DUST AND MIST CAUSE SERIOUS POWER DELAYS

Manawatu Times, Volume LIV, Issue 6849, 2 March 1929, Page 9

DUST AND MIST CAUSE SERIOUS POWER DELAYS

Wanganui Has Bad Tune BREAK OF THREE HOURS IN WELLINGTON SUPPLY STAND-BYS IN ACTION. Special to Times. WANGANUI, Last Night.

Electric power in the Wanganui dif* trict has suffered almost continuous interruption during the past few days, the cause being the forming of & coating of dust and salt spray on the main lino between Wanganui and Palmerston North. “It is only a small thing,” Mr Smith t£e Power board secretary said, “but it has caused a lot of trouble.” He said all that was required to put things right again was a shower' of rain. The du3t and spray on the linos caused the current to arc over the insulators and thus escape. Tho main trouble was located about Bunnythorpo and the department had employed men between thero and Wellington to re- ( move the coating on the insulators. Mr Smith stressed the fact that although this was the only way to cope with the trouble in the absence of rain, it would not be very effective. One set of insulators out of order was sufficient to maintain tho interruption of supply. . A big break occurred at one o’clock this morning and power was off till,', three. Thero were further interrup- 1

tions during the day and again, tonight, when trams were disorganised, although the standing steam plant was brought into use and all the city streets and all surburban light and power was off all night.

There was an interruption of half an; hour 1 in the Palmerston North power supply from I o ’clock yesterday morning-

’ WELLINGTON SUFFERS SIMILARLY. TRAMS HELD UP FOR OVER THREE HOURS. WELLINGTON, Last Night. The Mangahao hydro-electric powef • supply failed about twenty-five min-* v.ies past 5 this morning, and some dolay occurred in bringing the Evans Bay power station into operation, with, the result that no trams were running until about 8.15 a.m. Considerable inconvenience >ras thus caused to early workers and' other would-be passengers, especially to those living in the more distant suburbs; and, incident , tally, electric cookers being put out of. commission, those dependent upon them !*£■ for preparing their morning meals were put to no little trouble. Tho City Council tramway buses and observation- buses were requisitioned to take the placo of the tram cars, and afl rapid a service as the circumstances permitted was run to and from the outlying suburbs. The buses made no attempt to run to tramway time-table, but just rau back and forth as quickly as possible, starting on the return journey as soon as they could set down one load of passengers to pick up another.

Mr. F. T. M. Kissell (Chief Electrical Engineer to the Public Works department) on being asked what had caused tho failure of the electric current, said: “There was trouble on both tho main linos between Wellington and Mangahao through insulators flashing over. The flashing over was probably duo to an accumulation of dust upon the insulators, consequent on < the long spell of dry weather, followed by a mist; tho mist caused the dust on the insulator? to form a conductor, thutf allowing the insulators to flash over.”

Mr. Kissel added that he could not say how long it would take to remedy matters. If tho conditions, as to dust ■and mist, had been the same all along tho transmission lines, the flashing over might havo occurred anywhere; and he was having the lines tested' in sections to find out where the break had occurred. He hoped for the best, but could not say how long it would take to locate and Temedy the trouble. In tho meantime, Wellington’s needs were being supplied from tho Evans Bay power-house.