ELECTRICAL ISSUE AT BALLANTYNES FIRE INQUIRY

Grey River Argus, 7 April 1948, Page 7

ELECTRICAL ISSUE AT BALLANTYNES FIRE INQUIRY

CHRISTCHURCH, April 6. The Royal Commission inquiring into Ballahtyne’s fire resumed this morning. Mr R. A. Young, for the Crown, said that' since the Commission adjourned for Easter there had been ah important develonment regarding the supply of electric power to Ballantyne’s premises. He felt, that full disclosure should be made and evidence tendered immediately. He said , the .Crown . experts felt the fire was not caused by the electric cable. There were four mains outside the building. Power • was conveyed in by eight conductors. During the recess the question had arisen about damage caused to seven-strand-ed wires. Experts were puzzled as to how the wires had been fractured. After carrying out tests, they had concluded that a break below a bolt, was alrhost certainly caused by electricity. It was disco’.-ered that electricity must -'have flowed along the conduit ’ pipe to the seven-strand wirbsi

When one of the conductors was ’examined it was found that the lie of the strands had been altered. A break in the cable, which had been adequately repaired was found. The experts then found a further break that must have been inside the conduit pipe. The joint had been made in a most amateurish way. No insulation had been put around, the conductor, except ordinary friction tape. . , . Mr Young said that it was felt that this was not only a flagrant breach of the regulations, but also violation of commdnsense principles in making such a repair. - The whole length of cable should have been replaced. The illegal joint was not properly insulated. J At some time a break had occurred in this cable, and had been repaired in a negligent and unskilled manner. , Experts felt that if the break and subsequent bad workmanship had caused the fire, there would have been evidence in the street end of the pipe, but the closest examination had failed to disclose it. The experts considered that, at some time before the lire, the break had occurred in the conduit just inside the bellmouth. Mr Young said the Crown experts felt that, despite these disclosures, the fire was not paused by the cable. The Crown felt that an explanation was called for from the company that installed the cable, and. from Ballantyne’s, in case one of its electricians did the work or arranged with someone else to do it. The Municipal Electricity Department was under an obligation to say whether a permit had been issued for the work to oe done: whether, if a permit was granted, a subsequent inspection was made; and whether any of its employees had done the job. , , Called to prove Mr Young s statement Stewart Maxton Nicol, testing engineer, State Hydro-Electric Department, detailed examinations made bv him of the electrical installations. ‘To Mr W. R. Lascelles (for the City Council), he said that he had concluded that the fire did not start in. either the entrance mains, the service fuses, cable oi' main switc.ik°The cross-examination of the witness Nicol, lasted all day, and it was not finished when the Commission adjourned until to-morrow. To Mr Lascelles (for the City Council), he. said that he still adhered to the opinion hp expressed in his original report, and hi could not accept the theories mentioned by Mr Gresson as a ieaKonably possible explanation of the cause of the fire.