POWER FAILS

Evening Star, Issue 19764, 14 January 1928, Page 6

POWER FAILS

AWKWARD NIGHT BREAK FAULTY INSULATOR THE CAUSE For over an hour last night Dunedin was in darkness. Trams were held up, thousands of late night shoppers were forced to stand about in the streets, while the hungry had to wait a long time before they could satisfy their appetites in the city tea rooms. It was a bad break in the Waipon power, for the current failed at a time when the shops were about to close, and many people, laden with parcels, were waiting for their homeward bound cars. But luck was dead against the corporation’s electrical staff. Owing to the increased demand for power, the department is at present increasing the amount of copper on its transmission lines to make provision for greater transmitting of juice to the city. Two lines run from Waipori to Outram substation, and another two lines carry on to the transformer station at Halfway Bush. The duplication of lines is made so that when work has to be clone power over one line can be put off. Yesterday afternoon the men were working on one line between Waipori and Outram, one and a-half miles from the power station, and it was expected that they would complete their work by 10 p.ra. While this line was being dismantled at 8.43 p.m., an insulator at the top of tho Maungatua, two miles from Waipori, failed. When the break occurred the work on the other Hue was expedited, and shortly before 10 p.m. the citv was again moving and lighted. the insulator which failed is thought to he one that was in 1016. A frequent inspection of insulators is made. Up to six months ago a twomonthly inspection was made,_ but now the department inspects the insulators fortnightly. Every means to prevent a break down is taken. The work on the lines is necessary, and the department could not do other than take a risk of the second line failing. Yet, only once previously in the past twenty years has the second line failed when the other has been under repair. If the break had occurred on the lines of the Outram-Halfway Bush section, a switch over could have been made in a few minutes. It is almost an unheard of thing for a theatre audience to entertain themselves for a time, hut such was actually the case, to a degree at any rate, at the Empire Theatre last night. The first half of the programme proceeded smoothly, but during the interval tho lights becncnc flichery, and after a few spasmodic spurts went out. The audience soon became restless in the dark, but the orchestra came to the rescue, playing a number of familiar tunes. Baritones, tenors, sopranos, contraltos, etc., in the audience were soon exercising their vocal chords, while nonsingers entered into the spirit of the proceedings by whistling or keeping time to the music with their feet. The usual “wags,” of course, were in evidence. Mr Earnest M'Kinley, who had delighted with three songs earlier in the evening, again appeared on tho stage and sang ‘ Bonny Mary of Argyle.’ The time was nearing 9.30 when at last the main feature on the programme was thrown on the screen.