The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1900-10-19
THE REAL CAUSE.

The freshets Tuesday were very sud
den from reasons which were set forth
in The Star of the next day, but the
suddenness has nothing to do with the
flooding of the streets in the lower part
of the town. 1t may be true that this is
the second heaviest flood that that part
of the town has seen. the other having
occurred in lSy>. In 1895 the river rose
in the lower par; Of the town. destroy
ed a great deal Of property and nearly
caused a loss OF life. This time it caus-
ed a great deal of damage to goods.
There is no doubt that such will be
periodical.
However it is by no means true that
the freshet of the other day and that
of 1898 were remarkable, they were
heavy, but by no means so heavy as
they have been in the past Some thirty
odd years ago after days of heavy rain
a freshet swept down the stream which
swept away the old Nuuanu bridge.
Therefore at that point it was far
higher than either of the freshets men
toned In neither 1898 of 1900 did the
water come near the floor of the bridge.
Again in 1885 or there was an enormous
freshet which come down about three
o'clock one April morning, the water
piled up and went over the bridge floor,
and spread laterally, swept through the
lot at the corner of Pauoa road, and
went down Nuuanu avenue about four
feet deep for a time, till it spread out
right and left and stopped near w. w.
IL -.
ed store was floated down that far.
If there was no such damage in the
lower part of the town then, when the
freshets We're higher, why should there
be when they are lower. For an answer
one has only to go and look at the va
luable engineering works at the mouth
of the stream The mounth of the
stream has been cribbed and confined,
the natural channel of the stream has
been changed, and the result is that
when a food of water comes down il
can find no outlet. What does it natu-
rally do. 1t banks up, and begins to
spread over it's banks, and so floods
portions of the town that never were
flooded before. If we ever get a freshet
like those quoted above it will flood a
great deal more.
That the changes that have been
made in the stream are responsible Tor
this can be clearly shown. Miss Lucy
Peabody's house on the Eva side of the
stream near Vineyard was in its loca-
ton for years, and freshet after freshet
swept past and never affected it, but
the fancy work was underway in 1895
and the flood came up six or eight feet
into the house.
One has only to look at the culvert
on the Pauoa stream to see how admit
rably it is constructed to pile the water
above the bridge The culvert is small
enough, but added to this the water
when ii rushes out is turned directly at
right angles by a heavy facing of ma
sorry. The natural result is reached,
flooding and damage
The flooding of the lower city is in Il
very large measure if mot entirely
caused by the manner in which the
mouth of the stream has been tamper-
ed with and spoiled. After the fresheI
of 1898 couple of the Representatives
of the Legislature went down and care
fully examined the stream from the
mouth to above Vineyard street. and
the Pauoa stream till above Mr.. Robert
sons house. The work was not then
finished. but they We're satisfied that a
grave mistake was being made and told
the Superintendent of Public Works 80
They were practically told that they did
not understand the matter. The proof
OF the pudding is in the eating. Another
inundation has occurred in two wears
rms season, if wet one may give us
TWO or three more, and may sweep the
low built bridges into the sea too