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British Columbia Historical Books Collection
British Columbia Electric Railway Company
"A history of the company."-- Edwards, M. H., Lort, J. C. R., & Carmichael, W. J. (1975). A bibliography of British Columbia: Years of growth, 1900-1950. Victoria, BC: University of Victoria, p. 31.
47 pages : illustrations, photographs, advertisements ; 26 cm
application/pdf
"BHT if. D?<»S-.tf& asasriYNiNE YEARS OF PUBUC SEEVICE BRITISH COLUMBIA. ELECTRIC RAILWAY COMPANY Mimited British ColumbiaEledricThihom/Company Jlr.WGMtmrin J&A.T.GowarcT Vice President. Vice President, Victoria. rorewora PUBLIC utility service—in which the British Columbia Electric Railway company is engaged—is indeed a marvelous business. fl The electric railway, electric power and gas utilities of this continent have no less than eighteen billion dollars invested in them. jf The electric railways last year carried more than sixteen billion passengers; the electric power companies now have 19,500,000 customers, to whom they supplied sixty-five billion kilowatt hours last year; the gas companies have 10,800,000 customers, and their total annual output has reached four hundred and twenty-five billion cubic feet. fl No business could be on more^solid foundations, because these utilities exist by virtue of their essential nature in modern community life. The rapid progress they are making is due to the fact that they are indispensable, that electricity and gas fill a modern need, that street railways are the only feasible means of mass transportation on the surface, and that these utilities perform their functions more cheaply than any other agency that has been discovered. fl The soundness of the public utilities in the modern world requires no further proof than the values they give today. Electric utilities have reduced their rates, gas companies have either raised them only slightly or left them stationary, while electric railways are charging only a small proportion more in comparison with the cost of living. fl In company with the other utilities of this continent the British Columbia Electric Railway company is engaged in a great service. Its $70,000,000 of capital has been invested for the development and promotion of British Columbia. It has brought capital and skill to provide these services, without which there would be no industries, no population and no prosperity in this district. If It has, in company with other utilities elsewhere, devoted itself to the service of the public as no other industries have done. Today it is bringing to bear upon the further development of British Columbia's resources, the highest engineering skill, the credit of a sound financial structure and the vision of men trained to serve the public. fl It has been the purpose of the British Columbia Electric Railway company to develop its water powers, furnish its transportation, and manufacture its gas, so as to give the best possible service at the lowest possible cost. fl There is today not a dollar of "water11 in B. C. Electric stock. The B. C. Electric has never had a financial reorganisation. |f All this is reflected in its rates. Its lighting rates are among the lowest on the continent; its street car fares are well below the average and among the lowest in Canada; its gas rates, likewise, are within three or four of being the lowest in the Dominion. [ 5 1 =» Victory Square, Vancouver {6} Head Office Building, Vancouver, 1897 Early Development and Progress of the ±3. G. Electric Railway Company THE BRITISH COLUMBIA ELECTRIC RAILWAY COMPANY began its existence in April, 1897, but there was public utility service for many years before that date. Gas service is said to have begun in Victoria as early as 1866, and in Vancouver, twenty years later, about the time the latter was incorporated as a city. The Vancouver Electric Lighting' company came into existence in 1887, being authorised by bylaw on January 6 of that year to construct and operate an electric lighting system. Lights were actually turned on on August 8 of the same year with some 300 lamps. In those days transformation of current was unknown, it being generated as used, namely, at 50 volts. The Vancouver Street Railway company was organised in 1888, and on November 26 in that year—a bylaw was enacted by the city council authorising the company to proceed with the construction and operation of a street railway system, the cars to be moved by horses, cable, gas or electricity at the option of the company. On April 27, 1889, the company awarded a contract for the construction of the preliminary lines in Vancouver, the whole to be completed by August 15 following. The tracks were built for horse-car operation, stables were erected on the south side of False Creek to house the horses, and a buyer was sent east ' and purchased the necessary animals. The horses were in Vancouver and • arrangements almost ready for a start when, on August 9, the directors, on the assurance of electrical contractors that satisfactory electrical equipment could then be supplied, decided to change over to electric operation. Contracts for the necessary machinery were 'entered into with the Thompson-Houston company, of Boston, electric cars were ordered from George Stevenson, of New York, and the tracks already laid were bonded and otherwise adapted for electrical operation. This decision necessarily occasioned a delay of some months, but by May, 1890, the machinery was to hand and being- installed, and six electric cars had been delivered. On June 28, 1890, the system was opened for public traffic over six miles of line, [ 7 ] Granville Qtreetr ^Vancouver* [ 8 ] and has been in regular operation ever since. The horses were sold at some loss, and the stables were also disposed of. The Vancouver Electric Light company and the Vancouver Street Railway company were amalgamated May 22, 1890, under the name of the Vancouver Electric Street Railway &? Lighting company. . The next item of importance in the traction history of Vancouver is the building of the Vancouver-Westminster tramway, started on August 1, 1890, and completed the next year, allowing the first cars to operate on October 1. 1891. Financial Difficulties In 1891 the Vancouver Street Railway company found itself in financial difficulties. The promoters had subscribed and paid up $162,000 and, in addition to this, bonded its securities to the extent of $300,000. The whole sum of $462,000 had been expended on construction and equipment, and the receipts from operation had failed to reach the figures anticipated, while difficulties with im- . perfect machinery added considerable to the cost of the operation. The net revenue would not begin to provide for interest. The bondholders having threatened to foreclose, the directors saw only two methods of saving their investment. The first was to sell to the city for $162,000 and let the city look after the bonded debt. The other was to raise fresh capital to the extent of $138,000, which amount they thought would be sufficient to meet all interest charges and capital and unforeseen expenses until growth of revenue placed the company on a paying basis. A number of the shareholders, however, discouraged by the never-ending plant and equipment troubles, could not see daylight ahead, and prevailed on the directors to offer the whole concern to the city for the actual cost to date. A bylaw was accordingly introduced and put through the preliminary stages, but the proposal was so strongly objected to by the press that the council was obliged to recede from its promise and leave action to the new council due for election in January. Negotiations were renewed with the new council of 1892, but, popular opinion being against the purchase, no action resulted. As\ City Guarantee Towards the close of 1892, negotiations with a view to leasing its financial position were again reopened with the city by the company, but it was not until January, 1893, that the new proposal was made public. This asked the city to guarantee an issue of $400,000 five per cent, bonds, same to be used to redeem the outstanding $300,000 of company bonds, liquidate other indebtedness and provide for certain extensions to the system. After three months1 discussion, the guarantee bylaw reached the ratepayers, who rejected it, April 27. The company, in agreeing to build tram lines to the city boundaries on the east and south, shared the general confidence as to the very rapid growth of Vancouver, based on predictions of high railway officials, leading bankers and prominent business men throughout Canada. The financial depression, however, beginning in 1891 and continuing for several years, put a sharp check on both inflow of population and development of commercial activities. The company consequently found itself operating a number of tram lines built in advance of settlement into districts which continued almost devoid of population. On the failure, therefore, of the ratepayers to endorse the guarantee bylaw, the company was obliged to take drastic measures to reduce its heavy operating loss. These consisted in a total discontinuance of service on the Powell street line, east of Westminster avenue, and the Fairview service, while the Mount Pleasant service was very much reduced. "Negotiations Fail Early in 1894 the trustees for the bondholders offered to sell to the City of Vancouver, for the sum of $380,000, the whole street railway and lighting system, on which there had been an actual outlay of something over $500,000. The proposal was submitted to the ratepayers on May 30, 1894, and rejected. The property and assets of the company were then bought in by the Consolidated Railway &? Light company. The Consolidated Railway S? Light company was formed partly of local and partly of English capitalists, represented by F. S. Barnard, who became general manager of the new company. It thereupon purchased from the [9] «= B.CEIeclric Progress at & Glance Capital Investment as stcvndin6 on "the books of jl|p company on jane 30^ each. year-^ v£> 9J fO 00 *tf o 70 in c* fO OJ 00 * <^ 00 r- ^_. 