REPAIRING THE CABLES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LIX, Issue 18215, 7 October 1922, Page 11

REPAIRING THE CABLES.

BUSY PERIOD FOR IRIS.

VISIT TO AUSTRALIA.

WORK IN COOK STRAIT.

A busy period of eight weeks in repairing cables off tho New 'Zealand and Australian coasts has been spent by the tolle steamer Iris, which returned to Auckland from Wellington yesterday. The Iris left Auckland on August 12 end proceeded to Cape Farewell, whero a break in the Eastern Telegraph Company s cable to Sydney was located about 3Q miles from tho coast. It. was in this spot that mines were laid during tho war by the German raider Wolf. The break, which was due to corrosion, vras quickly repaired, and the Iris was then instructed to proceed to Bundaberg, on the Queensland coast, to repair the French Government cable from New Caledonia to Queensland. The break was found 60 miles from Bundaberg, in 1700 fathoms of water, and repairs wore effected in quick time. Captain W. R. Holnws, master of the Iris, states that it is surmised that the break was caused by a si bmarine disturbance, resulting in a shifting of the sea-bottom. Before leaving Bundaberg tho Iris received a call to attend to three cables in Cook Strait which were broken. A fcuith cable broke before the arrival of the vessel, leaving only one of tho five cables from Wellington to the South Island in working order. It is said that if it had not been for the Murray telegraphic printing machine tho Telegraph Department would have been unable to cope with the volume of business offering, but, as it was, little or no inconvenience* was experienced. There are two other cables across Cook Strait, one running from Wanganui to Nelson and the other from Titahi Bay, near Wellington, to Picton.

Interruption to the cables in Cook Strait is continually occurring. The seabottom between Terawhiti and Pictor :s very rocky, and a current of four to five knots moves the cables about, with the result- that corrosion is accentuated. This, however, is the first occasion on which four cables have been out of order at the time, and as the breaks, which took place within a week or two, were all in one line, about 15 miles from Wellington, it is thought they were caused by submarine quakes. When the Iris hauled the cables up, however, they were all found to be corroded, and 20 miles of new cable had to be laid. The work occupied a fortnight. Throughout her trip, the Ins was favoured by fine weather, which enabled the repairs to be carried oui erpeditiously. When Calliope Dock is available, the vessel will undergo a complete overhaul.