TEMPESTUOUS WEATHER.

Shannon News, 25 September 1925, Page 2

TEMPESTUOUS WEATHER.

HIGH WIiNIQS CONTINUE. The "oldest inhabitant" fails to re member such a long-continued speil of windy weather as. is being experienced at, (present. Combined with heavy drenching showers, the atmospheric conditions, are by no means pleasant and are retarding the development 'Of the dairying season as well as proving a hindrance to business. We are, of course, in the period of "the equinoctial gales,'' it being the time of year when the days and nights are of nearly equal duration. The llorowhcnua Power Board staff has had a busy time during the past week. The protracted thunderstorms of Friday and Sunday caused a. considerable disturbance" of the "reticulation, in that no fewer than twenty transformers were blown out in various parts of the district, resulting in sections of the line being isolated. Two meters, one in a milking shed, were also burnt out as a result of the storm. At Ohau, where construction work 'is. in progress .lightning appears to have struck the cross-arm of the last (pole put in, completely destroying the stout 4 by 3 timber and showing the power of the electric impact. The reticulation generally has had a thorough testing in the continued high \yind of the past week, but has stood the strain so well as to bear testimony to the thorough nature of the work. So far as is. known the tempestuous weather has not affected any of the lines or poles though at Foxton Beach trouble has been caused by the washing away of the sand at\the base of a/pole. During the storm a numbers of telephones were disabled through the lightning guards being put out of action. The lightning guard will only permit currents of a certain strength to pass through the telephone, and when this current is exceeded, cither by lightning or electric power, the lightning guard automatically collapses and the extra current runs !o earth. This prevents damage to the instruments by strong currents from any source and it also a safeguard to the subscriber. The,, linesmen have had a great deal of extra work thrown upon them as a result of the damage done.