ACROSS THE STRAITS

Evening Post, Volume CXI, Issue 71, 24 March 1926, Page 10

ACROSS THE STRAITS

START MADE IN LADING TELEPHONE JABLE. /

(By Telegraph.— l'resa Association.) BLENHEIM, 23rd March. Tho work of laying the new Cook Strait cable, which is to afford telephonic communication at all hours of the day and night between the North and South Islands, was1 commenced under the most favourable conditions. The Government, steamer Tutanekai, which has been pressed into the service as a cable ship, steamed into the position about half a mile from the shore at the entrance to Blind River, and. paid out over her stern the shoreend of the cable, which is of much heavier construction than the main portion. As the cable reached the .water it was buoyed up at every fifty feet by barrels. When sufficient had been paid out to reach the shore the cable was towed to the beach by a motor-' boat, a surface boat carrying it through the light surf to within 20 yards of the shore, where the rope was attached, and the cable was dragged up on the beach by two teams of four horses. The end of the cable was made fast to a heavy log, sunk about six feet deep into the sand, and this will serve as a mooring until a permanent anchor can bo constructed... The whole work o£ bringing the cable ashore and anchoring it occupied rather less than an hour and a half, and the arrangements were so perfect throughout and so well executed that the job was carried out without tho slightest hitch. The weather was perfect and the landing was described by the officials as the best yet effected on the New Zealand coast. . The Government steamer Tutanclai, which left Wellington on Monday mo-n----ing to commence laying the new tele phons cable across Cook Strait, put into Worser Bay last evening. As soon as tho weather- is favourable the vessel will land tho northern shore end of the cable at Lyall Bay. The Tutanekai will then proceed to Blind River, in Msrlborough, paying out the cable behind her, and will join it up w:.th tho southern shore end. „