ALMOST A TRAGEDY

Wairarapa Times-Age, 14 July 1939, Page 6

ALMOST A TRAGEDY

TERRIFIC “POWER ARC” IN MANAWATU SERVICE WIRE FOULS MAIN SUPPLY LINE. AFTER BEING SUCKED UP BY CAR. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) PALMERSTON N., This Day. When electric power Tailed in Wellington yesterday, at about noon, there was almost a tragedy behind the interruption. Five linesmen of the Manawatu Oroua Power Board were engaged in running a new service line of four wires on the LongbuniRongotea Road. The wires had been run out ready for straining up. The route of these was over the Public Works telephone line and across the road, under the 110 000 volt lines from Mangahao .to Bunnythorpe. The service wires were laid slack on the road and cars proceeding at normal speed were passing over them without trouble. Then a car came along at an estimated speed of 60 miles an hour. The suction of the front wheels caused one wire to become fouled under the car, which carried the wire along the road until it broke under the strain and flew up into the 110,000 volt live line. A terrific power arc instantaneously occurred, with a tremendous rear, extending to the ground and travelling in all directions along the lines, including telephones, until the protective apparatus involving the Arapuni, Waikaremoana and Mangahao generating stations cut off the supply in the section involved. The Government hydro-electric service telephone lines were burned through and the main cables of the 110,000 volt lines were so badly damaged that they have been replaced. The linesmen, though long experienced, received a great fright and were all badly shocked, having a narrow escape from death, as they were in the immediate vicinity on the ground. So great was the power of the arc that a hedge under the main line was burned.