00 m to V0 CM o CO ■tfj- 1 0J fO (T> o 1 L0 1 r-t o o ■ 1 0 en ■ An, cn 50 ■ 0 1 1 1 1 11 w I 1 ■ H M ■ ■ ■ fe#,e | 1 1 1 1 2Q_ 1 1 1 1 * Includes "Western Power Company's system "taken over in 1921 Employees as on Dec. 31 sf*- o CM ^ t^- (M ,-t ^ fO i— ! o °° o^ 3000 S S ™ *J <\i ^ eft 0) <a >> o §1 I w 2000 0 (Q TJ 8 w 3 o H ln 1000 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 Above figures do nol include employees of contractors on companys construction work New Conslructtorv 1921 1922 1923 tl.016.903 1924 1 $3.102.854 Total $12.100.291 C io] bondholders the assets of the Vancouver and Victoria Electric railway and lighting systems. The Westminster and Vancouver Tram company, unable to pay interest on its bonded debt, was sold by public auction at New West' minster, April 13, 1895, by the trustees for the bondholders. The successful bidder was Mr. F. S. Barnard, on behalf of the Consolidated Railway & Light company, the price paid^ being $290,000. This road consequently be' came a part of the system of the Consolidated Railway &? Light company. Mr. Horne-Payne Appears On November 22, 1895, a cable was received in Vancouver announcing that a London syndicate, headed by Mr. R. M. Horne- Payne, had purchased and taken over control of all the properties and assets of the Consolidated Railway &? Light company. These consisted of the Vancouver Street Railway cs? Lighting system, the New Westminster Street railway, the Westminster-Vancouver interurban line and the electric railway and lighting system of Victoria and district. Mr. J. Buntzen joined the staff of the C. R. &? L. Co., in 1895, as secretary, but was soon promoted to the office of business manager. Mr. R. M. Horne-Payne reached British Columbia from London, in April, 1896, to inspect the properties of the company, investigate the business outlook, and lay down a policy for future developments. A very progressive programme was outlined and various new undertakings were being negotiated when, on May 26, the great disaster, occasioned by the collapse of the Point Ellice bridge, Victoria, occurred and forced the company to go into the receiver's hands. Undis- couraged by this bad blow, Mr. Horne-Payne returned to London and, his confidence in the future of British Columbia being unimpaired, immediately set himself to raising fresh capital to take over and develop the various undertakings. Mr. Horne-Payne was successful in his efforts to secure fresh capital and take over the properties and assets of the Consolidated Railway 6? Light company, and organised the British Columbia Electric Railway company to carry on the business. The transfer from the receiver to the new company took place on April 15, 1897. Mr. Horne-Payne became the first chairman and still very ably fills that office. WBm Lines Required Even before the B. C. Electric Railway company was born, there came demands for extensions to the street railway system, but the directors were forced to go to the city council for a new franchise whenever a new car line was needed. For several years people had been clamoring for a line down Robson street a'nd another down Pender street to Stanley Park. The former was built under a five- years' lease in 1895, and the latter under an eight-year lease in 1897. These short-term franchises expiring at different times did not assist the directors in interesting capital in Vancouver. After the B. C. Electric took hold, east end residents petitioned for extensions, but had to be told that funds could not be raised unless a longer term of franchise was given. It was finally proposed to the city council that the several franchises be consolidated, making provisions for all future extensions that might be necessary. The city council of 1901 agreed to this consolidation, and since then mile after mile of new track has been added to the city system. In 1897 the total capacity of the power plants of the company in Vancouver and Victoria was only 2000 horse-power. The first hydro-electric plant on the coast was built at Goldstream in 1898, but as late as 1903 the company was still supplying Vancouver from a steam plant of 2000 horsepower. It was originally intended to develop 6000 horse-power at Lake Beautiful, or Lake Buntzen as it was later called in honor of the general manager of the day, but such was the development of Vancouver at that time, that plans were repeatedly changed and enlarged while the work was going on, and instead of developing 6000 horse-power, Lake Buntzen plant Number 1 was immediately enlarged to 30,000 horse-power, and later increased a further 50 per cent. The first Lake Buntzen power was sent to Vancouver in December, 1903. It was one and one-half years later that the Coquitlam tunnel was completed, the plant operating in the meantime by means of water in Lake BunUen alone. In 1905 the second interurban line was added to the system by leasing the Lulu Island line from the C.P.R. Four years later a branch was added to this line, from Marpole to New Westminster. In 1905, also, a franchise was given by Lake Bwtzmi Power 82oo Horse Power ^^^te^^^^^^^li^S^^^^i^i^^ [ 12 } North Vancouver for street car lines, which were placed in service on Labor Day, 1906. For many years an interurban line through the Fraser Valley had been mooted, and a survey was actually begun in 1906. The first 21 miles of this line, as far as Cloverdale, were placed in operation in 1909, and on October 3, 1910, the last spike was driven, in the section which reached Chilliwack, by the late Sir Richard McBride. Power Expansion Great work in the meantime was going on at Lake Buntzen. Number 1 plant was inadequate to supply the tremendous increase in the demand for power. It was decided to double the sise of the Coquitlam tunnel— work that had to go on night and day while the tunnel was used from time to time to supply water to the power plant. The present Lake Coquitlam dam was also built, and Number 2 power plant constructed. The year 1913 found the company with its second great power plant at Lake Buntzen practically completed and a further supply of power contractecMor from the Western Canada Power company, the original developers of Stave Falls. Then came the slump, following the boom of the years previous. To make matters worse, the war placed a heavy hand upon British Columbia, causing a serious decrease in population and industry. In December, 1915, there swept up the coast of British Columbia an epidemic that cost the street railways of the continent millions of dollars in the years following. This was the jitney, an independent, pirate automobile plying for passenger traffic on the streets under none of the regulations imposed upon the street railway. It became obvious that street railways, forced to give non-paying service to all districts and at all hours, to give transfers to all parts of the city and to pay large sums to the city in taxes, percentages and in other ways, could not compete with the faster, irresponsible transportation agency. Only after three years of this competition was justice done. A strike occurred when, owing to the competition, it was impossible to pay advanced wages. The city council of Vancouver, taking cognisance of the situation, appointed a commission to inquire into the matter, and a complete verification of the company's claims resulted. Jitneys were banished in 1918. Fares Raised Even as late as 1918, the universal street car fare on the North American continent was five cents, and a higher fare could hardly be conceived. But rising costs elsewhere had pierced this barrier in several places. Further increases in wages made a similar revision of fares necessary in Vancouver, Victoria and New Westminster. Civic and municipal authorities gradually realised that the letter of the franchise could not be allowed to prevent justice to be done. In 1919 fares were raised to six cents in Vancouver, Victoria and New Westminster and in each of the municipalities surrounding Vancouver, while the fare from Vancouver to these municipalities was raised to seven cents. These fare revisions were only temporary at best. After the company was buffeted on stormy seas, an agreement was made providing for revision of fares every three years, and in case of disagreement, for the submission of the matter to arbitration. This settlement was eminently satisfactory to the company, because the principle is recognised of the impossibility to fix fares for all times by contract. It is significant of the public understanding and goodwill towards the company that, during the recent fare discussion, there was no question but that the company was entitled to a continuance of its fares. One of the great events in B. C. Electric progress took place at the end of 1920 when it acquired control of the Western Power Company of Canada, owners of the Stave Falls power plant. That company had a small distribution system and a plant, the majority of whose output was already used by the B. C. Electric Railway company. Under B. C. Electric management, this plant has grown to be the largest west of Niagara and the principal source of B. C. Electric power on the mainland. The gas field has seen enormous expansion in recent years. A ^l-ant of a million cubic feet daily capacity was built in 1921, and an addition, twice, the sise, built in 1924. Altogether there is $68,000,000 invested by the B. C. Electric in this province. The company carries on an electric light and power business, a gas business, a street railway business in four cities, an interurban passenger business, a freight business, and operates a motor coach line between Vancouver and New Westminster. rOntisK. Cokiirvbisi Electric R^alv^Coirvpzu>yLinute,<i 8 430 KilovedtHo\ir 0\itp\itf Geiver^tii\.