seen in
the background. The 22 hp, traction engine took 12 hours for the journey. The Queenslander
described (he event in September 1910 as ‘an adventurous business and the task was only
accomplished after many trials and troubles involving considerable traffic delay and no little anxiety.’

Fic. 65. Cily Electric Light Co, Ltd William St power station. Brickwork in progress in the boiler house. A
Lancashire boiler is on the left and space for an economiser on the right, A few years later the
Lancashire boilers were replaced with Babcock and Wilcox. water-lube boilers-

67

Fic. 66. City Electric Light Co. Ltd William St power station William St frontage. Margaret St is to the left.
The Brisbane River is in the distance at the end of Margaret St.

not all of the turbo-dynamos at Ann St as well
as some of the boiler plant were moved to
William St.

In October 1912, the first turbo-alternator
was ordered from Messrs Willans and Robinson
Ltd, England and was in operation at the
beginning of 1914. This was a 1000 kW, six
phase, 50 Hz set connected to a 1000 kW rotary
convertor to provide d.c. for the new 440/220
V., 3 wire system which would later replace the
220/110 V., 3 wire system. The alternator was
also to supply a.c. for the future a.c.
distribution system directly and, after
conversion to 5000 V., supply the future motor-
convertors at substation No. 1 — to be referred
to shortly. Presumably because the 1000 kW set
was the largest installed at this time, it was
known as No. | set.

The 500 kW turbo-dynamo set ordered in
1910 was converted to a turbo-alternator in
1913 and was in operation in October of the
same year. It ran in parallel with the larger set
and was also connected directly to a rotary
convertor of the same rating. The date of

providing the first a.c. supply to consumers is
not known but it was probably first available on
a metered basis in 1917 or 1918 as the purchase
of service meters was discussed at this time.
Certainly a.c. was available for general supply
in 1918 and fortunately the voltage and
frequency selected were those which later
became the Australian standard, 415/240 V., 50
Hz.

In the period 1914-5 staff at Ann St were
transferred to a new building at Boundary St,
Petrie Bight, and the Ann St power station was
shut down about the same time; the decision to
demolish the chimney was made in January
1915.

Vincent’s plan for developing William St
provided for three more turbo-alternators to be
installed over the years 1917 to 1919 (Fig. 62).
Each was to be of 2000 kW capacity. However
the Company did not adopt this plan but chose
to meet the expected rapid growth in demand
for electricity supply by ordering a 5000 kW set
in April 1916 at a cost of £25,815. (148) The
delivery date was presumably to be about a year

Fic. 67. City Electric Light Co. Ltd William St power station. This general view of the engine room, looking
towards Margaret St, shows the final installation. Initially the station had only turbo-dynamos but by
1914 two turbo-alternators of total capacity 1500 kW and two rotary convertors of the same total
capacity were operating. Three further additions (o rhe generating plant were made up to 1923 when
the 12,500 kW set in the middle distance was installed. A rotary convertor, to provide direct current,
is seen in the left foreground. The building was about 130 ft long and 50 [t wide. The travelling
crane, spanning the full width of the building relicved the problem of handling heavy engine room

machinery.

hence but six months after ordering, the
supplier advised the Company that because of
wartime condilions, no delivery date could be
given. In fact it was April 1919 before the new
plant arrived and was in operation. Meanwhile
there were failures of generating plant including
the largest set and in February 1917 the
Directors noted that —

it was unfortunate that the [000 kW set should
have given indications of final failure at this time
because the spare 700 kW set is also al present
unavailable,

To relieve the situation, a 600 kW set was
purchased secondhand from the Sydney City
Council in 1917 (149) but it is believed that the

GY

plant did not run successfully with the other
units. Inevitably the station was overloaded at
peak periods.

Later there were further additions to the
generating plant (Table 3). The only general
photograph known of the interior of the station
was taken about 1926 and shows the largest set
— 12,500 kW — in the foreground and also the
related condensing equipment (Fig, 67), As no
cross section drawing of the engine room has
been found, that of a very similar station is
reproduced in Fig. 68.

A contemporary account dated July 1914
(150) gave the picture of the early stages of
development at William St and of the
difficulties encountered —

0 10 20 feet

Fic. 68. Cross section of an engine room generally
similar to that of the City Electric Light
Co, Ltd William St. station.

Switchboard
380 V..S0Hz, ‘Transformer
G phase

Switchboard
3 - wire dc
(440/220V.)

1000 kW
rotary
convertor

500 kW

rotary
conyertor

The extensive additions and improvements which
have recently been made to the power-house plant
of this company are now jn running order, and the
unsatisfactory condition of affairs obtaining in the
early part of last year has been remedied by a
thorough overhaul, very satisfactory in its results.
Mr W.H. Vincent, to whom was entrusted the
task, joined the company in March 1913, as chief
engineer, and at the time of his appointment, was
authorised by the directors to obtain any second-
hand plant which might be available in Australia
to meet the emergency of the breakdown which
seemed probable. No such plant at the time was
available, and the chief engineer accordingly
decided to use every effort to put the existing
machinery into such order as would preclude the
possibility of serious trouble. His efforts in this
direction have been entirely successful, for the
plant is now working efficiently and with a much
grealer degree of economy than was previously the
case. The steam consumption, which stood at 7.2
!bs per kWh generated, has been reduced to 5 Ibs
— a saving of 30 per cent, and a further reduction
may be looked for when his scheme of alterations
and improvements is completed, The new [sic] 500
kW, 3000 r.p.m,. steam turbine, which was
formerly direct coupled to two d.c, generators,
had now been altered, and drives a Siemens 500)
kW alternator. A modern design switchboard is

Switchboard
6,600 V.,50) Hz,
3 phase (5,000 V_ adopted)

Two three-core cables
to substation 1,

Installation al substation |
for supply to 440/220 V dc,
aystem

2-10KK) kW motor converters
i-storage battery, 266 cells
with end switching
I-balancer set

]-hooster generator

1000 kW 500 kW 2-700 kW Balancer 1000 KW 2000 kW*
6 phase 6 phase tandem set motor 3 phase *t0 bein use
alternator allernator dynamos convertor alternator in 1917

Fig. 69. City Electric Light Co. Ltd William St power station and substation No. 1, The simplified electrical
connection diagram shows the proposal, dated 1913, for the development of the power plant at
William St and at the substation, to be located at Petrie Bight. The purpose of the substation was to
maintain full system voltage over an increasing area of supply. The diagram shows an earlier stage of
development than is indicated in Fig. 62. The 2000 kW set was not ordered; instead a 5000 kW, 5000
V. iurbo-alternator was installed in 1919, Those familiar with modern power systems will note the
considerable variety of rotating plant used to provide a,c, for transmission (and, later, distribution)

and d.c. for distribution.

70

Fic. 70. City Eleciric Light Co, Ltd William St power station. This switchboard was probably the first for
alternating current in the station and would have been for the 500 kW and 1000 kW alternators and
rotary convertors. The circuit breakers at the top of the switchboard now replaced the earlier knife
switches and fuses. From 1917 or 1918 the distribution system was gradually changed from d.c. to
a.c. except for supply to electric motors for Which d.c. supply was retained for many years.

being installed, and other additions comprise a
1000 kW turbo-alternator, a 500 kW and 1000 kW
rotary converter,

The new 500 kW, 3000 r.p.m. steam turbine
referred to in this account was presumably the
500 kW Willans and Robinson turbine which
initially drove a tandem pair of dynamos, these
being later replaced by a Siemens alternator as
stated. The account continued thus —

The system of current supply is also undergoing a

change, being rapidly converted trom a three wire,

220 volt system to a 220-440 volt three wire

system. As a preliminary to this the balancing of

areas throughout the city has been effected by the
erection of feeder pillars and the laying of feeder
neutrals. This work again has been carried out
concurrently with {he power house alterations, and
has had to be considered in conjunction with
them, and no authentic plans of mains having

been previously kept, the whole of these and their
connections had to be mapped in advance. Good
results from these changes have been obtained,
and losses in transmission considerably reduced.

The Chief Engineer's arrangements for the
future include plans for the probable extension of
mains during the next five years, and a converter
and battery sub-station situated ai Petrie’s. Bight.
This is now in course of construction, and the
company’s administrative and general offices will
be moved into this building on completion,

The whole of the work carried out and the
smooth running and economies attained under the
present regime reflect great credit upon the skill
and forethought manifested, and show what can
be effected under unpromising conditions by
technical and business ability. Mr Vincent is to be
congratulated on the excellent results he has
obtained during the comparatively short period of
his administration.

3

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12MN. 4 8 12MD. 4 8 12MN.

A.M. P.M.

Fic, 71. Daily load distribution diagram for the City
Electric Light Co. Ltd as predicted for a
week day in June 1915. The installation of
a substation storage battery is assumed and
the shaded areas denote ‘charge’ and
‘discharge’ periods. The consequent
evening-out of the power required from the
power station generating plant would reduce
the cost of operating the system.

The congratulatory last sentence omits the
fact that Vincent resigned from the Company
on 31 July 1914 — the date that appears at the
head of the published article. This was a few
weeks after Barton’s return from more than
twelve months overseas and it is safe to assume
that the reported shortcomings of the past were
not well received.

Barton resumed his earlier position as
Managing Director of the Company from
August 1914 at a salary of £650 p.a. In the
following month he gave a lecture to the
Queensland Institute of Engineers on
Condensation Economics in Steam Plant which
was followed by a visit to the power station.
(151) The paper has not been traced — it would
have been interesting to compare his views with
those of Vincent.

The plans for the future extension of the

mains outlined in the article quoted above
included an important new concept aimed at
meeting economically the increasing demand.
Two options existed: firstly to use larger
conductors from the power station so as to
ensure that all consumers received supply at
about the same voltage, or secondly, to provide
substations at convenient points in the area of
supply which received power as alternating
current from turbo-alternators at the power
station. The advantage of the latter was
economic since it was more expensive to use
larger conductors than to transmit alternating
current at a high voltage and then convert this
to direct current at the substation. This
conversion required the use of motor-convertors
which comprised an alternating current motor
driving a d.c. dynamo thus transforming the
high voltage a.c. to the d.c. system voltage. The
a.c. voltage was chosen as 5000, three phase, 50
Hz and was transmitted by underground cables.
The first installation was from William St to
substation No. | in Boundary St, Brisbane.

The one electrical connection diagram
relevant to the above development that has been
found to date is a proposal only. It shows the
equipment at the William St power station, at
the substation No. 1 and the connecting cables.
A 2000 kW alternator was evidently the first
proposed extension of the power station plant.
A simplified form of this circuit is shown
diagrammatically in Fig. 69 and the first a.c.
switchboard is shown in Fig. 70.

THE SUBSTATION BATTERY AND DAILY LOAD
DISTRIBUTION: The battery referred to in the
same article was to be installed at substation
No. 1 and was to provide power during periods
when the system load was in excess of the
generating capacity at the power station. The
requirement was that the battery be charged
from the mains supply during times when there
was excess capacity at the power station and
discharged as required to make up for shortage
of capacity. The cost of the battery and
ancillary equipment would be offset by the
savings resulting from deferment of purchasing
additional generating plant. However, these
were the days of World War I so it is not
surprising that there were delays in obtaining
equipment. In particular, the order for the
battery had to be changed from a make
normally supplied from what had become an
enemy country. J.E. Morwood gives the rating
of the battery as 3000 ampere-hours; the cost
was £9400. (152) The substation was finally put
into operation in April 1917. (149)

Fic. 72. City Electric Light Co. Lid William St power station showing par of the installation of Babcock and
Wilcox wWater-tube boilers with chain grate stokers. The completed installation comprised three two
drum and five three-drum units. The specified steam conditions for the larger units were 210 lb. per
sq, in. and 600 degrees Fahr.

the important role of the
battery, it seemed possible that there were
earlier — no doubt smaller installations
elsewhere in the Company’s area of supply.
Barton had considered a battery installation in
the 1890's, because his ‘Work Register’ (68) and
‘Goods Received’ book (153) give diagrams and
calculations relating to this. Probably about
1895 he sketched load distribution diagrams (in
which the electrical load on the system is plotted
against time of day) (Fig. 38). On a page
headed ‘Uptown Accumulator Plaot’ he
included diagrams for a few days in 1893 and
1895 and showed the effect of a 2000 ampere-
hour battery in taking peak and night loading.
His calculations were based on increasing the
peak load capacity of the Edison Lane station
by 450 lights (¢.27 kW), charging the battery for
about 8 hours at times of light load and
obtaining from it about 250 A. for 5 hours at
times of heavy load. He concluded thar with a

Considering

capital investment of some £800 his sales of
energy would increase by about £300 p.a. There
is no mention of a battery in lists of the
Company's assets so it is very likely that
Barton's ideas were purely speculative.

He next referred to a battery when writing to
W.M.E. L’Gstrange in 1897 in these terms —

One piece of apparatus however will cause a
regular annual expenditure for renewals, namely
the accumulator battery. (107)

This may have been a prediction relating to
Operation at the Ann St station or be based on
present experience with an installation at a site
unknown.

In October 1899,
calculations based on

Barton made more
telieving the expected
peak loading of the Ann §&t station. He
considered a 250 V. battery of under 400
ampere-hours which would provide 160 A. for
an hour of peak loading and much smaller

currents in the early daylighrc hours, and lor 6
hours at night. As far as is known, no such
plant was installed. Again in 1903 Barton was
considering the installation of a battery in the
Fortitude Valley area to supplement the 220/110
V. system. This was one of capacity 1000
ampere-lours af a cost of about £1500 but
evidently no such plant was installed. I[t is
significant that F.R. 1.’Estrange’s niany articles
and other records mention only the substation
No. 1 battery which leads one to the view that
in spite of earlier references this may have been
the first actually installed by the Company or its
predecessors as part of the power system.

No records of the day to day performance of
the William St power station or of the
combined performance of the station and
substation | haye been found. However
predictions for the combined performance were
made for the month of June for cach of the
years 1914 to 1920, (146) This information is in
the form of stereotyped load distribution
diagrams (Fig. 71). In each diagram
including that for 1914 — the important
intended role of the battery is shown with a
number of periods each day and night of charge
and discharge. Another feature of the projected
Operation Was thal generalors of different
capacity were to be utilised in turn each to run
at 100 per cent load factor. Jt can only be
surmised as [oO Whether or not this ideal
situation would have proved practicable.

SOME DESIGN Errors: To conclude the story of
the early stages of development of the William
St station there should be some reference to the
boilers, the coal handling plant and the
circulating water system. The 1914 account
already referred to discusses the problems
relating to these and the steps taken to deal with
them up to August of that year. The first stage
of the replacement of the initial installation of
Lancashire (fire tube) boilers with the more
modern Babcock and Wilcox (water tube) type
with mechanical chain grate stokers (150) is
deseribed thus —

The work of installing (his plant has been attended
with considerable difficulty, ax it his involved the
erection of new plant simultaneously with the
repair uf old, while the ordinary requirements of
current had to be daily satisfied. Further, the
housing of new plant not. having been considered
in connection with the dimensions of the power-
house, it has been necessary to raise rhe roof af
the ‘boiler house seven feet and new flues
constructed, Another ecanomiser consisting of 576
tubes, @ ten-inch steam main and a system of feed

pipes providing a hot and cold feed are further
additions in this connection.

Great trouble has been experienced! with the
circulating pumps owing fo (he sinking of the
pimp hotise foundations, situated on a mud bank,
causing inefficient working. This pump house,
now collapsed, has been replaced by one of
modern design, tie foundations for which extend
in depth to the rock foundation on the river
foreshore, ‘The well is of sufficient capacity to deal
wilh a load of 6000 kW, and the circulating water
system has also been revised and improved, so that
the nuisance of the intake pipes becoming clogged
with mud and water hyacinth has been abolished.

As purt of the Chief Engineer's scheme, a
system of voal bunkers of 500-ton capacity, with
conveyors, has been designed, the material for
which ls now arriving. The conveyors will feed the
eval direct to the bunkers, from whence it will
descend by gravity to the furnaces; this will clYect
@ considerable saving over the methad formerly in
use. (Fig. 72). (150)

It is difficult to understand why in about
1909 fire-tube boilers were Initially selected for
the new power station when water-tube boilers
with mechanical stokers had already been
installed in many Australian power stations.
These included the Brisbane Tramways Co., the
Railways Workshops at Ipswich and Mt Morgan
mine. In the light of experience the low
headroom in the boiler house, which required
costly structural alterations before the newer
boilers could be installed, appears to show lack
of foresight, The records of Messrs Babcock
Australia Ltd show that the first water-tube
boiler was ordered in April 1912, the next two
in February 1913 and two more in March 1919
bringing the capacity to over 100,000 Ibs of
water evaporated per hour, the highest steam
pressure being 210 lb. per sq. in. There were

later additions follawing orders in 192] and
1924. (154)
BARTON AND THE COMPANY MANAGEMENT:

Apparently there was no immediate replacement
for Vincent as the next reference to staff in the
Minutes of the Directors’ meetings is in May
1915 when it was noted that Barton was in
Sydney in connection with the appointments of
E,J, Cochrane and J.S, Just. The result’ was
that shortly afterwards Cochrane became
Engineer and Manager of the Company and
Just the Assistant Engineer, Edward Barton
continued as a Director after relinquishing the
top position and was retained as a Consultant
with a salary of over £500 p.a, When at the end
of 1915 he decided to travel to England to
engage in war work, the Directorate gave him

six months leave of absence. This was evidently
extended as he was still a Director and a
Consultant in February 1917. At the tinte E.J.
Cochrane ceased to be Engineer and Manager
because of ill health and accepted the position
ol Advisory Engineer to the Company. (149) He
advised Barton that he was vacating the
Engineer and Manager position saying that (he)
Barton ‘might return to look after his interests,’
Barton replied that ‘he shall return if offered
passage via America and salary of £1000 per
annum,’ The reply from the Directors was very
explicit and read —

your cablegram stop Directors Have no intention

of asking you to take over miunagement slop

reguire to know if you wish reelection as a

Director at General meeting to be held next month

reply immediately.

Barton apparently did not reply promptly
but a fortnight or so later appointed W.J.
Young, a fellow Director, as his proxy to vote
at all meetings. At the same time the
Directorate extended Barton’s leave of absence
to June 1917. Cochrane died in April 1917.

In November 1917 this leave was further
extended to 31 March 1918; however, shortly
before the latter date the Directorate cabled
Barton pointing out that the Board intends to
elect W.M.E. L'Estrange in his place, [In due
course Barton cabled his reply ‘quite
content’. In May 1918, while still in England,
he was involved in assisting with the
procurement of the long awaited 5000 kW
tutbo-alternator or rather the replacement for
the one originally ordered which had been
‘commandeered’ by a body with a_ higher
priority. In the same month there is a reference
in the Minutes of a meeting of the Directorate,
to the renewal for another five years of
arrangements between Barton and the Company
— presumably retaining his services as a
Consultant.

