COMMUNICATION LINES.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20792, 7 February 1931, Page 12

COMMUNICATION LINES.

PARTIAL RESTORATION. NAPIER AGAIN IN TOUGH. HEAVY TELEGRAPHIC WORK. ' REPAIR PARTIES' ENERGY. [BY TELEGRAPH. —SPECIAL REPORTER.] NAPIER, Friday. Napier is now connected with the outside world by telegraph, but is still virtually isolated ns regards the telephone. Behind the stupendous task of restoring the lines of communication lies' a tale of arduous and unremitting toil. This was beguri a few minutes after the big earthquake when, at imminent risk to their lives, the officials re-entered the post office to rescue the telegraph instruments. A typical instance of the spirit animating the service is provided by one telegraph operator, whose child lost its life in the holocaust. Notwithstanding his bereavement ho has shared with his colleagues the laborious hours of duty, aiding in the refitting of the temporary Post and Telegraph office in the Hastings Street school and later in, the despatch and receipt of messages as soon as telegraphic contact was restored. Remarkable Work Accomplished. In the interval between the earthquake and the fire, the instruments were pulled out of the post' office and possession was taken of the school. Fortunately, this is situated alongside the'main south lines, which were comparatively easy to tap and connect with the new headquarters. The instruments were duly installed and within 24 hours of the disaster communication, although meagre, was restored with the south.

To enable this work to be carried oat so expeditiously linesmen were sent from Palmerston North, Masterton and Dannevirke, and these parties, working all the daylight hours, repaired the severed lines between. Waipukurau and Napier. Line parties also set out. from Rotorua and Napier and encountered no serious trouble until they reached Dillon's Hill, about 20 miles north "of Taupo. By Wednesday the wires had been restored as far as Bay View, eight miles out of Napier, on the north route. Between that point and Napier an improvised litie was. rigged ahd contact with Taupo and Auckland was made by Wednesday evening. , Gradual Llnking-up Work. The parties working from the Rotorua end came toward the stricken' area by it devious route and joined forces with the Napier men. Owing to the wires a little north of Napier being burned some trouble was met with in making the northern connection, but such difficulties are made to be overcome, overcome they were. Communication with Gisborne and Wairoa is still interrupted, but to enable the Napier-Wairoa connection to be made the Public Works Department granted the .use of its line between tho- Tajraclale power station and Waikaremoana." Thi3 communication was restored, at noon today . v jr; ' 'lV.'' Line parties from Gisborne had reached as far as Putarino, 40 miles north of Napier, yesterday evening, and are now working at a rapid rate toward this centre. There will be some; inevitable 'delay owing to the lines in the Matahora Gorge being buried under a huge jilip. Arrangements are being made to use the Railway Department's poks to' bridge the gap. ' ' '■. *'• , • ; Heavy Congestion ol Messages. The telegraph operators at Napier have worked phenomenal hours and in spite of the magnitude of -the work, in this office relief has also been given in the Waipawa, Waipukurau and Dannevirke offices/ where huge quantities of messages had also accumulated. v . !:

In Napier there has been a continuous queue of people anxious to send and! receive telegrams. It has been found impossible to deliver telegrams, as many residents have fled from the town.'

All messages are being sorted alphabetically and a staff of. volunteers i» assisting in handing them out. ,

Those, who have not received reassuring messages from friends and relatives in the stricken area are advised net to become unduly apprehensive, for many residents have left,; while others may yet have to learn of the arrangement whereby messages have .to be called for.

HAWKE'S BAY MAILS.

DESPATCH OF TELEGRAMS.

TWO WIRES TO NAPIER.

The chief postmaster at Auckland, Mr. H. P. Donald, stated yesterday that no difficulty was being experienced in the despatch of letters and parcels to Hawke's Bay. The mails were being sent away as usual,. and arrangements for their distribution at the other end were being made. Two'batches of telegrams web sent from Auckland by aeroplane yesterday, he said. The first • batch, of about- 2000, left at eight o'clock yesterday morning, and the others went in a machine which took off in the afternoon. During the day one machine returned from Hawke's Bay with a 6mall number of telegrams for Auckland. - The wires between Auckland and the stricken area were gradually being restored, the chief postmaster added. There were now two wires, right through to Napier, and three messages could be sent simultaneously, whereas only one at a time could be received there on Thursday. There were also two wires to Gisborne, capable of taking' four messages at a time. <•' "The staff is working very long hours, both in Hawke's Bay and at Auckland," Mr.. Donald said. "They are rising to the occasion and doing well." HOME FOR 20 ORPHANS. OFFER FROM AUSTRALIA. SYDNEY. Feb. 6. Miss Dal wood, of Wentworth Falls, has offered to receive at her home 20 children who have been rendered orphans by the New Zealand disaster, the only condition being that the children must hava lost both parents, and that their age does not exceed 13 years. .