CABLE LAYER

Hokitika Guardian, 19 October 1931, Page 3

CABLE LAYER

WORK AT GREAT DEPTH. AUCKLAND, October 13. The cable steamer iris, which returned to Auckland on Sunday evening had repaired a defective section of*cable 800 miles from Wellington. Thecable was picked up from a depth of 9728 feet, which constitutes a record for any repair work accomplished by tliis ship. Leaving Auckland on September 26, the Iris took on board 100 miles of spare cable suitable for this particular work .at Wellington and resumed the voyage on October. 1. The steamer having arrived at the scene of the fault (determined by latitudinal and longitudinal : hearings on a-chart), • particular care had to he taken to grapple the cable more than five -miles from ; the actual fault. The last visit there, in 1917, resulted in a long section of abandoned cable being left- alongside the good one, and to have picked up the useless section, by mistake would have resulted in the loss of a valuable day.

Work was hampered by a gale which caused the ship to lie liove-to for 24 hours, and the following day the cable was grappled, cut, and the New Zealand emd bouved. Some idea of the depth at which the cable was first caught may he gained from the fact that it took more than five hours to bring it to the surface.

Tests were carried out on the Australian half of the cable every few miles Until, just 14' miles from the bouved end, it’was'found that the defect had been passed. The new section was spliced on and dropped overboard; and the' Iris then returned to join it : up to the New Zealand'end. ' It 'is exceptional to haVe f 'to carry out repair work at this extreme depth, decay of insulation or corrosion” being the only factors'responsible'fm“ defects. The 'Sydney-Wellingtbn line was laid 40 years ago, and consists of nine strands of copper wire, well sheathed arid insulated, to a diameter of three-quarters of an inch. Two sain pres of the bottom of the Tasman Sea where the cable was repaired were secured by the captain of the Iris, who remarked on the particularly harmless nature of the white, flaky day. The return trip to Auckland was made under good conditions in a little over two days.