POWER FAILURE AT CASHMERE

Press, Volume LXXVIII, Issue 23747, 19 September 1942, Page 6

POWER FAILURE AT CASHMERE

COUNTY COUNCIL’S DISCUSSION CAUSE OF TRANSFORMER FAULT NOT KNOWN The power failure at Cashmere on Thursday night originated in the Barrington street sub-station and could not have been foreseen or attributed in any way to the condition of the equipment, according to statements at the meeting of the Heathcote County Council last evening. It was also stated that the cause of the trouble in the sub-station was open to conjecture. To questions by councillors, Mr F. E. Tucker, county electrical inspector, said that there could be a variety of causes, such as a surge on the line, for such a break-down.

Mr A. G. Williams (chairman); It is really a Public Works job,'is it not? Mr Tucker: Not necessarily. The trouble, Mr Tucker added, had originated in the Barrington street substation where the current transformers had blown out. It was not till early morning that the fault had been remedied.

Mr C. Flavell said that trouble of the sort had fortunately been infrequent. Mr Tucker said that a little extra load had been put on for a certain purpose and. apparently with the extra load the current transformers broke down. The unit could carry about 200 k.v.a. and he supposed there would not be 100 k.v.a. on it at the time, however. It was not overloaded. Mr F. W. Freeman said that he was afraid the council could not tell the public why there was an extra load. He then made a statement in committee. He had been assured, Mr Freeman, added later, that the apparatus was in first-class condition. Such an occurrence was like a back-fire in a car. It was not predictable. He wished to make the point, however, that on this circuit were the sanatorium and the suburb of Cashmere, one of the most important in the city, so that every effort should be made to guard against breaks In the service for nr ny hours such as in this case. The council had to ensure that no time was lost in locating a fault.

Mr Tucker: We have to patrol all the lines before throwing the switch in again. He wanted to see counteracted, said Mr Freeman, any suspicion that the boroughs and counties round the city did not have up-to-date equipment subject to the same overhaul as the city’s. • On the suggestion of Mr Williams, the council decided to obtain a report and su 'gestions from its consulting electrical engineer (Mi J. R. Templin).

BRIEF POWER FAILURE IN CHRISTCHURCH

A brief failure of power occurred in Christchurch shortly after midday yesterday. Industrial plant was affected for a little more than five minutes and the tram service was interrupted. The district electrical engineer to the Public Works Department (Mr R. G. MacGibbon) said that one of the wires of the two transmission • lines between Ashburton and Timaru broke at the railway crossing at Summerton, The cause of the break was unknown. A complete separation of the two stations resulted, Lake Coleridge being unable to carry the full load. The result was that for a period supplies were given at a very low voltage. The complete supply was restored in 10 minutes.