A SORRY SIGHT.

Putaruru Press, Volume VI, Issue 253, 6 September 1928, Page 4

A SORRY SIGHT.

THE HORAHORA RUINS. Temporary Relief Measures. Inconvenience for a Time. By the time these notes are published everyone will have been made aware of the cause of failure of electric current on Saturday night. Briefly stated, from an unknown cause a fire started in the oil-treating room at about 8 p.m. There were two large chemical fire extinguishers on the premises, and by the use of these the fire was, as far as the writer was able to ascertain, nearly got under control—but not quite. Another such extinguisher or two handy would probably have completed the good work, but they were not available, and the flames quickly got the mastery again among the oil and oily materials. Water was worse than useless, for it would have spread an oil fire still more quickly and would have carried the flames to other parts of the premises. The fire demolished all inflammable contents of the transformer rooms, burnt the roof clean off and left only the walls and the iron structures standing. The oil used in the transformers has a high flash point, but when that point is reached it burns with a slow flame and an intense heat. The temperature was so high as to melt, in places, some of the 3in cross girders carrying the overhead gear. The transformers themselves were greatly damaged, and even if it is possible to utilise them again it will probably take weeks to dry them out, to say nothing of the re-erection, of the maze of electrical gear that is a familiar sight in electrical establishments. The powerhouse was not affected, but without transformers it is a giant without harness to control its energy and for the time being is useless. Emergency Services. Messrs. F. M. Strange (chairman of the Thames Valley Electric Power Board), R. Sprague (manager of the board) and N. G. McLeod (the board’s chief engineer) visited Horahora and 1 Mr. McLeod explained that temporary services were being maintained from Tauranga and the Waihi Grand Junc- , tion stations. [ There is no doubt that the authorities will do all that lies in their power to provide current for such essential : services as the milking machine load ' and house lighting, but there is a possibility that water heaters may have to be cut off and every effort made to reduce the consumption of current as much as possible. Also, it is possible that for a time dairymen may have to start milking an hour earlier—thus observing summer time, no doubt to the great joy of Mr. T. K. Sidey. Dairy factories having stand-by plants will of course have to use them.

In the meantime gangs of men are busy at Horahora trying to restore some measure of service there at the earliest possible date. Altogether there were three banks of transformers on the 50,000-volt line affected, and two on the 11,000volt line, and the job of overhaul, repair and replacement will be of considerable magnitude.