NEAR TRAGEDY

Gisborne Herald, Volume LXVI, Issue 19990, 15 July 1939, Page 7

NEAR TRAGEDY

TERRIFIC POWER ARC SPEEDING DRIVER’S ACT CABLE FLUNG IX AIK LINESMEN’S ESCAPE (Per Preps Association.) PALMERSTON N.. this day. When the electric power failed in Wellington yesterday about noon, there was almost tragedy behind the interruption.

Five linesmen of the ManawatuOrouu Power Board were engaged in running a new service line of lour wires on the Longburn-Rongotea road. The wires had been run out ready for straining up. The route ol these was over the Public Works Department’s 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 witnout trouble.

Then a car came along at an estimated speed of GO 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 (lew up into the 110,000 volt live line.

The terrific power arc instantaneously occurred with a tremendous roar extending to the ground travelling .in tall directions along the lines including the telephones until the protective apparatus, involving 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 Lire power arc that the hedge under the main line was burned.