THE TELEPHONE SERVICE.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1116, 2 May 1911, Page 4

THE TELEPHONE SERVICE.

WATER IN THE TUBES. For some days past it has been a difficult mailer for subscribers to the Telephono Exchange to get into perfect touch with Customhouse Quay numbers. The reason for the bad contact was ascertained last week to have been caused by the presence of water in tho telephone tube and a faulty cable. The man-hole had been pumped out after the heavy rain op. Thursday night lust, and attempts had been made to (try the eablo by air pressure, inn' owing to the damp having swollen the jinper wrapping of tho wires (of which ihero are 2011 pairs in the one leaden cable) (hers was no passage fur the air. On this account about four chains of the cable (which has only been down a lillle over twelve months)—that section between (he A..M.l'. corner and Lambton Quay along Hunter Street—was hauled from underground yesterday, and a new length of cable was laid down. It is expected that tho wires will be connected tip to-day. The telephone wire mail-holes are as a l-ule pretty water-tight, and it is supposed that tho operations of tho corporation gang engaged in altering the position of the surface-water sumps at the A.M.I'. corner, has had something to do with it, as this section has always been dry up till last week. The locations of the suiuns are being altered in preparation for the wood-blocking of Customhouse Quay.