HOW GASES ACCUMULATE.
LIFE SELDOM ENDANGERED. Only 011 rare occasions does the fusing of an electric cable endanger life or property. There is usually an explosion, as the mixture of steam and bitumen fumes bursts through the surface of the ground, and the lire brigade is called to stand by until the power is cut off at the station. Before this is done the brigade can only examine the position and make ready to combat any outbreak of fire in neighbouring buildings. As the cables are usually laid under the footpaths, this seldom occurs. The cables, heavily insulated, arc laid in earthenware conduits into which molten bitumen is run. A slight shifting of the surrounding earth may crack the bitumen, allowing water to reach the cable and saturate the insulation, shortcircuiting the current. The heat generated by the escaping current melts the bitumen and gases form. Usually the gas escapes as it is formed, like a steam jet, but if it accumulates underground, or finds its way into a building, a violent explosion may follow.
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https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/AS19340102.2.24
Bibliographic details
Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 1, 2 January 1934, Page 3
Word Count
175HOW GASES ACCUMULATE. Auckland Star, Volume LXV, Issue 1, 2 January 1934, Page 3
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