Polynesian. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu], Hawaii) 1844-1864, 1850-06-01
THE POLYNE ESIAN.
HONOLULU, SATURDAY, JUNE l.

j HONOLULU, SATURDAY, JUNE l.
| WATER WoRKs.-As the Hawaiian Govern
ment is now engaged in the laudable undertaking
of introducing pure water from the &c Kings
SPRING. into HonuIulu, we doubt not but our
readers will be interested in the following ac-
count of some of the principal Water Works in
the United States. In this, and the succeeding
number, we shall reprint from the American Al
manac for 1850, an account Of the mode adopted
for watering the three principal cities in Ameri-
ca and shall continue the account in regard to
European cities, provided we can procure the
data.
In regard to our own first efforts, we cannot
but regret that provision was not made for sup
plying the to,cn Of Honolulu, well as the ship
ing visiting our port and we hope the Govern
nient will lose no time i'm importing the necesSa-
ry pipes for accomplishing this desirable result.
| The city Of Philadelphia was the first, in
this county, which made extensive arrange
Inents for supplying itself with water. The
| first works were commenced in 1899. A steam
engine was placed on Chesnut street, near the
Schuy kill River, by means of which water
was forced along Chestnut and Broad streets
to Penn Square, where a second engine eie-
waited it thirty-six feet, into a wooden reser-
voir, whence it was conveyed by wooden
pipes, to the various parts of the city But
the quantity of water was found altogether
inadequate to the supply of the city, and
these works were accordingly abandoned in
1915, after S657 1893 had been expended on
| them.
In 1912, the construction of steam works
at Paramount was commenced, by which the
water was to be raised to reservoir at that
point But as the use of steam proved very
expensive, the City council in 1918, re-
solved to use the water-power of that river for
that purpose, and accordingly these second
steam works were stopped in lS22.
The present works were commenced IN
1919. A dam was built across the river,
which at this place is about 800 feet wide
| The bottom, for nearly one quarter OF this
width, at the eastern end, is rock, covered
with about eleven feet of mud-ibe rest is
rock, covered only with waIer. The great
est depth of water, at high tide, is thirty feet ;
il gradually shoals towards The western shore,
where at low tide, the rock is left bare.
| The dam creates large water-power, the
lowest quantity of water afforded by the river
ia the dry season being 44O, ,O0O, 900 gallons
daily; and as less than thirty gallons or the
wheel are required to raise one gallon into
the reservoir, $1,000, 900 gallons can be
raised daily. ...
The wheels now in use, eight IN number,
are fifteen feet long and sixteen feet in diam
ter, and work under one foot head and seven
and half feet fall They are made of WOOD
and heavily irpned The shafts are of iron
and weigh about five tons each Although
sunk below the usual line~nf high water, II
is only during about sixty-four hours month
on an average, that they are stopped from
this cause.
The pumps, eight in number, are worked
by crank on the water-wheel, attached to
a pifman connected with the piston AT the end
of the slides. They are fed under a natura
head Of water, from the forebays of the wa
ter-wheel, (Which, with the pump-rhambers
are warmed by stoves in cold weather, and
are calculated for six foot stroke. They are
double forcing-pumps, and are each of them
connected to an iron main Of sixteen inches
diameter and about three hundred feet IN
length, which is carried along the bottom o
the race to the rock al the foot of Fairnount
) and thence up the bank into the reservoir.
The reservoirs are built of stone, and
i paved with bricks, laid upon a very tena-
cious CLAW puddle. in strong lime cement, and
G vered with grouting to prevent leakage.
These are surrounded by an artificial en-
baukment Of earth, thirty weight feet high, and
are neatly faced with grass s"ds to prevent
washing The reservoirs are twelve and a
half feet deep. and will hold when filled, more
than d .OO0. 600 gallons of water They are
one hundred and two feet above low tide and
| fi:ty-six feet above the highest ground in the
city
| The distribution in the city, was at first
made by means of wooden pipes; but these
were found so inconvenient that iron pipes
were substituted The first iron pipes were
imported from England, and we're laid in
1919, at which time the whole quantity oI
wooden pipes laid 10 the city was about thirty
two miles The whole extent of iron pipes
now laid in the city is seventy-hve and hall
! miles, and in the city and lower d'strie,s
lninety-seven miles. Two men are i""nd SUI
ficient to attend the works, twelve hours al
I fine alternately, night and day. lhere are
in the city six hundred and twenty-one hre-
plugs. and in the lower districts two hundred
and thirty-in all eight hundred and h!ty-one
There are also 10 the city three hundred and
nineteen public hvdrant-pumps. The ave
rage consumption ofwater each day through
out the wear lS4S, was 4.275, ,552 gallons =
/ This was distributed to Is, l47 tenants, who
nav for the water in the city. and about 3,5Ot
families Who are supplied from the public ny
drant humps. The whole number ct :eT,a@:':
Il in the city and lower districts is p, 23o..
4 The receipts from the water rents IN Ie4e
were SIG, ,s6e o. The amount 20. Q! rsvenu' 1o
per duplicates for IS49, is Sl2a, ,59o AZ.
The comparison between the present work
5 and the old steam works is greatly to the ad
! vantage Of the former 1t was not possible oe,
with the steam engines, to raise ;Soo,Vo'
gallons day. At present, with only 'nre'
wheels, three times tha, quant'y can o'
raised. without anv increase OF expense; ou
ouopt1tv wore rpOuIred TO d.