TROUBLE IN CABLE

Manawatu Standard, Volume LV, Issue 88, 12 March 1935, Page 2

TROUBLE IN CABLE

INTER-ISLAND CIRCUIT. Per Press Association. WELLINGTON, March 11. A fault having developed in the “loaded” telephone cable, which since 1926 has given telephone communication between the North and South Islands of equal efficiency to that provided by the ordinary land circuits, the Postal Department notifies that there will be some restriction in telephone work between the two Inlands tor a few days until permanent repairs are effected. The discovery of the trouble. was made sdme days ago, when one of the channels in this cable commenced to show signs of electrical leakage, causing cross-talk between two of the four channels in the cable. Traffic was not interrupted, but this gave the engineers warning of the possible development of a serious fault and enabled them to make their plans carefully ashore for a prompt job, when it was possible to lift the cable and splice m a new section. The defective portion was located by the Wheatstone bridge test as being 1.3 miles from the shore at Lyail Bav. where the cable lies on a rocky bottom in about CO feet of water and is, therefore, subject to some chafing. Though the cable conductors have a protective armouring of 12 galvanised iron wires one third of an inch thick, some of these heavy wires must ha.ve been broken, and it was realised that it would he only a question of time when the whole of the four conductors would be affected. All possible work in connection with the replacement of the faulty length of cable, probabl" half a mile, was done ashore, and the Janie Seddon has been engaged to lift the defective section. It is hoped that it will be practicable to effect complete repairs by the aid of this vessel. As the coast i_s exposed to southerly weather, there is a good deal of uncertainty regarding the time which will he involved in effecting permanent repairs. As a. temporary expedient, the department has arranged to utilise several of its telegraphic cables for telephone conversations,' which can be imposed on the telegraph circuits by means of high-f'cmiency currents. However, as the telephone traffic across Cook Strait has reached a. heavy volume these temporary arrangements will involve some delay in completing telephone calls and possibly some restriction on their duration.