Lightning Rings Telephone Bells

Northern Advocate, 29 July 1938, Page 7

Lightning Rings Telephone Bells

Full advantage of the carrier system, supplying three talking channels over any two wires, was felt in Northland over the past two days, when, as a consequence, it was possible to maintain toll communication between Whangarei and Auckland. The telephone and telegraphic systems escaped fairly lightly, and by midday on Wednesday most services had been restored. Many telephones were put out of order by the fierce electrical storm which swept the district on Tuesday. The trouble was principally due to lightning affecting the protective devices and temporarily disconnecting the circuits. This was quickly remedied by the installation of new protective apparatus. The electrical disturbance was most severe in Ihe Ruawai, Paparoa and Hokianga areas, the lightning being of very high voltage indeed. Flooding in the Rodney area put lines at Warkworth and Kaipara Fldts areas out of commission for some time, and a large slip which came down in the Mangakahia Gorge swept a telephone pole in its path. Within a few hours of daylight yesterday morning, however, the service was permanently restored. A washout between Kaikohe and Rawene also caused trouble, and the repair staff from Whangarei was marooned at Kohukohu for a period.