In 1920 Barton was appointed a Director of
the Ipswich Electric Supply Co, Ltd which had
been formed in 1917 and was initially an
offshoot of the City Electric Light Co. Ltd. He
held this position until 1925, attending meetings
in 1920 and 1921.

As has been seen Barton kept in touch with
developments in Brisbane and Ipswich
notwithstanding his preference for living
abroad. After 1925 his direct interest would
have been as a shareholder in both Companies.
He kept up a correspondence with W.M.E.
L’Estrange and in a 19246 post card from Paris
remarked that —

ne)

it would appear from press cuttings that you will
all be civil servants or else oul looking for
employment with cash in your pockets from the
sale of the CEL Co business.

This referred to the then current possibility
of purchase of the Company's assets by the
Brisbane City Council. This did not eventuale
as the Council and the Company could not
reach agreement on the value of the Company’s
assets. The consequences of this disagreement
were very far reaching but a discussion of them
is outside the scope of this biography. The
background and the sequence of the subsequent
events are briefly explained by Morwood, (152)

THE OVERHEAD MAINS PROBLEM: Concurrently
with the developments just described and in fact
ever since the introduction of the Electric Light
and Power Act of 1896 there had been concern
that restrictions on the use of overhead wires
for the distribution of electricity had been too
drastic. A deputation representing the
Queensland Electrical Association, including
Barton, met the Minister for Public Works in
October 1909 and it was explained that this
restriction had seriously limited the growth of
the electricity supply industry and only four
country towns in Queensland had electric light.
Barton explained that the Act provided that nu
overhead wires could be used except in the
manner prescribed and then only with the
permission of the Minister and the Local
Authority. This meant that When wires were
placed above ground in accordance with the
regulations they could be ordered by a local
authorily to be removed if it was considered
that ‘such line is or is likely to become
dangerous to public safety.’ In this connection
Barton commented thar —

underground wires were practically prohibitive i
cost and it meant thi outside the ‘wood block’
[central city] area glectneny could not be applied
remuneratively in Brisbane.

The Minister undertook to refer the matter
to experts and stated that he would submmir their
report to Cabinet. (155) The outcome was an
Amendment Bill introduced in September 1911
to remove the restrictions on overhead lines bur
this was defeated after a lengthy debate.

Evidently there was no change in the
situation over the next few years because at the
Annual Dinner of the Queensland Institute of
Engineers in April 1914, the Vice President
(N.M. Bell) was reported as saying that —

he would like (6 See a little More liberality shown

with regard to the electric lighting of the city and
desired the removal of the present harassing
restrictions with regard to the overhead and
underground mains,

The same report quoted the Acting Premier,
who represented the Government at the Dinner,
as replying that —

there might be a chance of the re-introduction of
the Bill which was so badly beaten in the Upper
House. (156)

In the event, the matter was not brought before
either House.

However, in July 1917 the City Electric Light
Co. Ltd made an application to the Minister for
Works and the Brisbane City Council for
permission to run overhead mains in North and
South Brisbane and in October formal approval
was given. This was the year in which the
Company was asked by the Brisbane Town
Clerk to submit proposals for electric lighting of
the city streets. The Company’s plan was
accepted obviously anticipating formal
approval by the Government — and on 17 July
1917 the first lights were switched on by the
Mayor of Brisbane, almost thirty years after
Barton’s original proposal.

A major local step in the technology of high
voltage a.c. transmission was taken about this
time despite the fact that the wording of the
Electric Light and Power Act imposed serious
restrictions on overhead lines. The City Electric
Light Co. Ltd and the then recently formed
Ipswich Electric Supply Co. Ltd agreed on a
plan by which the former supplied energy from
their William St power station and transmitted
this some 20 miles by overhead line at 33,000
volts to the latter for sub-transmission at 5000
volts and distribution at the standard voltage of
415/240, as in Brisbane. The major equipment
was ordered in June 1918 and the system
switched on in August 1919.

With the very recently gained experience of a
transmission voltage of 5000 it was indeed a
courageous decision although it can be assumed
that the design of the 33,000 V. line was based
on overseas practices because such voltages had
been in use since about the turn of the century.

The success of the plan in terms of demand
is evident from a report that the full capacity of
the line was reached within a year and
duplication was under consideration. At a
meeting of shareholders of the Ipswich Electric
Supply Co. Ltd in August 1920, Barton
expressed his ‘emphatic opinion that the
Company had done marvellously well.’ (157)

RECORDS OF GROWTH IN ELECTRICITY SUPPLY
GIVEN BY BARTON, WHITE AND CO. AND THEIR
Successors (APPENDIX D): This account would
not be complete without an attempt at collating
at least part of the scattered information
showing the growth in demand for electricity
supply from the Company and its predecessors
during the period in which Barton had a major
influence on the development of the industry
i.e. 1888 to 1915, Because of the phenomenal
growth between 1916 and 1920, data for these
years have been included although Barton’s role
was as a Director and Consultant up to March
1918 and as a Consultant only thereafter.

Annual statistics for the first decade are
almost negligible and even for the remaining
period are incomplete with the exception of the
period 1898 to 1911 inclusive during which
electrical quantities were included in the returns
published in the Queensland Government
Gazette. However the trends in growth of the
demand for electricity supply are evident,
particularly the steady improvement after the
first decade. Comparing the figures for annual
energy generated, it is clear that after about a
decade at Edison Lane the number of kilowatt-
hours used was 0.18 million; after the
subsequent 12 years of operation at Ann St this
rose to 2.1 million and a decade later — in 1920
— the third of the series of three power stations
produced over 18 million in one year. Growth
was restricted by generating capacity during
World War I in spite of the increase in
maximum demand during that period. The
effect of adding two 5000 kW sets immediately
after the war was remarkable by any standards.

It is not intended to attempt to review the
financial operations of the City Electric Light
Co, Ltd or its predecessors beyond saying that
shareholders denied themselves a dividend for
many years as they were anxious to husband
their reserves. The first dividend was paid in
1905 and then only to preference shareholders
who received 6 per cent. In 1907, ordinary
shareholders received a dividend and thereafter
there were annual dividends to both groups. It
would have been particularly gratifying for
Barton to watch the progress of the Company
after the early very difficult years. In 1915, the
year that he left Queensland to undertake
munitions work in England, the Company
records for the twelve months ending 31
January 1915 showed a profit of £31,013,
dividend payments of £20,589 and accrued
reserves of £24,217. Barton himself held 14,341
£1 shares out of 81,036, the total registered.

Ey
0 6 12 inches

Fic. 73. Dynamo used at Teddington, near

Maryborough, Queensland to provide

lighting at the pumping station. It was

designed and constructed locally in c.1888
and was possibly the first to be made in
Queensland. Power was supplied by an 8
h.p. steam engine. The dynamo generated a
voltage of c.60 but the capacity is not
known. It is preserved in, the Queensland
Museum.

COUNTRY AREAS, 1889 To 1900

TOWNSVILLE TO THE TWEED RIVER: During the
first decade of Barton’s pioneer work in
Queensland he prepared quotations for
numerous electric lighting installations. (153)
There are occasional references to these in
contemporary periodicals and, in the absence of
Company records for this period showing which
quotations were accepted, such references have
provided some idea of the firm’s activities. The
localities ranged along the coast from
Townsville to the Tweed River and as far inland
as Thargomindah. The Thargomindah
installation is recorded in some detail since it is
believed to have been the first artesian bore
operated station in Queensland.
Chronologically, the first record shows that
in mid-1889 Barton, White and Co. supplied
and erected an electric lighting plant for a large
butchering and freezing establishment in
Rockhampton. (85) In April 1890, they

77

provided electric lighting in Ipswich in the
Building Society’s Hall. (91) This was the first
introduction of electric light in the district and
as such created great interest; it was not until
six years later that the Government Electrical
Engineer suggested to the Ipswich Council that
they should introduce electric lighting.

Rockhampton was cautious about lighting
the town and the firm’s work there in August
1890 was limited to an extensive electric bell
installation. (158) They were more successful in
Maryborough as in 1891 they supplied the
Maryborough Exhibition with electric lighting
apparatus. (159) Shortly afterwards the firm
provided arc lighting in the foundry of Messrs
Walkers Ltd of Maryborough and there were
discussions about lighting the town. (95) Barton
would have taken the greatest interest in a small
60 V. dynamo designed and constructed in
Maryborough by local engineers for lighting the
local pumping station (Fig. 73). (97)

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il |
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(ty . 4S ltl o
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L6%7-- |_Jol |
Sh EL] O-

Fic. 74. Brisbane Electric Supply Co. Ltd installed
electric light in Gatton Agricultural College
in 1900. Barton prepared the estimates for
the electrical part of the installation,

summarised in this facsimile copy.

|S “
colin AS} ud ot ra snoplbs ~O77 805
K

2 4E WY tes

=y> HS
ite = yor B= onl

meg
Sete os a Capoat Bak cle 2Vini Leal’
a ee ok ~ on Fin EV Lowy

G 4 EDD Late
ban. te CaP ENS See ba.3-5 m tor
pisDp=t sa-83 = 186
sD

Fic. 75. Development of the artesian bore power station at Thargomindah, Western Queensland. Barton
designed and was responsible for the construction of the overhead mains connecting the power station
to the town and for the electrical side of the power plant. The 440/220 V. three wire distribution
system was in advance of the conventional 220/110 V. three wire system in use in Brisbane. The
diagram and calculations are from Barton’s notebook, probably c.1897.

The firm was active in fitting up sugar mills separators to gold mines ‘in the north’, as
at this time. Examples were extensions to arc mentioned earlier. With the firm’s major
and incandescent lighting for Robb and Co. at financial problems during 1896 it is not
Tweed Heads, NSW and exterior and interior surprising that regular reports on their work
lighting at A.H. Young’s Fairymead plantation were curtailed. However during the months of
at Bundaberg. Floods in the Gympie area in the May and June 1897, Barton wrote to the
winter of 1891 prevented the Company carrying provincial towns of Townsville, Bundaberg,
out more electrical installations at gold mines Mackay and Maryborough on behalf of an
there. (160) unidentified Company — the Queensland

About August 1892 Barton and White Pioneer Electric Light Syndicate, Edison Lane,
provided electrical generating plant and Brisbane — seeking consent of the local Council
switchboards for the new works of the for Barton to organise electricity supply in their
Queensland Meat Export and Engineering Co. immediate area. Presumably this would have
in Townsville. This was a 110 V. d.c. system involved applying for an Order in Council on
and the switchboards were manufactured in the behalf of the Town Council and then seeking to
firm’s Brisbane workshops. (101) raise finance for the plan. No details have been

No records of country work in 1893 have found and evidently nothing came of these
been found; no doubt projects were held up as _— approaches; further, no later reference to the

a consequence of the wide-spread floods. Syndicate has come to light. However, in June
However during this year, Barton was 1897 there is a reference to the lighting of the
developing a wet separator to remove magnetic town of Toowoomba by the Brisbane Electric

material from gold bearing ores. Sketches and Supply Co. Ltd, and this was the year that the
estimates have been found in one of his note Toowoomba Electric Supply Co. was formed.
books showing that the work was being carried —_ (161) For some reason the Order in Council was
out for the Biggenden Gold Mining Co. (153) revoked in 1900 to be later transferred to

In 1894 the firm extended the lighting at Thomas Tonks, a Brisbane electrician. The new
Mon Repos sugar mill (near Bundaberg) and Company was described as the Thomas Tonks
also provided lighting at Doolbi station (near Electric Light and Power Co. Ltd but in the
Childers) for Robert Cran and Co. (111) following year, 1906, became the Toowoomba

No records of country work in 1895 have Electric Light and Power Co. Ltd. In November
been found other than the supply of magnetic 1900 it was reported that the Brisbane Electric

78

Fic. 76. The artesian bore power plant at Thargomindah was housed in a simple corrugated iron building at the
bore site, A section of the overhead mains, carried on insulators, wooden crossarms and poles is in
the foreground. The discharge from the water-wheel driving the dynamos is seen to the right.

FIG, 77. The artesian bore power plant at Thargomindah was driven by a locally designed and manufactured
water-wheel (similar to a Pelton wheel) housed in a casing made from a ship's water tank, The wheel
had 16 buckets arranged radially with an oyerall diameter of 24 in, The bore pressure was initially 245
Ib. per sq. in. The nozzle and supporting structure were probably moved temporarily from the
working position for this photograph.
79

Pic. 78:

The artesian bere power plant at Thargomindah. The water-wheel shafling was directly coupled to two

(ynamos, one on either side, These were designed by Barton and rated at 220 V.,c.5.4 kW each, They
Were manufactured in Brisbane by Barton's firm and were commissioned in March 1898,

Supply Co. Ltd was carrying out an electne
lighting installation of some 160 16 c.p. lamps
at Gatton wnder the supervision of the
Government Electrician. (162) This would have
been at the Gatton Agricultural College and,
from Barton’s estimates prepared in January
1900, a dynamo of about I) kW, 110 V., a
switchboard, overhead distribution mains and
interior wiring were provided for about £540.
(Fig. 74) (153) There was presumably no
objection here to the use of overhead mains,

THARGOMINDAH — A UNIQUE DEVELOPMENT:
The name Thargomindah, a town located 700
miles west of Brisbane, and that of Barton and
White were associated in various addresses and
publications of some fifty years ago and the
town ig Of umique interest on account of the
setting up of the first artesian bore operated
electric power plant in Queensland. It is
recorded that the town had a small steam-engine
driven electrical generating plant in early 1892
which was described thus —

KO)

To Trackson of Brisbane falls the honour of
carrying. out the first electric street lighting of a
permanent character in (he Colony. The town of
Chargomindah has been fitted out by them with an
incandescen| system, the lamps varying in power
from 16 to 500 candles. The dynamos are of the
Firth type and it is proposed to use the power for
various purposes during the day ... (163)

The next report was in January 1893 when
the Queenslander stated that —

the town was lit by electrieily for the first lime last

night, [23 January] the innovation proving a great

success. The machinery which was erected by a

local man named Simpson worked smoothly, The

plant belongs to Mr Paterson, a storekeeper. It is
understood thal a great number of houses will use

the light. (164)

The reports are clearly inconsistent; possibly
there was considerable delay in completing the
initial installation or for some reason this plant
was replaced. There is no evidence that Barton
was involved at this stage.

Fic). 79, The artesian bore power plant at Thargomindah. An improved water-wheel replaced the original one in
1904 or earlier. Evidently only one dynamo was in service at the time of the photograph.

An artesian bore had been put down tnder a
contract let by the Government, and from
which water was first available in September
1893. The local authority the Bulloo
Divisional Board — leased the bore from the
Government for the reticulation of water in the
town and for the generation of electricity for
£100 per year for ten years from | July 1895.
(165)

About this time it was reported that, owing
lo the expense, electric lighting of the town had
been ‘abandoned for kerosene.’ (166) The same
information appeared annually until 1900 when
the corresponding entry read —

The town is now lit by electricity, the flow from
the artesian bore driving a waler-wheel connected
to two dynamos,

This summary of the situation was a litee
belated as the date of inauguration of electricity
supply using the bore is given if the
Queenslander as 30 March 1898 with a
preliminary trial held at least as far back as
May 1897. The trial installation was described
as an experimental stage dynamo capable of
supplying 75 16 ¢.p. incandescent lamps, the

x]

bore providing the power through a _ water-
wheel, (167-169) Wires were to be run from the
generaling plant to the township ‘within a
fortnight and the work will then be complete.’
This prediction was not realised and it is
doubtful whether the equipment ordered from
the Brisbane Electric Supply Co, Ltd was yet
available. The following extracts from an article
in the Queenslander described the inauguration
of the lighting and gave a full report of the
installation —
. A successful concert in aid of the hospital was
held last night [30 March 1898]. Electric wires
from the artesian bore a mile beyond the town
were attached to the town wires yesterday and the
hall in which the concert was held was brilliantly
lighted by electricity. The light was beautifully
clear and uniform and everyone — present
pronounced the light to be a great success .,. The
electric lighting of Thargomindah will be finished
in about three Weeks ... We are informed that this
is the first municipality-owned electric plant in
Queensland and began with the purchase by the
Divisional Board of the small plant which the late
Mr Paterson, an enterprising saw-mill owner,
started there. Having gone so far, the council went
into the malter carefully and with (he comment

Fic. 80. The artesian bore power plant at
‘Thargomindah. The marble switchboards
for the control of the electrical plant and
the indicating instruments for the
Measurement of the output were
manufactured ¢.1898. by Barion's firm, the
Brisbane Electric Supply Co. Ltd,

and advice of Mr Hesketh {the Government
Electrical Engineer] decided to adopt the three-
wire, 440 volt sysiem of distribution as this
enabled them to make use of the water power of
the artesian bore which is situated at a distance of
one mile from the town. The current is carried to
the town by cables weighing 11% lons and by the
ordinary 110 volt system of distribution the weight
of the cables would have been J4 tons, which is
quite prohibitive in capital outlay. The plant is
particularly interesting in that the water-wheel
(Pelton type) was made in Thargomindsah under
the designs of Mr Holmes, the enginger to the
Board, while the dynamos and switchboard were
made by Messrs Barton and White of this city
from Brisbane castings and forgings. The two
dynamos are placed on either side of the water-
wheel and connected to the shaft so they had to be

designed lor a specially low speed. The speed of
the water-wheel is regulated by an electrically
controlled governor which opens the water valve as
the number of lights in the town is increased and
cuts off the water as the load decreases. The
current from the dynamos is led to the cables on
the poles through a switchboard made of white
marble on which are mounted two voltmeters and
two ammeters to indicate the pressure and quantity
of the current being consumed in the town, The
volimeters are fed by return pressure wires so that
they constitute a telltale informing the engineer at
all times of the pressure and therefore of the
brilliance of the lights in the town over a mile
away. (169)

The foregoing account is supplemented by a
paper by Hesketh and by a quotation from
Barton, on behalf of his. firm, for the electrical
equipment and distribution system. Hesketh
gave details of the hydraulic side of the
installation thus —

The bore is 2650 ft in depth, the surface of (he
ground being 495 ft above the sea level. The
pressure when the bore was first opened was 245
lb. per sq. in. and the daily flow estumated at
670,000 gallons with a temperature of 166° F. For
the purpose of electric lighting, a jet drives a
locally made water-wheel (a photograph of which
was shown). The wheel was on the Pelton principle
but its details were not strictly orthodox. There
Were sixteen buckets on the wheel which had a
diameter of 24 in. on the outside of the buckets.
The nozzle had a diameter of |\4 in.

