FREEZING WORKS FIRE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21366, 20 June 1931, Page 12

FREEZING WORKS FIRE

CLAIM FOR DAMAGES ECHO OF BIG EARTHQUAKE (Per United Press Association.) GISBORNE, June T 9. The hearing of evidence by plaintiffs was continued in the Supreme Court tins morning in the action by the Wairoa Farmers’ Aleat Company and the Bank of New Zealand against the New Zealand Insurance Company and the Eagle Star Insurance Company, the plaintiffs claiming £77,850. William Drewitt, engineer to the Power Board, continuing his evidence stated that the maxigraph instruments he rescued from the fire showed by graphs of the electrical energy consumed that the buildings were in such condition that they were holding their temperatures. His Honor: If there were a short circuit in the system sufficient to cause fire would that be shown?

Witness: If it was arcing short sufficient to create danger of fire it would be recorded on the graph. Witness, continuing, said there was a normal consumption of current before and after the earthquake. There could have been no abnormal ingress of outside atmosphere, otherwise it would have taken longer to obtain the desired temperature. Cross-examined, he said the system of wiring had been a poor one, but it was improved before the earthquake, and would, have passed the Underwriters’ Association. The wires in the chamber were not in tubes; only the entrance wires, the sole insulation being a cover of rubber and braiding. These wires were fairly tightly stretched. If further stretched they might diminish in diameter or break. The recording instruments would tell the defects in the system. He had not been in the C store for four years and could not speak positively as to the condition of the wiring after the earthquake. Further cross-examined Air Drewitt said he could not suggest any source of fire apart from human intervention other than the electrical installation. His Honor: Eats don’t like freezing works.

Witness added that fires of electrical origin were most uncommon and more likely to occur in conduit systems where the wires were close together. Questioned if Waikaremoana was put out of action could power have been obtained, witness said there were duplicate lines and he could not conceive of any contingency under which consumers on this line could not have been supplied within 12 hours.

James Brownlie, sheepfarmer, who had meat in the works, said that he had inspected the works after the earthquake. . He had come to the conclusion that they were quite safe, the damage being slight. John Wilson Kane, superintendent of the Gisborne Fire Brigade, reviewing the sectional plan of the uninsulated walls of the Wairoa works, stated that a fire would not be readily extinguished once it had a good hold. If a hole were burn through the floor and draught got into the building the fire would obtain a good hold. iTo fight a fire of that nature a pressure of 1001 b with . four to six leads was necessary. When the fire was well under way there would be nothing gained by going on the roof. Evidence on the lines 9! the previous testimony was given this afternoon, following which the court adjourned until Alonday. To-morrow the judge will inspect the Wairoa Freezing Works.