POWER FAILURE.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVIII, Issue 58, 6 February 1928, Page 6

POWER FAILURE.

TOWN IN DARKNESS

BUSINESS INTERFERED WITH

A broken earth wire in the Bunny-tliorpe-Kairanga Road power line, was tho reason for the town being plunged into darkness shortly after 8.60 o clock on Saturday evening. Owing to the great number of plants feeding into the Mangahao'system, none of*which was capable or lilting the load, some delay took place until the Mangahao station started up every available turbine to lift the load and to enable tho other plants to lesume normal running. Immediately the interference took place, Palmerston North was separated from Bunnythorpe but the borough plant, it is reported, was incapable of supplying more than a mere glow to the borough power system. , , Unfortunately, the break occurred during the busy shopping period, and except in those shops that were fortunate enough to have gas also installed candles had to be resorted to. As the power was not restored to its noimal strength until 9.5 p.m., practically no business was done, and, in some cases; the amount lost is a considerable item. FEILDING PLANT. ASSISTING MANGAHAO. On Sunday morning the Feilding power plant, which lias been out ot commission for a considerable time past, commenced running to assist Mangahao in its present acute position. For the past week the Power Board’s staff, under Mr Donaldson, has been employed in recommissioning the plant, and on Saturday morning a section of the town was cut off to enable the various connections to be made so that the power generated at Feilding would synchronise with that from ManS In conversation with a “Standard” reporter to-day, Mr W. A. Waters, chief engineer to the Manawatu-Oroua Power Board, stated that the Feilding plant was of an obsolete type, and had been converted to three phase, from its original single phase supply. "Contrary to anticipations,” added Mr Waters, “the gas engine is now running in synchronism with Mangahao, and the output of the plant is 150 units per liourj which materially assists.”