More details of the electrical side were given

thus —
The distribution from the central station was by
means of overhead wires on the three-wire system.
In the author's opinion electric lighting
undertakings would be considerably handicapped
if permission was not given for the use of
overhead conductors in such cases. Owing to the
fact that timber is very scarce, the poles and
general outside construction could not be said to
be very artistic. The wiring inside the houses was
of the usual pioneer style. There were sixty lamps
already connected, and forty more to be connected
shortly. With a view of ascertaining what power
could be obtained from the bore, tesis were made,
and the results tabulated, from which it appears
thar, although the rotal (electrical horse power)
available with the present plant is ten electrical
horse power, it would be possible to obtain fifteen
electrical harse power with a more efficient water
wheel, (170)

Barton gave further information in his
quotation for the installation and also left on
record his calculations in connection with the
design of the distribution system (Fig, 75), The
station equipment was shown thus —

= 4e
"2.7 ,29

“
Gine2 Vol2
‘go PVH.

CENTRAL STATE ScHoo
Ree Sala
ZEt2N20°S38
GGwes Vl iPiszs
CENTRAL

RAILWAY STATION
| 33°2)'49"/o00 4

0 50 100 yards

Fis, $1, The Brisbane Technical Colleze was set up as parl of the Brisbane School of Arts to meet the demand
for technical courses. A building provided for this purpose was erected facing Turbot St ¢. 1884 in the
area behind the Schoo) of Arts, Barton gave his lectures in this building for many years beginning In
1889, [1 was also uw meeting place for the Queensland Electrical Association in the 1890's.

2 Dynamos. 100 lights, 220 V., 800 n [r.psm.] £210 and replaced with a diesel engine driven
2 Electric Governors £30 generator,
Switchboard, instruments and switches £24 There was a problem over the Order in
The distribution conductors and insulators Were = Council which was necessary to legalise the 1898
shown as costing E168, making a total of £436 and installation and distribution system although
accompanying this were calculations of the ii. did not prevent the scheme going ahead. Il
estimated currents, vollage drop etc, (153) was Hesketh’s responsibility to advise ithe
The dynamos would have to be used a5 & Government on technical aspects of the Electric
pair to supply the 440/220 V. 3 wire system and = Light and Power Act and here was a cleat
it is of interest that the use of such a breach of it in regard to the overhead mains.
distribution voltage was a development some He had inspected the area in Sepleniber 1898

fifteen years ahead of Brisbane practice. and noted —
The power station building is shown in Fig, A .,
76, the original locally made water-wheel in Fig. that he did not see how the Electric Light scheme

would be commercially practical if overhead

: e in
77 and the general arrangement of ihe plant i conductors were not approved, (171)

Fig. 78. The next development with a more

efficient water-wheel is shown in Fig. 79 and the This argument was accepted by Cabinet but

swilchboard details in Fig. 80. for some reason the Order was nol gazetted
There is evidence that the water-wheel was until September 1899, 7

replaced by a conventional Pelton wheel during As a general comment on this pionecr

or before 1904 (Fig. 79) with a more usual form development, it is surprising to discover how
of casing in place of the original one said to few Queensland country towns were prepared to
have been made locally from a ship's water go ahead with electricity supply schemes about
tank. Whether the dynamos were also replaced this period. Even in 1918 when the demand in
is tot known but it may be significant that the Brisbane was increasing rapidly, and twenty
rating of the installation in 1935 was given as 24 years after the Thargomindah artesian bore
kW, The plant was finally closed down in 195] plam’ was commissioned, only five country

ha

Fic. $2. In early lectures on electricity, electrical discharges in partial vacua were demonstrated by means of
Geissler tubes which were available in great variety. The thin-walled, glass tubes had platinum
electrodes and contained gases with yarious degrees of vacuum. A, had a narrow portion which
facilitated specirum analysis. B, contained carbon dioxide and the glow appeared as a series of
cupped dises. Development of these tubes led to the modern fluorescent light which was introduced

commercially in the mid 1930's.

towns had electric lighting

This Chapter spans the period from [888,
when the first commercial electricity supply was
given to Brisbane, to the early twenties. For
most of this time Barton provided leadership
despite many disappointments and financial
setbacks. His name is now forgotten by the
community and few artefacts relating to his
work remain; however, records of the period
show the extent of his contribution,

CONTRIBUTION TO EDUCATION
AND PROFESSIONAL. ENGINEERING
SOCIETIES — 1889 TO THE EARLY

1920's

EDUCATION

TECHNICAL COLLEGE AND
The credit for the
development of courses providing technical
training in Brisbane must be given to the
Brisbane School of Arts which was founded in
1849 and in 1878 moved from the corner of
Queen and Creek Streets to Ann Street. (Fig.
81)

In i882 the Committee of Management of
the School gained Government support for the
setting up of a Technical College which was to
be part of the School. (172) A Government
grant in 1883 or 1884 enabled a building for the

THE BRISBANE
RELATED INTERESTS:

College to be erected at the back of the existing
building. This comprised a large hall. a
mechanical drawing room and a general class
room. In addition, a brick outhouse for a
chemical laboratory and a wooden shed for
carpentry were provided. The College also had
the use of three rooms in the School of Arts
building.

Facilities were organised for the teaching of
a variety of subjects many of which, though
rudimentary, were basic to engineering and the
forerunners of organised technical education
courses. As an example, in 1884, the subjects
taught in evening classes included Mechanical
Drawing, Frechand Drawing, Mathematics,
Chemistry, Geology and, just offered, Applied
Mechanics. The last subject was advertised with
the lecturer's name, Thomas Tomlinson. (173)
In the early days, in addition to the standard
courses, occasional single lectures were given on
specific subjects e.g. a lecture by Professor
Pepper on electrical discharges in gases using
Geissler tubes (Fig. 82) was reported in the
Brisbane Courier. (174)

In July 1889, a year after the first
commercial supply of electricity in Brisbane, we
find Barton undertaking to give a series of ten

lectures on electricity. These were held on
Monday evenings in the Technical College

building, the admittance charge for each lecture
being one shilling, (175) The subjects may be
summarised thus: slalic and dynamic electricity,
dynamos, static induction, transmission of

e B-prrcree
0s Quapporuee
an Eupowee.

Fic, 83. Facsimile of a list of lecture topics prepared by Barton for two of his courses at the Brisbane Technical

College in the late 1890's.

NS

electricity, electrodeposition of metals,
telegraphy and telephony. Incidentally, the
series was suddenly curtailed when Barton was
required to attend to the lighting at Parliament
House on Monday nights as well as continuing
his normal attendance on other week nights;
later an alternative arrangement at the House
enabled him to proceed with the series which
was followed in October by a similar but more
practical course. (176,177) At the end of the
year there was an examination and one of those
who passed was W. Young — possibly the
employee of Barton, White and Co. who later
became a Director of the Brisbane Electric
Supply Co. Ltd. Thus began the slow
development of technical education in electrical
engineering in Queensland.

In 1890 the ninth session of the technical
classes began and in January’ Barton
commenced a series of Physics lectures. The
opening lecture was free and the series cost 10/6
with the classes running from 7 to 8.30 pm.
(178) Many lectures were reported in some
detail in the Press and it is probable that there
were twenty in the series.

Barton continued his lectures in 1891 and in
1892 about twenty were given between June and
November. Most were reported in the
Queenslander. (179) It is clear that he arranged
practical demonstrations and it may well be that
these lectures were attended by the first
apprentices from Barton, White and Co. After
1892 the newspaper reports of Barton’s lectures
were irregular. As examples, the opening lecture
in 1894 and the 22nd lecture in 1895 were
mentioned. Occasionally a detailed report was
given, for instance a lecture on Duplex
Telegraphy attracted attention in 1900 as did
one in the Heat section of the Physics course
about the same time. This resulted in the
Stirling boiler being fully described with
diagrams in the daily Press. (180)

Earlier than this there were indications of
reorganisation of technical classes, for example
mention is made of Departments within the
Technical College and in 1894/5 the subject
Electricity was included among courses listed by
the Department of Science and Construction.
(181) Later this was changed to the Department
of Science, Engineering and Trades.

Thus the courses developed over the next
decade by which time Barton was lecturing,
giving tutorials and supervising laboratory
classes for two to three evenings per week. In
addition he took day (including Saturday)
classes in Practical Physics. The electrical

subjects expanded and in 1898 there were three
stages listed, presumably corresponding to three
years. (182) A list prepared by Barton in about
1896 (Fig. 83) shows the programme for two
electrical subjects taken by him and lists a range
of topics included in the courses. (183) At least
by 1898 there was an ordered course of study
leading to a Diploma in Electrical Engineering
and as far as is known this was a pioneer step
which was followed by the introduction of a
University of Queensland Diploma in
Engineering (Mechanical and Electrical) course
in 1910.

Barton concluded his Technical College
teaching work at the end of 1904 and in 1905
W. Arundell took over the electrical subjects.

Barton’s lecture programme demonstrated
his versatility and ability to keep up to date
with new developments. As an example, he
interested himself in wireless telegraphy at an
early stage in its commercial development. In
May 1901 his first lecture to his Brisbane
Technical College class was entitled ‘The Newest
Developments of Marconi’s Wireless
Telegraphy’. The demonstration apparatus was
operated by W.M.E. L’Estrange.

A similar lecture with the title ‘Marconi
versus the Cables’ was given in March 1902 and
the following press report leaves little doubt
that Barton had unusual gifts in presenting new
ideas in a form that could be readily understood
by his audience. ;

The lecture was intensely interesting from start to

finish, and this was in no small degree due to the

lecturer’s carefulness in eschewing
incomprehensible technical terms, his liberal use of
diagrams, and his extremely helpful experiments.

At the outset, Mr Barton — successfully

demonstrated the reality of Marconi’s discoveries,

and the discoveries of those experimentalists who
went before him, by showing an apparatus, built
by himself on the Marconi system, in full working
order. The concise explanation of the apparatus
that followed was easily understood by all. Mr

Barton then explained the developments in the

researches of other men that made it possible for

Marconi to build up his system of wireless

telegraphy, concluding by discussing the

commercial possibilities of the new system as
against the present development of the [submarine]
cable. For one thing, the Marconi system was too
slow — thirty-two letters per minute was its limit,

while a cable 3000 miles long could carry 600

letters per minute. Beside this, Marconi had also

to face the difficulty that an enemy could set up
an apparatus which would make his messages

unintelligible. ... (184)

It is interesting to find that Mr J. Hesketh,

Chief Electrical Engineer, Post and Telegraph
Department, Queensland, when giving a
University Extension lecture on ‘wireless
telegraphy’ and ‘telephony’ in Brisbane some
cighteen months later, clearly did not belicye
thal wireless telegraphy would replace expensive
cables and land lines although he added that
‘anything was possible nowadays.’ (185) Neither
Barton nor Hesketh could have foreseen the
rapid improvements in wireless lelegraphy:
systems or, within the decade, the first use of
Wireless telephony (or radio as it beeame
known).

The Brisbane Technical College Incorporation
Act; While Barton was continuing with his
lectures the first measure of Government
contral was introduced with the passing of the
Brisbane Technical College [ncorporation Act
of 1898. (186) Under this Act a Council was
formed comprising six Government
Tepresentatives, three representatives elected by
subscribers (presumably donors) and three by
cerlificate students, J,W. Sutton, who had been
Chairman of the School of Arts, Technical
College sub-Committee for several years, was
elected President in 1900. (187) Barton was a
member of the Council in 1904 and was elected
President In August 1904, continuing as a
Council member until 1907,

As a further development a Board of
Technical Education was formed in 1902 but
disagreements brought about its abolition by the
Government in 1905 and the responsibilities
passed fo the Department of Public Instruction
under an Inspector, (186,188) In 1907 the
Technical Instruction Act led to the formation
of the Central Technical College and the
Council was dissolved,

Accommodation for the large number of
Technical College students was an increasing
problem as new courses developed and in 1899 a
new building was provided opposite the School
of Arts building. It was noted at the time thar

there were pew classrooms lor teaching Plrysics
and thar students could carry out their experiments
tram the simplest to the most complicaied
electrical consiruction, (189)

This was no doubl due to Barton's influence
and was 4a most important educational
development. The fact that it had to be
ploneered is only too easily forgotten.

In 1914 the Central Technical College classes
were moved from the Ann St building to one in
George St adjacent to the then University of

87

Queensland site where it was re-equipped and
reorganised. The engineering Diploma work just
referred to was carried out in Co-ordination with
the Faculty of Engineering of the University.
University staff were appointed as College
examiners and the four year course was giver
University recogitition, Thus Barton — now a
member of the University Senate — had the
well deserved satisfaction of seeing the result of
his long sustained contribution to technical
education,

Apprenticeship; implicit in the new mechanical
and electrical diploma course and indeed in the
earliest courses under the School of Arts was
the corresponding apprenticeship training and
Barton had definite views about this. F,R,
L’Estrange, himself an apprentice to Barton's
firm from 1904, made the following comments
(33) in hig recollecuions of the times —

Mr Barton adopted a policy of indenturing
apprentices; he was throughout the years to be a
song advocate of technical and practical training
in the Technical College in addition to what was
picked up from whe men wilh whom the lads
worked. Up to October 1898, apprentices were
appointed on the payment of £200 and wages were
just pocket money, After this lime no premium
was taken and the pocket money was halved — for
a week of 45 hours, Saturday morning included.
[With no premium, the weekly wages were a3
follows: first year, 1/3; second year, 1/9; third
year, 3/9: fourth year, 5/-; [ifth year, 7/6.) Mr
Barton firmly believed that when a lad had
completed his five years apprenticeship, he should
be discharged within six months to gain additional
experience. His colleagics in the Board Room,
knowing that competition in the contracting lieid
was becoming stronger, conceived the idea of
countering Mr Barton's beliefs without exhibiting
their disapproval for the reason that the BESCo,
and later the Clry Electric Light Co., made a
worthwhile profit oul of contracting and repair
work. In order to encourage employees to remain,
shares were offered to all employees, old and
young, The shares were first offered in September

1907 and the terms of inlerést weje |nosl
attractive.
Elsewhere L'Estrange explained the

arrangement, One pound shares were offered ot}
the basis of 100 for cach pound received as
wages per week, the conditions being that the
employee pay monthly calls amounting over five
years to 13/4 per share. The City Electric Light
Co, Ltd made up the remaining 4/8 af the end
ol the five year period. (190)

Barton's Views on Secondary and Technicas
Education: Barton Wok a broad interest in the

Queensland education system =— although
understandably he was particularly concerned
with technical education, The following
newspaper articles, the first published in 1894
relating to secondary school work and the
second — a report of an ANZAAS paper — in
1909 referring to apprenticeship training give his
assessments at these limes,

In the 1894 article, he raised ‘the question of
useful versus useless subjects in our schools’
thus —

OF the larter (useless subjects) shall only discuss
English, grammar and music, | pul the grammar
first because music is not so objectionable as
graunimur, with its allied subjecis of parsing and
composition. English grammar is as unfortunate as
Creek grammar. The one was created by our Dr
Johnson and the other by Erasmus. How muny of
us have diligently learnt our myriad of Lenses.
moods created by the fertile brain of Erasmus for
the purpose of symmetry, and when we came ta
Homer and Xenophon, we were coolly informed
by our teacher that we were in the Doric or Attic
dialect, and that all the verbs were irregular,

English grammar is equally useless. It never
taught a boy to speak correerly, because
correctness of speech can only be acquired by
practice and association with educated persons, i.e,
persons who have become familiar with the
language as fixed by the writings of our besr
authors. A man who really spoke grammatically
would be called a prig. Ir would be a valuable
accession fo our knowledec to have a complete lisr
of subjects umd the hours devoted to each in our
principal schools. The public could then judge
whether any time or money could be devoted to
the acguirement of manual dexterity, by curtailing
the useless subjects,

What we want is to make our boys bright and
eager to learn, Dinning lessons into a sullen boy
for a week |s not as effectual as awakening his
interest in the samme subject for an hour, and the
most astonishing result of che ‘Slojd’ (pronounced
Slovd) system in Scandinavia has been the
ineréased ‘appetite’ for literary knowledge among
the boys.

The slojd system is apt to run wild like the
literary system bul in its proper elementary silage
as suited to elementary schools it consists in
training the eye and the hand by the shaping of
soft materials into geometrical and common useful
forins. For this purpose wood is generally chosen
because it is cheap and clean in working, Clay is
superior in some respecis, but is objectionably
dirty. I the smallest and poorest schools every
seliolar has to provide himself with a sharp pockel
knife and during one or two hours every day he is
faughl io produce liltle square rulers, cubes,
triangles, Inkstands, penhandles, round rulers,
teeiotems for spinning and other articles the
material being soft deal or beech, In the larger

schools the highest classes have a workshop and
benches, Me cost of Which is insignificant: in fact,
the material is frequently given by a timber
merchant and the boys make the benches, the tools
being supplied by the school authorities. .., All we
want (8 to give the boys the ‘cunning of the hand’
and then let them apply that eutning to a trace
when they go to their xpprenticeship. ... | look io
the introduction of drawing as being the most
important as Well as the least expensive step, When
drawing is introduced (say at the expense of that
béte noi ‘parsing’) let it be with chalks on cheap
paper instead of line pencils on drawing paper or
drawing books, where the boy is afruid of every
line and rubs it out with the ever present eraser as
soon as he buy drawn it. Let him stand up and
have his paper tacked on a vertical board and
draw large. When drawing is lirmly established the
rest of slojd will follow. (91)

Some fifteen years later Barton, now an
MLA, addressed an ANZAAS Conlerence held
in Brisbane, on ‘Aspects of Technical Education
from a Queensland Point of View’. In
introducing the subject he referred to his
‘lengthy experience in connection with the
[Brisbane] Technical College both as a teacher
and as a member of the Council,’ The paper
expressed the view that the established form of
apprenticeship training had broken down under
machine shop methods and offered advice on
the pattern of training that should be followed
in these circumstances,

The newspaper report (192) summarised the
presentation thus —

After explaining that his paper would necessarily
reflect the opinions of an engineer, Mr Barton
went on to give an historical sketch of the
industrial conditions of the last two centuries in so
far as they affected the teaching of skill and
handicraft showing how the apprenticeship system
had gradually fallen to @ very low state of
efficiency owing to the advent of special machine
(fools thereby lessening the opportunities of
acquiring und Jowering the value of skill, In
Furope and America this change in industrial
conditions had brought iuto existence the
‘machinist’, who with a special machine could
execute such work as a ‘key seat’ in less time than
the skilled fitter of a former generation would
need lo ‘mark ouv the work, Many attempts, he
said, had been made in England by employers ...
to re-establish the apprenticeship system, but as
the special machine gained ground, it became a
more hopeless undertaking. Even in Germany,
where trade schools were such a success in the
seventies, the complaint now arose that young men
would not attend classes, owing to the want of
market for special skill. Linsuccesstul attempts had
also been made to re-establish the supremacy of

skill over the machine, notably the greal strike of
the Amalgamated Society of Engineers in 1897. In
Queensland, where far more work was lo be done
in erecting, and using machinery than in making it,
there was litile demand for special skill, but,
owing to the scattered nature of settlement, there
was more demand for general skill and intelligent
understanding of machinery, and the author
conlended thai, in addition (a the present
provision for special training in the theory of
special branches of industrial work, our technical
schools should provide for teaching general skill,
using woodwork as the chief means for giving a
command over the muscles of the hand, and
training the eye to judge accuralely of dimensions,
plane surfaces, and angles, while training the mind
to understand and interpret drawings. A certain
amount of work with metals would follow, as
every student training for industrial pursuits
should not only acquire skill in woodwork, but
should be familiar with such pracesses as
soldering, rough filing, pipe screwing A&c. He
should Jearn rough mechanical drawing, and have
a clear understanding of the drawings pur before
him. Such a training would, on his entrance into a
workshop, go far lo make a student from college
more acceptable to foremen and more valuable to
employers, saving him from much of the menial
work usually given to navices, The preparation of
the lad in the primary school was also dealt with,
and if was pointed out that the teaching of
arithmetic, which was al present specially suitable
for the lad with & mercantile future, could with
advantage be modified. The practice of aiming al
absolute figure accuracy should be abandoned in

favour of a percentage accuracy, rough
approximations, with an error below 2 per cent
being much = preferable 10 long, tedious

calculations, which are apt to obscure the process

of reasoning and produce absurd results.

