Lightning And Bulldozer Cause Power Failures

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29984, 20 November 1962, Page 14

Lightning And Bulldozer Cause Power Failures

Lightning and a bulldozer, separately, yesterday caused power failures which cut off electricity to hundreds of suburban homes and shops and offices in Christchurch. Municipal Electricity Department linesmen had a busy day. In the morning they were- called out when the bulldozer cut an 11,000volt cable under a footpath in the city. In the afternoon they dealt with the breaks caused by lightning. The bulldozer, operating on the site of the Canterbury Horticoltural Society’s new building at the corner of Cambridge terrace and Gloucester street, caused the power failure at 8.48 a.m. The driver of the bulldozer was not injured. The fault operated the automatic- circuit - breaker, and sub-stations at the Theatre Royal, Gloucester street west, Hay’s, Ltd., Tuam street (near the Christchurch Hospital) and St. Asaph street west, went out of action. The linesmen had all the sub-stations back in operation by 9.9 a.m. except for the one at Hay’s, Ltd. Because of trouble consequent on the power break, it was not possible to get this sub-station on load again until 11.12 a.m. Homes Affected

Lightning during the midafternoon thunderstorm caused faults which operated the circuit-breakers on seven sub-stations in the Halswell area and about 20 in the Northcote and Brooklands districts.

The lines had to be patrolled by vehicles and head fuses in the 11.000-volt sub-stations replaced before electricity could be restored to hundreds of homes. With only a few exceptions, power was restored to all users before 5 p.m. At 4.45 p.m. lightning struck both 66,000-volt power lines running from Islington to Bromley and tripped four switches, cutting off power to the area served by the Bromley sub-station for about five minutes, said the district electrical engineer of the New Zealand Electricity De-

partment (Mr R. S. S. Meredith) last evening. No damage to equipment had been found late last evening, he said.

Between midnight on Sunday and 6 p.m. yesterday 33 points of rain fell in Christchurch. This was the first rain in the city for 10 days. Most of the rain fell between midday and 6 p.m., 29 points being recorded. The rainfall for the year is now 22.12 in. About 6 a.m. yesterday strong south-westerly winds were experienced, in the city, but by 7 a.m. the wind had dropped and the sky was clear.

Yesterday afternoon the wind was mainly from the north-east Later in the afternoon it changed to the southeast, and at 8 p.m. had turned to the south-west. The wind was strongest between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. when it reached a speed of 14 miles an hour. The forecast for today is for light, variable winds, with the possibility of frosts in sheltered places, and mild temperatures. Hail at Kaiapoi

The ground in some parts of Kaiapoi had a light coating o' hail during a two to three-minute fall yesterday afternoon. The hail was preceded for half an hour by heavy rain, accompanied by thunder, and side channels were full. The sun was shining soon after the fall of Hail, and the sprinkling of white did not remain on lawns for more than a few minutes.

Nearly three hours later at Rangiora. about 5.20 p.m., rain made late shoppers scurr., and brought shop assistants to doorways to watch the downpour. Again street channels were soon full, and lightning caused a short circuit which set off the fire alarm.

High wind and a thunderstorm on Sunday night caused very little damage in the Ashburton area. Fuses on the properties of eight consumers in the Lowcliffe area were reported to have been blown, but no other damage was caused in the county.