SNAPPED WIRES.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1191, 28 July 1911, Page 4

SNAPPED WIRES.

| * TKLLXK TELEGRAPH LIXES REPAIRED. Storms mean trouble to the Telegraph Department—more trouble than the mind of the, publio grasps even, if it spares the lime to think of the matter at all. All the man in the street knows is that tho wires are down, and communication is interrupted. It is in those places nearest tho breaks where the trouble occurs; where the linesmen on a 50-mil? stretch perhaps aro hastily summoned by tho best moans possible, and in a howling Rale and swishing rain, through swollen rivers and over mountain ridges, have to pick up tho broken ends and unite them again, s.i that we in Wellington may restinio dot-and-dash speech w'itJi Christchurcii and the rest of tho South Island. Wellingt.m lost Chrislehnrch at HUIO a.m. on Monday hist, and lor over throe days there was no communication liv the main trunk line, which proceeds via Took Strait and Kaikoura. Hut the Department generally has a second string to play on. In this case it was tho wire which connects Wellington with Christchurch via Nelson and Groymouth. This wire has been noble duty during the break-down, struggling bravely to cope with the Cluistchmcli-Wellinglon work under grave disabilities. On Wed-| nesday, for instance, there was a tive-milo I break' in this line, which had lo ■ lie j bridged by a cyclist, and ollicers with ! MorM> instruments had to operate at with ond of tho break. At I o'clock yesterday afternoon the welcome news was' received that "two quads" were once more in operation on the Kaikoura line, which meant that the two-wire lino had been restored. What the mending of the wilts meant, and how it was done, would probably mukc very interesting reading.