Eighty years later, the views expressed in the
last sentence remain valid and all too familiar to
those engaged in teaching.

THE UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND: Barton was

closely involved with establishment of the
University of Queensland, In 1901, as Vice-
President of the Queensland Institute of

Engineers, he gave an Inaugural Address with
the title ‘Theory and Practice’. This referred to
the need for improving present methods of
educating, the younger generation of engineers
and he reminded the audience that a Bill for the
incorporation of a University of Queensland
had been prepared, as follows —

While it was apparent that the Government
contemplated the institution of @ modem
University and wished to make it more Scientific
than Classical, yel the Bill was unfortunately
drafted on the lines of the old charters of such

89

§4.

Edward Barton was «appointed by the
Queensland Government as a member of
the first Senate of the University of
Queensland in 1910. He served on vanous
committees of the Senate until November
1915,

Universities as Sydney. Under the older systems

the Management is vested in a body of men whu

are continuously recruited from within the

University, whereby an intense conservatism is

engendered, It is therefore highly desirable that the

more modern method of Government as adopted
in the case of London University and Birmingham

University should obtain here. In these cases the

control of the University is vesied in a Senate

recruited partly from the alliance but chiefly from
recognised scientific, industrial and commercial
associations.

Al a University Conference held in Brisbane
in November 1906, Barton represented the
Brisbane Technical College and gave a paper
entitled ‘The Influence of the University on the
Standards of Primary and Secondary
Education’. He expressed the need for the new
University to be a modern organisation which
‘would render it free from the narrowing
influences of the too rigorous adhesion to the
traditions of the past while at the same time

maintaining the scholarly influence of a true
University.” (193)

On 10 December 1909 the Governor of
Queensland gave assent to the University of
Queensland Bill and 4,G.C. Barton, MIEE
(Fig, 84) was one of the twenty men appointed
on 14 April 1910 as Senate members, As far as
is known he was the only practising engineer
appointed,

The University of Queensland Senate records
show that in 1911 Barlon was appointed
Chairman of the Building and Site Committee
which was mainly concerned with the
conversion of Government House (at the end of
George St) to University purposes and the
procurement of equipment immediately needed,
Among other matters the Committee considered
the co-ordination of the requirements of the
University and the Central Technical College to
prevent duplication of laboratory facilities.

Later in the same year Barton was given
leave to visit Europe and America and was
appointed to represent the Senate at the 500th
anniversary celebrations of St Andrew’s,
Scotland. The first Professor of Engineering —
Professor A.J. Gibson — had also been given
leave about the same time to travel overseas to
acquire laboratory equipment for the
Enginecring School so it is very likely that
Barton took part in the enquiries since the items
included hydraulic plant, heat engines, material
testing machines and electrical apparatus, (194)

In January 1912 Barton was welcomed back
to Brisbane and in April he was appointed
Chairman of a Senate Committee set up to deal
with Public Music Examinations under a joint
scheme with other Australian Univerities. By
early 1913 Barton had been appointed to the
Education Committee and the Library
Committee of the Senate while continuing to
chair the Buildings and Grounds Committee
(newly named) and the Music Committee,
previously described as the Musical Committee.
Barton’s interest in a scheme of music
examination was noted by Percy Brier, a well-
known music teacher in Brisbane who, in
referring to the establishment of the Australian
Music Examinations Board in Queensland,
credited this interest thus —

that honour belongs to an amaleur — E.G.C,
Barton — an engineer who was, [ believe, a
member of the University Senate, He tried to
interest me in the scheme before the outbreak of
World War | but | was not interested until $922 .,
(195)

‘MI

Barton again applicd for leave of absence
from May 1913 until the end of the year and on
this account relinquished his chairmanship of
the Buildings and Grounds Committee, The
period of leave seems to have been extended to
July 1914 and he then resumed’ his other
Committee activities until November 1915 when
he was granted leave to visit England, What his
plans were at this time are not known but it
seems clear that he wished to assist in the war
effort in Great Britain. Possibly this was the
time when he presented books and periodicals
to the Library of the University of Queensland
Engineering School.

He is listed in the Roll of Service of the
University of Queensland under ‘Munitions
Workers’. (194) Another contemporary record
describes his war service thus: ‘Inspector of
H.M, Factories, Department ol Munitions;
(later) Assistant to Professor J.A. Fleming."; an
obituary (1943) stated that ‘he served in 1915-16
in the Department of Munitions (High
Explosives), arid later in the Naval Information
Department.’ The obituary stated that he spoke
French, German and Italian; probably his
fluency in German acquired as a student in
Germany, would be relevant to the last
appointment. (7,8) By the time he rerurned to
Brisbane in June 1920 the life of the First
Senate was over.

PROFRSSIONAL ENGINEERING SOCIETIES

THE QUEENSLAND INSTITUTE OF MECHANICAL
ENnGiNeeRS! From the earliest days of the
Australian Colonies, membership of one of Ihe
English-based professional institutions of
engineers was not only the most usual
recognition of adequate professional ability but

such membership, giving access to the
publications of the institution concerned,
enabled engitteers to keep abreast of

professional practice. Long before there was the
possibility of world-wide recognition of an
Australian based enginecring institution, the
desire to have * means of sharing professional
experience was evident and thus were formed
specialist associations such as the Mechanical
Engineers Association in Queensland which was
formed in 1886, (196) Nothing has been found
about its activities but evidently it was
succeeded by the Qucensland Institute of
Mechanical Engineers shortly before September
1890, with C.A. Bernays as Secretary. (197)
Soon afterwards there was an enrolment of
forty members, (198) the first Committee being

elected in December, and this included Barton.

The first lecture to the Institute was given by
Barton early in 1891 on the subject ‘Electrical
Engineering’ and his next lecture, given in
October 189] was on “The Phonograph’. This
included a demonstration of a newly acquired
Edison cylinder type machine which was battery
operated. The lecture was fully reported, with
many diagrams prepared by Barton, in a@ trade
publication. (199)

In 1893 he gave a lecture on ‘Elementary
Manual Instruction’ expressing similar views to
those mentioned earlier. The lecture was
reported at length in the Queenslander of 29
July.

The Insutute was most progressive in
offering prizes for the best papers — one to a
member and one to a student. This was in 1892
and was followed in 1893 with the offer of
awards for mechanical engineering apprentices
based on the results of examinations set by the
Institute. (200,201) Barton was elected to the
Institute Council in 1894 and as Vice President
for 1894-5, (202) It is not known when the
Institute concluded its activities but by 1905
funds amounting to about £50 were transferred
to the Queensland Institute of Engineers ta be
added to the Sir Thomas Mcllwraith
Scholarship fund for final year engineering
students at the University of Queensland. (203)

THE QUEENSLAND ELECTRICAL ASSOCIATION
AND THE QUEENSLAND INSTITUTE OF
ENGINEERS: Barton may be assumed to have
had a major part, with J. Hesketh, in founding
the Queensland Electrical Association in 1898.
(204) The idea was not a new one in Australia
as an association of electrical engineers was first
proposed in 1891 when a smal! group formed an
Electrical Club in Sydney, N.S.W. They
organised social evenings and held regular
meetings at which papers were given. The name
was changed to the Electrical Association of
NSW in 1896. (43)

The main object of the
Association was stated to be —

Queensland

To promote [he general advancement of Electrical
und Telegraphic Science and its applications, and
to facilitate the exchange of information and ideas
on these subjects amongst the members of the
Association and otherwise ..

There are details about holding meetings,
promoting exhibitions, publications, and the
formation of a library. In the inaugural
Presidential Address, Hesketh remarked that —

the Association should form the centre of u

healthy, vigorous, and militant body of engineers

— engineers in heart and action, if not always in

name — inten! on purting Queensland in the

advance guard of the Colonics with regard Lo

electricity in all its branches. (204)

Barton was elected President in 1899 (205)
and between 1898 and 1907 gave at leas! seven
papers (listed in Appendix E) to the Association
on a wide variety of subjects. One of the most
interesting, given in 1901, advocated polyphase
supply for electric railways instead of the
conventional direct current. A proposal was
outlined for south east Queensland. Electric
railways came some eighty years Jater but hy
then single phase high-voliage alternating
current was the obvious choice.

Barton's versatility is illustrated by his
detailed paper in 1901 based on his experiments
with a Morse sounder — a basic piece af
equipment in the electric telegraph system at
that time, His reason for the study is explained
in his reply to the discussion following the
lecture —

Tam very pleased with rhe reception recorded 10
my paper, and the Opposition shown in Lhe
discussion has fully rewarded me for venturing out
of my awn domain into that of Telegraphy. | may
say that I was induced to make the venture
because the great majorly of our papers have been
of the type described by the Germans as
“starkstrom” (heavy current) and have narurally led
to a lack of interest on the part of the
“schwachstrom” (light current) man. In going so
far out of my own domain I did not wish to
atrempr roo much, and have therefore selected the
sounder. On reading up the subject | Was
astonished to find that the Telegraph people hac
not wakened up to the use of the modern electrical
units, Uhal the old ideas of ohms and Danicll’s
cells still reigned supreme, and that rhe mode
concepts of henries, magnetic flux, and ampere
iutns had not spread amone them; even the words
volt and ampere had not come into general use
among them. Looking at the matter from the
point of view of one who has been reared in an
atmosphere of electrical measurement, | felt that
the most important conception in telegraphy was
that of self induction, or, as it is sometimes called
in heavy current working, back E.M.F. of counter
E.M.P. After coming to this conclusion | found
that study of the action of the sounder presented
considerable difficulties in spite of ils apparent
simplicity.

He began his paper with the following

amusing implied criticism of a tenet of light
current engineers of the period —

Old beliefs are hard io kill, and although

electricity is a young Science there is one saying
which amounts to a belie! with many, and which
has given rise to much trouble in the past; I refer
lo hat well-worn expression ‘The external
resistance shall equal the internal resistance’,
whereby is usually meant chat the resistance of che
vlecitic circuit outside {he generaling apparatus
should be equal to the resistance encountered by
the current in passing througl the generating
apparatus itself,

Many years ago ! was running an electric ight
plant, and a kind-hearted old gentleman, with che
best of intentions, came and explained to me thal
my whole difficulty lay in equalizing the external
and internal resistance, and when J infarmed him
that the internal resistange of the dynamo was a
fraction of an ohm, and that lowering the external
resistance to the same would result it a red-hot
armature, he smiled incredulously and tefr me.
(206)

In Oclober L9OL the Association formed a
committee to consider the clauses of the Electric
Light and Power Act of 1896, Io suggest
improvements and report to the next meeting of
its members with a view to laying proposals
before the Minister. (207) Problems which the
Act created have been referred to above and no
doubt these were strongly presented. The
outcome of the 1901 discussions is not known,
but in 1909 the subject was still alive and a
deputation from the Association waited on the
Minister for Works. (155)

The Queensland Institute of Engineers was
formed in 1901. This had been discussed in 1900
and at a meeting of interested engineers in
September Barton was voted to the chair
presumably in recognition of his support for the
proposal. (208) The objects of the new Institute
were:

(a) to promote the science and practices of
engineering in all its branches and to give an
impulse to inventions likely to be useful to
members of the Institute and to the community
at large.

(b) to enable Engineers to meet and to
correspond and io facilitate the interchange of
ideas respecting improvements in the various
branches of engineering science, and the
publication and communication of information
on such subjects.

The first formal meeting was held in April 190!

when Barton as Vice President gave the
inaugural address, in the absence of the
President. (209) Barton was President for

1901-2 and 1903-4 and again Vice President for
1915, He contributed at least nine papers to the
Institute on a wide variety of topics. (Appendix
B)

yd

In 1905 the Queensland Electrical
Association and the Queensland Institute of
Engineers gave a farewell dinner to Barton and
his wife before they left for overseas. There
were many references to his career and the
following are extracts from a newspaper report
of the occasion —

Mr Barton had the distinction of having
introduced the steam turbine to Queensland ... At
the time he was working up his business he did not
neglect experimental work and his labours in
connection with magnetic separators would not be
soon forgotien, He has really heen responsible for
the resuscitation of their Engineers* Society [QTE].

Referring to Barton's interest in technical
education, one speaker remarked —

Their guest had the happy gift of explaining the

use of technical subjects and in consequence was a

very successful teacher, (210)

His address to the Institute in October 1906
entitled ‘A Voyage of Discovery in the
Workshops of Europe’ would have been
fascinating bul unfortunately no copy has been
found and it only rated a few lines in the Press,
(211)

In May 1907 Barton addressed the Opening
Session of the Association on the subject
‘Electricity in the Service of Women' — the title
no doubt chosen in contrast to that of a
standard text book of the time, ‘Electricity in
the Service of Man’. He recognised that help
with household tasks by the employment of
servants would cease and that the housewife
would need electrical appliances to compensate
for the loss of such help. He cited the
advantages of the electric stove, the electric iron
and electric lighting over the gas equivalents.
The electric fan, the electric bed warmer and a
retrigerator powered by an electric motor were
also listed as desirable.

The leisure resulting from the adoption of
electricity in this way would enable the lady of
the house to visit her friends in an electric car
which would have a range of about 30 miles at
a speed of 15 miles per hour. His predictions
concluded with a list of applications in the
home and he indicated how long each device
would operate for the cost of two pence, the
expected future price of an electrical unit of
energy. (212)

In October 1909, Barton gave a paper
entitled ‘The Status of Engineers and the
Affiliation of Engineering Societies throughout
Australia.’ This is the first reference found in
the minutes of the Queensland Institute of
Engineers to such a development. The Brisbane

Courier of 1 November 1909 reported that —

Mr Barton read a short paper on the status of

engineers in Australia, and the efforts being made

ty alliliute the several societies 19 the different

Stales, sO that their local knowledge should

command the attention due to it. The Council had

alveady taken action, and now awaijicd
communications from kindred Societies in other

States.

In spite of this early initiative, progress was
evidently slow as the next reference to a
‘proposed Ausiralian Instilulion of Engineers’
was in the minutes of a QIE Council meeting
held on 24 June 1914 at which, incidentally,
Barton was welcomed alter an overseas visit.
The minutes of the January 1918 Council
meeting show that a national body was under
discussion; this was instituted in the following
year as will be referred to shortly.

To illustrate the breadth of Barton's
interests, in 1909 fe led a deputation
representing the (Queensland Institute of

Engineers to the Minister for Public Works with
reference to the provisions of the Metropolitan
Water and Sewerage Act. The Bill was still
before the Legislative Council and QIE
menibers were concerned that with the likely
composition of the Water Supply and Sewerage
Board, there was the possibility of the technical
men being overruled by non-technical interests.
Barton expressed his concern at references in
the Press to importation of men with the
necessary skill to do the work entailed by the
Act as he considered that these positions should
be made available to young Queenslanders.
There were discussions about ventilating shafts
and the basis for charging for the new services.
Barton argued that rating on floor space rather
than maximum demand was very unfair. (213)

In June 1910 Barton was appointed to
represent the QIE at a conference of the
Australian Institute of Mining Engineers held at
Mt Morgan, near Rockhampton.

THE LNSTITUTION OF ENGINFERS. AUSTRALIA; In

1911 the Queensland Electrical Association
merged with the Queensland Institute of
Engineers; members of both organisations

elected representatives on the Committee of the
Institute at the time.

Several years later the QIE agreed to join
with similar Institutes in other States of
Australia to form the Institution of Engineers,
Australia. (196) Barton became one of the 128
Associate Members from the Brisbane Division
of the new body although he was living in
England at the lime, (214) He evidently retained

93

his interest in professional society activities and
during a visit to Brisbane in 1922 gave two
lectures to the Bnshane Division members.
(Appendix E)

The International Conference on Large Extra
High Tension Systems met in Paris in June 1925
and it is very likely that Barton attended this
because the Faculty of Engineering, University
of Queensland had recommended to the
Queensland Committee of the Institution of
Electrical Engineers, London that he be invited
to represent Queensland. (215)

In {926 he and Ernest Bate of the State
Electricity Commission of Victoria represented
the Institution of Engineers, Australia at the
Centenary of the Incorporation by Royal
Charter of the Institution of Civil Engineers,
London. The representatives were referred to as
‘one from the older, and one from the younger

generation of distinguished Australian
Engineers,” (196)
Barton's interest in the Institution of

Electneal Engineers, London is evidenced by the
fact that in 1896 he was elected an Associate of
that Institution and in 1899 became a Member.
Up to 1907 the Institution had been represented
in Queensland by engineers employed by the
State Department of Post and Telegraph, or
later by those of the Postmaster General's
Department. Barton received the IBE
appointment in 1907 with the designation of
Local Honorary Secretary and Treasurer. He
relinquished this position in 1915 when he left
for England to take up war work there, (216)

Overall Barton’s contribution to the
formation and development of professional
engineering societies was exceptional, He held
office in three such Queensland societies and
gave at least 23 papers on a variety of topics,
principally in the fields of electrical and
mechanical engineering.

