Saturday press. [volume] (Honolulu, H.I.) 1880-1885, 1883-05-26

As the dry summer u each year approaches,
we begin TO realize more especially than al
other times the fact Of our dependence upon
the Nuuanu stream 10 supply water for the
town Then II IS that the necessity of storing
aud husbanding what water the abalng streams
arc capable of producing, begins more promi
ncntly to force itself upon our notice. Then
VIC remember the soundness of the advice, "in
time Of plenty prepare ior time u need a
scarcity NJ water, occurring as Is now the case,
at 80 early period of the summer months, is a
matter oi concern 10 all, and naturally leads 10
inquiry as to what has been done To fotcstall
threatened short supply As has been the case
with many other subjects of great public i'm
pouancc, the question of the water supply has
been ono with which the present admins,ra
tion has not sought to gfapple and so far as
the kings cabinet have seemed to care, the
town of Honolulu and its inhabitants might
have pefished together, so long as the treasury
received the benefit of the water rates paid n
Regarded simply as source Of revenue from
which to supply the demand for royal foolcfy
and ministerial sham, the water works have re.
ccived their share Of attention. TO this end,
while nothing whatever has been done 10 sup.
plement OF increase the supply, about $4,000,
has been spent for pipes with which to meet
increasing demands by still further dividing
that supply. with $4,000 worth more Of
piping To be supplied from reservoirs already
insufficient to meet the needs Of the town, II Is
not difficult TO imagine the possible result. On
Tuesday afternoon last, there were but two
inches Of water in the main reservoir Of Nuu.
anu valley, and many Of tho taps in town were
for several hours rendered totally useless,
while the remainder were capable only of dhb.
bling a minute stream. Had fire occurred AT
such time, ii would be difficult to tell what
the result might have been. Bu, the summer
months have barely begun. and the prospects
of FIVE OF six months moro Of dry weather is
before us. Soberly and in all earnestness we
ask, what will become Of FIRE insurance, OF
what use will there be for our fire companies,
and their engines IL such a state Of affairs be
allowed to progress still furihcr' Grca, faith
|
but the lesson taught by every well that is now
being bored is, that the limi, Of our under.
ground supply has been reached and every new
well is only dividing the waters Of those al
ready existing. 1, has been the experience Of
many places that an underground supply is
just as capable OF being exhausted as one above
ground, and it has been no strange fact in
other countries that too much tapping Of the
sub,erranean reservoir and an exiravagant use
of the overflow, has resulted in drying up arte.
sian wells, or reducing them to a no.now
point. So far, however, they have helped US
but let us be wary of killing the goose tha,
lays the golden egg. But artesian water is
useless without pumping) as means of sup
ply, anywhere excepting at very low elevations
for this reason only limited portion Of tn,
populous part of the district is capable of being
thus supplied; and our mainstay is therefore
the reservoirs Of Nuuanu and Makiki Alread,
these are taxed to their uttermost, with nc
move made by an improvident government tc
increase their capacity by single cubic inch
Notwithstanding the fact that large appropi
alton was made by the last legislature for thai
specific object
AT present the system of Our water supply i.
as follows From the government building ou
along King street, in the direction of Wal
kiki and in Waikiki itself the supply is derived
directly from artesian springs. Heretofore
Lei, a.. r. IL. Nf.y.t
large part Of the Kulaokahua section of the dis
trict has been supplied from thence but re
Gently arrangements have been made to suppl,
a portion of this section of country by mean
of artesian wells. That lately bored upor
Thomas Square has been utilized for the pur
pose, and will be made to supply all that par
below Tor makai) ::Beretania street lying be
tween Alapai and Punahou streets. Abov,
Beretania street, and from Kapioani street ou
is now supplied by the Makih reservoir. 1t i
intended also, If the superintendent of waite
works is able to get the necessary fund allowed
him, to further increase the Makiki reservoi
supply by utilizing the deep well which wa
bored in the vicinity during the Carter admin
istration. This he intends to connect with tn
reservoir by means Of a pulsometer. All tn
remaining and by far the larger portion Of tn
district which is supplied by pipes, derives it
water from the Nuuanu system; and it cal
thus be seen how important tina, system mus
be. Its importance depends not only upol
the fact that so large an area is supplied; bu
upon that of its superior capability Of suppyin,
water at high elevations. For garden irrga
ton, and in case Of fire, its superior force rem
ders it peculiarly adaptable nor is it less t.
be esteemed from hygienic point of vie,
above all other sources Of supply. he highe
elevation Of its source frees it from probabl
contamination with animal matter, which i
very much more possible with any source Q
8 water, whether superficial OF subteuanean, a
lesser elevation. Persons who are able t
appreciate the difference between chemica
cleanliness and apparent cleanliness betwee
matter in solution and matter in suspension
will very readily perceive that the purest look
ing water is not, necessarily, always tn
purest in reality.
The Advertiser claims to have called at
tention more than once to the burning Of dea
leaves and other sweepings from yards as bein