The Hawaiian gazette., 1884-07-09
LII LID VUhGANu hND DhAL
Danger threatening our Artesian Wells

wells are being bored without interruption, as II
the owners were either blind 10 evidence, or else
acting on the selfish but erroneous idea that the
latest well bored Will be the last to fail OF course
the we'll borers themselves alive to the danger
but nothing can be expected from them, as 1t is
their business 70 bore as many holes as they can,
REGARDLESS of what the consequences may very
shortly be for the and the country at large.
Bur what Is strange, is that one Of the Honolulu
newspapers. with imprudence equalled only by
its inexperience and Ignorance, helps to propagate
the impression of false security among our we'll
owners or intending well-borers in announcing
the success of one of the latest borings this
paper saws that a ceaseiess, neuer-fGHifHg supply
of water has been liberated and further 1t asserts
that whatever may be the results arrived al IN
the future discussions Of the Honolulu wafer CUES
ton, and whatever may be the decisions theron oI
Major Bender, zone thing Is certain, that IN the
very heart of town IN . few weeks We can ootaln d
Iuafer supply sufficient for Ill purposes. .
The inpresslon thus conveyed would be that II
IS useless go TO the expense OF storing the ram
water in our gulches, "a all anxiety and trouble
could be at once solved by artesian wells. II IS
lucky that the men appointed TO study our water
question not SO narrow-Ininded as TO condemn
us TO depend only on artesial water for our gene
raj supply for two reasons thoroughly under
stood: LIST that it will not raise here above a
certain level and ID, that TINS level is1ast sinking
down, at the same time as the whole supply Is be-
ing drained away by the wells already In existence
common evidence, deny this possible exhaustion
of artesian supplies, and to support their opinion
they invent a new, startling and very stubborn
scientific ~ theory, that artesan waters are IN no
wavs connected with or supplied by rains, but that
they spring nysteriously out direct from the very
bowels of the earth-where probably they are
chemically composed by wholesale combinations OF
the hydrogen and oxygen gases liberated by VOL
oanic actionH
Now outside of the real, serious scientific theo-
ries which account for arteslan flows only by ac-
-, saUagrN aaFga HnnrT
has proved how these waters are really connected
with rainfall by these facts that several wells get
muddy IN rainy weather and that al hnctua.e,
rise, and fall again, more or less rapidly after
heavy showers. Further, tine fact that all our
wells around Honolulu draw then supply from a
common reservoir, Ii proved by the level of flow
being the in all, by this level decreasing In
in the same proportion AMI by the Incubation IN
them being synchrunical. Then, again, the
boring OF one well Immediately affects the level of
all others, as Rev. Bingham, Judge McCully, my
self and others who have studied the subject, have
noticed in our own wells. Thus hrst noticed my
Pioneer well 10 sink after Judge McCully and
and Messrs Ward and Milton had bored theirs.
Judge McCully clearly noticed the influence OF the
Toe works and Of Mr.. Speeches wells. Rev.
Bingham noted the action Of Mr.. A. Herberts
we'll, which was allowed 70 how away Tor monthsi
and week or SO ago, when the new ice works
well on Beretania street was bored, II Immediately
made the wells behind it, Makiki plains fall
several inches. These facts prove that the inter
ests of oil artesian well owners have decided
ROlluarlty. and throw q U1ul Oh luc SUBJECT
which can only be denied by new corners who
talk from ideas learned in different countries and
think that they must know better than the poor
people who, living on small Islands, cannot help
having very limited and narrow notions. But as
the question of water Is one of vital Importance
deem ii a duty for the press to contradict all false
theories, and TO give note of warning to such of
our land owners who do not want to see our whole
subterraneous supply, including will be seen
hereafter the natural springs, very soon exhausted.
Ny authority for speaking on the subject Is, that
not only have i been long enough In the country
to be able 10 study 1t and TO draw some good IN
ferences from the experience of past years, but
also, as il may still be remembered, have been
one of the first to believe in the possibility of pro-
curing artesian water around Honolulu and also
the first one TO prove as much, at my risk and
expense ON my property near Punahou. When
first expressed this idea, was deemed little less
than a visionary by the wisest men in the place,
from whom sought advice and many encouraged
me by stating that, in their opinion, If boring
could make anything how out of the earth, II
would be either saltwater or nre My attempt,
despite these discouraglng pronostlcs, was such
success that in a very short time more than forty
artesian bores could be counted in and around
Honolulu, including several which were sunk by
che government itself and connected with the
water pipe system of the town Thus far it is then
proved that anywhere in this locality, flowing
water can be found" But what want to contra
dict with all the authority can command, Is that
the supply will be ceastleSs and HereT taiiBg. l
may at first have entertained myself an idea
somewhat similar. but experience has proved it
incorrect, and further, this idea may be ruinous
one for the whole country. Now for forming a
correct idea on the matter after having established
il as sure, indisputable scientific fact that ow-
ing water Is supplied by rain waters, and only by
these 1t will be suthcleht TO consider that we are
on q limited area of land, that our mountainous
watershed is limited that the amount of rain,
from which ALL our drinkable waters are derived,
are themselves VERY LIMITED, can IT then be said
that the underground supply Is possibly mex
haustible Repeated experience has shown that
extraYagant well-boring will very rapidly exhaust
arteslan supplies even on larger continents as our
neighbours in Santa Clara, California, have
learned 10 their bitter expense Here, sad facts
have been brought out by last years experience,
and as nothing is more brutal than figures, shall
enumerate a few
When l first bored the water in my well stood
at level OF 43 feet inches above the sea. As
soon as other wells were bored, this level began to
run down, but accident which occurred, pre-
vented me from keeping an exact record. However
On the LIST Aug 1882 the level was found 42s feet.
On the LIST Nov, 1882, ;, - ,, 42.5 ,,
o Seg ~ ~ 9 dac2eas for While seemed checked
little by the Gaping of the neighbouring Ontario
well which had previously been allowed to flow
without restriction.
On the LIST of March, 1883, the we'll stood at about
a. feet then under the influence of the dry season,
and of the boring of numerous new wells, the fall
was more accentuated and measurement at the
beginning of June gave Al feet only. As left at
this time my residence at Punahou, / could not
take any further measurements, but at date Of
article my well stands at about 81 feet having lost
feet in one year, which makes ratio of decrease
of about inches month.
My neighbor, Judge MoCully. has also kept re-
cord Of measurements giving results very similar
Ibeliere TO the above. Further, owe to the kind
ness of another neighbor, Reverend Mr.. Bingham,
the exact list of his measurements, as follOws
July, 1882 AZ f. IL in. Dec l. 1888, 80 it. lOl in.
MAY N1S. ISIS s6%s3 Y Feb / /. Isl g. g.
Sept l0"7 Mar. 3, 50" 81
2S, :. 4 Co. . April " &c. 81
Nov: l3," 40" 4" May %, So" II
The important facts 10 be deduced from the
above is that between March and April last the
water first ceased decreasing, then rose one inch
and half, ON account of the heavy rains of that
period, but since, the decrease has resumed its
work with more alarming rapidiy still, owing evil
IDENTIFY to the greater draft made by other wells.
Now, the morale of the above sketch cannot be
denied since my first boring the common sub
tersnean reservoir from which all the wells around
town are drawing, is steadily shrinking down
under the constant tapping, and as the number of
holes bored now stands, or, in other words at the
rate Abe winter is now alored TO flow ont the de-