COMMUNITY SERVICES AND
SPECIAL INTERESTS — EARLY 1900's
TO 1942

QUEENSLAND PARLIAMENT, 1908 TO L909

In February 1908 Edward Barton was elected
MLA for North Brisbane representing the
Kidson Socialist Party in the capacity of Junior
Member in the Seventeenth Parliament with an
annual salary of £300, (217) Bernays, referring
to his appointment, described him as —

the man who originated and stuck to the now
prosperous City Electric Light Co. (218)

His motivation for entry into political life
can only be guessed from the records of
Parliamentary Debates of the time. (219)
Perhaps he was influenced by early recollections
of his father’s political experience and an
inherited interest in socialism. There could have
been a conflict in philosophies since he was
Managing Director of a strongly free enterprise
organisation.

The political situation was an unusual one.
On 22 November 1907, the Sixteenth Parliament
had been dissolved after a life of only several
months and, in the Seventeenth Parliament,
Premier Kidson often had an extremely small
majority when legislation was being passed. Yet
Bernays (218) while discussing the times as ‘one
of the tensest periods in our Parliamentary
history’ added that —

few sessions of [the Seventeenth] Parliament have
produced measures fraught with so much
importance,

So it must be concluded that there was a
challenge for Barton to spread his influence into
politics.

Barton made his first speech in Parliament in
March (219) and later took part in discussions
such as the need for pressing on with the
University Act, developing technical education
by the awarding of scholarships and the setting
up of a Teachers Training College. The Session
ended in late April and Barton was presumably
given leave from his Parliamentary duties for
several months as he was in Europe for the
period May to October 1908. He is recorded as
attending an official dinner in London on 25
June in his capacity as an MLA, (220)

The Second Session began on 17 November
of the same year and Barton spoke at length
against a proposed amendment to the Address-
in-Reply. (221) This amendment was in effect a
vote of no confidence in the Government.
Bernays has summarised the main features of
the proceedings which included attempts to
abolish, or at least reduce, the powers of the
Legislative Council. By August 1909 the
Government had a working majority of one and
was dissolved; this and the two preceding
Parliaments had lasted a total of five years.
(218)

Barton had taken little part in the Third
Session and did not contest the North Brisbane
seat at the next election, late in 1909, so that his
period of Parliamentary service was from 5
February 1908 to 2 October 1909. As stated
earlier he resigned as Managing Director of the

94

City Electric Light Co. Ltd in June 1909 to
practise as a Consulting Engineer. He
subsequently became a Justice of the Peace.
Although not directly connected with the
Government it is convenient to note here that
Barton took a prominent part in a benevolent
organisation, the Brisbane Institute of Social
Service and was President from about 1910 to
1915, after which he remained a Vice President
for some years although living overseas. (222)

SCIENTIFIC SOCIETIES

Barton was a member of several learned
societies in addition to those directly concerned
with engineering. There are others to which he
is believed to have belonged but his
memberships have not been confirmed for lack
of local records.

Membership of the Royal Society of
Queensland was recorded in his application for
Fellowship of the Royal Geographical Society,
London. (223) However the RSQ records of the
time do not list members and no relevant
contributions by Barton have been found.
Another society mentioned by him, the Royal
Meteorological Society of Queensland has not
been traced so the basis of his claim to
membership in 1914 cannot be discovered. (223)
A Meteorological Society of Australia was
formed by Clement Wragge in Adelaide in 1886
before he came to Queensland as Government
Meteorologist, so a Queensland branch may
have been formed about this time — without a
Royal Charter! (224)

However, his interest in meteorology is
evident from his election as Fellow of the Royal
Meteorological Society, London in June 1909
although he did not publish in the Society’s
Journal.

There is no doubt that Barton was a
foundation member of the Historical Society of
Queensland when it was formed in 1913, and
was a member of the Provisional Committee.
As he was only briefly in Brisbane after this
date it is not surprising that no papers by him
are recorded.

Of the Queensland scientific societies, he
appears to have shown the greatest interest in
the Royal Geographical Society of Australasia
of which a branch was formed in Queensland in
1885. He became a member in 1902 and served
on the Council of the branch in 1908/9 and
1909/10.

In 1906, Barton gave an illustrated talk to
the Queensland Branch entitled ‘Central Europe

Revisited’ describing his 1905 visit, the first
since he left Europe to return to New Zealand
23 years earlier. (225) The International
Geographical Conference was held in Geneva in
July 1908 and Barton was appointed to
represent the Queensland Branch of the Royal
Geographical Society of Australasia. His
extensive report is a wide ranging account of his
experiences both at the Conference and during
his travels in other parts of Europe about this
time. He commented that —

The real object of a Congress is to give an
opportunity to the men of science of bringing
before the World an account of the most recent
steps in their special studies. By this means is
secured that frequent interchange of thought which
lies at the root of the rapid progress made by
science during the last twenty years, compared
with the previous century. The reader of a paper
not only gains publicity, but also has the benefit
of so putting his communication on record that no
rival can afterwards claim the credit of his
discovery — glory and renown being apparently
the goal of the enthusiasts who frequent such
congresses. ... I may say at once, that to me,
coming from the other end of the earth the most
attractive part of the proceedings lay in the
opportunity of coming into contact with men
whose names had been known to me for many
years. To see these men and to have speech with
them was indeed a great joy. To meet at the
breakfast-table such men as Bartholomew, the
map maker of Edinburgh ... and many others was
quite an experience for me ... A striking feature of
the Congress was the use of four languages —
French, German, Italian and English, which were
officially recognised. The first three were
necessarily recognised by the Committee, but
English was added because it was well known that
the English speaker seldom learns foreign
languages. (226)

A newspaper report added that each delegate
spoke in his own language except the Russian
delegates who spoke in any of the above four.
(227) Barton is credited with fluency in French,
German and Italian and hence would be able to
participate fully in the proceedings. (7)

Barton had been asked on behalf of the
Queensland Branch, and with the support of the
Queensland Government, to invite the congress
to hold its next meeting in Brisbane but as he
remarked ‘this was not seriously entertained but
I had the consolation of seeing the invitations
of twenty other towns meet the same fate.’ He
was however elected Vice President of the
‘Rules and Nomenclature Section’ of the
organisation. A meeting of meteorologists in
Hamburg was held about this time and Barton

attended this and also a meeting of the British
Association for the Advancement of Science in
Dublin.

In April 1911, he read a paper to the
Queensland Branch entitled ‘Weather and Its
Causes’ — one of the longest of his published
papers. It shows his wide-ranging interest in this
subject and discusses exploration of the upper
atmosphere with balloons. (228) Following his
European visit in 1913-14, he gave an illustrated
talk to the Branch entitled ‘Some Cities of
Europe, their Beauty as an Investment, their
Traffic and Housing Problems’. This was
illustrated with lantern slides. (229)

During a visit to Queensland in 1920 Barton
gave an illustrated lecture to the Society on ‘Old
Europe in its new Garb’ and, while on a second
visit in 1922, he gave a talk on aerial mapping
with the title ‘Bird’s Eye Mapping’. At about
this time the Society bestowed on Barton the
Diploma of Fellowship in recognition of his
services to geographical science, thus permitting
him to use the initials FRGSAQ.

In June 1914 he was elected a Fellow of the
Royal Geographical Society, London; the
Geographical Journal (the organ of the RGS)
records several contributions to discussions for
the period 1917 to 1939. One of these related to
the inconvenience of using feet and fathoms, as
he had done in his own work on estuaries and
sandbanks; others related to colloids and delta
formation and to tidal prediction. Details of his
work in Australia have not been found but
rough notes by the late F.R. L’Estrange suggest
that as far back as 1904 Barton was studying
the silting up of estuaries and the formation of
sand dunes in the vicinity of Southport,
Queensland. (230)

Barton had a_ keen interest in tidal
phenomena and in February 1935 he had
completed a cinematograph film, described as a
‘Tides Film’, for educational purposes. In his
correspondence with the RGS (from his home in
Watford, near London) he stated that the film
included —

a series of separate representations of tidal

movements across each of the great oceans and a

more detailed representation of the manner in

which successive tides come from the Atlantic and
sweep around Britain.

Much work was involved as he made —

some 1500 maps each of which differs little from
its predecessor so that no contour line shall appear
to move more than half a millimetre ... this was a
necessity imposed by the cinematograph ... after
ten years on this tide film and three changes of

lechnique, | thoughe it best to face the public with
my lilm, In any case 4 pioneer mus face ridicule
and, if he gets a few bits of intelligent eriticism, he
can commence all over again (if he is young
enough. | am only 78 fsic] years old.)

Nothing further is known except a comment by
the RGS in recent correspondence with the
author that the ‘film was not shown at the
RGS,'

Other evidence of Barton’s interest in this
field comes fram the following boyhood
recollections of meeting Barton in 1915 or
earlier (when the writer of these notes and his
companion were about nine years old). These
net only support the belief that Barton was
studying coastal erosion at Southport,
Queensland and vicmity but also provide an
interesting sidelight on his personality.

... We were told that he was a very brilliant man
and Mr Sinclair {the father of one of the boys]
had been very impressed with his scientific
knowledge and activity in scientific research, He
asked Mr Barton if we could come along and meet
him, and see some of the wonderful things thar he
had to show, We called on him al the Pacific
Hotel [Southport] where he was staying, and so
far from being overawed at meeting such an
iinporlant man, we were pul instantly af our ease,
and il was obvious that he was delighted lo shaw
to anyone, young or old, the interesting equipment
and specimens which he readily explained in simple
terms. which we were easily able to understand,

It now [1986] seems a long time ago but I
recall clearly that he produced a Pedometer, an
instrument the size of a pocket watch, which he
carried on his watch chain on the end which
usually carried a metal case called a sovercign case
in those limes. In this instrument there was a
balanced weight on a lever and it moved the lever
up and down with each pace and no doubt he
calculated distances on the formula that one
normal pace equalled 30 inches, 30 36 paces
equalled 30 yards, after reading the dial which
showed the number of paces from Point A ta
Point B. His equipment included a folding tripod
and what must have been a theodolite. His private
research at that time had something to do with
fluctuations of the sand dunes, and he usually
covered a distance of several miles per day,

Mr Barton also had a microscope and we were
greatly delighted to sce what fish scales, butterfly
wings and other things, looked like under
magnification.

As 1 remember him, Mr Barton was a fairly
robust man of medium height and | think he bad a
small dark pointed beard which was quite common
at the time, Tt was a memorable experience for us
hoth and his genial and friendly nature made a
deep impression on us. The man who brought

U6

Electricity Supply to Brisbane was naturally a very
‘big’ man, especially to youngsters like us. (231)

DECIMAL ASSOCIATION, ENGLAND

The advantages of the decimal and metric
systems over rhe I[mperial System of currency
and units of measurements would have been
very well appreciated by Barton from his
student days in Germany in the 1870s. Hence it
is mot surprising that he wanted English
speaking countries to convert to the metric
system. In 191] he expressed the hope that the
metric system of measurement would be
introdiiced in Australia. (232) This interest,
which had apparenily received little
encouragement in Queensland, blossomed in
England and he became an enthusiastic member
of the Decimal Association after World War I.
The Association had been formed in 1892 in
London and Barton began their publication
‘The Decimal Educator’ in 1918. (233)
Following a farewell dinner in April 1920 in
London when Barton was leaving for a visit to
Australia, appreciation for his services to the
Association was expressed thus —

All old friends of Mr. E.C. Barton, and the many
new ones that he made during his sojourn in this
country, will learn with great regre} that he has
returned to Australia, to attend to his private
affairs which he had so long Jeft to look after
(hemselves while he helped jo win the war. None
will feel the loss more keenly (han the members of
the DECIMAL ASSOCIATION, for he has been
one of its staunchest supporters, @ most active
member of the Executive Commitlee, a fertile
source of new ideas for propaganda purposes, and
a lecturer on decimal coinage and the metric
system of unexcelled interest and charm. Mr.
Barton, a member of the Institution of Electrical
Engineers, and a Fellow of the Royal Geographical
Society, is no mere theorist or visionary; trained in
this country as an electrical engineer, he was in
charge of one of the early electrical undertakings
here in 1881, and seven years later he started the
first electricity works in Queensland, after which
he built up a flourishing business in Brisbane. He
filled many posts in the public service, being at
one time Member of Parliament for the city of
Brisbane, President of the Technical College
Council, and a governor of the University. When
war broke out he returned to England and placed
his services at the disposal of the Government,
being employed on various commissions of

national importance. He ever missed an
opportunity of advancing (he cause of decimal
counting, and was the originator of the

DECIMAL EDUCATOR. On behalf of the
Decimal Association, he repeatedly toured the

country, and delivered some 70 lectures, besides
carrying oul invaluable work in organising public
opinion on the subject of counting in lens. (233)

He returned to England by September 1921
and continued his interest in the Association as
a member of its Council and in about 1935 was
appointed President of a Committee set up by
the International Chamber of Commerce ‘to
enquire into the question of the introduction of
the metric system into all countries’. (223) He
became Chairman of the Association in 1937 or
earlier and continued in this position until his
death in 1942. (7,234)

Publication of ‘The Decimal Educator’
ceased in 1936 and as there are no holdings in
Australia it has not been feasible to compile
details of Barton’s contributions. However the
following comment from Cambridge University
Library shows his continuing interest —

even a cursory glance [at the publication] shows
that from about 1920 Barton contributed regularly
and prolifically. Scarcely an issue was published
Without something from his pen; some have as
many as three articles, letters or reviews by him.
(235)

OVERSEAS TRAVEL

Barton’s overseas visits to Europe occurred with
increasing frequency during the early years of
the twentieth century and most have already
been referred to. He was away from Australia
for at least some part of 1905, 1908, 1911,
1913-14, 1915. This information came from
various archives and from a collection of
postcards written by Barton and kindly made
available by family connections living in
Brisbane. The cards came from a variety of
countries including England, France, Germany,
Jreland and Switzerland.

He probably visited New Zealand from
Australia a number of fimes — either
professionally or for family reasons as_ his
father became a Judge of the Native Lands
Court there and his brother, Elliott, was a
Crown Prosecutor at Hawera (North Island).
However only two references to trips to New
Zealand — in 1906 and 1907 — have been
found.

It seems likely that Barton lived in different
European countries after 1915. The one
photograph of this period shows him on skis in
Switzerland in 1925 (Fig. 85). He attended the
British Association for the Advancement of
Science Conference in Bournemouth, England
in 1919 and other Science Conferences in
Europe.

oa

Fic. 85. Edward Barton made Europe his home from
1916 until his death in 1942. He was an
enthusiastic skier and a frequent visitor to
Swilzerland., The photograph is dated 1925.

|

Socially he was shown as a member of the
Royal Societies Club, London in 1922-3. (8)
The only definite residential address was in
Watford. Hertfordshire where he lived from
1935 to the time of his death in 1942. (234)

An interview in Brisbane after his return in
1914 from a twelve months overseas visil
covered topics as diverse as the advantages of
decimal currency, fown planning in European
cities including the means of financing plans for
beautification, electrical developments in
Belgium and winter sports in Switzerland. (236)

A personal letter dated January 1928 from
London gave his views on letter writing and he
made the distinction between a correspondent
and a Jetter-writer; he prided himself on being a
good, but tardy example of the latter. As an
illustration he enclosed several typed pages of a
fascinating description of a bicycle tour which
he had taken with a friend in the previous vear
through the Jura Mountains (on the
French-Swiss border), He found historical and
architectural interest in most towns and villages
that they went through and mentioned many
local legends of the countryside.

The London letter concluded with the
remark ‘I have a lathe in one of the hotel rooms
where | work many hours without feeling tired.’

Barton's activities were extremely wide

ranging. He took an active part in scientific
societies concerned with engineering both in
Queensland, and overseas, maintaining this
interest for many years together with his major
responsibilities as head of an electricity supply
company.

EPILOGUE

Barton was a man with great vision and
versatility, yet at the same time quite
unpretentious in character. He spent about
thirty years of his life in Queensland and for
most of this period led the quiet revolution
during which community attitude towards
electricity changed from opposition to rapidly
increasing acceptance for both domestic and
industrial use. He and his colleagues achieved
this success with a rare combination of ability,
enterprise and industry that would have
discouraged a less dedicated group.

The hindrance to development was, of
course, the high cost of small scale production
of electrical energy in the 1890’s. Electricity for
lighting was far more expensive than gas and
thus there was virtually no demand for ordinary
domestic purposes. By the time there was some
growth in demand for supply to industry and
commerce (the former relating particularly to
the use of electric motors) Australia suffered a
widespread industrial depression greatly
exacerbated in Brisbane by the disastrous floods
in 1893.

The difficulties of the period 1893 to 1896,
the year in which Barton and White became
insolvent, and the steps in the formation of a
new company are set out herein. The major
achievement of obtaining promptly an Order in
Council and thus legalising the giving of
electricity supply paved the way for
development without the threat of effective
objections by the Brisbane Municipal Council.
Nevertheless, financial problems were
paramount owing to the small amount of
industry using electricity. The next several years
saw a gradual improvement in the situation to a
point where proper capital investment was
possible and the electricity supply industry could
be regarded as firmly established.

Today the emphasis is on developments in
new fields that could not have been even
contemplated by the engineers of Barton’s time.
However, it is salutary to consider the progress
in power system technology that was made in
the last two decades of the nineteenth century in
comparison with that achieved over the nearly
ninety years of the present century. In the

98

earlier period, changes in practice were
occurring at a remarkable rate and Barton
coped with these rapid changes as he did with
the strong opposition to the introduction of
electricity supply in Queensland. This objection
was of course primarily for the economic
reasons just mentioned but there were also
powerful vested interests and local government
politics to be contended with.

In 1889, Barton took the initiative in setting
up and himself conducting classes in Electricity
at the Brisbane Technical College which was
part of the Brisbane School of Arts. This

interest he continued with increasing
responsibility until the end of 1904.
He also recognised the importance of

professional engineering societies and took a
leading part in their development. His lectures
to these societies show that he belonged to an
era when it was not unusual for leading
professional engineers to have a range of
knowledge extending to almost every aspect of
the respective fields in which they were
acknowledged _ experts. Soon afterwards
specialist subdivisions developed so rapidly as to
make this overall understanding virtually
impossible.

Barton was a firm supporter of the idea of
setting up a University of Queensland for at
least ten years before it was founded and he
served on the First Senate — the first engineer
to be elected — in a variety of capacities. In
addition to his technical ability he had an
excellent command of English. If one adds the
belief that he was fluent in three foreign
languages the picture emerges of an unusually
well educated man.

