Electric Freak.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 188, 13 August 1904, Page 2

Electric Freak.

An accident which occurred in Melbourne recently in one of tho junction- Ikwh of the mains of the City Electric Supply Works was responsible for some remarkable consequences. In some unexplained way a "fchort circuit" was completed between two of the cables in the box ut the corner of Queen and Little Collins Streets l . The completion of the circuit was accompanied by tho production of intense heat, and the top of the box, with a mnail portion of the pavement above it, blew up with a, roar of flame. The fire brigade war culled by telephone, and Live flame was checked, and employees sent from the electric works in Spen-cer-street restored the circuits to their normal condition.

The incidental results of the event, however, were extraordinary. Running close beside the lighting main* in Queen-street are a great many of the cables of the telephone system,, and the inductive effect on these wires was exactly the same as that of a flash of lightning within a few feet of them. At the head station and the little Bourke-street station of thq fire brigade shutters" denoting- the touching of a lire alarm fell in six different places. For a minute De-puty-Chief Oflicer Moorman was busy turning out the hose carts which galloped away in six directions at ojico ; but, whity he stood wondering whether sjx simultaneous fires had broken out, or one tremendous fire had been seen from six dilTerent points, he received the telephone message which explained the event. Every telephone served by the mains was rung. In the Central Exchange, where at niight each operator looks after about 1000 about half the shutters fell. The operators knowing that some such incident as I-he flctual one had happened, were not disturbed', but on private and public switchboards the operators were at a loss to sji)der»tand what had happened. At the Russell-street police barracks there is a switch board with 50 shutters, and at nine oVlock the constable on duly at the board was still prostrated by the effort of answering f)0 calls 1 at once. The reason for the completion of the circuit in the box is unexplained. The boxes are buried underground, are hermetically sealed and packed withpitclj, whjch completely insulates the pabjes from one pnnther.

The Feil<lm(* poultry show, opened on Thursday. There was a good attendance. The entries numbered 450. The North Lsluiml championship for Dorkings nntl the gold medal was won by 0. Canning, Napier. The championship and gold medal for Pekin ducks was won by G. J. Siluock, Okola. Mrs Holland, Buntiyt.horpe, secured the silver cup with inogt points jn Ix'ghorns. W. E. Lanoy secured all the prizes in Plymouth Hocks. There Ivas a good show of pigeons, E. Tucker, Palmeruton, securing 11 firsts, 7 seconds and special points prize,