The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1873-08-30
The Water Supply.


Mr. ~DIroR-The subject Of an abundant supply
Of fresh and pure water during the parching heat
and drought Of our summer months, is one which It
Is quite safe to discuss without the risk Of offending
the prcjudiccs Of any sect OF order, and therefore l
propose, with your permission, to invite public attcn-
ton to some impeiiments which now stand in the
way Of that abundance Of pure water in Honolulu
which l believe TO be easily a~ttainable.
That q great increase in rainfall as well as its re-
tention in a saturated soil for 4 long period Of time,
are the natural results Of abundant shade by means
Of forest and other trees. have long been all but uni
versally conceded and adopted as well-established
propositions, and their converse is equally well dem
oustratel by the experiences Of all who reside in 10
calities where forests once abounded. but which are
now no longer in existence. Those residents OF
Honolulu who recoIlect as l 10. the once dense forest
which formerly covered with its grateful shade the
upper mauka portion Of Nuuanu Valley, and the
almost constantly flowing stream which ran down the
valley during the summer-now see with regret that
stream generally dried up for several months OF the
dry season. The excellent pipe water supply to the
city has been Of incalculable value; but the stringent
notices which in every early summer emanate from
the energetic head of that department, clearly indi-
cate the necessity Of consumers going on short allow
ance at the very time when an abundant supply isso
most required for domestic use and personal comfort
/ p This diminutiOn of our water supply in summer Is
but too plainly traceable to the conversion of all the
land at the head of the valley, which was formerly
| covered by q dense forest, into q cattle ranch, under
a lease, unfortunately granted by His late Majesty
Kamehameha ". to the late Mr.. Hillebrand, who
speedily stocked it with a milking herd of many
hundreds, which soon demolished all the foliage and
shade and gradually but steadily reduced the land TO
the naked condition which it presents at present
thereby not only greatly diminishing the quantity OF
rain all over the valley, but also drying up by rapid
evaporation all the denuded surface Of the soil which
had previously been the reservoir and store for that
| absorbed moisture which had supplied the stream
during the summer, and which was retained in the
soil by the shade of the forest.
But unfortunately this is only q part of the mis-
chief resulting from that ~cslamitous lease, which has
entailed on the people of Honolulu the necessity OF
using water polluted by these cattle who resort to the
stream (Which is the main source of supply to the
reservoir, and which runs through the ranch) for the
purpose of shaking their thirst, but who at the same
time generally seek to cool their hides by plunging
bodily into and wallowing through it in unrestrained
luxury, while depositing too often a liberal supply Of
both solid and fluid excrement, which becomes thor
oughly mixed with the water on its course to the
reservoir where it is ut length deposited, and whence
it finds its way into our water monkeys and tea pots.
How very placid and enduring a community we
must be to have so long endured SO disgusting a state
of affairs
Nothing short of the total abrogation of that lease
can remedy this crying evil; and it is said that its
present owner is willing to surrender 1t, but at a
| price which is considered quite exorbitant. 1t is also
understood that the government desire its surrender.
but hesitate to pay for it the price demanded; but
| considering the liberal, if not lavish sums which
have lately been expended on some public works
which were not certainly of such urgent necessity as
the abatement Of the horrible nuisance above referred
| to, it is hardly worth while to chatter or higgle over the
amount necessary to accomplish so very desirable a
purpose. And moreover, the water works of Homo
| lulu have been the most lucrative of government
speculations, and the appropriation of even a few
extra thousands of dollars ought hardly to be allowed
to stand in the way of the accomplishment of so I'M
portant an object, even if n special loan should be
required for the purpose.
1t seems to me to be the duty of the people to come
| forward in aid of the government by n free express
| sion of opinion as to the ~propriety of inducing the
Legislature to appropriate an adequate amount for
| the purchase. 1 hope to see a move made in that
direction.
1hClC 10 O'cH1N
| ton which must be adjusted before any effectual
| move can be made in the matter, viz how far the
| proprietor of the soil would consent to and guar
| antee the permanent restoration of the forest in
| case of the surrender of the lease for unless this
were first arranged it would be worse than idle TO
| negotiate a surrender Of it.
Let me hope that | have succeeded in awakening
public attention to a state of things which may be
unknown to ONE among us, and TO which others
have wilfully shut their eyes, despairing perhaps of
any remedy for that which even i'll a sanitary point
of view ought 10 be remedied for it is now uni
versally admitted that Honolulu has ceased to be
so remarkably free from those diseases which
% flesh is heir 10" as it once was before its inhabi-
tants were compelled to use the horribly polluted
water of late years. and which would to an ordi-
nary observer be set down as Il clear case of
"prOpter hoe" How the faculty view it. l am not
prepared TO say. y.