Little has been said about’ Barton’s
personality and his relationship with his
associates and employees. Fortunately we have
the recollections of a contemporary, albeit then
junior, member of staff, Gilbert Mackenzie,
which provide a picture from an employee’s
point of view —

Mr Barton was a very active man, with a happy
personality, which combined with his experience
and leadership, were the main factors in the
progress of the Company. The staff were indebted
to him for his all-round knowledge of every
department, which he freely imparted to them. He
gave special lectures to the staff and helped to
illustrate the subjects by lantern slides. He also
gave public lectures which created great interest. I
was called upon several times to operate the
projector and slides for these functions. If any
interruption occurred, Mr Barton was ever-ready
with some funny remark that put the audience in a

good humour ... He took @ keen interest in sport,
he being a good athlete, and he rode one of the
first free-wheel bicycles in Brisbane ... (80)

Mackenzie also recalled an occasion when the
Directors of the City Electric Light Co, Ltd
provided a dinner for the contractors, their
workmen and the employees of the company,
This was to mark the opening of the Ann Sr
power station in 1899 or early 1900 —

It was held in the workshop ... and Mr Barton was
in his element as Chairman. He proposed the
toasts. He congratulated the Contractors, alsa the
staff on a good job done. Mr Tom Ffall, the
builder, being too full for words, could not reply.
To save him from any further embarrassment, Mr
Barton replied for him in a very clever and
humorous speech.

An overseas reference to his personality
comes from the Decimal Association of
England. His work with them was greatly
appreciated and he was referred to as a Iecturer
on their behalf of ‘unexcelled interest and
charm,’ (233)

Throughout the period of his work in
Queensland up to about 1895, Barton received
advice from both his father and mother who
were living in New Zealand. This
correspondence, preserved in SEQEB Historical
Records, provides a fascinating study in human
relationships; in the early years Barton's parents
apparently considered themselves better
informed or perhaps more realistic about the
financial problems and business associations
related to Barton’s firm that was Barton
himself.

No mention has been made of Barton's
family life in this biography. However, it should
be stated that there was one child of his
marriage with Mary Allan Sutton of Brisbane,
Joseph George Elliott Barton, born in
Melbourne in 1897, (237) Mary Barton
predeceased her husband in 1935 in France.

After 1915, Barton’s relationship with the
electricity supply industry in Queensland was
probably limited mainly to his interest as @
Director of the City Electric Light Co. Ltd until
Mareh 1918 and of the Ipswich Electric Supply
Co. Ltd until 1925. He continued as a
Consultant to the former Company until 1923,
After 1916 his main interests appear to have
been in Europe but none are believed to be
related to the electricity supply industry there.

After some twenty years of living on the
Continent and in England, Barton made his
home in Watford, Hertfordshire. He was
residing at 29, The Ridgeway at the time of his

99

death on 15 June 1942, aged 83. There is po
eviderrce of his holding any public office in
Watford and there was apparently no obituary
in the local newspaper, (234) The records of the
Golders Green Crematorium, London show that
his remains were cremated on 19 June 1942 and
his ashes scattered in the Garden of
Remembrance, on the crocus lawn. The
provisions of his Will included small bequests to
the Decimal Association, London and the
University of Queensland. Surprisingly, he left
the sum of £25 to his ex-partner, C.F. White,
‘as a small reminder of our association
together.’ (238) White’s shortcomings of 50
years before were evidently forgiven!

A Brisbane newspaper reported his death
several days laler bul the reference to his career
was brief and inaccurate, the only electrical
engineering work mentioned being that carried
out at Thargomindah in the 1890's. (239) Later
the Institution of Electrical Engineers, London
outlined his career in an obituary. (7)

Barton had the distinction of being an
Australian-born engineer entrusted with the
supervision for some months of the earliest
development of commercial electricity supply in
England and several years later of being
personally responsible for the equivalent
development in Queensland. Thus he has been
aptly described as the ‘father of the electricity
supply industry’ here. There is no doubt that
from his enterprise, perseverence and leadership
has evoived the whole discipline of the present
large scale electricity supply nelworks in this
State with the resulting benefits to the entire

population.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Help has been received from many quarters
both in Australia and overseas in the

preparation of this biography; this is gratefully
acknowledged although it is impractical to list
all sources. However, the author is particularly
indebted ito the South East Queensland
Electricity Board for allowing him access to the
extensive historical records relating to the
development of the electricity supply industry
ard for giving permission for extracts and
illustrations from these to be reproduced.
Special thanks are due to Mr Ray Brown, a
staff member, for his assistance with searches.
Permission for the reproduction of
illustrations from the Alexander Turnbull
Library, New Zealand, the Science Museum,
London, the Queensland Museum, — the
Queensland Government Railways and Messrs.
Babcock [International ple is acknowledged with

the aurhor’s thanks as is the use of information

supplied by Babeock Australia Lid.

REFERENCES
[. Whitmore R.L. (ed), Eminent Queensland

Engineers. Anstitution of Engineers, Australia,
Queensland Division, Brisbane, 1984.
2. Prentice $A, ef af, 1985, Nineteenth Century

Queensland Enyineers: E,.G,C. Barton, A.J.
Goldsmith, W.D. Nisbet. /mstitulion ay
Engineers, Australia, Queensland — Division

Technical Pupers, Vol, 26, No, 18.

3. Summary of addition! information about
George Elliot Barton (1825-1903) from
Scholefield, G.H., 1940. A Dietonary of New
Zealand Biography, Department of Internal
Affairs, New Zealand and The Cyclopedia of
New Zealand, 1897,

G.E. Burton was a member of the
Provincial Council for the City of Dunedin in
1871 but was defeated in 1873. In 1874 he
unsuccessfully contested a Dunedin seat in
Parliament and in 1876 moved ter Wellington to
euler into practice with H.S. Fitzherbert.

The mosi remarkable event in his
career happened while practising as a Barrister |
Wellington in 1878. While pleading in w cuse
before the Chief Justice he was involved in an
argument as to costs, found guilty of contempt
of court and fined £50 which he refused to pay.
However it was found next day that the
proceedings of the Court had been illegal,

On the same day while acting as
counsel for a client he characterised its
judgement as unintelligible and proceeded {to
argue with the bench; he was four times ordered
to sit down and hold his tongue but continued to
remiousirate and was then senienced to one
month’s imprisonment in Wellington gaol. While
incarcerated there an election for Parliament was
held and Barton — described as a ‘pranounced
democrat’ — was the successful candidate. When
the resull was known ‘a vast concourse of people
went up to the gaol and cheered the new meniber
who appeared at a window but was not allowed
lo speak," It is recorded that while his father was
in prison, Elhott, his elder son, then aged 21,
took his father’s place on the platform with
obvious success.

George Barton lost his seat in 1879
and later went to the U.S.A.» he practised in San
Francisco. On returning to New Zealand he was
appointed a judge of the native land court and in
1892 judge of the Validation court. He died in
France, his wife having predeceased him in 1896-
‘The Cyclopedia described him as a ‘gentleman of
cullure with high abilities, well read and with a
large knowledge of the world.’

4. Summary of information about — Elliort
(’Estrange Barton (1857-1934) from The
Cyelopedia af New Zealand, Vol. 6 1908 and
family sources.

lap

wn

E.L°E, Barton studied taw under his
father in Wellington and with Mr F.M. Ollivier
there. He was admitted us a Barrister and
Solicitor of the Supreme of New Zealand in 1881
und shortly afterwards commenced practice in
Patea, New Zealand. In [885 he moved to
Hawera, New Zealand and became Solicitor for
the Hawera Borough Council and several other
bodies. In [882 he married, at Featherston, New
Zealand, Rachel Mary Brown of Tasmania. He
apparently shared an interest in electricity supply
with his brother as tl has been stated that he was
reyponsible for the starting of the first public
supply in the town of Gisborne. He died in
Auckland.

. Correspondence with the Otago Harly Settlers

. South East

Museum, Dunedin, 12 April 1985, The High
School records are not available.

Oueensland Electricity Board
(SEQEB) Historical Records Ref. No. 2/93,
Letter [rom Miller and Herbert, Edinburgh to
Barton, 28 September 1875. Ref. No. 17/58.
Leter trom .Herbert and Law, Edinburgh to
Barton 28 September 1881.

. Journal of the Institution af Electrical Engineers,

Vol, 90, Part I, 1943, p. 531.

. Sears, J.E. (ed.). Who's Who in Engineering,

. Correspondence

10.

/921-2, Compendium Publishing Co., London,
p. 35.
with the Hocken Library,
University of Otago, Dunedin, N.Z., 20 August
1986.
SEDEB Historical Records Ref No. 4/120.
Leaving certificate, Karlsruhe Polytechnic
Institute.

Apart from the reference in Appendix
A to Barton's conduct, there are two letters
dated July 1879 revarding the standard of his
work in the final semester. The first was by
Professor Keller who lectured on Steam Engine
Construction; he complimented Barton on his
interest and enthusiasm shown in both his
written and laboratory work, Professor Hart
who lectured on the Construction of
Locomotives stated that Barton obtained very
good results and, in particular, “the construction
and thorough testing of his work’ carned the
‘fullest recognition’ of the Professor.

. Applications by Barton for Associate and Jater

. SEQEB Historical Records Ret,

full membership of the Institution of Electrical
Engineers, London do not mention Karlsruhe
Polytechnic Institute,

No. 9/58.
Certificate from Street Commissioner and Road
Overseer, Neasho Falls, Kansas, U.S.A,

. Old Parliamentary Papers, (V & P, LA), 1886

(unnumbered), Report on the ‘Accident to ihe
Electric Light’.

SEQEB Historical Recurds Ref. Nos 18/53, 19/
122, 20/126, 23/54, Letters frony Siemens Bros
re Barton’s services and return io New Zealand,
1882,

16.
7.

22.
23.

33;

. Haveron, F.,

. L’Estrange,

. Speer,

. Shipping Records,

1981. The Brilliant Ray. The
Godalming Electricity Centenary Celebrations
Committee,

Engineering 13 January 1882.

Moralee, D., 1982. Power Engineering : the early
struggle. JEE Electronics and Power Jan. 1982,
pp. 21-25.

F.R., 1954, Brisbene's Early
Electricity Supply. P.Q. Historical Soc.,
Australian Postal Institute, Queensland Division,
Brisbane. Refer also fo a series of articles by
F.R. L’Estrange published in the Southern
Electric Authority of Queensland News, 1954 to
1958.

, Watton, E.B., 1956, Helborn Viaduct to Calder

Hall. Babcock and Wilcox Lid, London

, First application by B.G.C. Barton for the

position of Queensland Government Electrician,
5 March 1886. Qld Stale Archives Colonial Sec.
Records, File 1886/1727.

N.M., 1962. The Eleetricity Supply
Industry in’ New Zealund Electricity Supply
Association of New Zealand, Wellington.
Waikato Times 24 May L883.

New Zealand Parli, Papers, 1883. Report on
Lighting Parliament Buildings by Electricity.

. Second Application by E.G.C. Barton for the

position of Queensland Government Electrician,
22 April, 1886. Old Stale Archives Cal, Sec.
records, 1886/3222.

. Brisbone Courier 9 December 1882.
. SEQEB Histarival Records Ref, No. 45/50.

Letter G, Barton to E. Barton re work in New
Zealand, 23 March 1884.

. SEGEB Historical Records Ret. No. 68/93,

Reference concerning Barton's service with the
Australasian Electric Light, Power and Storage
Co. Lid, 27 August 1886.

Public

Records Office,

Victoria,

. Cannon, M.M., 1975. Australia in the Victorian

Age Vol. 3, Nelson, Melbourne,

. Brisbane Courier 2 July 1878.
. F.R. L'Bstrange (1889-1968) was employed by

Barton in 1904 as an apprentice and served the
electricity supply industry in yarious capacities
for over 50 years, his final appointment being as
Consumers Engineer, Southern —_ Electric
Authority of Queensland. His interest in the
history of the industry and in the preservation of
documents and artefacts is very evident from a
study of the SEQEB Historical Records.

. SEQEB Historical Records Ref. Na, 32/101.

Draft history of electricity supply in Brisbane,
1961, (incomplete).

34. Conot, R., 1980, A Streak of Luck, Bantam

Edition, USA. p, 222 refers the ‘first

commercial Jand-based lighting installation’
where a printing firm had 240 8 candle power
lamps installed in January 188! in New York.

Figaro, 21 April, 1883, An advertisement for
Alfred Shaw and Co reads as follows: “We have

to

wt

Sl.

52.

33.

34.

much pleasure in inlimating that we have
imdertaken Lo represent Edison Electric Light in
this Colony, We have convinced ourselves that in
this we have the best application of one of the
most important modern discoveries. The Edison
Incandescent Light is absolutely safe, remarkably
pleasant to the eyes, consumes no oxygen, emits
hardly any heat and no fumes .,.'

. Brisbane Courier 11 December 1882,
. Brisbane Courier

21 December J882 and

Queenslander 30 Mareh 1895.

. Brisbane Courier 12 December 1882.

. Brisbane Courier 9 April 1883.

. Brisbane Courier \4 March 1884,

. Queenslander 24 May '884-.

. Brisbane Courier 20 August 1869.

. Electrical Progress in Australasia, Supplement to

Australian Mining Standard, 5 May 1909.

. Brishane Courier 12 April 1933.
. Old Parliamentary Papers. (V & P, LA), Vol.

JH, 1886, Report of Department of Mines.

>, SEOEB Historical Records Ref. Nos 49/50, 51/

50. Letters G. Barton to E. Barton, 1) June and
27 June 1884.

. SEQEB Historical Recards No, 36/50, Letter

from G. Barton |o E, Barton, 7 October 1884.

. Old Parliamentary Papers, (V & P, LA), 1884.

Report on the ‘Electric the

Parliamentary Buildings’.

Lighting of

. Wormmell, R., 1893. Electricity in the Service of

Man, Cassell & Co. Lid, London.

. Kingsbury, H-H. Extracts from the Report of

the “Electrical Engineer, 17 March, 1886. Qld
Suate Archives, Cat. Sec. récords, 1886/4751.
Matveieff, A.E. Enquiry resulting from Mr
Kingsbury’s Report, 28 May [886. Qld State
Archives, Col. Sec. records, 1886/4751.
Tomlinson, T. Application for the position of
Queensland Government Electrician, 3 July,
1886. Graduated from Trinity College, Dublin in
Aris (1881) and Engineering (1883). Honours in
Maths, Gold Medal in English and French
Literature, Special Certificate in all Engineering
subjects. Experience with Professors Ayrton and
Mather in London and elsewhere. Old State
Archives, Cal. Sec. revords, 1886/5026. In
Brisbane 1884.

Invoice for Edison Street Tubes and Fittings.
Qld State Archives, Cal. Sec. records, 1886/
4900, The items included 79 tubes (1375!) and
79 coupling boxes,

Conot described the first manufacture
and installation of the mains in New York thus:
‘To prepare the mains, Edison established a
tube-works in a twenty foot wide building on
Washington Street. There Kruesi [his assistant]
presided over ketiles of asphalt and linseed oll.
Pipes under treatment hung our the windows,
and the whole neighborhood suffocated in the
stench. ... The first batches of pipe had air holes
in the asphalt through which electricity leaked,’
Minutes of the Brisbane Municipal Council.

56.

37.
58.

59,

63,

. SEQEB Historical Records Ref, No,

Approval for Jaying a cuble in William Street, 28
April 1884,

. SEGEB Historical Records Ref, No. 40/103.

L'Estrange, W.M.E, The History of Electricity
Supply in Brisbane. Chairman's Address to the
Institution of Engineers, Australia, Brisbane
Division, 20 April 1934. W.M.E. L'Estrange
(1868-1951) joined the firm of Barton and White
in 1893 and, except for a few years gaining
experience overseas in the lare 1890's, served in
sevéral capacities in the Brisbane Electric Supply
Co. Ltd, the City Electric Light Co. Ltd
(successors to Barton and White) and the
Ipswich Electric Supply Co. Ltd. His
appolnuments ranged from installation electrician
to governing director of the City Electric Light
Co. Lid from which position he retired in 1938.
Callender, J.0., 1891. Underground Electric
Mains, Proce. Elec. Assoc, NSW’. Vol. 7.

Old Government Gazelle 3 November i886.

L.A. Bernays was Clerk of the Queensland
Legislative Assembly.

A characteristic of Edison's early dynamos was
that the field core magnets were unduly long in
proportion to the rest of the machine, This led
to the factory name of “Long Legged Mary
Ann’, later changed to ‘Long Waisted Mary
Ann’ to preserve Victorian sensibilities. A change
tO shorter Magnets occurred about the time of
supply of the Brisbane dynamos and it can be
assumed from Barton's remarks that the delivery
in 1884 was of the new style,

. Brisbane Courier 19 July 1887.
. Correspondence ere regarding Barton's
conditional resignation, re-engagement and

termination of employment by the Queensland
Government and also rewarding the new
underground mains is comained in Old State
Archives bundle WOR/A 356, 1896,

. Brisbane Courier 7 June 1892.

Old Government Gazette, 25 February 1888.
Resignation effective 16 February 1888,

. Index to Colonial Secretary's Office, L888. Qld

State Archives.

. Application by Barton dared 6 November 1895

for admission as Associate, Institution of
Electrical Engineers, London states: *... hay been
senior parroer in a firm carrying on a Central
Station in Brisbane since 1887."

. Queenslander 17 March 1888.
. SEQEB Historical Records Ref. No. 74/57.

Letter G, Barion to E, Barton, September i887.
-/204,
Work Repister (miscellaneous records, designs
etc chiefly by Barron), 1887-1906.

. Queenslander 10 March and 17 March 1888.
. Queenslander 27 August 1887.

SEQEB Historical Records Ref, No. 1/168, Note
that Jedia was not in Brisbane in 1887 or 1888,
James Trackyou opened un electrical business in
Brisbane (loter known as Trackson Bros)
probably carly in 1886, An advertisement in the

Ww

78.
79.

Srisbane Courier of 27 February 1886 described
Trackson as an electrical engineer late with the
Queensland Government and formerly with the
Edison Co.

. Brisbane Courier 24 March 1888.
. Brisbane Courier 14 June 1888. A Time for a

Museum published by Queensland Museum, 1986
states that arson was suspected

. Brisbane Courier 23 June 1888.
. Queenslander 25 August L888.
. Morrison, W.F. (ed), 1888, The Aldine History

of Queensland. Aldine Publishing Co,, Sydney.
Reference is made to this illustration but it
appears only in Muir and Morcom, Jubilee
History of Queensland 1888,

. Brisbane Courier 25 July 1888.

ivimey, A.J., 1889. Mining ard Descriptive
Queensland. Muir and Morcom, Brisbane,
SEQEB Historical Records Ref, No. 140/103.
Lists of engine room plant installed at Edison
Lane, Ann Street, and William Street power
stations.

, SEQEB Historical Records Ref. No. 225/97.