£ St^iioxvs (k,s ^t Decenvber M \JZ§) ..mull! o YEARS ! ftritisK CoknrvW. Electric R-adh/ay Co • Ltd • P^sseivgers Carried X ! I 1iIt \ S3 o ^ ° S ? si ?' S S ° *|jj"'-| M / ■ 1 Mil 1 1 o | ° s II i m 1 Win 1. m i^ 1 II T « 1 1 loo <j> 1 1 o _ <o 1 1 1 < ■ h J If 1 o | 1 1 n lo k 1 1 pi 11111 1 1 £ s | g s % a YEARS • ^)pitiskColMTrvbi^Electric Rly- Co-Ltci G^s 0\itp\ftt YEARS C I*] 1 he J3. C. Electric Power System on the Mainland THE mainland system of the British Columbia Electric Railway company obtains its electric power from three distinct sources, to which will soon be added a fourth and, within four years more, a fifth. In point of horse-power, the Stave Falls plant is the most important unit at present in the mainland system. The other great hydroelectric development of the company on the mainland is at Lake Buntsen, while, in common with all systems which endeavor to give dependable service, the company maintains a steam plant in Vancouver for use in case of emergency. The original hydro-electric development on the mainland was that of Coquitlam-Buntsen. The first 1500 kilowatt generator began production in December, 1903, up to which time Vancouver and district had been supplied by means of small steam generating plants. Today the two Lake Buntsen plants, situated 16 miles from Vancouver on the north arm of Burrard Inlet, produce 64,000 horse-power. The Lake Buntsen plants operate under a head of 400 feet, this being the height of Lake Buntsen above sea level. Lake Buntsen, however, acts only a sort of forebay into which the water of Lake Coquitlam flows through a tunnel of 12,650 feet in length. As the original development was planned, a tunnel of moderate sise was driven through the mountains between the two lakes, but as the installation of generators increased, it was seen that either a larger tunnel, or two tunnels, would be necessary. The tunnel was enlarged at the height of Vancouver's boom development, in 1910 and 1911, men working night and day. At the same time Lake Coquitlam was greatly enlarged by means of an entirely new dam, 100 feet in height, which impounds 180,500 acre feet of water. No. 1 plant now generates 28,200 horsepower, while No. 2 plant, the first unit of which was placed in operation in October, 1913, generates 35,800 horse-power. Stave Falls Plant The largest source of power in the B. C. Electric is now the Stave Falls plant, which generates 87,500 horse-power, 42 miles east of Vancouver. The original plant, generating 23,500 horse-power, was built by the Western Canada Power company, and later enlarged to 35,300 horse-power. In 1913 the B. C. Electric Railway company, faced with extraordinary annual increases in demand for power, and realising that no shortage could be permitted to threaten Vancouver, made a contract at an advantageous rate for the majority of the output of this plant. Control of the Western Power company, as it was later called, was acquired by the B. C. Electric at the end of 1920. A fifth unit has now been installed and the other four units rebuilt, making five units, with a total of 87,500 horse-power. The capacity of Stave lake has been almost trebled and Alouette lake has been connected to Stave lake, making possible a further development of 13,400 horse-power in 1927. Stave lake originally had a storage capacity of 171,000 acre feet, capable of generating approximately 150,000,000 kilowatt hours. The lake proper is seven miles north of Stave falls. At the falls, the river divided into two channels; one was used for the tailrace and the other for the flood discharge. A short distance away was a disused channel of the river known as the Blind Slough, which was dammed by a small crib structure in the original development. The plans of the Western Canada Power company took into account the future raising of the main dam 25 feet and the building of a permanent dam at the Blind Slough. This work was undertaken by the British Columbia Electric Railway company as a means of increasing the power supply of the lower mainland. I The construction of the Blind Slough dam was begun in April, 1922, and finished in November, 1923. It is 640 feet long, 60 feet deep at its lowest point, and carries the Dewd- ney trunk road on the top. [ 15 ] «£ m m * wlm mm . m # j; is ji ik >d wteMm h m • i t-w I HBRhHb Jordan B^per Pbwer Plant 2i,5oo Horse Power [ 16] Alouette Development Looking further ahead to the day when even the larger capacity of the Stave falls plant would be entirely used, the company began development of the Alouette project, which will deliver 13,400 horse-power to the system in the fall of 1927. The first work was obtaining access to Alouette lake. No other road than a pack trail reached the lake. In the summer of 1924 a standard-gauge railway was built, from the logging railway of Abernethy &? Lougheed, to the mouth of the lake. Launches were placed on both Alouette and Stave lakes. High-tension lines were built, both to Alouette lake and up Stave lake, to the site of the powerhouse. The driving of a tunnel, 14 feet in diameter and 3485 feet long, was contracted for early in the summer of 1924 and finished in May, 1925. The next major piece of work was the construction of the dam. The dam, 1000 feet in length, 400 feet wide at its base, and 65 feet in height. It raises the level of Alouette lake 45 feet and stores 170,000 acre feet of water. The Alouette plant, built at the Stave lake mouth of the tunnel, will have a single unit of 13,400 horse-power. It will be an automatic plant, operated entirely from the Stave falls switchboard. The switching on of current will start the turbine and generator in motion. In order to take care of the 87,500 horsepower of the enlarged Stave falls plant and the 13,400 horse-power of the Alouette lake plant, entirely new and augmented switching and transforming equipment was necessary at Stave falls. As the power-house was not large enough to hold the new equipment, an outdoor switching station was built in front of the power-house, over the tailrace. This, costing $350,000, will have ample surplus capacity and spare equipment to take care of all emergencies. The two high-tension lines from Stave falls have been doubled in capacity, so as to provide a full margin of safety. Bridge River Project In a growing community a public utility company can never cease to look ahead to the demands for its services, particularly that of electrical energy, which is growing all over the continent at an unprecedented rate. The British Columbia Electric Railway company having completed its Lake Buntsen development, and having the Alouette plant under way, has still further to look to the future and reckon the day when even these resources will be exhausted. The increase in demand in electrical energy on the mainland is from eight per cent, to ten per cent, per annum, which rate compares favorably with the rate of expansion all down the Pacific Coast. At this rate, the present developments will be fully utilised by 1930 or 1931, and, as power plants take from three to four, years to build,.-, a start on a new project will be necessary long before that date. As has already been announced, the company has chosen to go to Bridge river for its future supply of power. At Bridge river, 135 miles north of Vancouver, there is a possible 700,000 horse-power which, at most optimistic estimates, would serve the needs of Vancouver for a generation. To be practicable, this power must be generated in easy stages, and the company's plans therefore call for 45,000 kilowatts, or 60,000 horse-power, to be developed at a cost of $13,271,000. By 1933 another unit will be added, bringing the total cost up to $14,700,000 and the capacity of the plant up to 90,000 horse-power. The company also owns an additional power site on the Stave river, a few miles below the present Stave falls plant. At this point the same water that turns the turbines in the present plant will be used over again to generate an equal amount of power. In fact, the water from Alouette lake, passing first through the Alouette plant, then through the Stave falls plant, and finally through the Ruskin plant, would be used no less than three times. The proposal is to develop 60,000 horse-power at this point at a cost of $8,000,000. In deciding upon this programme of development, and especially in going to Bridge river, the company had in mind a source of power which would make unnecessary any further search for twenty or thirty years. Engineers for the company combed the lower mainland adjacent to Vancouver for power sites, and selected Bridge river as having the greatest possibilities. C iv ] I !P 111 iw s» jf| :"IL^,J**2IIf*i^fif Dam, Sta?e Falls JBrentivood Steam Power Plant [ 18 ] TkeV ancouver Island P ower Syste m THE power demand of the City of Victoria and the surrounding municipalities is supplied by the hydro-electric developments situated, one at the mouth of the Jordan river, some 37 miles away along the Strait of Juan de Fuca, with an installed capacity of 24,400 horse-power, and the other on the Goldstream river, about 15 miles from Victoria, with an installed capacity of 3100 horsepower. There is also an auxiliary steam plant at Brentwood bay, 11 miles from Victoria, with an installed capacity of 6000 horsepower. The work of construction on the Jordan river project was begun in 1909, and the initial installation was complete in 1923. A further addition was made and put in operation by the fall of 1914. Bear Cree\ Reservoir At a point approximately one mile above the junction of Bear creek with Jordan river, a reservoir has been erected by means of a hydraulic-fill dam with a steel core. The storage capacity is 7500 acre feet, which is equivalent to 5,752,727 kilowatt hours at the power-house. The area flooded is 285 acres and the drainage area above the dam 8 square miles. The length of the crest of the dam is 1020 feet. The spillway, which is excavated in solid rock, has a length of 47 feet 6 inches. The present height is 57 feet, but it is contemplated to increase this to a maximum of 87 feet, in which case the storage would be increased to 14,000 acre feet. The Jordan River Reservoir The Jordan river dam is an impounding dam and is situated about 7J/2 miles upstream from the power-house. It is a reinforced concrete hollow structure of the Ambursen flat- slab and buttress type, with a crest elevation of 1268 feet above sea level. Its crest is 891 feet and its maximum height 126 feet. The storage capacity is 14,000 acre feet, which is equivalent to 10,135,000 kilowatt hours at the power-house. It is contemplated that the height of this dam will be raised to increase the storage capacity a further 3000 acre feet, thus giving an additional water storage equivalent of 2,160,000 kilowatt hours of output at the power-house. Water is diverted at the Jordan river dam and conducted for a distance of 5.3 miles in an open wooden flume. The static head at the power-house is 1145 feet. Goldstream River Development In 1898 the British Columbia Electric Railway company constructed a power plant to utilise water supplied by the Esquimalt Water Works company. This latter company undertook the development of the- reservoirs and pipe-line, while the railway company completed