NORTH AND SOUTH

Ashburton Guardian, Volume 55, Issue 128, 12 March 1935, Page 3

NORTH AND SOUTH

FAULT IN TELEPHONE CABLE. EFFECT ON SERVICE. (Per Press Association). WELLINGTON, March 11. A fault having developed in tiny “loaded” telephone cable which, since 1926, has given telephone communication between -the North and South Islands of equal efficiency to that provided by the ordinary land circuits, the Postal Department notifies that there will be some restriction in telephone work between the two islands for a few days until permanent repairs are effected. The discovery of the trouble was made some days ago when one of the channels in this cable commenced to show signs of electrical leakage, causing cross-talk between two of the four channels in the cable. Traffic was not interrupted, but this gave the engineers warning of the possible development of a serious fault and enabled them to make their plans for a prompt job when it was possible to lift the cable and splice in a new section. 6 defective portion was located by the Wheatstone bridge test as being 1.0 miles from the shore at Lyall Day, where the cable lies on a rocky bottom in about 62 feet of water and is therefore subject to some chafing, though the cable conductors haye a protective armouring of 12 galvanised iron wires one-third of an inch thick. Some of these heavy wires must have been broken, and it was realised that it would be only a question of time when all four conductors would be affected. All possible work in connection with the replacement of the faulty lengt i of cable, probably half a mile was done ashore, and the Janie feeddon has Iveen engaged to lift the defective section. It is hoped that it will be P 1^ 0 ticable to effect complete repairs bj the aid of this vessel. , As the coast is exposed to southerly weather, there is a good deal of uncertainty regarding the time which will be involved in effecting permanent repairs. As a temporary expedient the Department has arranged to utilise several of its telegraphic cables for telephone conversations which can be imposed on the telegraph circuits iy means of high frequency cuirents. However, as the telephone traffic across Cook Strait has reached a heavy volume, these temporary arrangements will involve some delay in completing telephone calls and possibly some restriction on their duration.