Mackenzie, G., ‘historical notes, 1898-1950.
Gilbert Mackenzie (1881-1962) commenced
service in 1898 with the Brisbane Electric Supply
Co, Ltd as an apprentice at the Edison Lane site.
He remained with the company and its successor,
the City Electric Light Co. Ltd for 52 years in a
variety of engineering positions. He retired irom
the company in November 1952.

, SEQEB Historical Records Ref. No, 82/99.

Letter by Barton to Manager, Electric Light
Station, Newcastle, 6 August 1896.

. Brisbane Municipal Council Minutes September

1889.

- Brishane Courier 12 June 1888,

. Queenslander 23 March 1889.

. Australasian Ironmonger July 1889,

. SEQEB Historical Recards, Rel, No, 221/98,

Letter by Barton to Perry Bros, Brisbane, 24
February 1896,

- Old Parliamentary Papers (V & A, LA) Vol. TEM,

1900. Report on Electric Lighting, Railways
Department.

. Mayoral Report, Brisbane Municipal Council,

1902-3,

. Old Parliamentary Papers \890. Report of Select

Committee of the Legislative Assembly on the
Bill to Amend the Brisbane Gas Co, Act of
1k64.

. Brisbane Courier 12 August L890.
- Australasian lronmonger May 1890.

Brisbane Courier 21 February 1890.

. SEQEB Historical Records Ref. No. 99/57.

leuer from G. Barton to E, Barton, 18
November 1888; Ref. No, 128/59, letter from
T.E. White to G. Barton, 16 May 1890,

- Queenslander 23 August 1890.

. Australasian fronmonger June 1891.

. Australasian Jronmonger Seplember 1891,

97. Queensland Electrical and Radio World. Strand

132.
133.

. Queensland Palent No,

Press, Brisbane, August 1938,

. The Building and Engineering Journal 41

October 1891,

. Old Parliamentary Papers (V & A, LA), 1891,
. Queenslander 12 November 1892.

Australasian Jronmonger August 1892.

SEQEB Historical Records Rel, No, 153/109,
Letter from C.P. White to G. Barton, 15
October 1892,

1844, 1891 Tiled II
September 1891.

. Oueenslander 13 August 1892,

Australasian Ironmonger April 1893.

. Minutes af the South Brisbane Muiicipal

Council 1893.

. SEQEB Historical Records Ref. No, 201/99,

Letter from E. Barton to W.M.E, L"Estranye, 22
November 1897.
Queenslander 22 July 1893.

. Queenslander 23 December 1893,

Australasian Ironmonger May 1894.
Australasian lronmonger July 1894,

SEQEB Historical Recards Rel. No. 140/98,
Letter from E, Barton to Town Clerk, Brisbane,
7 May 1894.

Queenslander 17 August 1895,

. Australasian Ironmonger September 1894,
5, Anderson, G,, 1894. Report on Public and Other

Electric Lighting in Australia, Europe and
America, Adelaide 1894,

Australasian Ironmonger February 1895,
Queenslander 30 March 1895.
Australosian Jronmonger January
August 1895,

Australasian Jronmonger August 1895.
Australasian Tronmonger November 1895 and
December 1895.

1895 and

. SEQEB Histarical Records Ref, Nos, 177/94,

178/109, 178A/180, =179B/130, = 179/130,
Leuers from G, Barton to E, Barton February to
April, 1895.

. Australasian [ronmonger December 1895,
. Supreme Court Liquidations, Old Srate Archives

File 1501, 1895.

. Australasian Tronmonger February 1896,
25. L’Estrange, F.R., Southern Electric Authority of

Queensland News July 1955,

. Queenslander 19 June 1897,
7. SEQEB Historical Records Ref. No, T5998.

Letter from E. Barton fo T,E. White, 28 August
1893.

. Australasian lronmonger May 1896,
- Old Parliamentary Debates 1896,
. Department of Post and Telegraph, Queensland

document D2453, 23 February 1897, Letter
Barton to J. Hesketh, 18 February, [897 giving
description of works to | September 1896.

. Queenslander 18 July, 1896, and Prac, R. Soe

Od Vols, 86-88,

Salute to the X-ray Pioneers of Australia, W,
Watson and Sons Ltd, Sydney, 1946.
Australasian Medical Gazette 20 November 1897,

103

134.
135,

136,
137,
138.
139.
140.
141.
142.
143,
144,
145,
146.
147.
148.
149.

150.

151

153,

154,

Brisbane Courier, 21 September (897.

Hesketh, J., Report on the Eleciria Lighting of
the City of Brisbane, A.J, Ross & Co., Brisbane.
See also SEQER Historical Records Ret, No. -¢
169,

Ausiralian Mining Standard 5 July 1900.

SEQEB Historical Records Ref: No, 138/78,
Note by Barton to shareholders on history of the
City Electric Light Co. Ltd, updated to 1928.
Hesketh, J., 1898, Presidenrial Address, J
Queensland Electrical Association, Vol. 1, No. 1.
City Electric Light Co. Ltd Directors Report, 31
December 1907.

Memeorandum of Association, City Electric Lights
Co, Ltd.

City Electric Light Co. Ltd, Directors Report, 31
March 1905.

City Electric Light Co, Ltd, Directors Report, 31
July 1906,

SEQEB Historical Records Ref, No, -/100.
Letter from £. Barton to Crompton & Co.,
London, § March 1907.

Brisbane Courier 1 November 1909,

Brisbane Courier 27 June 1910,

SEQEB Historical Records Ref. No, -/925A-).
Plans. by W. Vincent for development of the
William Street power station 1913.

City Electric Light Co. Lid, Directors Report, 31
July 1910.

City Electric Light Coa. Lid, minutes of Directors
Meetings, 1916.

City Electric Light Co, Ltd, minutes of Directors
Meetings, 1917.

Australian Mining Standard 13 August 1914,

. Brisbane Courier, 28 Seplember 1914.
152.

Morwood, J.E., 1968. History of Electricity
Supply in Brisbane. Institution of Engineers,

Australia, Queensland Division, Technical
Papers July 1968,
SEQEB Historical Records Ref. No. —/213,

‘Goods Received’ Book.
Correspondence with Messrs Babcock Australia,
24 November 1987.

All Babcock and Wilcox boilers
supplied to the William Street Station were
equipped with superheaters and chain grate
mechanical stokers and the complete installation
with brickwork settings was carried out by the
supplier. For the higher pressure boilers (210 Ib
per sq. in.) the orders also included Green’s
economisers, chimneys, galleries, ladders and the
feedwater systems,

Referring to the 1913 layout plans, the
intentien was evidently to adopt the size of
boiler initially supplied for future installations.
The intention appears to have been to use a
single large chimney to serve the ten boilers,
assisted by motor driven induced draught Sans.
However, because larger linits Were subsequently
installed and higher steam pressure and
temperature were adopted, integral economisers
and independent chimneys were included.

155.
156.
157.

158.
159,
160.
161,
162.
163.
164.

165.

166.
167.

168.
169.
170.
171.

172.

173.
174.
175.
176.

177.
178.
179,

180.
181.
182.

183.

184.

185,
186.

187.

Brisbane Courier 30 October 1909.

Daily Mail 27 April 1914.

Ipswich Electric Supply Co. Ltd, Minutes of
Directors’ Meetings 1917-37. Qld State Archives
A29347.

Australasian Ironmonger August 1890.
Australasian Ironmonger May 1891.

Australasian Ironmonger July 1891,

Australasian Ironmonger June 1897.

Australasian Ironmonger November 1900.
Australasian Ironmonger February 1892.
Queenslander 28 January 1893, Mr Paterson was
probably Henry Paterson, Post Office Stores,
Thargomindah whose advertisement in the
Thargomindah Herald and Coopers Plains
Advertiser of 23 August, 1884 described his
occupation as General Storekeeper, Wine and
Spirit Merchant.

Annual Report of Hydraulic Engineer. Qld
Parliamentary Papers Vol. lI, 1895/6.
Australian Handbook 1896 et seq.

Department of Post and Telegraph, Queensland
document D 7137, June 1897.

Queenslander 29 May 1897.

Queenslander 9 April 1898.

Brisbane Courier 18 November 1898.

Department of Post and Telegraph, Queensland,
Document D 13954, 11 October 1898.

Qld Parliamentary Papers (V & P, LA) Vol. III,
1891. Report of Technical College, Brisbane
School of Arts for year ending 31 December
1890.

Brisbane Courier 28 August 1884.

Brisbane Courier 24 July 1884.

Brisbane Courier 9 July to 1 October 1889.
Brisbane Courier 3 September, 1889 (Note:
Australasian Ironmonger February 1894, J.
Dorsett, Engineer, Government Printing Office
was put in charge of the electric lighting of the
Parliamentary buildings).

Brisbane Courier 8 October 1889.

Brisbane Courier 18 January 1890.

A list of many reports in the Queenslander of
lectures given by Barton has been made by the
author.

Queenslander 1 December 1900.

Brisbane School of Arts, Annual Report, 1894/
5.

Manuscript Collection, OM 64-15, John Oxley
Library.

SEQEB Historical Records Ref. No. 98/99
Syllabus details, Electrical Engineering Courses,
Brisbane Technical College, c.1896.

Brisbane Courier 27 March 1902. Advertised as
‘Wireless Telegraphy and its position in regard to
Submarine Cables’.

Brisbane Courier 18 November 1903.

Wyeth, E.R., 1953. Education in Queensland.
Australian Council for Educational Research,
Melbourne.

Report on Brisbane Technical College, Brisbane
School of Arts, for 1900-01. Qld Parliamentary

104

188.
189.
190.

191
192.

193,
194,

195,

196.

197,
198,
199,
200.
201.
202,
203.
204.
205.

206.

207.

208.
209.
210.

211.
212.

213.

Papers Vol. 1, 1902.

Qld Parliamentary Papers (V & P ,LA), Vol. TI,
1905,

Queenslander 10 June 1899.

L’Estrange, F.R., S.E.A. News November 1956,

. Queenslander 3 February 1894.

Report
January
1909,
Brisbane Courier 16 November 1906.

The University of Queensland, 1910-1922.
Queensland Government Printer, Brisbane, 1923.
During Professor Gibson’s absence, J.P. Tivey
BE, BSc, an electrical engineer, was Acting
Professor of Engineering. Tivey was the first
lecturer appointed to the new department; he
resigned in 1912.

Brier, P., 1962. Pioneers of Music. University of

of ANZAAS_ Conference,
1909; Brisbane Courier

Brisbane,
16 January

Queensland, The Musical Association of
Queensland,
Corbett, A.H., 1973. The History of the

Institution of Engineers Australia 1919-1969,
Institution of Engineers Australia and Angus and
Robertson, Sydney.

Australasian Ironmonger September 1890,
Brisbane Courier 6 November 1890.

The Building and Engineering Journal
October 1891.

Queenslander 26 November 1892.
Queenslander 29 April 1893.

Australasian Ironmonger February 1894; Pugh’s
Almanac (Gordon and Gotch, Brisbane) 1895,
1896.

Minutes of Meeting of Queensland Institute of
Engineers 27 October 1905.

Journal of Queensland Electrical Association
Vol. I, No. 1, 1898.

Journal of Queensland Electrical Association
Vol. II, Part 1, No. 6, 1899.

Journal of Queensland Electrical Association
Vol, Il, Part II], No. 8, 1901. (The purpose of
the Morse Sounder is to detect acoustically the
Morse Code signals used in telegraphy. The
device is simply an electromagnet to which a
lever is attached and moves between two stops
one of which it strikes when attracted and the
other when it is released. The time elapsing
between the two sounds is short or long
corresponding to a dot or a dash in the Morse
Code message.)

Journal of Queensland Electrical Association
Vol. Il, Part V, No. 10, 1901,

Minute Book, Queensland Institute of Engineers
(1900-1919), Fryer Library, University of
Queensland.

Brisbane Courier 13 April 1901.

Brisbane Courier 20 April 1905.

Brisbane Courier 26 October 1906.

Barton, E.G.C., 1907. Electricity in the Service
of Women. Queensland Electrical Association,
18 May 1907. (Preprint).

Brisbane Courier 30 November 1909.

31

214. Journal of Institution of Engineers, Australia
Vol. 1, 1920.

. Minutes of the Faculty
University of Queensland, 1925,

. Institution of Electrical Engineers,

Arehives,

Queenslander 15 February 1908.

Bernays, C.A., 1919. Queensland Polities during

Sixty Years. Government Printer, Brisbane,

Old Parliamentary Debates Vol. 101, (908.

Queenslonder 15 August 1908.

Old Parliamentary Debates Vol, 102, 1908.

Pugh's Almanac. Gordon and Gotch, Brisbane,

1910 to 1919. The Directors of the City Electric

Light Co. Ltd evidently did not share Barton's

interest as the minute books of the Company

show that once, in August 1912, they donated £1

Is Od and one month's free supply of electricity,

. Correspondence with the Royal Geographical
Society, London, 1986-7. Barton was proposed
for Fellowship of the Society by Alexander
Siemens who was Manager of the Electric Light
Department of Siemens Bros, London at the
time Barton was employed in this Department, in
1882, Siemens became President of the J,E,E.,
London in 1894 and President of the [.C.E,,
London for 191-11.

Australian Eneyclopedia Vol, 9, The Cirohier
Sociely of Australia, 1965.

. Qld Geog. J. (N.S.) Vol, 22, 1906/7, p.9s-

. Barton, E.C., 1909, Summary of the Proceedings
af the 9th International Geographical Congress
Held at Geneva in 1908. Old, Geog. J, (NS),
Vol. 24, p.13-25.

. Queenslander 3 October 1908.

Barton, E.C., 1911. Weather and [is Causes. Gied

Geog, J. (N.S,), Vol. 26/27, p.16-37

. Old Geog. J. (N.S), Val. 30/31, 191416, p98.

. SEQEB Historical Records Ref. No. -/ 184,
Notes by F.R. L’Estrange on estuarjes cle.

. Private communication.

. Telegraph (Brisbane), 1 May 1911.

. The Decimal Educator, June 1920.

204, Watford Observer 19 June 1942,

. Correspondence with the University
Cambridge Library, |! August 1986.

. Queenslander U1 July 1914.

{nformation about the career of Joseph Gearge

Elliott Barton is incomplete but he iy believed to

tiave enlisted in the British Expeditionary Force

and served in World War L. Presumably the

Lieut. G.E. Barton who attended a farewell

function for E.C. Barton in London in April

1920 was the larmer'’s son, J,G.E. Barton

matriculated al Gonville and Caius College,

Cambridge University in (921 and obtained first

lass honours in Geography in 1925 having also

tread Mathematics and Medieval and Modern

Languages.

Correspondence with the Royal
Geographical Society, London shows that Barton
Jr was a keen traveller and explored the
Francisco River in Brazil from the source to the

of Engineering,

London,

of

WS

seu in the early 20°s. He later worked in Burma
and in 1932 received a letter of commendation
by the Governar.

238 Will of E.G.C. Barton, Qld State Archives,
1262/1943 (Southern Division),

239, Courier Mail 20 June 1942.

APPENDIX A

COURSE DETAILS — KARLSRUHE
POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE, GERMANY, 1875-79
FOUR YEAR (EIGHT SEMESTERS)
ENGINEERING COURSE UNDERTAKEN BY
E.G.C, BARTON

The evidence that Barton attended the course is
contained in a Leaving Certificate issued on 25 July
1879. This lists the subjects in the course and ends with
— ‘The conduct of Mr Barton while a student here has
given no grounds for any complaint.’

It is assumed, although not stated, that he passed
all subjecis and thus completed the four year course.

Details of the course may be summarised as follows
— The first year is described as a ‘Preparatory Course
in Mathematics”, The first semester includes Plane and
Spherical Geometry, Differential and Integral
Calculus, Mineralogy. The second semester includes
Astronomy, Elements of Analytical Geometry,
Elements of Mechanics, Geology. The second year is
described as ‘Mathematical School, First Course’. The
first semester inclides Plane and Spherical Geometry,
Differential and Integral Calculus 1, Analytical
Geometry, Descriptive Geometry, Planning and
Terrain Drawings, Experimental Physics 1. The seconel
semester includes Differential and Integral Calculus,
Elementary Mechanics, Experimental Physics It,
Experimental Organic Chemistry. Freehand Drawing
listed in all of the four semesters. The third year is
deseribed as ‘Machine Construction School’. The firs:
semester includes Theoretical Mechanics J, Elements of
Machine Construction, General Theory of Machines,
Statics, Freehand Drawing. The second semester
includes Instruction in Manipulative Techniques,
Thermodynamics and Hydrauhies, Machine
Construction. Machines for Lifting. The fourth year is
described ag ‘Machine Construction II’. The first
semester includes Machine Construction, Theory of
Machines, Kinematics, Metallurgy, Mineralogy,
construction of Hydraulie Machines, Railroad Tracks,
Mechanical Technology, Laboratory Practice in
Mineralogy. The second semester includes Steam
engine Construction, Cons(ruction of Locomotives and
Railway Tracks, Mechanical Technology, Elements of
Practical Geometry,

APPENDIX B

ITEMS DESIGNED BY BARTON AND RECORDED
IN HIS NOTEBOOKS (68, 153)

Appliances and measuring devices — Dental moter,
electric fans, electric shock machines, energy meter,
galyanometer, gramophone, ammeters and voltmeters,
lightning conductors and arresters, miaynetic separators
(dry and wet), milliammeter, rheostats, signal bells,
switchboards, switches (knife type), time switches,
underwater electric light, fire alarms.

Distribution systems — Lines anid cables,

Installations — Cold storage plant (Roma Si) —
calculations, sugar mill lighting, town and institution
lighting, dredge lighting.

Power plant — Dynamos and miorors ih a wide
range of sizes.

APPENDIX C

THE QUEENSLAND GOVERNMENT
ELECTRICAL ENGINEER'S SCHEME FOR A
BRISBANE MUNICIPAL COUNCIL POWER
STATION, 1897.

DRAFT SPECIFICATION AND ESTIMATES,

SCHEME 1.

Puant to Genensre ann Diatatevte 400 Kitowarts oF

Exegctaican Exxney in tae City or Brispane.

