FIRE AT POWER STATION

Evening Post, Volume CX, Issue 23, 26 July 1930, Page 11

FIRE AT POWER STATION

COLERIDGE PLANT DAMAGED

ENGINEER INJUIiEJI

(By Telegraph.)(Special to "The Evening Post.")

CIIRISTCHTJBCII, 25Lh July

An outbreak of fire due to a fault in the switchgesir at the Lake Colcridgo power station, was responsible for a failure of. the electric power supply in Christchureh at 1.45 p.m. yesterday. Tlio first engineer at the station, llr. Stewart Preston, siiffered injuries, and was vemnved to the Christchurch Hospital. The fire was quickly extinguished, and only slight damage was done to the plant.

A,u official explanation of tho occurrence was given by tho district electrical engineer, Mr. R. G. M'Gibbon. The fault was caused, lie said, by three current transformers on the main ironclad 'switchgear blowing out, owing to a short circuit in the starter of a synchronous motor generator, and all the power had to be cut off. ' The faulty starter was ruined, and slight damage was dono to the transformers. ' It will not take more than £»0 to effect ro-

Mr. Preston,, who was operating thf starter when, it failed, suffered burns on the hands and face. He arrived at the Christehurch Hospital shortly after G o'clock. His condition is not considered serious. Mr. M'Gibbon went to/the power station at Lake Coleridge yesterday afternoon, and on his return to Christehurch stated that everything whs satisfactory, and Shore should not be much difficulty in rectifying the damage caused by the fire.