The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1900-06-26
MAXWELL ON
OUR WELLS
Artesian Water Supply
Assured.
NO FEAR OF THEM FAILING
Authoritative Article on the Subject
From the Distinguished
Scientist.


IN the Planters Monthly Tor June Dr
Maxwell, the distinguished Honolulu rri-
enlist. has an article on our nrtosian wa
ter He draws the conclusion That
though rainfall is the only source Of sup
ply, that It viii not fan. The article IL
as follows:
{ take occasion 60 alludo TO your worry
opportunc editorial in The last CIuyJ
number Of your Journal upon the subject
Of our water supply, and to venture what
appears to me to be- an Immediately nee
cssary explanation. In referring to the
unfortunate collapse of the American Su-
gar Company and the Eamalo Sugar
Company, you yery properly state that
| the only cause that has led TO this re-
suit is the lack Of water for irrigation
purposes. Molokai has an abundance Of
arabic land but no streams. Wells were
sunk IN different localities whi",. gave
excellent fresh water, . but later on
the water in those artcsan wells became
too brackish for cane cultivation, and
| the work on the American plantation had
| to be abandoned" II Is the following
! paragraph, however, TO which ! particu-
| larly wish TO call attention, in which you
say 1T would seem possible from THIS
! that what has happened on Molokai may
| in future decades be repeated on our 9TH
rr Islands, whore nrtcsian wells now
supply abundant fresh water"
| II Is necessary to emphatlcalIy distin-
Euish between the water proposition as
| II waa apparent IN the said localities on
! MOlokai. and the water supplies Of other
districts upon the several Islands 10
persons who looked at the matter or the
rainfall upon MOloBal, and the unser-
ground discharge OF the water 10 the
| sea, IL was apparent that the great body
| Of that digcbarge was going to the sea
| on the side of the island facing the lsl-
and Of Maui, and, owing 10 geological
| dcslderata, nothing more than some va
grant water would be found slowly worlS-
! ing iiB way 10 the ocean under the lands
| Of Eaunakakai. Before the American
sugar Company was Incorporated,
| strongly put before the promoters tho
dire imprObability Of finding water.
| little sweet water Wagrant waterJ waR
| found, AZ predicted, but the nnal results
| have only too clearly demonstrated the
! soundcss OF the views that were based
| on the geological aspects Of the situation,
and have shown that the rainfall is vast
|
It was also stated that water should be-
| found.
| Mr.. Editor. the situation on MOlokHl
| Uhere are other localities also whore
water VIII not be found must not be con
| fused with other locations. The gcolOgi-
| cal reasons are just as ample and def.
| mite for the presence Of a relative album
| dance Of water in locations like Eva,
| Lahaina, or Haiku as lhcy were en-
! phatic against the probability of water
| In tho said locality on Mo.okal. Also the
| r"hsong, on geological grounds, which in
| diCatcd that water would be found In the
| above mentioned, ana in other localities.
| are a guaranty not only for the abun-
| dance, but likewise for the constancy and
continuity Of the supply. Where water
| is found today IL VIII continue to be
| found and In the same abundance, con-
| ditlonal upon the same rainfall that has
heretofore obtained. The rainfall Is our
| only source Of fresh water. The rainfall
varies with the years, consequently the
volume of available water.
In n publication somc four years ago,
I put the average OF the annual prccipi-
| taton upon oahu at G2jla billion gallons,
and the volume of dutlaBie water TINT
was wasting into the sea AT 1863 billion
gallons, The results that have followed
the sinking Of more wells and the use Of
more water Ia irrigation, and especially
past two relatively dry seasons-I say
these results Indicate tliat the calcula-
lions made four years ago may turn out
TO be more nearly correct than ! at that
time yenturcd TO think. Before the rains
of last month came some of our wells
were getting Ehalty; since the rains Prof.
Lyons has reported the response OF the
wells to the new mountain supply.
Some wells, even upon the best water
sheds, are more sensitive than Others.
which is due to the fact that given locali-
ties, like Eva district, are resting upon
the back Of the extreme conyergencc OF
discharge, whilst other localities, ana the
wells within them are more upon tho
outer edges OF the watershed. In any
district, however II the draft upon the
water runs close up 10 the volume Of sup
ply the wells VIII show IL, and some VIII
show IL sooner ihnn others / return,
however, 10 the statement lhat whore
water * found ia abundance today II VIII
always be found IN the same abundance,
providing the rainfall continues the same
as heretofore.
10 suggest that tho rainfall may not
continue Gs heretofore (prOyidng we do
what We can 10 maintain ~ is beside the
question, and I VIII not waste time upon
u ! am nbaalusly sure that the supply
~ priuslan water VIII keep up IN all
those localItrs where rs abundance II
htf'A'Ef h|fR AlFAt hNi fAfrH ~ Iihlh
land continues 10 Lo brought under lrri-
cation ihat does not lessen the natural
supply of Watrr u MAJ, aBd it must,
load io q more seieuunc ana economic
usa ~ tAa supply. Personally an
quite sure lhat the volume ~ Nater that
ia being used lu given localities today u
capable pt rendering uuulle lts present /
duty that ls, a can De made % mwlah |
double lHe present equivalent ~ suBar
Tho crupul Significance uf the Water
supply iu rotation o. oar sugar rrup b
apparent % everybody, uni everyone
ka4pH what "a would mean If fhf fHpply
EHFf ont u u also very desirable tbat
na such impression Should napQmr cur
r.nt ana mnrtlF hapAHHf misfortune ms
followed undIiakIHRs lu rfrau apaaIua
FrHuftl ~ aluHa a. your otherwise
hffE rNgelIUut fd luUHl, aHI lraa8ar 4l
| p nfalfsary 10 place beyond question fba
/ I4i#lllbilllF ~ iha supply ~ ihuap pisr