136 PRESIDEN’T’S ADDRESS—SECTION H. 
The tender of H. H. Kingsbury end Co., to supply General — 
Electric Co.’s generators and EK. P. Ellis Co.’s engines, was looked 
upon with most favour. A suggestion to adopt the General 
Electric Co.’s new and improved 850 k.w. machines, in lieu of 
the proposed 800 k.w., was considered, and it was eventually 
decided to make the order accordingly. The total power thus 
supplied would be about 5000 h.p., as against the provision of 
900 h.p., originally contemplated. A contract for delivery and 
erection of these engines and generators was entered into on the 
12th July, 1897. 
Details of certain modifications recommended to be made in 
connection with the governor gear, and some other details, 
as well as the information as to dimensions of the larger 
machines now ordered had to be supplied, and led to some 
delay in preparation of plans for buildings, &c. These were, 
however, eventually got ready, and the building and other con- 
tracts let. The contract time for the completion of the build- 
ings was the end of 1898, but owing partly to imperfect 
management, and partly to causes beyond the contractors’ con- 
trol, the roof and end of the engine house were not finished 
till June, 1899. As, however, the machinery had already 
arrived, a commencement of the erection was made before the 
building was quite closed in. 
On lst September steam was admitted into No. 1 engine, and 
a few days afterwards into No. 2. The generators and field 
coils, however, proved to take longer to dry out than anticipated, 
and it was not deemed safe to build up the full current at 550 
volts,-and the date, therefore, which had been fixed by the 
Minister for the opening, 18th September, could not be ad- 
hered to. 
The armatures themselves, which were stated to have been so 
badly treated, gave very little trouble; the field series coils, and 
especially the shunt coils, which are composed of many wind- 
ings of fine wire, took a long time to dry out. ‘these coils had 
not been exposed to the weather ; they had been stored in their 
original waterproof packing cases in the car shed till wanted, 
and after taking out great care was exercised to keep them dry. 
I fully expected that 1st October would see everything 
finished, and the line opened for traffic. The delay by build- 
ing contractors had been disposed of, and we had nothing but 
the work of manufacturers of very high repute to ceal with, and 
surely that would give no trouble. Disappointment, however, 
came. As beforementioned, the drying out took longer than 
expected. 
By 12th October the insulation of Nos. 1, 2, and 3 generators 
showed satisfactory tests, and an attempt was mde to subject 
the generators to the specified loads. The bearing: of the crank 
pins, however, became hot; both crank pins of Nos. 1 and 2, 