the undertaking by constructing the power-house and furnishing the equipment. Last year the holdings and undertakings of the Esquimalt Water Works company were expropriated by the City of Victoria. The power-house is of brick on concrete foundations. The original installation consisted of two Pelton water-wheels of 600 horsepower, each connected to two General Electric stationary field generators. The power-house was subsequently enlarged and, in addition to the original equipment, it now consists of one 900-horse-power water-wheel and one double-overhung Pelton water-wheel of 2000-horse-power. The head under which the plant operates is 650 feet. It is interesting to note that this was the first hydro-electric plant on the British Columbia coast. Brentwood Bay Auxiliary Steam Plant At Brentwood bay, in the Municipality of Saanich, the company has erected a steam stand-by plant as an auxiliary to the Jordan river water-power. Construction was begun early in 1912, and the first unit placed in operation by November of the same year. The Brentwood site was selected for this plant as it was considered to be the centre of the heaviest portion of the load on the south end of Vancouver Island. It is also at tidal water, permitting of the economic delivery of fuel oil and affording ample supply of water for condensing purposes, while a plentiful supply of fresh water for boiler-feed water is available. Space is provided in the power-house for two additional complete units. [ 19 ] IP* Central Parh> Interurban Train [20] Transporting the People of the Coast Centres THE name, British Columbia Electric Railway company, indicates that one of the chief functions of the company is transportation. Transportation is one of the most basic needs of modern communities and, where people are massed together in cities, it calls for a highly organised agency to provide for their transit in large numbers. Today the street railways of the continent carry more than 16,000,000,000 passengers annually. B. C. Electric cars transport 72,000,000 passengers a year. At times the B. C. Electric system is called upon to carry the population of our territory in a single day. Since the first street cars ran in Vancouver and Victoria, 35 years ago, many changes have taken place in city transit. The rickety, four-wheeled street car of the early days has given way to the modern super - automatic two - car train. Multiple-unit control has been adopted for both city and interurban service. Electric switches save time at junction points. But other changes have taken place in other transportation circles. The horse has all but disappeared from our city streets. The automobile has appeared in such numbers as to create rtew traffic conditions as well as to change street car traffic radically. Possibly the greatest change which affected the street railway in recent years has been the increase in the number of automobiles. Fifteen years ago, this form of transportation was not used except by a few wealthy persons. "Njew Traffic Conditions This has also created a new traffic condition. The streets which formerly were used by horse-drawn vehicles and street cars have firitisKCoRinvbisi Electric RaJhray Coirvp^iyLtd Pacsserv^er C^rsOwnjed become filled, almost overnight, with vehicles for individual transportation, a most wasteful and uneconomical use of the streets. The street car suffers in two ways: traffic is diverted from it, and it is delayed in its work of carrying people rapidly by the congested traffic. It is a matter for congratulation and assurance on the part of the street railway men that not even the attraction of the automobile has reduced street car traffic. The rush-hour traffic in our cities is greater than ever. In Vancouver, new trains have been added to cope with this rush traffic. Stand at any downtown corner on a busy shopping day and note the scores and hundreds of people waiting to be carried home by street car. Note, also, how they melt away before the trains which carry their 300 at a time. Watch the stores and offices disgorge their thousands between five and six o'clock in an afternoon, and see these people transported, 20,000 or 30,000 an hour, out of the business district. Take note of the crowds that attend a parade, a ceremony or a hockey match, and of the way 50,000 or 60,000 persons are rapidly picked up by street car and taken to their destinations. No other agency has been invented which can do this at all, far less with such economy of street space. A new phase of city transportation is dawning in the motorbus. Some people erroneously believe that the motorbus .will supplant . the street car. The correct view is that the motorbus will assist the street car, both types of vehicle being operated under one management and in one comprehensive system. [ 21 ]. Fraser Valley [22] The motorbus can never carry the number of passengers in so small a street space as the street car. It is not so cheap to operate, and the advantages which appear great to the layman are overweighed by the disadvantages, such as the cost of operation and the short lifetime. In keeping with other companies on this continent, the B. C. Electric has adopted the motorbus, where feasible, in both city and interurban transit, and will be ready to use any other new developments that arise in that field. Public Opinion Vital Of the three services which the B. C. Electric provides—electricity, gas and transportation—that which comes in closest contact with the public is transportation. Every day we have 250,000 transactions with the public, every one of which is by means of a personal contact between passenger and employee. What the public thinks of us, therefore, is governed largely by their impressions of the street railway service. It follows, too, that public opinion regulates street car service and fares more than it regulates either of the other services. For a score of years there became ingrained in this public opinion the idea that five cents was the only possible street car fare. It was so over the entire continent. With the war came a revolutionary rise in the cost of materials and the wages in street car service— rises never dreamed of a few years before. Street railways found it impossible to survive under the old rates of fare. It is indicative of the way street railways set about informing the public, and giving service, that the objection and the prejudice that met appeals for higher fares were, in practically every case, broken down. There are today only a handful of cities on this continent charging the original five-cent fares. The others range anywhere • from six cents to ten cents, with the average above seven cents. No record of street railways is complete without reference to the jitney. This was a parasitic form of transportation which appeared in British Columbia in December, 1915, as it appeared throughout the continent, and which carried passengers first at five cents, and later at ten cents. It had none of the responsibilities of the street railway; it did business only when and where business was good; it gave no transfers; at times it charged what it liked. Through all these vicissitudes the street railway has survived, and today it is supplying the transportation of cities with the support and approval of the public at large. • Interurban System The interurban system of the B. C. Electric Railway company is one of the most extensive in Canada. Not only is there the longest interurban line, but around Vancouver the lines are among the most highly developed. The first line was the Westminster-Vancouver tramway, now the Central Park line; the secojnd, the Lulu Island line, leased from the Canadian Pacific Railway; the third, the Fraser Valley line, and the fourth, the Burnaby Lake line. Another line was built running from Victoria to Deep Bay, on the Saanich peninsula. The Central Park line has been a coloniser of great importance. The twelve miles between Vancouver and New Westminster have been built up almost solidly by its influence. Every day ten thousand passengers are carried by it at extremely low fares. Probably no line on the continent has such low fares, fares as low as a cent a mile with a transfer to city lines at each end. No relief has been obtained on this line, except where city fares were charged, yet the Central Park line is a most important artery. On Labor Day, 1925, this line, together with the Burnaby Lake line, carried no less than 35,000 passengers, almost three and a half times the normal travel. These people were bound for the New Westminster exhibition, and it is safe to say that if the Central Park line had not been in existence, there would have been no method of transportation which could have carried them. The Lulu Island line to Marpole also carries a large number of commuters daily for extremely low fares. There is now a service of two-car trains every fifteen minutes in the rush-hours on this line. The Burnaby lake line traverses territory not so thickly populated as the two former, but it plays an important part in the work of carrying suburban residents. Being under the Dominion railway commisson, fares on this line have been raised in recent years to be more in keeping with the cost of operation. (Continued on Page 27) [23 ] DeLuxe Motor Coach, B.C. I^apid Transit Company. Motor Bus. Vancouver City Service. [ 26 ] (Continued from Page 23) The Fraser Valley line has been more affected by the automobile, especially since the advent of paved roads, than any other mainland line. Passenger traffic is lighter than I was several years ago, but, nevertheless, the line plays an important function in the development of the valley. Important Freight Line Freight traffic has more than made up for any decrease in passenger traffic on the Fraser Valley line. Due to our through traffic arrangements with steam roads and our inter - connections, we are able to haul a great deal of freight into Vancouver and New Westminster. Our interurban lines make possible numerous industrial sites, which are often sought, because connection with our lines enables an industry to ship by any steam line. Freight traffic depends largely upon the lumber market, owing to the number of mills located on our lines. The total annual tonnage, therefore, shows fluctuations which correspond to this market. One of our interurban lines, the Saanich, at Victoria, ceased operations on October 1, 1924, after every effort had been made to make it profitable. Opened in 1913, this 24-mile line had soon to compete with automobile traffic and motor-bus traffic on the good roads. The company introduced better schedules, the weekly pass, and, finally, one-man cars in an effort to gain traffic and reduce expenses. None of these expedients saved it. The traffic did not arrive. MOTOR TRANSPORTATION IN line with the progressive companies on this continent, the British Columbia Electric Railway company has adopted motor transportation wherever it could be used profitably. firitisK Cokmvbi&. Electric Raah/sy Co-Ltd Frei§Kt Toi\s M-adix-fea^d & Islaovd ..