POWER LINES

Hauraki Plains Gazette, Volume 60, Issue 4367, 11 December 1950, Page 5

POWER LINES

DAMAGE BY STORM

STAFF CONGRATULATED

The damage done to the power lines of the Thames Valley Electric-? Power Board by the recent storm in Thames Valley on November 19 and 20' last was x the subject of a special report presented to the December meeting of the board by the chief engineer, Mr G. P. Lindsay. Mr Lindsay said that the storm did not assume alarming proportions until 3 p.m. on the Sunday when signs and messages revealed that a gale was being experienced over an area covered by the North East corner of the Matamata Icounty, (the central anxT east parts of the Piako county, the Ohinemuri county, and the southern portion of the Thames county. In the Matamata district a cowshed roof at Okauia was blown through the 11 k.v. lines causing a fracture of three wires. One 11 k.v. wire at Ngarua and another at Campbells road caused outages on that circuit. A broken wire on Mowbray’s road caused' stoppages of a wide nature as did. a broken pole top pin at Taurangamoana. Pia ko County

In the Piako county trees at Wairakau, Shaftesbury, Te Aroha west and Stanley road caused wire breakages in the 11 k.v. circuits. At .Starkey’s road fractured insulators were caused by trees; Tahuroa road, trees; Scott’s road, trees; Morrinsville town, trees; Swamp road, Tauhei, trees; No. 8 road, wires twisted; Hoe-o-tainui, trees; all caused 11 k.v. line failures either through breaking the wires or making short circuit contacts which damaged oil switches or transformers, at critical points. Ohinemuri County

In the Ohinemuri county the storm appeared to be at its worst.* Trees crashed through lines at Waihi, Karangahake and Waitekauri, causing 11 k.v. feeder faults and also transformer damage. Floods isolated portions of the Waihi-Paeroa road, no patrol or repairs being possible on that section at times. Four main line poles were blown over between Cadmans and Mill roads, severing connection between Paeroa and Waihou. An 11 k.v. pole was broken at Netherton and trees caused wide spread trouble elsewhere on consumers premises. In the Thames county trees caused wire breakages in the 11 k.v. circuits on Bonds road and Kauaeranga valley. Line outages were caused -by these bi-eakk over the whole of the Thames county and until they were located and isolated power interruptions were occasioned. Work of Staff During the height of the gale on Sunday night, the peak was reached at 12.30 a.m. Nothing could be done by workmen and it was not until daylight on the Monday that any attempt at repairs could be made. Gangs were organised early on Monday and by 4 p.m. on Monday only very few connections remained for attention, these were all cleared up on Tuesday morning.

“I must commend the troublemen, inspectors and linesmen’s staff for their efforts, also my assistants. They all worked long and arduous hours for two days on end with little time for rest. The State Hydro-electric Department’s substation attendants are to be thanked for their close and

loyal assistance without which we would be at a great loss. On the whole the board’s reticulation system stood up well to a very severe battering,” concluded Mr Lindsay. Reference to the very' excellent work carried out by the repair gang of the board was made by Messrs Edwin Edwards and Mr T. A. Barrett, who both expressed their appreciation of the efforts of the staff.