POWER FAILURE RESULT OF SUBSTATION BLOW-OUT

Bay of Plenty Beacon, Volume 13, Issue 72, 1 April 1949, Page 4

POWER FAILURE RESULT OF SUBSTATION BLOW-OUT

Whakatane and the Plains area were without power for y a

five hours on Wednesday evening, following a “blow-out” on the main switchboard of the State HydroElectricity Department’s sub-station at Edgecumbe at 5.30 p.m. The blackout extended from Taneatua to Roto-ehu.

A Power Board Team working under the Board’s assistant engineer, Mr J. Morice, got on the job smartly and rigged up a temporary feed to the main power line from one of the Department’s transformers, by-passing the sub-station. Thus they restored power to the Whaka-tane-Rangitaiki plains areas at 10.15 p.m. Taneatua was linked to a feeder from Waiotahi by 7.30 p.m. Meanwhile Mr C. Clarke, with his sub-station team, set about getting the switch-board ready for repairs and preparing for temporary hook-up. They found a fuse insulator had developed a leak, causing a vacuum at the back of the insulator cap resulting in a minor explosion, which damaged the switchboard considerably. Yesterday the sub-station was still by-passed and the group of Departmental houses around it without power until about 3 p.m. A temporary circuit was completed early last evening, and there was another short “cut” while engineers connected up the temporary feed that will operate for the week or ten days it is expected will be necessary to com, plete' permanent repairs.

Eastern Bay Federation W.I/s ANNUAL EISTEDDFOD Central Theatre, Edgecumbe, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 6, 10 a;m.