The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1900-09-11

feed the lower levels of Spreckelsville.
Strange to say the new ditch heads side
iby side with this old one, takes its wa
ter from the self-same dam, but whereas
of old full half the water went to waste
over the dam and dashed into foam over
the precipices below to delight the eye of
perhaps one visitor a year. now the dam
lis dry and all the water every drop of
4 it. is diverted into the trimming bitches
and goes to water the brown hills to east
ward.
| 1t is by a triumph of engineering that
the Lowrie ditch. starting from the same
altitude as its fellow, which is known as
the Haiku ditch, is able to water lands
/ from the 457 foot level to the sea while
the Haiku ditch waters but from 200 feet
to the sea. These PSI feet are gained by a
series of startling engineering feats which
begin at Kailua and end only on the slopes
above Spreckelsville. Plunging at once
from the reservoir into the solid rock a
tunnel eight hundred feet in length leads
TINS great waterway to the open air in
the next gulch. Then there is a stretch
where ii circles and winds and writhes,
along the hillside, keeping a uniform grade
of four feet to the mile. the water flow
ing deep and swift and still with scarce
~ ripple between the smoothshaven
banks. Presently II comes to another tun-
mel and entering it's cemented portal It
the sunlight once more a hundred feet or
more beyond. It uears a shallow glIlch
where the bamboos and laupahala and ku-
kui trees are thick. 1t curves mauka, dis
appears into a tunnel, energies in the bed
of the gulch where a stout stone aud
concrete dam turns the water OF the gulch
and gathers it also into the canal Then
the waterway burrows out of sight again
irto the mountain side Beyond it sweeps
over a wide plateau where a few laupa-
bala trees are scattered and guava bushes
and perhaps an ancient koa tree or a
stunted tree fern
HERE WAS \ BARRIER,
But now comes a greater difficulty. \
deep gulch appears ahead. narrow and
cutting far up into the mountain side
Instead of winding up it's side and SO
pack again, a siphon has been built here
a huge affair 1t Is, of iron pipe A inches
IN diameter large enough to walk through
IL you crouch down, brought TO this
wilderness from the railroads end. at Pa
ia on big pipe wagons drawn by eight OF
ten or twelve mules. Down the nav Of
TINS black pipe the water goes with a
rush and roar, and after YOU have
climbed down into the gulch and up the
iuther side you find ii yelling forth from
the pipe. flowing, swiftly as ever, forced
: on by the constant weight of water be-
hind.
This was only baby sphon, however.
ana there are many in the next mile on
so, but soon the rushing waters come Il
a spot where the earth fairly yawns
This is Halehaku gulch, and 1t is 30 feet
deep, and its walls are precfpices An.
other siphon, giant, this one is. din.
down it's side and climbs to the farther lin
it seems miracle that man could cree
such a thing and still further miracl,
that the trapped water above doas no,
burst the continuing pipe rather thar
mount within it. The pressure must b,
terrible at the bottom but the pipes stant
IL and at the farther side you see tn.
end of the siphon disappear into the facs
of the cliff. 1t is but "A short journey tn,
water takes here underground. then skirt.
along the edge OF tie canyon. and ther
turns again boldly into the bill above
and for near half of "A mile. 1855 feet
straight as the arrow flies it goes be
meath the mountain to emerge again be
yond, far from Halehaku. high upon tn.
mountain side. sailing along above tn,
tree tops only stout bank of rocks ant
cement and earth preventing it from
flooding all the country roundabout.
ANOTHER GREAT SIPHON
After an interval of eomparativel,
smooth sailing. not more than four or fiv,
siphons and a score or so of tunnels in
,tervening, there comes Kaupakulua gulcl
and here Is another immense siphon an,
another series of long tunnels. Then