Sire.—In the position indicated on the map * 6,000

Burtpives.—Plain, and capable of extension af small
cost. To'includs foundations, flues, and
chimney 120 feet high an ont 4,600

Bowxes.—Capable of evaporating 12,000 Iba. of
water hourly, to bo of the water-tube pattern,
fitted with all accessories ; electrically driven
pumpa in duplicate, exhaust fon in main flue
for assisting rapid stasm raising, ho. tee 2,600

Feeo, Grea avn Exuavar Pirzs,—Drains, feed

tanks, hot well, &o., pipes arranged on ring

system eo thst any breakage would not moan

stoppage of supply ... 600
Conprnsxas.—To ba independent gailaas. condenuers,

to the tull capacity of the engine power, with

éleotrically driven pumps in duplicate, with

all pipes, valves, &c., for working, condensing

or non-condensing at will ov 1,750

Genewitino and Reouiatina Pann —4 vertical,
compound condenaing engines, coupled direct
to continuona current dyoumos of & capncity
ee kilowatta each, at & Reuters of 440
volts
2 motor traneformers, seach of ‘50 kilowatt
capacity, transforming from 220 to 220 volta,
for balancing purposes art aa 6,500

Swironsoazp.—To be arranged for the specified

dynamoa, tmootor - transformers, batterisa,
mains, ond [eeders, with all nermaniy intteu-

ments ... ony 1,260
Barresy.—Of 226 cells, ospable of giving a iechatae
of 160 amperes for 7 hours Ny 2,000

Mats axp Feepexs.—To be of a total length of 10
miles of 8 core cable, ingulated with bitu-
menised fibre or paper, lead covered, and laid
in wood troughing protected by bitumen or
other approved aubstance. To ba laid at an
average depth of 19 inches below the surface
of the footway, and to be fitted with all neces-

sary junction snd inspection boxes «+ 10,500
Mertexs.—800 in number, of the Thomaon Wattmeter

type, with maximum demand indicator —.., 2,100
Tyoaspesoxyt Sraxer Lamva,—l,220 in number,

adapted to present Gas standards tir 8,660

Breet Ano Lamps.—-82, fitted in speci! pillar... 1,600
Inteayac Wiityo.—Capital necessary for interoal
wiring, to. be repaid by tha consumer sa by
arrangement ate yy 1,500

Total 4 £ £44,860

Of which—£28,726 ia on Private Lighting Account,

£14,134 ig on Public Lighting Account, and
21, 500 on Wiring Account.

SCHEME 2,
Sisntan Prant or a Carsorry ov 300 Kizowarts.

Sire ... ass oss Pr «a £——
Buitnines ost a ur ae 1,600
Bawxns r ; 1,876
Pives sat 10 see om 475
ConpEnsen a Te ver vas 1,200
Genenatino Puant ol! ane Dee 5,000
Switcuuoaup =... ais “4 ane 900
Bartrsy <p vit 1,500.
Maina anv Canna (20 miles) ou --» 18,500
Merzns fas whip ps 1,400
Stuger Lawes... Mee al et 6,000

Total or ou ... £92,260

Of which—£18,033 ia on Private Lighting Account, and

£18,617 on Publio Lighting Account,

APPENDIX D

DEVELOPMENT OF ELECTRICITY SUPPLY BY
BARTON, WHITE AND CO. AND THEIR
SUCCESSORS IN BRISBANE, 1888 TO 1920!

Legend: A: Year

A

1888
1889
1890
1891
1892
1893
1894
1895
1896
1897
1898
1899
1900
1901
1902
1903
1904
1905
1906
1907
1908
1909
1910
1911 (
1912
1913
1914(

106

B: Installed Capacity? (kW)

C: Maximum Demand} (kW)

D: Annual Energy Generated? (millions of
kWh)

E: Gross Annual Revenue5 (thousands of £)

F: Estimated Average Revenue® per kWh

(pence)
G; Number of Consumers
B Cc D E F G
7-31
1.0
1,9
52? 2nd 80
c.42 2.6
2.9
¢.50 0.07 3.1 92
78 6.0
3.5
74 67 0.18 5.2 6.0
120 96 0,25 63 4,8 107?
150 121 0.26 66 4.9
200 156 = 0,37 76 44 194
275 174 0.49 93 4.4 240
375 174 «(0.62 «106 4.2 286
225 0.71 13.1 4.5 294
375 361 0.89 14.0 3.8 344
525 415 1.26 618.5 3.5
725 569 148 22.5 3.7
725 572 1.94 26.6 3,3
(4-700) 720, 2.10 31.7 3.6 450+
695 2,10 341 45
+ 1200) 905 2.74 49.0 4,3
73.0 600
+ 1000) 4.81 89.1 780

1915 1920 $.44 101.2 (055
1916 2350 5.94 1109 1192
1917 2264 6,17 TLL 1307
1918 2885 7.48 125.0 4,8 2600
1919(+5000) 3400 10.11 150.0 4.0 4471
1920(4+5000) 5337 18.27 216.0 5652

1, Data are assembled Irom many sources and it
cannot be assumed that each value in a column has
been derived on the same basis. There may be
discontinuities between successive years which are
misleading. The data should be regarded as showing
the general trend in development.

2, The values of the ‘Installed Capacity’ have been
estimated for the end of a calendar year bul the variety
of generating plant and the lack of information about
the incidence of the early additions make such
estimates uncertain. Most values to 1906 are [rom
scartered notes in SEQEB Historical Records No. 203.
Therewfter values are deduced from data in Directars®
and other Company reports. Over the period 1908 to
1920 the values shown in brackets are additions in a
particular year. The lack of information about
retirement of the early plant makes it unrealistic ta
enler cumulative figures. but it seems unlikely that any
turbine plant Was retired until the 5000 kW set was
installed at William St in 1919,

3, Values of ‘Maximum Demand’ before 1898 are
taken from the above SEQEB Document. Those for
1898 10 191) are taken from Queensland Government
Gazettes and thereafter to 1919 trom Annual Reports
by the City Electric Light Co. Ltd Directors,
Chairman or Manager. The 1920 value is from
‘Pioneering Power’, a Southern Electric Authority of
Queensland publication, January 1954.

4. Refer to Note 3 for sources, All values of ‘Annual
Energy Genetated* are for a calendar year until 1904
where the period is 13 months (1 January 1904 to 31
January 1905). Thereafter the ‘year’, although
indicated as a calendar year, is from | February to 31
January of the following year. Hence the values given
correspond to slightly different periods from thoxe
shown, The value for 1914 is derived from a City
Electne Light Co. Lid report for 1941, reviewing the
earlier years.

5. Refer to Note 3 for sources. ‘Gross Annual
Revenue’ includes all sources of revenue. Some
information for the period 1899 to 1902. given by
W.M.E. L'Estrange in a letter dated 24 August 1906,
differs considerably from the official returns to the
Government as used in the schedule,

6, The values for the ‘Estimated Averuge Revenue pei
kWh’ are in general calculated from the revenue from
energy sold, For 1896 the value is taken from the
above SEQEB Document. There is some ambiguity in
determining the revenue partly because of the doubt
as to whether rentals of meters and motors are
included in particular years, The most definite
information was that given us evidence before the
Royal Commission on Electricity in 1936 when the
average charge for energy by the Cily Electric Light
Co. Lid was quoted as 3,234 pence per kWh for the
year etiding 31 January 1914,

7. The ‘Number of Consuthers’ lor 1892 is taken
from the Queenslander ol 12 Nayember (892 and for

W7

1895 from ihe above SEQEB Document. For 1901 to
1905, the (906 letter by L'Estrange lists the number
annually, The niimber in about 1909 is given in the
Australian Mining Standard, 5 May 1909 and the
numbers for 19/3 to 1918 inclusive are derived [rom
the City Electric Light Co, Ltd Manager's report of
1919. The number in 1919 is from a lerer (Engineer
and Manager to Chairman) dated 2 March 1920 anc
the 1920 yalue is from “Pioneering Power’. Ir is not
known whether or nol consumers in areas revelviig
bulk supply of electricity were included,

APPENDIX E

PUBLICATIONS AND LECTURES BY E.G.C_
BARTON — PROFESSIONAL ENGINEERING
SOCIETIES, 1891 TO 1922

Abbreviations:
OIMechE — Queensland Institute of Mechanica!
Engineers
QEA — Queensland Electrical Association
QIE — Queensland Institule of Engineers
ILA Institution of Engineers, Australia,
Brisbane Division

"Electrical engineering’’. (OQlMechE) Early 1891.

“The phonograph”. (QIMechE) 15 October L891-
Bnilding, Engineering aid Mining Journal, 41
October 1891, ;

“Elementary manual instruclon"’, (QlMechE) July
1893, (Queenslander, 29 July 1893)

“Hermite process of sanitation’. (QlMechE)
Sspemives 1894, (Queenslander, 29 September
]

“Ammonia refrigerating machines’, (QIMechE) June
1895. (\Gveenslander, 22 June 1895)

“Interior wiring’'. (QEA) Journal QEA Vol. 1, Pt U,
1898, No. 2.

Presidential address'*. (QEA) Jornal QEA Vol. li,
Pt, 1899, No. 6.

“Theory and practice’, (QIE) April 1901, Preprint,

“Electric transmission of power'’. (QUE) June 1901.
Queensland Electrical and Radia World 20
August 1937,

“The Morse sounder — a study in induction”. (QEA)
Journal QEA Vo), Ul, Pr ill, 1901, No. 8,
“Blectric railroads — polyphase versus continuous
currents’’. (QEA) Journal GEA Vol. Il, Pt V,

1901, No. 10.

“Trrigation'’, (OLE) 16 May 1902.

“Feed pumps"’, (OLE) 28 April 1904,

“The horse power of an electric motor'’. (QEA) 17
November 1904, Preprint.

“Recent improvements in electric lighting’. (QEA) 19
June 1906, Preprint,

“Notes on a voyage of discovery in the workshops of
Europe’. (OLE) 25 October 1906,

““Bleetricity in the service of women"’. (QEA) 18 May
1907, Preprinr,

“Some reasons for using higher steam pressures’.
(QIE) 30 August 1909.

“Status of engineers and the affiliation of enzincering
societies’ throughout Australia’. (QI1E) 29
October 1909.

“Colloids in engineering’. (QUE) 10 Getober 1912,

“Condensation economics im steam plant'’, (QIE) 25
September 1914.

“High power mereury are (IEA) 18
August 1922.

‘Mapping from the aut” (EA) 20 Uctober 1422

rectifiers’.

INDEX

Alfred Shaw and Co.. Brishane 7, 13. 20,37

Anderson G., survey of lighting costs 4)

Anglo-Amencan Brush Electric Light

Corporation Ltd (‘Brush Company’) 7

Apprenticeship 87

Arc lamp lighting. Queen St, Brisbane a4

Antesian bore power station (see

Thargomindah) 80, $1, 82

Australasian Electric Light. Power and

Storage Co. Ltd (AELP&SCo.Ltd) 741412

Babcock Australia Ltd 74

Barton E.G.C.
arrival in Australia 7A
birth 2
consulting practice 63, 75, 94
death 99
education and training 2-5
fluency in foreign languages 95_98

Manager (later Managing Director).

Brishane Electric Supply Co. Ltd. 43
Managing Director,

City Electric Light Co. Ltd.
marriage 39

Member of the Legislative Assembly 93, 94
Queensland Government Electrician 16.18, 20
salary 43, 60, 63, 72. 74
Senator, University of Queensland 90
senior partner. Barton, White and Co,
(later Barton and White) 20
Will 99
Barton E.L’E 100
Barton G.E. 2, 20, 33, 37.41
Barton J.G.E. 99

Barton. White and Co,

(later Barton and White) 19, 20, 24, 25, 29,

30. 33-43

advertising. new form 40)
award of medal 38
change of name 36
cold storage plant. proposal 40
Edison Lane power station, generating plant 24-29
Edison Lane power station, office

and workshops 28
Edison Lane power station, rental 25
electric fan manufacture 25.41
liquidation 42,43
magnetic separators 41
offer of plant to Brisbane

Municipal Council 41, 42.47
offer to erect lighting and sell energy to

Brisbane Municipal Council 48, 49

wire covering machine 4)

Battery. substation 72-74
Beal J.C,, Queensland Government Printer 15,18
Bell N.M. 75
Bernays C.A. 94
Bernays L.A. 18
Biggenden Gold Mining Co, 78
Boundary St substation 68, 72

Brisbane Electric Supply Co, Ltd

Ann St power station 50, 51-59, 61
country work 77-84
Edison Lane power station 42
formation 43
lamp change day 46
named ‘The Octopus’ 45
operating hours 59
staff 56
Brishane Institute of Social Service 94
Brisbane Gas Co, 42
Amendment Bill 33, 36
Amendment Bill, evidence by E. Barton 32
Brisbane Municipal Council
(later Brisbane City Council) 24, 32, 40, 42,
AT. 48,75
Brisbane Newspaper Co,
aulomalic steam controller 3]
lighting I
Brisbane School of Arts 84
Brisbane Technical College 40). 84. 86, 87, 98
Council 87
Incorporation 87
Brisbane Tramways Co. Lid 32, 48
British India and Queensland Agency Co. 4]
Brush Co., arc lamp lighting 1
Bulloo Divisional Board (see Thargomindah)
Bundaberg. Queensland 78
Central Technical College. Brishane 87
City Electric Light Co. Ltd, Brisbane 59
Ann St power station 61, 68, 73
Boundary St substation 68.71
daily load distribution diagram 72
first ac. 68
first dividend 76
replacement of boilers 74
substation battery 72
supply to Ipswich Electric Supply Co. Ltd 76
Willfam St power station 62-74
Cochrane EJ. 74,75
Corbett A.B. 39
Courier building, Brisbane 4]
Daily load distribution diagrams 40), 72
Decimal Association, England 96, 99
Distribution System, Brisbane
two wire d.c. 19,99
three wire c.c. 19.29. 47, 68. 71
Dorsett J. 16, 18.19
Earliest electricity for lighting
in Brisbane 7
in Melbourne 7
in Sydney 7
Edison Co.,. U.S.A, 7.12
Berlin power station 13
dynamos 13
phonograph 34, 35, 38,91
street tubes 15, 16,19
warning notice 30

108

Edison Lane (previously Telegraph Lane)

change of name 6

drainage 26

flooding 38
Electric fans 35,33
Electric fire alarms 25
Electric Motive Power Agency Association Ltd 33
Electric shearing machine 37
Electric shock machines 39
Electrical Association of N.S,W. 91
Exhibition building, Brisbane

fire 22

lighting 34
Floods, Brishane 38
Fortitude Valley Electric Light and

Power Co. Lid 59, 60
Gatton Agricultural College. Queensland 80
Generating plant

Ann St power station $2

Edison Lane power station 25.44

William St power slation 66, 68
Godalming, Surrey 2-5
Gympie, Queensland, gold mine lighting 11.78

Hamilton G.D.

Hesketh J., Queensland Government
Electrical Engineer — 19, 43, 44. 47-50, 82. 83, 86, 87. 91

Historical Society of Queensland 94
Holborn Viaduet power station, England 5
Holmes E.J. 43. 60
Incandescent lamps. early development 4
Institution of Electrical Engineers, London 93
Institution of Engineers, Ausiralia 93

proposal for formation 93
International Geographical Conference. Geneva 95
Ipswich Electric Supply Co. Lid (Queensland) 75. 76, 99
Ipswich, first electricity supply 76
Jackson A.G. 35,39
Just LS. 74
Karlsruhe Polytechnic, Germany 2
Kingsbury H.H. (Edison Co.) 73
Lemon Dr C. (New Zealand) 5,6

L’Estrange F.R. 7, 2, 25. 30, 53.56. 101
L’Estrange G.G. 22, 23, 24, 39,45
L’Estrange W.M.F_ 15, 16, 22, 38, 39, 43, 45. 47, 56, 62.75
Mackay, Queensland 74
Mackenzie G. 25, 28, 45.53. 98. 99
Magnetic separator 41.78
Maryborough, Queenliand TT

dynamo 77
Mathieson J.. Queensland Government Electrician 13
Matveief? A,E_ '5
Morwood J_E. 72.75
National Agricultural and Industrial

Association of Queensland 21, 34, 37, 40,41
New Zealand

first domestic lighting 6

109

first generation of electricily 5

lighting of Houses of Parliament 6

proposed electric power co, 6
Orders in Council 43-45 44, 55- 60, 63,83
Otago Boys High School, New Zealand z
Overhead mains

first 33,000 V. transmission line 76

restrictions 75, 76
Parliamentary Committee of Enquiry, Brisbane i2
Parsons turbo-dynamos 54
Pentland A. (AELP&S Co) 1Y
Pine River Dairy Factory. Brisbane 40
Post and Telegraph Bill 35
Post Office, Brishane. lighting 23, 24. 39
Queen St. Brisbane. lighting 7.9
Queensland Electric Light and Power Act 36, 42. 92
Queensland Electric Light and Power Co. Ltd 10.11
Queensland Electrical Association 91,92, 93
Queensland Government Electrictan

(Electrical Engineer) 6.12, 43
Report to Brisbane Municipal Council 47
Queensland Government Printing Office i

assistance given during floods 38

fire alarms 25

first electric lighting 1]

power plant 12-18

power plant building 13,18
Queensland Government Railways

are lamp lighting W.31

cold storage 40

i
72, 75, 91.92, 93

electric light machinery shed
Queensland Institute of Engineers

Queensland Institute of Mechanical Engineers 35. 90
Queensland Meat Export and Engineering Co. 37
Queensland Mechanical Engineers Association 90)
Queensland Parliament 93,94
Queensland Parliamentary buildings

fire 12,13

lighting installation 12. 13, 19, 36, 37
Quéensland Philosophical Society 7
Queensland Pioneer Electric Light Syndicate 78
Queensland Turf Club 34
Rockhampton, Queensland 77
Roma St Brishane markets, cold storage proposal 40
Royal Geographical Society of Australasia 94.95
Royal Geographical Society. London 94.95
Royal Meteorological Society, London 94
Royal Society of Queensland 94
Select Committee of the Legislative Assembly 32
Select Committee of the Legislative Council 43
Skinner KA, and Co,, skating rink 22
Smellie and Co., Brisbane 3
South Brisbane Municipal Council 33, 39, 63
Statistical summary, development of

electricity supply in Brisbane, 1888-1920 76
Steam turbine, first in Queensland 54

Sutton J.W. 7,9. 11, 39.87

Sutton M.A.

Switchboards
Ann St power station
Edison Lane power station
William St power station

Telegraph Lane (see Edison Lane)

Telegraph Newspaper Co.

Thargomindah, Queensland, development of
electricity supply

Tomlinson T.

Tonks T.

Toowoomba, Queensland, first lighting

Townsville, Queensland

Trackson J. (and Bros.)

39, 99

80-83
15, 16, 84

78
78

77,78
23, 33, 36, 39, 80

110

Tweed Heads, NSW 78
Underground mains 15, 16, 19, 44, 45

first 5000 V. cables 72
University of Queensland 89, 90, 99
Victorian Railways, arc lamp lighting 11
Vincent W.H. 64, 72

plans for development of electricity supply 68, 70 71
Ward A. 43
White C.F. 20, 21, 33, 37, 43
White T.E. 7, 20, 34, 37, 43
Willans and Robinson turbo-alternators 68
X-ray demonstration 47
Young W.J. 28, 43, 60, 75, 86