14 W. H. WARREN. 
road with the third rail has been successful at Liverpool, 
Chicago, New York, and Berlin. Berlin is the most modern 
and has a much better appearance architecturally than the 
others. The modern electrical underground railway has 
made rapid strides since those installed at Buda Pesth, 
London, Paris, and Berlin. 
In connection with the introduction of electric traction 
to the Sydney tramways, it may be stated that the first 
electric tramway in New South Wales was opened for traffic 
on 9th November, 1890, when the section of line between 
Randwick and Waverley was operated on the overhead 
system from a small power-house situated at Randwick. 
The practicability of the system having thus been estab- 
lished, the whole of the material was removed in September 
1893 to North Sydney, and a length of over two miles on 
the Military Road was equipped as an extension to the ~ 
existing cable line. COurrent was furnished from two 100 
kilowatt generators belted on to the shaft of the engine 
which operated the Milson’s Point cable line. This short | 
line was subsequently extended and finally the cable line 
was ‘electrified,’ so that the North Sydney service is now 
entirely electric. The next extension of the electric system 
took place in October 1898, when the extension from the 
Ocean-street cable line to Rose Bay—1 mile 24 chains— 
was electrically equipped, the power being supplied from 
the Rushcutter Bay cable power-house. 
In 1896 a bill was passed empowering the Railway Com- 
missioners to convert the whole of their steam service— 
then about forty miles of double track—to electric traction, | 
and in December 1899 the first of the city electric services, 
viz. the George-street and Harris-street line was put into 
operation. ‘The current was furnished from the new power- 
house at Ultimo, the plant consisting of four 1,250 horse 
power horizontal engines, each coupled to an 850 kilowatt 
