SMART WORK

Evening Post, Volume CXIII, Issue 19, 24 January 1927, Page 10

SMART WORK

REPAIRING A" CABLE

ACCURATE NAVIGATION

(By T«l«sraph.) (Special to "The Evening Post.")

AUCKLAND, This Day. Smart cable repairing work was car-" ried out by the Pacific Cable Board's steamer Iris, which returned to Auckland yesterday morning after repairing a fault in the Australian-Tasmanian cable. The Iris sailed from Auckland on sth January, and six and a half days later called at Williamstown and took on board 11 miles of type B cable. She then proceeded to a position 18£ miles off Low Head, Tasmania, where the fault in the cable was estimated to be. ■On reaching that position the accuracy of the navigators on board was shown by the fact that the first drag with the grapnels in 40 fathoms of water hooked the cable, which was then hoisted to the bow of the Iris and tested. Tile first test showed that the Ta^maniau end of the cable was in good order. A test was then made of the Australian portion of the cable, and so accurate had the estimate of the- shore cable operators been that the fault was found to be within a quarter of a mile of the spot where the Iris was anchored. The cable was then cut and the Tasmanian portion dropped' overboard attached to a buoy. The caUe connected with Australia was then lifted on board the Iris until the faulty ; portion was reached. The damaged cable was cut away, and the end of the new cable on board was spliced on in its place. Paying out the new cable, the Iris returned to the buoyed end of the Tasmanian cable, which was taken, on board and spliced to the requ^ed lengtii of new cable, which measured 1.1 nautical miles. ' ' ■

The total time taken to locate and repair "the cable was only 11 working hours. Afterwards the Iris returned to Williamstowii and landed the surplus portion, of the new cable taken on board. Fine weather prevailed throughout the voyage.