Published Resources Details
Journal Article
- Title
- Electricity in early Brisbane
- In
- Technical Papers (Institution of Engineers Australia, Queensland Division)
- Imprint
- vol. 23, no. 19, 1982, pp. 1-6
- Abstract
This paper traces briefly the early developments in the use of electricity in Brisbane, and identifies the nature of the installations and the sites of some of the buildings. Experiments with engineering applications of electricity began here about 120 years ago, with the electric telegraph, the economic importance of which led to the rapid development of a telegraph system - and in 1880, to the first telephone exchange in Brisbane. Electric lighting was introduced in 1882 with arc lamps erected in Queen Street as a demonstration, and the first public supply was given in 1888 by Barton, White & Co. By 1911, there were or had been, power generating plants at seven locations in the city area. Electric motors began to replace small conventional engines in the late 1880's, but the most significant step was the use of electric power for tramcars. This was envisaged in the mid 1890's and in 1897 and the Brisbane Tramways Company had a 25km. system with its own power house. The enterprise and ingenuity shown in these early developments are worthy of recording as part of our industrial heritage.