RETURN OF NORMAL CONDITIONS.

Press, Volume LXVI, Issue 13710, 18 April 1910, Page 8

RETURN OF NORMAL CONDITIONS.

TELEGRAPHIC COMMUNICATION RESTORED.

Telegraphic " communication between J the North and South Islands has re- j turned to normal, and "All e'ear" was j reported last evening. The local staff j of operators have spent an exceedingly arduous two days, as Christchurch had to become tho distributing centre for oil messages in thf* South Island. On Saturday morning tho Maori brought down about l'-CO South Island messages from Wellington,' and these were promptly dealt with by a staff, which <«mmenced work at rf.lo a.m. Tne wv.rk of repairing the lines between Christchurch and Wellington proceeded all day Saturday, but the s-toff did not cease work on the ordinary North Island work until 11 p.m. They had then to set to work on the delayed messages to Greymouth, eending them through via Wellington, but a final clearance was effected at 2 a.m. en Sunday. All- the wires between Christchurch and Wellington have been restored, and traffic to-day will be resumed on practically normal conditions. The break on the direct route to the West Coast is the only one now remaining to be dealt with. The wires have been in a very bad state of "brealr"" at Jackson'<=, some distance wcstwaid of Otira. Heavy trees have fallen across the line at various stages, but it is anticipated that through communication will be re-established some time to-day. On Friday, Greymouth was absolutely cut off from the outside world, the lines from Blenheim, Nekon, and Wellington being down. The wires for the Coast put in at Christchurch will be sent by the Blen-heim-Nelson route until the direct wire is restored. The all-round break just experienced was ono of the biggest recorded by th-3 local staff, on whom it entailed a" good dsal of extra work. They are to be complimented on the manner in which they remained by their machines until "Ail clear' was reported, so that there was no avoidable delay in tho despatch of messages. The Waimakariri at the main railway bridge on the North line on Saturday morning was a turgid mass of mud, filling tho riverbed from bank to bank. The tide was. making, and would rise tor au hour after the passenger train for the city crossed, hence it was expeot«d the river would bo as high as on Saturday, June 24th, 1905, when the fatal railway accident took place. There was, however, no sign of the river overflowing at Chaney's on Saturday.