■■III YEAES ^fe'd^r ervdrrvo \J\irve 30 The first motor-bus line was that on the Grandview highway, Vancouver, opened in March, 1923. This line was started at the request of the Vancouver city council, which defrays half the deficit on operation. City fares are charged on this line and transfers are given free to city car lines. The second motor-bus enterprise was the British Columbia Rapid Transit company, operating between Vancouver and New Westminster. When jitneys began operating in Vancouver, there sprang up a similar type of competition between Vancouver and New Westminster, on Kingsway, paralleling the Central Park interurban line. Men owning touring cars operated them at a fare which attracted many people who were beset with the erase for "riding on rubber.'''' It was seen that this desire was a permanent one, and the company decided that it would cater to this class of business by operating high- class, speedy interurban coaches. The B. C. Rapid Transit company began operations on June 1, 1924, with six coaches. There are now nine coaches in all. A fast and frequent service is given, and proof that it fills an economic want is given in the good patronage the coaches receive. The most recent motor-bus route to be started is that serving the IJniversity of British Columbia, in West Point Grey, a suburb of Vancouver. As the university buildings are some two miles from the nearest street car line, the need for some new facilities for transportation became early apparent. Motor-buses are being recognised as the most efficient means of transportation under certain conditions, such as feeding street car systems and where traffic is comparatively light. Seven buses operate from Sasamat and Tenth avenue, Vancouver, to the university, and are expected to give sufficient service for the present. [ 27 ] ^Jelline the [28] Serving the Public with Transportation, Electricity, Gas NO industries in the world have gone so far towards meeting the wishes of the public as have the public utilities, light and power, transportation and gas. Although private companies, they are truly public servants. Their sole endeavor is to serve the public well, giving it the benefit of every possible economy and advance in efficiency. In announcing that Bridge river power would be developed by the B. C. Electric, George Kidd, president, declared that, no matter what else was short in Vancouver, there would be no shortage of electric power. The anxiety of the company to maintain an adequate supply of electric power exemplifies the underlying principles on which this company is operated. Such power development can hardly be accounted for purely on financial grounds, because more dividends could be paid by sitting tight, using our present development to its utmost and letting the public whistle. But public utilities look on their destiny in a different way. They realise that they are in existence to serve the public first, and, this accomplished, dividends will result. Public utilities are, of course, regulated by franchises, by legislature and by public opinion, and they hold the approval of the authorities only by keeping a plentiful supply of power available. But the most progressive of public utility companies hardly need regulation—they give the best service and they voluntarily give the public the lowest rates. Conclusive proof of how the ideals of service have been adopted by the public utility companies, lies in the price of their commodities compared with the prices of every other commodity in common use. Electric light, averaged over this continent, has dropped in price 9 per cent., while other commodities have risen; street car fares have risen only 50 per cent, on the continent as a whole. Reductions in Rates This is the record of other companies. The B. C. Electric Railway company has far exceeded them in giving greater service at lower rates. Street car fares on the B. C. Electric system have increased only once, as compared with successive increases in other cities. Electric light rates in Vancouver have decreased no less than 58 per cent, since 1917. In 1917 the rate for electric light was 8.8 cents net, with a 15-cent meter charge. Today the rate in Vancouver is 4 J/2 cents net per kilowatt hour for the first 3 kilowatt hours per 100 square feet, and 2 cents net for all current additional. The rate in Point Grey, South Vancouver, Burnaby and North Vancouver is 5 J/2 cents, dropping to 2 cents. Taking a house with an area of 1000 square feet, and a monthly consumption of 40 kilowatt hours, here is a comparison between the bills of 1917 and today: 1917 1926 Vancouver city $3.67 $1.55 South Vancouver, Point Grey, North Vancouver city and district, and Burnaby $3.67 $1.85 All these reductions have been made by the company voluntarily, with the result that Vancouver and suburbs now have rates among the lowest for electric current on the continent. Of all public utility services, none has been so affected by the rise in cost of materials as gas. Coal and oil are the chief ingredients in manufactured gas, and if these go up the price of gas ought to go up. It has been different with the British Columbia Electric Railway company's gas service. There has been no rise in the price of gas. By Dominion government instructions, the B.T.U. standard was set at 450 in 1919, as compared with 520 B.T.U. previously, but to the user of gas this made practically no difference. The benefit of stationary gas rates can be accounted for only by the increased efficiency in operating the gas system. At Vancouver and Victoria, new gas plants of the vertical type have been erected, resulting in gas being produced at a much lower cost than formerly. In the quality of service, the B. C. Electric Railway company has made steady advances. [ 29 ] firitisK CoKirrvbiA, Electric Ely-Co-Ltd G*3cS Oustonvers 00 * ^ o f 1 ! 1 * a| „ ? N ■ MM British Columbia Elechic Rly. Co. Lid. * 1 ?*■ 1j Number of L 11 k Customers Ye <6 M 0 -^ ml J6hf a Power are 1897-1925 Hill E-^ j * * - ? ! S £3 ?gS|S "YEARS s 11 o HI <D fcoj U 1 O (0 m ° j| N~ E $ 1 | 8 - 1 0 H n II II r-t-> 53 <Q 1 1 i ON. § Q m ■ A <Tv 1 1 N - o * -4 s 1 II S fi" ' : jj & !? 1 0 - u, S 1 s - t * I I " in iiiilll 1 ! II 1 1 1 | «; s s I il££oi£i£i!5,^;?.^!£££ Ye^rs || [ 30] «£= Comments of visitors to Vancouver and Victoria, leave no doubt as to the high standard of our street car and interurban service. Com' mendations of our conductors and motormen are so numerous that the courtesy and service of these men are now bywords. The record of electric service is similarly gratifying. There was a time, during the years of great expansion, when street cars stopped and lights went out with aggravating frequency. The tremendous strain upon the power plants, transmission lines and distribu' tion system, brought about numerous break' downs. Since then there has been an entirely differ' ent record. Total interruptions—the gauge of good service—have all but disappeared. Partial interruptions have been cut down, until a cessation of electric service is unusual. Here is a record of the interruptions during the last 16 years: feeders have been built, so that the voltage, even in the peak hours, may remain constant. People must have adequate light and current for cooking, and unless feeders are built of sufficient capacity to carry the load, lower voltage will result. This, again, has called for more substation equipment in Point Grey sub' station and in West Point Grey. A new automatic substation has been built in West Point Grey at a cost of $87,000, and another is under construction in. Fairview costing $74,000. The industrial district calls for a continual increase in service. The waterfront has seen great development during the last four or five years. Great elevators, with motors totalling 2,000 horsepower, have been erected, and electric power must be ready to serve them. They call for extra heavy feed wires, and the B. C. Electric, awake to the possible demand, 4-HRS. 29MIUS DURATION OF TOTAL POWER INTERR UPTIONS B.C.ELECTRIC MAINLAND SYSTEM (Exclusive of Fraser Valley ) 2HRS 23MIN5 ^HR- « 1HR 44MIN3. 28 ■MINS 10 M?NS. *mHS- M CO 3! JO m t> 00 T—< o^ O^ G^ o> CP 1 0> o (7> How has this record of performance been brought about? By keeping our power plants, transmission lines, switching apparatus and substation equipment far ahead of the require' ments. There is now an ample margin of capacity in our power system for any eventu' ality. 