SERIOUS POWER FAULTS

Evening Star, Issue 25868, 12 August 1946, Page 4

SERIOUS POWER FAULTS

GALE INTERRUPTS CITY SERVICE ACT OF VANDALISM ANOTHER CAUSE ; - '' 1 Two soripus electric power interruptions, one caused by the south-psterly gale that lashed Dunedin during the week-end, and the other the result of an act of vandalism, plunged various parts of thp city into darkness on Saturday night. In addition, telephone lines werp brought down on the Main North road near Merton, but there was no interruption to the service. The city electrical service was disrupted for nearly two hours when spmn person threw a length of twin cord telephone cable across the power lines in Bowen street, Musselburgh, and brought down two 6,000-volt lines This act of vandalism could easily have caused loss of life, and streets and houses were unlighted from 10.15 p.m on Saturday until 11.55 p.m. The districts without power, included parts of St. Olair, Musselburgh, Anderson’s Bay, Tomahawk, and the Otago Peninsula. There were four interruptions to the broadcasting services, the first at 9.56, p.m., technical faults developing through the action of the high wind. When the city electrical system failed following *the extremely dangerous action at Bowen sfcreef. the radio emergency equipment at Higbcliff was brought into use so that the service could he continued, though at a lower strength, . The ejty electrical engineer (Mr {J T. Edgar) said to-day that interruptions .caused by the placing, of wire across power Lb® B were fortunately rare in Dunedin, and he said that besides having possible highly dangerous results, the bringing of maintenance work up to date following a return towards normal of the electrical department’s staff, many of whom had been in the armed forces, was seriously retarded by such sensejess acts as the one on Saturday night, The Mprningtoq and Kaikorai Valley districts were also without power between 7 pup', - on Saturday, and an hour later,' when two 6,Q00-volt lines came in contact through the action of the gale. The fault developed _at the corner of Elgin road apd Mitchell Avenue, but repairs were promptly carried out, although it took some time to assemble workmen. The department’s employees at both points power trouble occurred had an uncomfortable time perched high op the power poles. TJiey were subjected to the full force of the wind, and thejr task was a difficult and somewhat dangerous one.