Steam (with coal or oil fuel).
(2) Electric omnibuses obtaining power from an overhead line, being in fact elec tric trolley cars without rai All these systems are comparatively new, and some are now being worked on-Ly in isolated cases or not at all.
Electric cars, deriving their energy from accumulators on the cars, have been tried and have generally proved failures financially. Both in London and in Paris electric cabs were tried and abandoned. They have now been put on the streets in Cologne, but have been running only a very short time. I know of no omnibus system worked by electric cars.
Petrol omnibuses have proved more successful. A service has been running in London for some months of waggon-eftes from Piccadilly Circus to Putney, Folkestone, Bournemouth, Tunbridge Wells, Portsmouth; there' are also some services running on the Con ent, for instance, the service run by Die-rich and Cie. from Luncrille to Blamont. These petrol omnibuses are all of small size. carrying from 8-12 passengers.
Steam omnibuses have hitherto always been employed for heavy loads or for cars of large seating capacity. Thornycroft: Goublo-decked omnibuses have been running on trial in London for two or three months, from Hammersmith to, Oxford Circus; the car seats 36 persons. Some De Dion-Benton steam cars are running in +pain. Trials, in which my partner, Mr. Baillie took part, were made on the Italian Riviera, of steam char-a-banes seating 24 persons.
Fora town service omnibusesseating 20-30 persons are essential, and I know of no service of cars of this size, carrying their own source of power, except steam-cars.
The principal advantages of omnibuses a3 compared with tram-cars fre (1) The omnibus is not confined to a fixed line of rails and consequently does not impede the tallic to the same extent as a tramear.
(2) There is riv overhead construction, which in certain cases may be objectionable, in spoiling the appearance of the street, and in impeling the use of fire-escapes. Further where overhead telephone lines are run without metallic turn the varying current in the tramway lines may cause disturbance. injury to wader-
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