IN DARKNESS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXVI, Issue 294, 12 December 1935, Page 8

IN DARKNESS.

WAITEMATA HOMES. ELECTRIC POWER FAILS. public: works circuit. ; Due to the-development of.a .'fault in a Public Works Department power line at Hobsonville, electric supply in the whple of the Waitemata Electric Power Board's area was cut off for half an hour last night. Some 10,000 homes were in darkness. The fault developed at 7.43 p.m.

For tlie most part audiences in picture theatres waited until programmes could be begun. Fortunately 110 operations were in progress at the two large hospitals in the area affected.

Tlie acting-manager of the board, Mr. J. R. Miller, explained this morning that the failure was caused by a break at If'obsonville in one of the two mam circuits of the Public Works ijepartment's' 50-k.v. line connecting the'Takapuna and Henderson sub-stations with Penrose. Under normal circumstances power woiiltt be restored 011 one circuit; to the whole area within two or three minutes, but unfortunately the violence of the fault put out of commission the Department's telephone line between Henderson sub-station and Penrose. It was therefore necessary to relay switching instructions by means of toll calls".

The matter was further complicated, 110 said, by the fact that reconstruction of the Public Works Department sub' station at Henderson had made inoperative the circuit-breakers protecting the Takapuna sub-station at the connecting line. Had these been operating, the faitlt would have been localised to the North Shore area, and power restored within a few moments by normal switching operations at Henderson.