The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1902-06-24
.PUNCHBOWL
WATER HOLE
Rain Water In a
Little Low
Spot.

GlEen Il nOle IN the ground nNe Ieel
across and about the same in depth, a
little water in the bottom, clearly the
collections IN the sand of rainfalls
which sweep over. the crater of Punch
bowl. and there is provided the basis
for the statement that boiling springs
have been discovered about the old
crater. This aad nothing more. and
yet there lies behind all the super
stitious belief that the spirit of a wa
hine who passed away mauka of the
old crater came back, as the friend of
the squatters and visitors and scooped
out the opening and developed the
water hole, which has been dignified as
a spring.
It is hard to get at the history of
the water hole I'm the center of Punch
howl crater Months ago. perhaps dur
ing the first OF the rainy period. the
old native. whose hut. sided in great
part by tins Strengthened from oil cans.
stands along the main road. found that
water had collected in a straight de-
preston in the center of the lantana-
covered plains. 1t was close to the
spot where he has cleared away the
brush and planted his garden. in the
course of the water flow which has
been noted ever since any one took the
trouble TO observe Punchbowl at all.
The rains washed out a slight course,
which they followed to the break in
the Waikiki side OF the mud cone. This
depression held the water for n time
after the rains had been drained Off
Then. according to the story told by
the wahine whose home Is at the old
shack. too many visitors came and dug
down and down Until the old man had
tn wall out the sand and thus preserve
the well. She .,ld pathetically that
whereas the water formerly had been
close to the top now n was away down
and an inspection proved this TO be the
case. for in the well. four feet down.
was the surface 81 the.water. and at its
deepest there Mas little more than a
foot OF IL Lasts evening.
The bottom -Nsf the well is in the
black sand. indicating that by perco-
latIon through this stratum the water
is brought into the hole Quite close
by Is another hole which has been
deepened at some time past TO col
lect the water As well. but which now
q dry. although the sand at its bottom
Is damp.
Professor Lyons. when shown some
OF the water last evening. said that IL
without doubt was what II seemed.
rain water. as at had always been the
case that water collected in the crater
when there had been n wet spell. j. q.
Quinn, who hearing the story. made
an immediate investigation. found the
water cold and clear. with every evil
dence that Il was merely the coiiec-
lions from surrounding areas of black
sand.
The squatter has cleared away much
OF the brush for the purpose of plant
ing his garden He has potatoes. to-
matoes and some bananas and other
trees planted close to the waterhole.
Also there han been. cleared away quite
a width OF lantana and there are evil
dences that many luau has been held.
and some recently. under the shade of
the trees in close company 10 the water
hole. l
The story OF the spring was circu |
lated yesterday by a hackdriver. who
said the spring was hot and bubbling. |
He admitted that he had not seen IL. !
but his gossip was taken up and print |
ed by one evening publication and en-
phatically denied by another. Investi- |
cation by The Advertiser proves the |
existence. of a hole containing some |
clear. cold water. perfectly still and |
fading away.