POWER FAILS

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 1, Issue 17, 29 May 1939, Page 5

POWER FAILS

WAIOTAHI LOSES RUDDER ' TOWED TO TAURANGA BY TIIE TOA Generally speaking the roads in the -J- district came through last weeks storm very well, the only exception being the stretch on the Rotorua road past Te Teko, the clay filling degenerating to deep mud and holding up traffic. It was practically un_ negotiable by heavy vehicles, and cars liad to proceed with great care through deep slush with a constant sheet ■ of water living over the windscrcen, A few small slips came down on / the Hillcrest road ? but borough work■*"v" men cleared them away very quick, f Jv. Whakatane was plunged into darkness from about 5.40 on Friday night until 10.5 p.m. • through a failure in the main transmission "line from Arapuni at Mourea near Ngong•otaha, at a spot where a breakdown ■ occurred about a year ago. At this - place the power line crosses a long gully and the span is always liable to rupture during bad weather. Two wires came down, and the Ngongo. taha sub-station staff had an unenviable task in repairing the damage In very difficult country. NEW LINE Had the new duplicate transmission, line been completed it would have ■f' given an alternative means of supply and would have saved the situation. TMost sections of the line are now complete .as far as Rotoma and it will not be long now before it comes into use. However, a weak link will still be the single line from Edgecumbe to Whakatane. Friday was the first shopping night .after the 20th of the month and the power failure meant heavy lohr> ■of trade to most retailers. Shops ~ were lit with candles and lamps an& "the staffs carried on under difficulties, but though there were many people in the street not all were in the mood to buy. There was some skylarking and the younger people seemed to enjoj* the situation. V TOWED TO TAURANGA For the first day of the gale the y Toa lay under the lee of Whale Island and the Vesper waited at the wharf f or the sea on the bar .to moderate. The Toa 'eventually left for Tauranga. She towed the Northern Company's Waiotchi with the 'latter boat having lost her rudder "while sheltering at the Rurimas. It 'twill be remembered that the Wa - «otahi damaged her rudder when she • struck a sandbank at Opotiki rt*S /cently and apparently the strain , Imposed by the heavy sea. s while .?he -was lying at anchor was too much r jjf%T©r the weakened fabric. The To a came off the bar and sigalled for the Harbour Board launch to go out, but it was later decided that the Toa should make the tow which was accomplished without S much difficulty. It was fortunate that the Toa was handy to th e Wai_ - otahi, and tne towage to Tauranga Is stated to have been a good piece -■•■Of work. The Toa came into Whakatane on the afternoon tide yesterday. She had had a full cargo. VESPER' SAILS /' The Vesper sailed for Auckland "with a full load of timber and empty -drums in the early hours of Sunday morning. The weather had then mod- • crated and the sea had , gone down • quickly and there was nq difficulty in • crossing the bar.