A SHORT CIRCUIT

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 25, 30 January 1930, Page 10

A SHORT CIRCUIT

POWER STATION FIRE

THEORY AS TO CAUSE

(By Telegraph.)

(Special to "The Evening Post.") PALMERSTON N., This Day. Arrangements for the reconstruction of the Public Works Department's sub-sta-tion at Bunnythorpe, which was extensively damaged by fire following an explosion on Tuesday afternoon, were commenced yesterday, when Mr. A. Gavey, inspecting electrical engineer for the Department, arrived at the sub-station to make an examination. The extent of the damage was estimated at approximately £5000, and a start will be made as soon as possible with the replacement of the equipment lost. It is not anticipated that the necessary machinery will be hard to secure, but, it was explained, this would have to be ordered from England and some four or five months would elapse prior to its arrival. In the meanwhile the metering o£ the bulk power supply to the MauawatuOroua Power Boarfl would have to be carried on by the board. Mr. Gavey said that the public had suffered the minimum of inconvenience considering what the consequences of the fire might have been; and ho recalled a similar occurrence at Hororata, some time ago, when the transformers themselves had been burned. A short-circuit in a pothead of the underground main leading into the metering cubicle is assumed to be primarily responsible for the explosion and almost simultaneous outbreak of fire at the sub-station. There are two stations at Bunnythorpe, one being owned by the Public Works Department, while the other is the property of the Manawatu-Oroua Power Board. At the Department's sub-station

110,000 volts is cut down to ,11,000 volts, and passed on to the Power Board's sta-

tion, which distributes it all over the district.

The two stations are about two chains apart, and power is passed from one to the other by means of an underground threecore cable- about 6in in diameter.

After this power has been cut down by transformers from 110,000 to 11,000 volts, it is passed through a pothead into a metering cubicle, through another pothead into the cable, and so on to power board sub-station.

It was in one of these two pothcads that the trouble occurred.