1904.] Electric Railways. 463 



WEEKLY EVENING MEETING, 



Friday, February 26, 1904. 



Donald W. C. Hood, Esq., C.Y.O. M.D. F.R.C.P., 



Vice-President, in the Chair. 



Alexander Siemens, Esq., M. Inst. C.E. M.B.I. 

 New Developments in Electric Railways. 



There is no doubt that during the nineteenth century greater 

 changes were wrought in the mode of living, not only in Europe 

 but all over the world, than in any of the j^recediug centuries ; and 

 a common feature of nearly all of these changes has been the saving 

 of time effected by them. 



An illustration of the difference between the beginning of the 

 nineteenth century and the present time, is furnished by some of the 

 newspapers which publish extracts from their own pages a hundred 

 years ago. 



News travelled slowly then ; while nowadays the newspapers are 

 expected to contain every day a record of the most important 

 events that happened on the preceding day, or even on the same 

 day, in any part of the globe. 



In other walks of life the saving of time has likewise been the 

 dominant factor by which the introduction of changes has been 

 secured. 



Historically, the application of the steam engine for industrial 

 purposes preceded the utilisation of electricity for the propagation 

 of news, and the fundamental changes, which took place in con- 

 sequence, were so important that for the greater part of its duration 

 the nineteenth century might be called the age of steam. 



During the last thirty years, however, gas engines and electric 

 motors have taken the place of the steam engines in many different 

 ways ; but it would not be possible to enter into a general dis- 

 cussion of this subject in the short time allowed for to-night's 

 lecture. One of the most important fields in which the steam engine 

 has been of the greatest service to mankind, is the transportation of 

 goods and people by land and by sea. 



By its aid the intercommunication between the various parts of 

 each country and between all places, where civilised people desire 

 to trade, has become rapid, frequent and reliable ; and this, coupled 

 with the facilities for obtaining messages by means of electricity, 

 has absolutely changed the old order of things in the intercourse 

 of nations. 