'Hew Substations Nor has the quality of our service been forgotten. As Point Grey has built up, new (T> O *-« r^. (M (M <T> CT> O^ 0^ I CO ^ CM CO m CM has now a power ring stretching from east to west along the waterfront and back by False creek. Gas service has had almost as great an expansion. Up to 1922, gas could be supplied only in Vancouver city. In that year South Vancouver made an agreement allowing the company to lay mains to serve the people who sought the convenient fuel. Point Grey fol' lowed in 1923. Since then 31 miles of mains have been laid in the two municipalities. [ i ] &arls road Substation Main Street Substation r 32 ] Use of Electric Service only Beginning m Modern Communities OF all industries today, none has a brighter future, none has greater potentialities than the electrical industry. Highly electrified as our communities are, electricity is not yet used in such quantities as it will be used in coming years. Canada is exceptionally fortunate in its electrical resources. With a population of only 9,000,000 people, it has 4,288,453 horsepower developed (Dominion government figures for 1925). Of this total, British Columbia claims 414,706 horse'power, or more per capita than any other province in Canada. Altogether, there is 450 horsepower per 1000 of population in Canada, which is second in the world only to Norway. One reason for this magnificent record has been the extent to which water'powers have been developed. All but a small percentage of the power used in Canada is developed hydraulically, and rates are consequently lowest on the continent. Leaving out of account the rates charged by municipal plants, which are often made lower than actual costs for political purposes, the rates charged by Canadian private companies are far below those charged elsewhere on the continent. The B. C. Electric's rates have always been planned with the view of building up local communities. Proof of their fairness lies in the fact that there are practically no industries which do not use B. C. Electric power if they are within reach of our transmission lines. The only exceptions are lumber mills, which must use their waste fuel, and one or two institutions which require steam for heating or laundry purposes. The growth of the company's connected load had therefore depended upon the growth of industry. Other companies may occasionally be found which show more rapid load building, but that can be accounted for by the closing down of private power plants in favor of buying power from a power company. B. C. Electric power rates are so low that no private installations other than those mentioned above can produce power so cheaply. The development of Vancouver's harbor during the last few years has meant a large increase in the company's connected load. The new piers, the elevators, the dry-dock in North Vancouver and the industries connected with them, all use electric power in large quantities. Another large industry using B. C. Electric current is the Britannia mine, 28 miles from the city, on Howe Sound. A 34,000-volt transmission line was constructed to Britannia Beach, in 1923, to serve the great copper mine there. While all the power used by the mining company is not purchased from the B. C. Electric, more and more will be used as years go on, because of the dependable nature of our service. Lighting Improvements Street lighting has undergone an entire change in Vancouver during the last two years. Formerly the main business streets were lighted by means of low candle-power cluster lights. Point Grey brought about a change by installing single-unit standards in the new section of Shaughnessy Heights. The City of Vancouver followed with similar lighting on south Granville, which proved so attractive that during the last summer practically all the old cluster lights were taken out and single units of higher intensity were installed. Altogether $300,000 has been spent in Vancouver on new standards or old standards during the last year. Plans are under way for more efficient lighting of residential streets. This work has been induced not a little by the company's low rates for street lighting. Store lighting, window lighting, factory lighting, electric signs and illuminated billboards are other forms of current utilisation which are growing fast. A broad educational campaign, accompanied by intensified work by the company's own staff and electrical contractors, has been going on for several years. The standard of store lighting has been raised considerably in recent years. During the last few months, a marked increase in electric signs has been seen on the streets of Vancouver and New Westminster. Illuminated billboards are now recognised as standard throughout Canada, one-sixth of all poster boards having to be illuminated. H(mi0Rvjm£ \ceivlng Station CBwtnatrQ Outdoor Substation r 34] The improvement of factory lighting is now the subject of another city-wide campaign. The B. C. Electric is linking up with that campaign to improve the standard of illumina' tion in industries in British Columbia. As an inducement for the more liberal use of current by commercial premises, the company has recently announced a reduction in commercial lighting rates in Vancouver. The new rate is intended to encourage the use of current in the non'peak hours. Thus, after the normal amount of current is used, the rate drops to 2 cents a kilowatt hour. This rate will also apply to electric signs and be available for the small user as well as the large one. It will induce merchants to leave their window lights burning every evening, knowing that current will cost them only 2 cents a kilowatt hour. Residence service is still the largest single part of the business of most electric power companies, and the residence customers, small individually, are most necessary to satisfy. A great deal of the company's effort has been to increase the use of electricity by these customers, so as to make their accounts more profitable. Where customers use only the minimum of 50 cents' worth of current a month, the company loses money. Educating the Public In recent years, these efforts have taken the forms of spreading the idea of labor'saving electrical devices and of raising the standard of lighting in the home. The company has by means of sales campaigns placed thousands of washing machines, vacuum cleaners, electric irons, toasters, grill stoves and the like in the homes of its customers. In 1924, in company with the other elec' trical utilities of the continent, it conducted an essay contest among school children, which played a great part in educating people as to better home-lighting. Some 1300 essays were submitted by school pupils in the company's territory, and the lessons learned at that time are having a material effect in improving the lighting of our homes. The company's policy has been to reduce lighting rates whenever it could. Starting in 1917, when the rate was 8.8 cents net, lighting rates in Vancouver city were successively reduced to 8 cents, then to 6, then to 5, then to the present rate of 4]/2 cents, dropping to 2 cents for current used in non-peak hours. This rate is intended to induce residents to use current liberally for porch lighting, for decorative lighting and for electric appliances. That it' is having this effect there is no doubt. The average consumption of current is gradually increasing. In all these reductions the company has given back to the public hundreds of thousands of dollars, but it has gambled on the public increasing its use of current so as to make reductions in rates possible. It is the company's hope that, through the use of more appliances and better lighting, the average use of current will continue to rise far above other cities where rates are much higher than in Vancouver. Another use for electric current which has grown rapidly in recent years is in the electric range. There are now 2000 electric ranges in Vancouver and the lower mainland. This form of cooking is only in its infancy in Vancouver. There is no reason why there should not be 5000 electric ranges in this city in the next year or two. It requires only a realisation by the public of their extreme economy for the number to increase rapidly. There is now in British Columbia a large number of businesses directly engaged in work of an electrical nature. In order to co-ordinate the work of these various factors, there was organised several years ago the Electrical Service League of British Columbia, which functions in improving the standards of public use, wherever possible. It has been instrumental in getting recognition for better wiring in the new homes being erected in and around Vancouver. There is hardly a house built now but has electrical convenience outlets. Plans and specifications are furnished free by this league, and advice is given on all forms of electric service. Another activity is the specifying of store lighting and other commercial installations. The electrical industry has something of value to impart to the community. While it is selling its services, it is bringing more comfort, more convenience and more efficiency to the world. For the public to obtain the utmost benefit from this great service, the use of electricity must be promoted, not only so that wrong methods may be avoided, but also that the latest achievements of the industry may be brought before the public. [ 35 ] British. ColMiixbia^'E-lectric Raah?^ Corcvpeo^ LtcL Aoxirly Pe^KJ_oajds irv K.ilo^a^tts A-aarvl-bovd MB \?aa\£xxi\?erlsk>j\d. E slilsl • YEAR.© . £>ritisK Cohmxbrai. Electric Kaalvay Coirvpary Ltd- C^p&city of Povep Pfejvtej 1TV tTO rtorse Pover- § 2 ~ ! ! 1 1 "iiiliiiiiill ' \ YEAJs" 8 British Columbia, Electric Rly. Co. Ltd. g 1 Total Connected Load iuffi I for Industrial Purposes s 5; I as ah December 31 sK 1 + 1 1 £ t * g" cS i i s £ <Q ) -* 1 i 1 i g ? ^ j* o~ 1 I B 11 0_<grt«**NO<r. O - N " <t Ul Ye^rs 1 [ 36] Victoria Light and Power System Snows Rapid. Expansion IT is a remarkable fact that the number of increasing item in the company's output of houses in Greater Victoria wired for and commercial power. using electric light is practically one The completion of the Dominion Govern- hundred per cent. Electricity is also used ment drydock at Esquimalt, the second largest exclusively for illumination purposes in all in the world, will, undoubtedly, give a consid- public buildings, offices, schools, churches, erable impetus to the shipbuilding and repair- theatres, etc., also for street lighting, and the ing industry in Victoria, service is rapidly being extended into the sur- The lumber industry, the largest and most rounding country districts. important on the island, is another large con- This is all the more remarkable when con- sumer of electric power, sideration is taken of the fact that manufac LarQe Power Loads tured gas for illumination purposes was fairly A HH j 1 *• 11 Z. ui • i. j • 18 1 m ■ Z. r *.