FIRE CRIPPLES POWER PLANT

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 449, 3 September 1928, Page 1

FIRE CRIPPLES POWER PLANT

Destruction at Horahora

PROVINCE PLUNGED IN DARKNESS

(SUN’S Special Reporter.) HORAHORA, To-day. FRE in the power-house at the Horahora hydro-electrical works on Saturday night did £20,000 worth of damage, and dislocated the power service throughout the Auckland Province. To-day the station, which was the key to the provincial supply of power, is an idle and blackened wreck and workmen have started, working day and night to restore as much power as possible. ’

PRACTICALLY ever since the plant was put into commission it has been working on an overload, and it was not Are so much as a breakdown that was feared. A breakdown would, however, probably have been a much jess serious matter. The Are started at 8 p.m. on Saturday, when some new plant was being dried out. This was under supervision, but it suddenly burst into James. All the power was immediately cut oil, and practically the whole area from Botorua and Te Kuiti to Auckland suburbs and Helensville was plunged into darkness. The staff started to Aght the Are With Arefoam, and the outbreak was practically under control when the chemical extinguisher gave out. Then the oil in the transformers caught Are and the power-house was doomed. The Hamilton Fire Brigade’s engine arrived on the scene, 30 miles away, in an hour and a quarter, and soon had hoses working, drawing from the river. In the meantime the engineer’s house and the Public Works ofßces were in danger, and the furniture was removed from the former. Day broke to reveal the fire extinguished, agc( the power-house wiped out. The heat had been so intense that steel girders above the transformers had been buckled and melted, and the concrete walls were cracked and falling to pieces. Half-a-dozen huge transformers, voltage regulators, switchboards, meters and testing instruments were in ruins, and the drying room, workshop, oil and other plant had disappeared together with the roof of the building. , SOME PLANT YET GOOD Three other trtujeformers, capable of transmitting 4,000 kilowatts, appeared to be little damaged, and the staff concentrated on getting them connected up again. Engineers were quickly on the job, and Mr. T. McLennan, the district engineer, motored through from Opotiki and took charge of the activities. Attention is being paid to the possibility of getting lines through frem Horahora to Arapuni, where the transformer plant could dispose of all the power generated at Horahora. It is not expected that all the power can he dealt with in this manner, but it is possible that 2,000 kilowatts may be added to the 4,000 from the undamaged' transformers and some 6,000 kilowatts, or half the usual output, would thereby be made available to assist in relieving the serious position caused by the Are. COMPLETELY OUT OF ACTION “The Are has put Horahora completely out of action,” stated Mr. MacLennan, to a Sun representative, “and we are now aiming at getting back into service such parts of the plant as we can. Most of the transformers appear to be still serviceable. I can give no indication as to when the Plant will be back in operation, but it will be as soon as we can make it. In the meantime all the emergency plants >xe being operated, and there is hound to be a necessity for restrictions.” north shore suffers appeals for economy MANY PLANTS WORKING Tha cutting: off of the power affected different districts in different Auckland did not suffer as the steam Plant in the city supplies more than the city at present requires, and the surplus will be fed into the mains and used wherever it is required. 'Phe story in the suburbs is differ*nt. These, mainly through the AVaitemata Power Board, rely on the Gov--s**nment supply, and as an instance Shore residents found that their cooking- stoves were out of commission yesterday morning. There was such a . demand from people that were considered to have a better right to power, that North Shore boroughs were cut The line through Henderson and helensville was kept alive, however, in view of the number of dairy farms requiring power for milking. The Shore Power was off for nearly three hours, cut after that there were no interruptions, and the power has since been available. The matter was of some seriousness to a number of householder® * as there are some 500 electric stoves connected with the Waitemata district supply. community spirit wanted whole position now demands uiut there should be an exercise of community spirit. The position is recognised as serious, and at some hours will depend on* the steps taken by Users to economise that will decide they have any power with to economise. In other words, Ui the event of waste, or any breakin the emergency plants, the Pcwer will be given to those considered most entitled to it. This in turn Cleans that between 6 a.m. and 8 a.m. an d 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. the dairy farmers will have a first claim, and # if there * n °f sufficient power to go round the Clt y. districts will be cut out. An appeal is therefore being O’lade to the consumers to make a Point of cutting down their use between these hours, especaliy by •witching off hot-water elements. A* fttatod. all feurplufe electric power

is being fed* back to the general system, and is being used where demanded. The various plants supplying power and their outputs were as follow: King’s Wharf, Auckland, 25,000 kilowatts; Horahora, 11,000 kilowatts; Grand Junction steam turbine plant, Waihi, 3,000 kilowatts; Penrose Diesel engines, 3,000 kilowatts; McLaren’s Falls, 2,000 kilowatts. AUCKLAND SURPLUS * It is hoped that King’s Wharf and Penrose stations will be able to supply between 7,000 and 8,000 kilowatts in order to augment the depleted supply now available throughout the Waitemata Board’s area and the Waikato. Mr. R. H. Bartley, general manager of the Auckland Power Board, stated yesterday it was thought at least 3,000 kilowatts would be available from King’s Wharf. This, with the board’s own requirements, would almost completely exhaust the output of the transformer bank at King’s Wharf. In addition, the board would not receive its usual supply from Horahora in the meantime.

