The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1892-08-20

with a consumption Of 3,OOO,OOO
gallons daily, but such figures
amount to very little, for the water
cannot be retained, the most of it
would go Off in evaporation and
seepage, and lift could it would so
stagnate as to develop universal
typhoid and kill off most Of
the population. All who have to
drink and use the water to-day will
appreciate this. We shall have to
come to pumping from artesian
wells finally for sure and certain
supply of pure water, better than
we have had. The rainfall system
will have to be relegated to irriga-
tion purposes. Fifteen thousand
dollars a year will pump 100000
gallons a day to an altitude suffi-
cient for all purposes below Judd
street, at an expense a good deal
over Eva plantations experience.
The very time when irrigation is
needed is when there is least water
with our rainfall system. Expert
ments are sometimes very costly.
Where there is no experience and
a pressing need, they are justifiable
at public expense. If this principle
had been applied in the case of the
artesian well recently sunk at Wal
kiki, that useless expense would
not have been incurred. Had it
been sunk an eighth Of mile back
of its present position the large
suburb of Waikiki would have been
supplied with plenty of good water,
and that heavy drain removed from
the rainfall system of Honolulu.
The observation in the report that
the water is hard on account of it's
flow over the limestone formation
at the foot of Manoa Valley is posi-
bly, intended as an innocent Joke,
as the considerable number of wells
between it and Manoa flow fine
streams of the sweetest water. 1t
may also be asked, why is no use
made of the Government we'll at
Pawaa? 1t flows a powerful stream
of pure water, said to be over
100000 gallons daily. 1t does not
appear as a source of income in
the statement of receipts, yet a
Chinese tenant of Mrs. G. A. Brown
is obtaining fine crops of rice from
it. Considerable space is devoted
to the water famine of 1891, and
the various and expensive devises
for its relief. The artesian we'll
alone saved Honolulu from great
distress and possibly from very
serious disaster. The large amount
of new pipe, of larger size, which
has been laid, has done much to
relieve poor supply by reducing
friction. This work appears to
have been done with wisdom and
reasonable economy. In all over
10000 feet of pipe of various meas
ures have been laid.
But after all, the great question
is that of supply, and it is so re.
cognized in the report. The stor.
age capacity of the present reser.
voirs is given as 1885,, 939 gallons
This gives about 10 days supply
making no allowance for evapora
ton and seepage. The larger res
ervoirs are not tight, and will
require a heavy expenditure to put
them in good condition with ne
certainty of their holding water
1t is pretty generally recognized
now that with our open volcanic
substratum, it is very doubtful il
any large reservoir will holj
water. Even large cisterns, bull
wholly of cement, have, wher
filled, cracked and become use
less, on account of some unknown
unequal resistance in the earth OF
rock where built. About the or.
lakes, or rather, small ponds. IN
country has are in the beds Oh an
he potu. craters, where presSumaOl.
hat there welof- tn 'es frrs.sSceed VI
olttee except the general rules or
f a5fr1 and foS;fsaw, and the member
- Or (Kamauoha) was
They Wanted VIE Ter; ,,o n.oa T
DIV the pleasures ol1ules. --os.nIh}fa nond,
discounted in after tara P0AN
most conspicuous me'of large capacity
are; are SMOOTH S these facts, the recon
ye NathaaHss to expend severa
7 thousand dollars for the damming
up of streams to make reservoirs o
from 1000 600 or 3 GOO. 600 or NOR,