-l Wm Among the important and representative well established in the early history or the city. ■ j „. • i w tij _t • 1 r • i industrial consumers on Vancouver Island are: The greatest period of expansion may be horse-power said to date from 1902. There were at that b. C. Cement Co 4,500 time some 2000 light and power customers, Dominion Government Drydock 3,775 with an industrial load of 500 horse-power. puget Sound Lumber Co 1,110 Ten years later this had increased to nearly Canadian Explosives, Ltd 850 ~ „~~ Til -1 Yarrows, Limited 650 9000 light and power customers, with a cpn- Cameron Lumber Co. Ltd 500 nected industrial load of 5000 horse-power. Sidney Roofing 6? Paper Co 475 In 1923 electric power was first received Canadian Western Cooperage 325 from the Jordan river hydro-electric power Victoria Machinery Depot 200 , — J , . , . } 1/-11 Moore & Whittington Lumber Co 160 plant. From this date the growth ot the elec- T n. . . . . trie light and power business in Victoria and *? addltlon to the above, the company is district was particularly rapid, necessitating supplying a considerable amount of electric the installation of a second unit of 6000 horse- P°wer t0 bn<* and ^ Plants' ^mture, bed- power and, shortly afterwards, a third unit of dln§'. *■* and. M factories newspaper and. 13,000 horse-power at Jordan river. Pnntln§. establishment^ machine shops, eleva- t. HPHi ifVHSPffSffl r \7- tor service in stores, offices and hotels, as well It was at this time that the City of Vic- , , ' „ . ,. .« , ' . I • j.j i • ■■■pH as to a number ot small individual motors used toria adopted a comprehensive cluster lighting r , m ^u j 4. *.- r v lor pumping, wood cutting, etc. system tor the down-town portion of its 4,, r . ' , M§w j 1 I rpi . I .| r -, m A I here is today a total connected commer- streets. I his system now consists of 1020 cast- ., 1 H f 98 000 h iron lamp standards, each bearing a cluster of j -^ r™ 1 ' 1 ' five lights. In addition to the cluster lighting °3fJ Wlth 5°° horse'P°wer about twenty system, the city operates and maintains 970 ^ r-m 1 • 1 • 1 magnetic arc lamps. Power for both these These consumers obtain Aeir electric power systems is purchased from the company. at rates tbat comPfe Very fav0PbK/ wlth *e T j . , . • j 1 rates in effect in other parts ot the country. It was during this same period that street tm r , j f , 1 , iW&s Wmm 1 &r 1 ..,.. , I he use ot electrical labor-saving appli- lighting schemes tor the municipalities ot uu c 1 * ui- 1. j mm o • f ^ 1 t> ,-d • 1 ances has become firmly established. There oaanich, (Jak bay and bsquimalt were consum/ pnBpB mSSHM Wm J are upwards or 500 electric ranges in use in mated and put in operation. SGOmm j j-^ -^ j -^ • w r j • -^ . , r 11 1 • 1 1 1- Victoria and district, and it is usual to find,, in During the war period the shipbuilding ^^ | M essentfal | hti fixtures/at industry in Victoria became very active, add- least an electric iron? and usually a vacuum ing considerably to the then power load. While cleaner? toaster, percolator or washing machine, this industry is not now so much to the fore, Illuminated signs, flood lighting and win- yet the shipbuilding and repairing industry, dow illumination also form an important item as represented by such local firms as Yarrows, H the commercial lighting load. At the pre- Limited, the Victoria Machinery Depot, etc., sent time this phase of the company's under- forms a very considerable and a constantly takings is receiving particular attention. * , m r 37 ] [ 38 ] Gas. the Modern Fuel GAS SERVICE was the last of the three big public utility services to be taken over by the British Columbia Electric Railway company in Vancouver and Victoria. Up to 1904, gas service was supplied by companies controlled by McKenzie &? Mann, the builders of the Canadian Northern Railway. Records of the gas system previous to 1906 are very meagre, but in that year there were in Vancouver 40.33 miles of mains, 1886 gas customers and a gas plant, of the horizontal type, capable of a daily output of 150,000 cubic feet. Since then, the mileage of mains has increased fivefold, and the number of customers 12' fold and the capacity of the plant-30-fold. Almost immediately upon the British Columbia Electric Railway company taking over the gas service in Vancouver, expansion began. Within five years the mileage of mains had doubled, and doubled again in four years more. In 1906 the plant was extended by installing a water-gas equipment capable of manufacturing 1,250,000 cubic feet a day. At that time the price of oil was low and coal-gas manufacturing equipment was primitive. Since then the situation has entirely changed, and the company's gas output is now made entirely from Vancouver Island coal. The water-gas plant, built in 1906, is still in existence, but is used only as an auxiliary. The next addition to the Vancouver gas plant was in 1918, when horizontal coal-gas benches, with a daily capacity of 500,000 cubic feet, were installed. Shortly after this, mechanical stoking equipment was added. In 1920 the rapid increase in the use of gas made necessary a new plant of 1,000,000 firitisK ColMiivbi-ei Electric Bailvw Co-Ltd Miles of GscS Madns VEAES cubic feet daily capacity, which was opened on December of that year. Owing to the proxi' mity of suitable coal, the manufacture of water'gas was discouraged and coal-gas manu' factured. The new plant was of the vertical retort type, and was the first of its kind on the Pacific Coast and one of the first in Canada. This plant was hardly in operation but further expansion was necessary. An addition was made to it, greater than the original plant, and capable of turning out 2,000,000 cubic feet a day. This was opened in 1925, the whole plant costing $400,000. Up to this time only Vancouver city had been served with gas. The company had made proposals to extend its mains into new sections of the city, namely Hastings townsite and Ward eight, but due to the habit of taxpayers voting down bylaws, they also voted down a franchise proposal. This was later voted by the same taxpayers in 192 2: In July, 1922, a franchise was negotiated with the commissioner in charge of the South Vancouver municipality for the supplying of gas in that area. In August, 1923, a franchise contract was entered into with Point Grey municipality, another suburb of Vancouver, for the extension of gas mains to that suburb. In South Vancouver and Point Grey there have now been laid 31 miles of mains (October 1, 1925), and extensions are being made as fast as pipe can be received. An entirely new field for gas service has opened up in recent years, namely, gas heating and industrial. By means of new inventions and our low rates, which supply gas at 75 cents, dropping to 60 cents a thousand cubic feet, gas is entirely feasible for house heating, store heating, church heating, and so forth. [ 39] jMgfflacUiiaiiifia^^ The Twentieth Century Fuel Bin— I N England the gas holder is the symbol of more sunshine and cleaner air. If it's done with heat, you can do it better with Gas In Canada the gas holder is a constant reminder of our emancipation from the tyranny of coal, and all that coal represents — ashes, soot, dirt, labor. One of the most impressive things about gas service is that it's CLEAN. And because it's clean it makes possible clean homes, clean work, clean food. Today is the day of gas fuel. British Columbia MEiECTRicR/iiiWiiyCo. 425 Carrall Street 1138 Granville Street iiglijM&TiyTi^^ S 40] Gas Service in victoria THE VICTORIA GAS COMPANY was founded in 1860, the stock being subscribed for by local citizens with a local board of directors. The original plant consisted of the usual standardised type of horizontal retort settings (six settings of three retorts direct fired), purifying plant, a small gas-holder of 25,000 cubic feet capacity and about, six miles of mains. The plant was purchased from James Milne &? Sons, Edinburgh. It was shipped to Victoria in a sailing ship and erected by a gas engineer by the name of Murphy, who operated the plant for several years thereafter. Victoria was at that time the distributing centre for the whole of British Columbia, and as the principal source of wealth and the main attraction for the early settlers was gold- mining, it followed that, after every gold strike, the town was filled with people who purchased their supplies and afterwards dispersed to all parts of the province, returning in the fall to refit and recuperate, ready for a fresh start in the spring. In this way, Victoria, in common with the rest of the Pacific coast, experienced a series of ups and downs, which were reflected in the fortunes of the Gas company. As the gold placers became exhausted and the gold miners left for other parts, Victoria was, for a time, let to go along as best she could, and had a hard struggle to maintain an existence. During these trying times, the output of the company was sometimes reduced almost to the vanishing point. As time went on business conditions gradually broadened out on to a more stable basis. The lumbering and fishing industries were being developed, and when pelagic sealing was at its height business, generally speaking, boomed again. Gas was sold at that time almost entirely for illuminating purposes. Later, electricity became a serious competitor. The company, to meet this competition, put into effect a special low rate for fuel gas of $1.25 per 1000 cubic feet, hoping thereby to regain some of their lost output. It is interesting to note that during these pioneer days the gas lighting rates ranged from $7.50 to $2.00 per 1000 cubic feet. Additions and improvements were made to the original plant from time to time. Additional miles of main were laid. New districts were gradually brought within the gas area. In 1890 there were 11.75 miles of mains and 1138 gas consumers. In 1905 the business and holdings of the Gas company were taken over by the B. C. Electric Railway company. Gas Utility Expands Vive years later the number of consumers had been more than doubled and the mileage of mains trebled. In 1920 the output was approximately 90,000 cubic feet, the number of consumers in the neighborhood of 4000, while the miles of mains had increased to 54. In 1921 the increased demand for gas, the higher price of coals and the company's determination to compete with solid fuels for heating, and the specially low rates offered to consumers for this class of business, made it necessary to install a more economical and efficient carbonizing plant. Accordingly, a modern plant of the continuous vertical retort type, with a daily capacity of 700,000 cubic feet, was built and put in operation. This plant had hardly been put into operation when it was decided to increase the size and efficiency of the plant by the additon of a new, spiral-guided gas-holder, of 500,000 cubic feet capacity, and a larger purifying plant. The new holder was erected by Robert Dempster & Sons, Elland, England, and will be put into operation this winter. The new purifying plant is in the course of erection. Victoria now has one of the most modern and efficient gas plants on the Pacific coast, and one that will adequately care for the demands for gas service in Victoria and district for a number of years to come. [ 41 I 'British Columbia ELECTRicRfliLW/nrCo. Type of goodwill advertising used by the company regarding its transportation service. [ 42 ] Some Important Dates m B. C. Electric History 1886- city, 1887- 189.0- incorporated as Light company -Vancouver April 6. Vancouver Electric organized January 8. Lighting service inaugurated August 8. Bylaw passed by city council authorm ing Vancouver Street Railway company to operate system, November 26. Vancouver Electric Light company and Vancouver Street Railway company amalgamated, May 22. First street cars operated in Vancouver, June 28. First arc lamps installed July 3. Vancouver-New Westminster Railway started August 1. 