FIRE AT A TELEPHONE EXCHANGE.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume XLVI, Issue XLVI, 8 January 1914, Page 5

FIRE AT A TELEPHONE EXCHANGE.

CURIOUS EFFECTS OF WATER. BY TELEGRAPH—-PKESS ASSOCIATION. WELLINGTON, Jan. 8. A , small fire in the distributing frame at the Wellington telephone exchange yesterday was quickly extinguished , but not before about 1500 subscribers' wires had been "cut off." I It originated through a bundle of telephone wires outside the building falling or sagging on to the hightension tramway cable. They immediately became charged with a high current off the cable and soon became red hot. The heat set alight the paraffin and other substances which are used for insulating purposes in the exchange, and smoke and flames soon spread up the frame to the ceiling. An exchange attendant endeavored to smother the outbreak with his cap, as has been done, previously, so as to check the flames till he could find the wire which, was carrying the high s current and break the connection, but the task was too much for him. The fire brigade esi-inguished the flames with water, ; but it did much more damage than the flanres would probably have caused, for water,, being a conductor, is a very decided nuisance among insulators and insulating material. When the flames had been extinguished it was found that they had done very little damage. The whole of the damage to the material could be covered by a pound or two, but everywhere there was moisture and to remove it was the task which confronted the telegraph engineer and his' staff. Workmen soon were busily ■< engaged with heating apparatus; hot-air pipes and calcium, endeavoring to extract the moisture from the, insulators. It is hoped that the full service will be soon restored.