BREAK IN POWER SUPPLY

Press, Volume LXXX, Issue 24258, 16 May 1944, Page 3

BREAK IN POWER SUPPLY

TRAMWAY SERVICES INTERRUPTED Tramway services in Christchurch were disorganised for about an hour from 6.20 o’clock last evening, when a power failure occurred, affecting most of the Tramway Board’s routes. The cause of the failure was found to be a' short-circuit in one of the board’s feeder lines near Matson's loading bank. An official of the Public Works Department said last evening that the' failure was suspected to have been caused through a piece of wire or other material being blown across the wires, which were so placed that they could not have been blown together by the wind. Power supplies were entirely interrupted on tram routes for about half an hour, and when supplies were restored it was some time before much headway could be made in the full restoration of services because of the small amount of power available. No through traffic to the suburbs was possible, but on most lines drivers of trams were able to reach the termini. The Lincoln road line was apparently worst affected, and there was some congestion of traffic. On the other hand, the Riccarton line was very little affected, and trams on the CashmerePapanui ro,ute were kept running for most of the time when power supplies were light. • Fortunately, tram services were fully restored to normal by about 7.20 o’clock, and little or no inconvenience was caused to picturegoers. Lighfs in the city flickered for an instant when the fault developed in the tramway feeder at 6.20 o’clock, but apart from this there was no interruption to other electricity supplies.