Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1898-04-13
DIAMOND HEAD LIGHTHOUSE
Senate Public Lands Committee Mas No
Use for a PIpeStem Structure.
Recommends the Appropriation Of twenty-five
Hundred Dollars Extra 10 Build
Permanent Stone Supports.


a long report on various matters
referred to them
The items for the completion of
the ship wharf in Hilo Bay, new
wharf at Nahiku, the new grading
of the road into Waipio valley,
are all recommended TO pass as in
the bill. For the road from Kula
bomesteads to Mskawao $4,000 is
appropriated, and for the Kihei
road and branches $4,000.
The report then goes on to say:
The item in line As is the esti-
mated amount needed to com plete
the Diamond Head Lighthouse,
including the installation of cleo
trio lights for the same.
Your Committee have person.
ally inspected said new lighthouse
now being constructed, and con.
suited different authorities re-
garding the strength and stability
OF the structure, which is all of
iron above the concrete founda.
tons and is simply four 4-inch
galvanized iron pipes, in 20 foot
lengths. from the ground to the
floor OF the lighthouse proper, 40
feet. 1t is suitably braced, aud
above this is the sup rstructure
with the lights, 20 feet high. The
iron OF the pipe supports is / inch
thick, which is cut by the thread
in each of the joints at least half
OF Its thickness, leaving but ! of
an inch in thickness at each Joint,
which would appear to be weak
points in the same.
at may, however, be strong
enough to support the fifteen
tons weight of the superstructure
and stormy gales while it is fresh
and new, but it is in position
constantly exposed to the salt
spray of the sea, which will soon-
er or later cut the weak points of
the iron with rust and endanger
the safety of the structure, with
final collapse of the supports.
"On general principles a light
house should be a permanent in
stitution that can be relied upon,
with its light always on hand, es-
pecially in stormy weather. To
accomplish this, it should be cou-
structed in the most substantial
manner and not in a way to do
service for two, three, five or even
ten years and then be missing,
having collapsed or toppled over.
The lighthouse now being con.
structed eau be made substantial
and as permanent as possible by
building up a good substantial
stone and cement tower from the
ground up to the superstructure
and securely fastening the upper
structure to the stonework.
1t would then be doubly
strong, and when the iron
pillars become weak from rust
the stone tower will continue
to hold all firmly in its place.
This. will require an addition to
the original appropriation, which
was $4,000. There has already
been expended for the foundations
and tower, tools, etc $lS242 30; for
the lantern, S556l 80; total, $780,
IL; and We are now asked to reap
propriate from thelunexpended bal
ance to complete the construction
aud put in electric lights, $500,
which will make the total cost
SSSS6.l9. To built up a substan-
tial stone tower as suggested above
would require say $1,000 addition
al, or about $4,000 besides the
amount already expended.
1t seems at first sight as. if
this is large amount to expend
in addition to the present outlay
on this structure, but if we con-
slider for a moment it is only a
drop in the bucket when com pared
with the loss of any one Of the
large steamers or merchant ships
now coming to this port, as a re-
suit Of the collapse of the new
Diamond Head Lighthouse.
" We cannot afford to run any
chances in such matter and rely
upon cheap, temporary structure
when we can have something per-
manent. Your Committee, there
fore, recommend that in addition
to the $500 asked the sum of
$500 be appropriated to build a
Substantial stnna tnwar For cnil