The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1873-10-11
THE WATER P

the consequent drOuths Of Honolulu have been
steadily on the increase, several plans and pro
jects for their remedy have been mooted and ven
tilated among the sufferers, who are anxious To
sec something e%fectual prepared and executed by
those IN authority but unfortunately, each and
every project has been in its turn disapproved and
rejected by the whilom head Of the engineering
department, now q member Of the Cabinet, (al-
though still in iacr discharging the functions Of
ms original Office, in which ne Is consulted and
deferred t. by ms colleagues) whilst 50 far as the
public - aware. he has never yet succeeded in
deTisingor recommendingany alternative measure,
or in short making any ~efectual attempt even 10
mitigate or correct the evil, which is allowed full
scope to 90 ahead, growing and increasing to 4
most formidable extent, entirely unknown in
days gone by. With all due respect for the quail
i%fcations the Minister alluded TO may possess as
an engineer, we much fear :hat he has brought
with him from the '' Land O Cakes " TOO large =
stock OF that . canny - caution and dread of re-
sponsibility for which that nation is 50 distip-
guIshed, the excess Of which is likely 10 be seri-
ously to this community if its con-
tagion shall unfortunately extend to the Minister
oil the Interior, so as to paralyze his endeavors to
promote and protect the public interests to the
utmost Of his ability.
One Of the projects for securing an increased
and continuously ample supply Of pure pipe
water in the driest seasons, was devised and sue
gested about four years ago by the present able
and practical Superintendent Of Water Works.
who recommended the purchase by the govern
ment OF the large kalo patches in Nuuanu, n
snort distance mauka of " Rosebank,'' (which
were formerly owned by DIR. Rookie and now nv
Queen Emma) for conversion into a capacious
catch reservoir, to contain twenty million Gallons
OF water, which was to be filled during the rainy
season to supply the oVerdraft on the present FOO
small reservoir, that contains only $50, 900 gallons.
lt was assumed that the streams which could he
turned INTO the large reservoir during all the
t"ehty-iour hours and the frequent showers
which TALL there, would amply compensate for all
drafts made upon it for the limited time when r.
would be called upon to keep the present reservoir
sufficiently supplied, as well as the evaporation
from the surface. And it was tbouobt that rho
supply IN the projected reservoir would be so
ample he To furnish n sufticiency to all the resi-
denees between it and those now supplied by the
present reservoir, and perhaps warrant the farther
extension oil the pipes on the plains and other To-
callties which the present supply is inadequate to
meet.
IL these estimates are sound and capable of
being carried into full effect. it is certainly =
matter OF deep regret that they have been SO
Ignored. 1t is understood that this
PROJECT contemplated the formation of the reser-
Volr by scooping out of the earth to the REQUIRED
depth IN = cup shape, deepest in the centre and
rising with n slope Mt the sides, (Which is the
plan on which the justly celebrated Croton reser-
Voir OF New York has been constructed with
success) the interior as left after the re-
novaI OF the earth TO be consolidated by precisely
the same method rs universally practiced by the
natives in forming and preparing kalo matches
or planting from time immemorial, and which is
better understood and more completely efectuated
than in any other part of the world. That
he natural soil oil these patches is capable of
ne proposed consolidation, is amply proved by
he TACT that the present surface has borne Larpe
rops Of kalo almost consecutively for time out of
mind without leakage or waste-a fact which
ught OF itself to remove all doubt or skepticism
IS to the feasibility of the project. A part of
he plan was the erection Of a moderately stout
Tall to enclose the earth, but not to carry any
material weight. A consideration of great value
D connection with the proposed new reservoir is
ne fact that its elevation above the level of the
will give great force to the water. when con-
ected with n branch to the main nine. This
7ill be invaluable in case of fire.
In our article on - Irrigation - last week
eterence was made to the plar proposed in the
acme states OF the American Uni on of securing
water supply all the year round by the con-
Of reservoirs in the mountains. We
ave since learned that precisely the same system
as been followed in some localities in several
the New England States, for many wears.
)tably at Norwich, Conn.,, where Il small valley
ear the city has been turned into q reservoir n
itch the SHOWS OF winter, whereby Il supply of
alter is secured for the drouths of SUI INNER.
IL does not seem that this project ca n involve n
ry formidable outlay, and if it sha II result in
ch an increased and steady supply vf water as +
warrant n large increase of privileges to the :
any who are anxious TO obtain them, it NAV l
owe a good investment in the enhanced rental ,
will produce. 1t is understood that the entire $
meme was rejected on the assumption that the l
opposed reservoir could not be made water-tight. c
lich most unquestior ably is an untenable as ;
Ihptlon. But as it is hardly to be expected g."
1t MIR. Stirling will recede from the position "
lieh he has taken, oar only hope is that instead ,
yielding implicitly TO his opinion, the Minister =
the Interior will take counsel with the many =
10 are much better posted on the subject by NJ
ietieal experience than he can possibly be as a n
re theorist, and venture to predict that if D.
N a course shall be adopted the present OBJ fe
uctive policy will speedily be put an end to al
least in relation to this branch Of the public N
vice. NJ
I has also been said that there was still 10
'ther objection to the proposed reservoir. al
nelly that the evaporation from the surface te
uld be some two or three inches in twenty ''
+ hours. Anybody can test this with perfect =,