I think I have found something of great OTL interest here-
New factories were constructed through out the Empire of Brazil in the 1880s, allowing Brazil's cities to modernised and receive the benefits of gas, electrical, sanitation, telegraph and trams. The Empire was was the fifth country in the world to install modern in its cities and the third to have sewage treatment works.
Source- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Empire_of_Brazil#Development