For the first time since their installation the three Diesel oil engines, at Penrose are now working at full capacity. The three generators are each capable of producing 1,250 kilowatts, but only one has been working continuously up to the present, and another has been employed for four hours each afternon. Although not in use the third engine has been kept ready for emergency purposes and no time was lost in bringing it into action, CANDLES AT HORAHORA The breakdown had results that were not without their humorous sides. Auckland did not suffer much inconvenience, its own power station on King’s Wharf making it self-sufficient in the matter of power. Candles were the order all over the country-side. It was somewhat of an anomaly to see candles in operation at Horahora, the last place where they might be expected. Pictures and entertainments and dances all suffered. In most cases the power was off only for half an hour or so, until the emergency stations started operations, but some did not fare so well. Picture shows were left in darkness together with private residences in country towns all over the province from Te Kuiti to Helensville. POWER BOARD WANTS ECONOMY offer of workmen “The breakdown at Horahora is very serious,” said Mr. J. W. Hayden, Waitemata Electric-Power Board chairman, at this morning’s meeting. It was decided to advise Mr. T. MacLennan, works manager at Horahora, that Waitemata board workmen were available if required. In view of probable pqwer shortage, the board is making a plea that consumers should economise. The whole of power service in the Auckland Province has been affected. Mr. F. J. H. Wilson, resident engineer, informed the meeting that, while the Horahora transformers had had a capacity of about 5,000 kilowatts to 50,000, those at Arapuni were from 11,000 to 110,000, approximately. Connection might be possible, but there would be a limit to the use of the Arapuni transformers. Mr. S. E. Kennings scouted a suggestion that circulars should be. issued to consumers. ‘‘We don’t want to alarm them,” he said. Mr. Wilson: The Public Works Department sent a message three times over the wireless yesterday asking for economy. How the breakdown would affect dairy farmers was discussed, and earlier milking was suggested. “I think that we should be pleased that the Auckland Board has stood by us,” Mr. Kennings said. Mr. Hayden remarked that the inconvenience to the Waitemata board would be much less than that to the Waikato board. Preparations are to be made to avoid over-demand in peak hours, and consumers will be asked to fall in with the board’s arrangements. Time limits will be set if necessary. CAMBRIDGE GOES TO BED BY CANDLE-LIGHT STEAM PLANT HELPS FARMERS HAND-MILKING NECESSARY From THE SUN’S Correspondents CAMBRIDGE, To-day. Cambridge went to bed by candlelight on Saturday night. As a result of the fire at the Horahora power-station the town was suddenly plunged into darkness. Large crowds at the Town Hall pictures and dances had to go home. The Cambridge district is very fortunate in possessing a steam-plant at the Cambridge Dairy Company's Hautapu factory. When news of the fire was received, the Cambridge Power Board immediately arranged for Hautapu to get steam up. As a result a supply was available for the district milking motors on Sunday morning from 4 to 9 a.m., by which time the pool supply from Penrose came in, and relieved for the day load, the Hautapu plant taking up the milking .

supply again in the evening. This procedure was adopted over the weekend. Cambridge therefore did not experience a great deal of inconvenience except in the Maungatautari district where farmers had to milk by hand until seven on Sunday night, when arrangements were made with the Public Works Department for switching in the Maungatautari line to Leamington substation. The supply here to-day from Penrose is meeting all requirements. The Hautapu steam plant will again take up the milking motor load this evening. AUXILIARY PLANTS USED DAIRYING INCONVENIENCED (From Our Oion Correspondent.) HAMILTON, To-day. All available auxiliary plants in the province have been brought into commission, the power being pooled for the general good. The dairy industry, which depends largely on Horahora power, is seriously inconvenienced, though able to carry on with the restricted supply. The voltage is very low, about 200, and dairymen with low-powered plants may have to resort to hand milking. Dairy factories, gold mines, fiaxmills, and quarries in the Thames power area had to be switched off the Government supply, but fortunately most dairy factories have auxiliary plants. If the transformers at Arapuni can be -connected up the position should improve by Wednesday.