The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-09-04
TEST MAY BE MADE WITHIN THE
COURSE OF A MONTH.
All but Few Blocks of the Old Contract
Have Been ished.-Description of
System.

After years of waiting followed by
months of laborious construction Homo
| lulu will soon be in possession of its
/ first sewer system. AS 1t was plan
! ned the system was complete in almost
( every respect and drained practically
! every section of the city. Unfortunate
! ly shortage of funds made it impera-
| tive to discontinue construction of those
parts of the system which reached Wal
kiki and ran toward Nuuanu Valley.
The greater part of the system has been
! completed however and with the ex
ception of the outfall which carries the
flow into the channel, the plant will
probably be ready within the course of
a month for the formal test.
1t took years of agitation and argu-
ment to secure the system and now that.
| it has been practically achieved, even
| though incomplete as 1t exists at pre-
| sent, the physicians and others of Ho-
nolulu who have steadfastly worked for
the measure have cause to congratu-
late themselves upon the result of their
| labors. The curtailing of the construc
| ton of that part of the system in the
| Eva mauka portion of the city will
! prove but a temporary measure 1T is
| said for as soon as the Legislature
meets a sufficient additional appropria-
tion will be made to complete the work
and even perhaps extend the system
to the Insane Asylum and more remote
| portions of the city. With the inaugu
ration of the system the danger of
epidemics of sickness will be reduced
and visitations of the dread plague will
become, it is hoped, a matter of remi-
niscence.
While the agitation for the installa-
| tion Of a sewer system had been in pro-
| greSs. off and on, for years the epidemic
! of cholera in 1895 is thought to have
been the direct cause of stirring the
! government to the necessity of afford
/ ing the community proper sanitary pro-
| lection. After the city had been relieved
of this epidemic the need for a sewer
| became generally admitted so ]. M.
Dodge of the survey department was
! sent to the mainland to study the va
rious systems in operation and report
on them to the government of Hawaii.
! After investigating the matter for some
time he reported the task was of such
magnitude that the services of an ex-
| pert should be secured. Rudolph Her
! ing the noted authority on sewer sys-
TENS was employed and he drew up the
preset plans for the sewer system.
The sewer system consists OF two
parts, known as the old and the new
contracts. In the old contract is Enclosed
all the business portion of the city,
everything makai of Beretania from
Nuuanu stream to Alapai, and makai of
King from Alapai to Victoria streets,
except two or three small blocks near
| the wharves. With the exception of a
part of Fort street, a block on Halakau-
villa street, from Punchbowl to South
! two blocks on Kekuanaoa, two blocks
on Kilauea, three blocks and half on
Allen, one block on Richard and Edin-
burg, one block on Union, one on Mar
| tin street and a block in front of the
Administration building, all of the in
tersecting streets have been laid with
sewers On the streets where no pipe
was ordered laid it was deemed un-
necessary.
Bids for the construction of this por-
tion of the system were advertised for
and on June7, 1899 Vincent and BelseT
were awarded the contract. BY the con-
tract the price of the system was fig
ured according to the number of feet
eXcaVated there being a sliding scale for
the different grades of pipe. Extra
money was also to be paid for digging
coral Not until the system has been
entirely completed can the exact cost
be learned. The work is now so near
completion however. that close es-
innate can be secured. Up to August
$50 S36. .36 had been paid the contractors
There remains the balance for August
work which in round numbers vii
reach about IS 900 and there will proba-
bly, be 81, 900 additional for the balance
of the work to finish the contract. This
additional $1,000 with the Is per cent
with held by the government Will brini
the cost to about $73,500 or in round
numbers $4,000. .,
Work was started in July of 1899
According to the terms of their contrac
the system was to be completed by Au
gust of this year. owing to a delay o.
six weeks on account of the plague anC
unexpected difficulty encountered II
laying the main line of the sewer
small portion of the system is as YET
unfinished. Work is being diligently
prosecuted however and Mr.. Belser eX'
pressed the hope of being able to com
plete the system within two or three
weeks.
Ry the plan the system had to be SUM
as low as IA feet below sea level Thi
, seemed an unusual method of laying
sewer but the engineer decided that thi
was necessary in order to get the pro
! per fall for that portion of the system
! which tapped the sections mauka. How
to dispose Of the sewerage when 1t wa
drained to the water front was anothe
problem for which the plans had u
J provide, and they did this by the con
} struction Of an outfall carrying TN
sewerage over the reef and into 100 fee
Z of water. In order to force the matte
r into the sea an extensive pumping plan
) with a splendid reservoir had also to b
I
e connecting link between the system
proper which drains the city and tn
9 outfall which carries the refuse into tn
. ocean. The principal mains had there
S fore to be constructed with the reser
ror as terminal point.
This reservoir which Is an interestin
piece of work is located on the Beac
v Road about $50 yards back from tn
e powder magazine. The principal mai
,. runs Eva from this reservoir along IN
| Reach Road to Richard, out Richard
Halakauwila, out Halakauwila to Fol
/. street, up Fort to Queen, out Queen
5, River and up River ending at Beretani
! street From the reservoir up to Quee
h street this main is constructed of cor
5. crete varying in size from SO inches
n diameter to 2S inches. From Quee
: street an iron stone pipe is used. Th
d pipe varies in size from two feet
J. fourteen inches. There are submair
W on South street, King street from Sout
e. TO Thomas square, Alakea street as II