The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1901-08-13
:. SALT WATER FOR FIRES.

After each fire or any extraordinary
drought there comes the old report
that the water is very low in the reser
voirs. Each time there is a shortage of
the rainfall some of the investigators
rerort that the level of the arteSian
system is falling and that there seems
to be a perceptible decrease in the I'M
derground supply of water. If this Is
the effect of such conditions on u city
of 40 600 what is to be expected when
the new buildings with their many ten
ants. and the new residences with their
lawns, are added to the users of water
1t is safe to say that the Water Works
Superintendent will have standing no
| tice that water shall be used for irri-
| eating only one hour a day. and that
during that hour there will not be
enough pressure to make the ordinary
| lawn-sprinkler effective.
| The question then win be where to
| turn for protection from fire, for water
| for the streets and for the flushing of
the sewers And it is more than prob
able that some prophet. who has been
without honor in his own country.
will direct the attention of the people
Ito the unfailing supply of water, best
/ for those purposes, which is at hand
and easy of access. Then there may
follow a laying of system of watei
pipes for the purpose of keeping salt
water on tap throughout the city, and
when that is accomplished there Will
be perpetual wonder that it had not
been done before.
The use of sea water for fire purposes
is now regarded as most satisfactory
in cities of the East and In Europe.
} The water is heavier than fresh water
and has peculiar effect on fire. 1t
falls like a blanket and when used to
, prevent the spread of fire is especially
: effective, as the evaporation of the
, water leaves coating of the solids
t which tends to prevent the substance
: catching fire. For flushing the sewers
: there is nothing better, as the salt wa
t ter not only cleanses but as well tends
4 to purify. 1t is on the streets that the
e most objection is found to salt water
: there, and there is only one reason fol
: this in the opinion of those who have
looked into the matter
e Where salt water has been used OF
e the streets of English towns for pc
: Rod sufficiently long to permit of tn
e making of comparisons, it has beer
It found that the effect over fresh waite
: has been remarkable One report say
8 that the life of a macadam road wriicl
a Is sprinkled with salt water is sixt,
: per cent greater than of one on whicl
d fresh water Is used. This of course |
n material, but again the cost of sprink
e ling with salt water is only forty pc
n cent of that when fresh water is used
e 1t must be taken into account, how
y ever, that in those places where thes
It results have been obtained there Is al
l. ways much fog This would be over
d come here, however as the light show
l. ers will take the place of the fog
1t When salt water was used in the street
Is here two years ago there were man
1t objections, the principal ones bein
leel from storekeepers whose goods wer
damaged by the salt dust. This is tn
e more peculiar as in the same place
lie where the test quoted as to cost wa
l. made the storekeepers all agreed ths
N the dust was less and did not stick.
~ 1t Is as fire protection, however. thu
st the supplementary water system
" best seen. The plan being followed no
y is to place pumps controlled automat
y lcal!y at the seaside and pump into II
In water pipe system. AT the first deman
- for greater pressure the speed of tt
IN Pumps goes up until there Is a meetir
ay of the demands within a couple of mil
ut utes. In Boston the pipes of the dowl
IN town district are kept full so that the,
re is a constant pressure at the hydrant
The moment there Is an alarm the ho