The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1885-12-10
TO THE EDITOR OF THE PACIFIC coMMERcr

TO THE EDITOR OF THE PACIFIC COMMERCIAL
ADVERTISER
Sir: The subject of colonization is not
entirely a new one in the Hawaiian
Islands, but it has recently been brought
forward in an able and practical man
ner by Mr.. B. +. Dillingham;, who has
succeeded in creating greater interest in
the question, by few weeks OF earnest
application, than had been excited by all
other agencies in the previous history OF
the country. The preliminary Pros
pectus" of the Hawaiian Colonization,
Land and Trust Company, promoted by
that gentleman, furnishes great deal
Of valuable information; but it does not
entirely answer all the questions that
persons intending to make settlement
on the lands proposed to be colonized by
the Company on the island of Oahu are
likely to PROFOUND My object in writ
ing this communication is to answer
some of these questions by anticipation,
and to suggest points for thoughtful cor
sideration by capitalists interested in the
progress and well-being of the country,
as well as by persons of limited means,
with abundance of hope and energy, who
may desire to make homes and secure an
independence for themselves and fam
lilies.
Many people ask what inducements
can be offered to settlers in the
way of sure market for products, or
what can be produced on this island that
viii find profitable market. answer
these questions in a manner which L
trust will be satisfactory to all. Honour
liuli contains an area of say 1900 acres
of land suitable for growing sugar cane.
This area includes the 10000 acres set
apart and mentioned in the Preliminary
Prospectus" referred to as suitable for
colonization purposes. Within this area
there is \ plain of about Z 900 acres.
suggest that the proposed company
should furnish water for irrigating the
plain of say : 900 acres by boring arte-
sian wells on that portion of land which
lies at an elevation not exceeding thirty
five feet above sea level; and for the
purpose of reaching higher elevations with
water. a succession of dams should be
thrown across a gulch which conveys Il
portion of the rainfall from large water
shed in the side of the Waianae noun
tain across the great plain OF alluyial soil
TO the open sea. This gulch is about
three and half miles long, twenty five
to fifty feet deep, and $50 to 500 feet
wide.
1t is proposed to construct from three
to four dams to the mile, each with an
overflow This arrangement would check
the impetus of freshets, and store ali
enormous quantity of water This propo-
sition to store water in gulches is by no
means a new idea, or an experiment in
this country, or on this Island. Mr.. j.
III. Patty, of the Kawailoa Ranch Co m
pany, made a contract with Mr.. w. h.
Rowell to build single dam in one of
the .drv gulches'' at Kawailoa, which
has proved to be a grand success, en-
abling them to store at one time about
], I27 500 cubic feet, or say 1929, 900 gal
Ions of water | am informed upon good
authority that this reservoir has been
filed by rainfall in the space OF forty-efght
hours. This fact shows the enormous
precipitation of moisture in that locality
at certain seasons.
There is very little doubt of the entire
possibility of obtaining flowing artesian
wells on this plain. One well on the
east end of the plain, near Pearl Harbor,
was bored to depth OF 1876 feet about
four years ago, and has been flowing
steadily ever since about 2,4OO gallons