SCOW IN TROUBLE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18630, 11 February 1924, Page 6

SCOW IN TROUBLE.

COLLISION WITH A BRIDGE. POWER CABLE BROKEN. [BY TELEGRAM". —OWN CORRESPONDENT.] PAEROA. Saturday. The scow Hero met with difficulties while being towed through the opening span of the Ngatea Bridge this week. The span is a very narrow one, and con. siderable skill is required in taking boats through. These ordinary difficulties were increased by the swift run of the tida, which caught the scow and carried her too close to one side. The rigging caught in the bridge, and was carried awav, bringing down the topmast. The impact with the bridge caused tho scow to slew and she collided with a small steamer moored at Johnson's wharf, just below tho bridge. The steamer received minor damages, which would have been greater had not her mooring lines been let go just in time. The scow, in order to steady herself, had her anchor dropped. The anchor fouled, and broke the Thames Valley Power Board's 11,000 volt cable. There were largu warning notices on the river bank, warning mariners not to drop anchor thereabouts, but these were evidently not noticed by thoso in charge of the scow. The breaking of the cable caused considerable and widely-felt inconvenience, for as soon as there was a short circuit on the line, the fuses at the Waikino switching station and all intermediate transformers were blown out, causing a stoppage of power along the whole line. Numerous milking-machine motors were stopped, and the Ngatea Butter Factory machinery was brought to a standstill. Fortunately a length of cable was available at Ngatea, and a repair gang soon replaced the damaged section of cable, and the power was made again available.