1933-02-11 — Page 14

HONG KONG DAILY PRESS, EMPRESS OF BRITAIN SUPPLEMENT, FEBRUARY 11, 1933.

TAKE A TRIP ON THE PEAK

TRAMWAY!

An Enterprise that Founded Hong Kong's Hill Station

HOW THE LINE IS OPERATED

SAFETY DEVICES.

When you take the Peak Tram schemes being legislated for in one, Way, and are carried up dizzy in-bill, olines, that make the wooded hills A second assignment was made bend over you, and play most for the latter gentlemen to the ourious tricks with the perspective Hong Kong High-Level Tramways of the strange and interesting Co., Ltd., and this Company com Koenery, you may pause to wonder munced to construct their line in how this enterprise came to be September, 1885. achieved.

The Peak Tramway is an example of the triumph of an idea over When the pro public credulity. jeet was first mooted it was realized that the difficulties in the way were enormous and that the chances of immediate success were mall. The project was first put in shape by Mr. A. Finlay Smith who had given it consideration for some years and who presented a petition dated May 20, 1881, to H.E. the Governor of Hong Kong. The petition asked for w concession inventing him #with powers to construct and work by means of a public company or a private enterprise a wire rope railroad, of a guage of about 3 feet

inches between East Point -via; Queen's Road to West Point; and from Queen's Road to Victoria Gap. The advantages of the second route were that it would:

Ass. J. F. Boulton, Esq.. M.I.C.E., who from failure of health arising from the crying nature of his duties, had to leave the Colony a year before the completion of the Trantway, acted as resident En gineer, and W. Smith, Esq., C.E., 43 consulting Engineer

AND THE

be guessed, by a residence at the their courageous initiative will in Paul for a long period on the part all probability dispel that rem of workers in the lower town, who, nant of fear which may still linger morning and evening, experienced in the breasts of the weaker sex." the difficulties of getting up and down, to and from the daily busi ness of life, and who on the top of the mountain, from twelve to eighteen hundred foot above sea level, could enjoy the salubrious climate, the green hills and the bracing southern breezes from the ocean.

1.-Render valuable, Crown Lands

now unproductive.

Mr. Findlay Smith did not ap proach the project rushly. He had time he

The company, however, in spite of first indications, did not con- tinue to pay dividends and in 1802 its management was handed to John D. Humphreys and Son who immediately put it in a paying basis, dividends increasing ba 20 per cent, in 1908 and satisfactory pro- fits being made thereafter.

Electrically Driven.

After many tribulations concern.

Steam power was used until. 1996 ed mainly with the apathy of the public, and various delays due to when, after air. L. G. Scott, the the difficulty in securing subsorip Superintendens Engineer, had in- tions for shares, the company com menced the construction on March vestigated various electric systems 26, 1885, and progressed gradually in use in other countries, a modern Ward-Leonard System of Electric till the beginning of 1888 when the Control was installed. The current line from St. John's Place to Visis obtained from the Hong Kong toria Gap was all but completed.

On May 12, 1888, some friends of the promoters were given the prive lege of an advance" trip to the Peak when they experienced the sensation of travelling, as it were suspended between heaven and earth." Some of the Press reports of the event are interesting. One has the sensation of novelty in find- ing one's self in a moving ehr with na horses or steam engine attached and of which the motive power is

Electric Company at a pressure of 6,000 volta and is transpoused down to 350 volts. Two steel cables, each 5,000 feet in length are wound on an inter looking gear wheel, work separate drums, which, by means of

in unison.

An engineer-driver is in charge of the cable, which pulls up one tram at the same time as it lets down the other. In front of him is an automatic track indicator on which two moving pointers show the

2-Afford important facilities for travelled extensively in America hid from sight. The time taken positions of each car at any mo

rial ete...

3.Onon up the coolest and most attractive parts of the island. 4.Add largely and beneficially to the overcrowded residential area of the Colony. :D.-Establish communication with

the output of Aberdeen." Legislation was passed in 1883 granting a concession, which was tranferred from promoters of the Hong Kong and China Tramways Co., Ltil to the Hon. Phineas Ryrie und Mr. A. Finlay Smith on a count of the powers for both

visited and made himself conversant with nearly every existing method of rialway employed for mountain From the original Chy cent Street and subsequent schemes in San Francisco, to the two or three methods in Soarborough and so, on to the Rigi, Monterey, Lucerne, the Rhine and Mount Vesuvius, Mr. Smith made a thorough inspection and returned to the Colony quite convinced of the practicability of Peak Tramway."

The Origin.

The origin of the High Level Tramway had its conception, as may

non-stop which was an excellent per machinery or an obstacle appear formance, when it is remembered before a moving tram, the tram that to-day the same journey bedriver an immediately warn the cupies 7 minutes, with 6.stops and engine driver by means of an emer

gency electric bell. If however, the no time is wasted.

cable should break, it is only neces sary for the driver of the tram to lift his hand from the safety bar which he is continually holding and a breaking system which is instal- lod underneath the car, comes into play. In trials which are held periodically, it has been found that the car will stop within eight fent on the steepest slope of the tram way, 1 in 21:

Official Opening. On May 28, 1889, the line was official opened by His Excellency Sir William Dea Vœux and on the next day free trips were offered to the public. Amy Johnson would have created a furore in those days, apparently, judging by the follow ing extract from a local paper. "A goodly, number of European ladies were among the passengers, who by

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Attention

Tourists:

The one trip in Hong Kong that should on no account

be missed, is to ascend the steep mountain side, by the Peak Cable Tramway Starting from St. John's Place and ending at Victoria Gap-a distance of 4,690 feet.

Magnificent scenery en route and from the Peak top -the gorgeous panorama of Hong Kong and harbour lie far below.

route of the Peak Tramway.

Absolutely safe transportation the trams

daily scheile from 7 a.m. 11 p.m. at ten minute intervals

only cable railway in the Ear Fash SEE HONG KONG TR