The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1879-12-13
THE WATER P P

Among the various causes 10 NulCu nave tNIh
attributed the present prevalence of sickness IN
this city, is the condition of the water supply,
which has been pronounced. by one medical man
at Ieast-and who is understood to be skilled IN the
processes Of chemical analysis@as quite impure,
and unfs for drinking purposes. A recent exam
ination Of the course Of the valley streams which
supply the Nuuanu reservoir showed the existence
Of two nuisances, situated. 1t is true, some dis
lance from the water-course, but which might
possibly contaminate the water by their contents
impregnatiDg the soil. These were promptly
abated. But the fact remains that the necessari-
" large amount Of decaying vegetable matter in
the valley through which run the open streams
that supply the reservoir. must render the water
more OF less impure. The remedy for this Will
be found only in bringing the water in pipes from
a point sufficiently far up the valley to ensure ITS
freedom from communicating influences. Ii Is
understood that the Ministry will be prepared to
ask the necessary appropriation for this work at
the next session of the Legislature. As the ses-
sion begins in April next, eight or nine months
from to-day must elapse at the least, before any
such appropriation could become available for the
purpose intended, and say four or five months
more before the piping could be procured from
abroad and laid in place, so that over n year
must elapse before the desired remedy for impure
water can be applied. Now If it be a fact, as is
strenuously maintained by some,-and which we
do not feel competent to deny-that the badness
Of our drinking water is one great cause of the
sickness and mortality in this community. then
no time is to be lost in applying the remedy, for
if we wait a year pending legislative action, it
may prove too late for some of US.
"a. n. - a. ~ --l.4,- -
the water supply tol be substantially true, as
aboye,-does not this state of things constitute
an a Emergency, - such as is contemplated in
the 18th Article of the Constitution? 1t is there
provided that no money shall be drawn from the
public treasury without the consent of the Legis-
latiye Assembly, " except when between the ses-
sions of the Legislative Assembly the emergency
Of war, invasion, rebellion, pestilence, or other
public disaster shallarise,' - &c. Now if this mat
ter is without delay brought before the King in
Priyy Council, and the evidence had of medical
men and chemists, the emergency of the case
will, we are confident, become sufficiently appar-
ent to justify prompt action, without delaying a
year or more for the slow process of Legislative
elaboration.
The expense to be incurred in this work will,
of course, be considerable, but it will be fully
warranted by the object in view. The piping
can be ordered in San Francisco by the steamer
which leaves here on the 22nd inst, and allowing
for all ordinary delays, should be received here
about the middle or latter part of January and be
in position before the end of February. In thus
anticipating quick dispatch in the proposed
work, we feel that we are not expecting too
much from the energetic Head of the Interior
/ naparfuapk And in the mafter Of cost va he,
to make a few suggestions.
1t is we'll known that for many years non
pipes were supposed to be the only sale and prop
er conduits through which water could be safely
conducted, but science and time have demonstra-
ted beyond a doubt that pipe made OF a combina-
ton Of wood, iron and asphaltum is not only
cheaper, but far better and more durable There
is a company in San Francisco engaged in the
manufacture Of this pipe, which is now being ex-
tensively used in California and at the East in
preference to iron. Claus Spreckles, Esq, has
had the wooden pipe in use at his estate at APP
tos, for a number Of years, with satisfactory re-
suits. A test was made last year in San Francis
CO of the amount OF pressure the. wooden pipe
could stand. There were present several gentle
men interested in the water supply of that city
among them being Mr.. Schussler, Chief Engineer
of the Spring Valley Water Company, (and lat
terly the Engineer of the East Maui Water
Works) The pipe was designed to stand a fifty
foot pressure. 1t stood a pressure of 400 lbs. 20
the square inch. Mr.. Schussler expressed himself
t highly pleased with the test. He said no pipe
in actual service would be called upon TO stand
such a test. and even were it possible TO do so,
the peculiar elasticity of this pipe rendered 1t SUI
periOr to any he knew Of. This pipe has been
2 used in the Eastern States for the last eighteen
years, and about one thousand miles of it has
8 been thoroughly tested. Ii has been brought in
to immediate competition with the best iron
pipe, and not in a single instance has it failed tC
r prove itself the best as well as the cheapest, and
when taken up to lay larger pipe it has been
found perfectly sound, and every foot relaid.
In these Islands the wooden pipe has beer in
troduced to some extent, and has given full salts
j faction. 1t is in use at Mr.. G. p. Wards estate
e on the Waikiki road, and at the Waianae Planta-
ton. We have been at some pains to ascertain
the relative cost of iron and wood pipes, and find
: that the former. with the present rise in prices o
3 the material both in Europe and America, would
d cost about Sl.l0 per foot for 8 inch, delivered
g here while wooden pipe of the same size could bC
obtained without delay from California for 2;
) per cent. less.