1891—Vancouver-New Westminster interurban service inaugurated October 1. Street Railway &? Lighting company in difficulties; make offer to sell to city for $162,000. Proposal killed by press objection. 1892—Twelfth street cut-off to New Westminster opened. 1893—City requested to guarantee bond issue of $400,000; bylaw rejected by taxpayers, April 27. Company reduces service as a result. Bondholders take possession of assets, May 11. 1894—Bondholders offer to sell system to City of Vancouver for $380,000. Ratepayers reject proposal, May 30. Consolidated Railway & Light company purchase assets of Vancouver and Victoria systems. 1895—Westminster and Vancouver Tram company sold by public auction, April 13. Purchased by Consolidated Railway &? Light company for $290,000. London Syndicate headed by R. M. Horne-Payne takes over control of Consolidated Railway &? Light company, November 22. 1896—Point Ellice bridge disaster, Victoria, forces new company into hands of receiver. 1899- 1902- 1903- 1904—< 1905- 1897—British Columbia Electric Railway organized by Mr. Horne-Payne and takes over properties of Consolidated company, April 15. F. S. Barnard becomes managing- director and J. Buntzen comptroller. -New power plant erected. New head office building erected. Lake Buntzen power development initiated. Boring of Coquitlam-Buntzen tunnel begun. -First unit of Lake Buntzen power scheme completed, 5000 horse-power, December 17. Original Coquitlam dam erected. Vancouver Gas company acquired by B. C. Electric Railway company. Coquitlam tunnel completed. Lulu Island Railway taken over from C.P.R. and operated. Franchise for street railway service given by North Vancouver. Light and power extended to North Vancouver. 1906—North Vancouver street car service begun August. Double-tracking of Central Park interurban line begun. First survey for Fraser Valley line. 1907—Construction of Fraser Valley line begun. 1908—Enlargement of Coquitlam tunnel begun. Construction of new Coquitlam dams begun. Lighting service in Chilliwack. 1909—Marpole-New Westminster branch completed and operated. 1910—Fraser Valley line completed and opened for traffic. 1911—Burnaby Lake line completed. Coquitlam tunnel enlargement completed. New Westminster station building occupied. [ 43 ] •a BRITISH COLUMBIA mmdjr ELECTRIC RAILWAY LIMITED Hu BlectrJI Power. Qbundant and Cheap vxVhNCQfa aWICTORIA British Columbia £*yHE eyes of Canada are on Vancouver and / Victoria^ gateways to the Pacific Manufacturers will find there electric power and gas at extremely low rates. Our five hydro-electric plants have a combined capacity of 183,500 horse power. A sixth plant now building will add 13,000 horse power. Widespread distribution lines make innumerable industrial sites with waterfrontage and trackage available. For further particulars regarding rates and service, write GEORGE KIDD, PRESIDENT, VANCOUVER, R. C. British Columbia (mm Electric Railway Co. Electric Railway, Light, Power and Gas Service Capital Investment $70,000,000.00 Type of advertising used in financial papers, designed to attract new industrie { 44 ] 1912- 1913- 1914- 1918- 1919- 1920- 1921- 1922- 1923- 1924- 1925- -Lulu Island Railway double-tracked to Marpole. Present head office building completed and occupied. Lake Buntzen No. 2 plant completed. Highland Park cut-off constructed and opened for service. -Kitsilano car barns erected. -New Mount Pleasant car barns constructed. Granville street station erected. -Jitneys abolished from Vancouver streets. -Six-cent fare granted in Vancouver city, New Westminster and Victoria. Seven-cent fare to Vancouver suburbs. -Control of Western Power company acquired, December. -Fourth unit of Stave Falls plant placed in service. -New franchise negotiated with city council, Vancouver, for periodic revision of street car fares. Construction of Blind Slough dam and raising of main and intake dams at Stave Falls begun, April. Change of rule of road from left to right, January 1. Company converts all equipment. -Work on Stave Falls dams completed. -Construction of Fifth unit at Stave Falls begun. Alouette development begun. Rapid Transit line inaugurated May 1. -Alouette tunnel completed. Alouette dam begun. Stave Falls plant completed. 1890- VANCOUVER ISLAND -National Electric Tramway and Lighting company, incorporated. Capi' tal stock $250,000. -First street cars operated in Victoria. Six miles of track and five cars in use. Power generated by steam plant on Store street. -Name changed to VICTORIA ELECTRIC RAILWAY AND LIGHTING COMPANY LIMITED. Consolidated Railway &? Lighting Company Act passed. -Name changed to CONSOLIDATED RAILWAY COMPANY. Consolidated Railway company purchased the 1899- 1900- 1902- 1905- 1908- 1909- 1911- 1912- 1913- 1914- 1921- 1924- undertaking of the Victoria Electrical Railway and Lighting company, Limited. The business and undertakings of the Consolidated Railway company, Limited, taken over by the B. C. Electric Railway company, Limited. -Goldstream hydro-electric plant installed. -Farebox system introduced on cars. -Number of cars in use had increased to 20. Esquimalt interurban line opened for traffic. -New car barns built on Pembroke street. (Those now in use.) -The holdings and business of the Victoria Gas company taken over by the B. C. Electric. The Gas company was established in 1860, the late Mr. C. W. R. Thompson being the principal stockholder. Gorge Park opened to the public. Plans prepared for new offices on Langley street. (The offices now in use.) The old offices were at 25 Yates street. -Jordan River hydro-electric development taken in hand. -10-cent fare on Esquimalt line abolished and five'cent fare substituted. Work started on first unit of Jordan river hydro-electric development. -Decision made to install a second unit at Jordan river, thereby doubling the capacity called for in the original plans. Contract awarded for construction of Saanich interurban. -Power first received from Jordan river. Construction of auxiliary steam plant at Brentwood bay started. Construction work started on large storage dam at Jordan river. Steam plant at Brentwood bay put in service. -Saanich line (interurban) opened for freight and passenger traffic. -Third unit (13,000 h.p.) installed at Jordan river, doubling the then capacity. -Rule of road changed from left to right. One-man car operation inaugurated. New Victoria gas plant completed. -New holder for gas plant completed. Dining Room Fixture Shade or diffuse every light. Let no "raw" light, strike the eye. tyourTfome deserPes BetterJJghting /^IGHT is now so cheap, that every home in Greater Vancou' / ver should enjoy an abundance of warm, soft light. Check over your lights today and see if your rooms are adequately lighted. Here is the standard used in the 1924 Home Lighting Contest: Total Watts Living room -.. 250 - 500 watts Dining room (table) 150 [ 200 Dining room (walls) 50-200 Kitchen 150 - 250 Bedroom 175 - 300 Porch 50 - 100 Bithroom 100 - 175 Basement 200 - 300 Remember that if you have a house of 1,000 square feet, you have to use only 30 kilowatt hours, costing $1.35 in Vancouver city and $1.65 in suburbs, before you get current at TWO CENTS A KILOWATT HOUR. Much of the light used on the above standard will be at the two-cent rate. British Columbia ffiEiECTRicMiwflyCo. Type of advertising directed to increasing current consumption Impressive Facts About the B. C. Electric Railway It serves a territory of over 1500 square miles. It renders useful service to a population of over 375,000, embracing 21 different communities. It has five large hydro-electric plants and two large steam plants. It • is building one additional hydro-electric plant. It has 17 substations. It has 396 miles of high-tension transmission lines. It has 1546 miles of distribution wires. It has 40 city street car lines. It has four interurban lines. It has 3240 employees on its payroll. It paid out in wages and salaries during the year 1925 a total of $5,074,323. It operates 186.60 miles of city car lines. It operates 158.72 miles of interurban car lines, a total of 345.32. It has 408 street cars, interurban cars and motor-buses. It owns 13 electric locomotives (in service), a total of 17; four are used for miscellaneous work. It owns 495 freight, baggage and work cars. In 1925 it carried a total of 71,796,794 passengers. It operated 13,189,227 passenger car miles in 1925. The capacity of its seven power plants is 202,100 horse-power. In 1925 the output of its power plants was 387,152,960 kilowatt hours. It has 87,400 light and power customers, December 31, 1925. It has two gas plants with a total daily capacity of 5,900,000 cubic feet. It has 256.1 miles of gas mains, November 30, 1925. It sent out 837,774,700 cubic feet of gas during 1925. It has 29,939 gas customers, November 30, 1925. It has a total investment in British Columbia of $70,000,000. [ 47 ] f'nis book is for use in uprary Building ONLY
Other copies: http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/606979276
Books
HD9685.C3 B692
III-0384
English
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
[Vancouver] : [British Columbia Electric Railway Company]
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Original Format: University of British Columbia. Library. Rare Books and Special Collections. HD9685.C3 B692
Twenty nine years of public service
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