The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1903-02-23


and gather a few items of interest-to
me at least. The average yield of the
plantation is about eight tons Of sugar
to the acre. The mill is the same size
a the one at Oahu plantation-cap opacity
$50 to IT'S tons of sugar in "a hours,
which means the crushing of about 1.200
tons of cane The plantation has 81
miles OF railroad, 3 locomotives and $50
cane cars. The company has its own
electric light plant, and an ice plant is
on the ground awaiting little slack
ness in the general work 10 be installed
There are 1900 people on the pay roll,
although nearly all the population of
the valley get their living in some man
ner from the plantation-as producers
of food stuffs. artisans, house servants.
or whatnot.
WALKING NOT so BAD.
Incidents in ones life go steadily by
jerks sometimes. If my plans hadn't
gone awry, on leaving Puuiki 1 would
have ridden on a plantation locomotive
something more than mile over to
contractor A. A. Wilson's store at Wal
aIua, and from there got a ride on his
daily wagon up to Opaeula- But the
reliable % Honolulu long-distance tele-
phone refusing to do anything I could
not announce to Mr.. Wilson that pas
senger was coming; then the locomo-
tives were all putting away in other
parts of the plantation, so l counted
ties to wilson's store Arrived there I
found the wagon had gone an hour
earlier than usual Things were coming
my way wrong end first; but the day,
thank goodness, was gloriouSly fine and
the air bracing, and walking not so
-. ~.
hills, over a good road. and arrived at
Opaeula in time for lunch-and quite
ready for it, too.
BRACING AIR AT OPAEULA.
Life at Opaeula is charming-until the
novelty wears off and Ionesomeness
comes creeping in. 1 found my friend,
Mr.. d. w. Shelhamer, who is the COM
pany's water tender for the Opaeula
system, not a whit the worse for the
bracing air he is living in. His regular
duties are to record the temperature
and rainfall, to measure the flow of
water in the bitches, to see that no chok-
age or brea kage in the streams goes I'M
repaired, and to inspect line of fence
so that cattle cannot get through onto
the forest reservation farther up the |
Going the rounds with him |
had good opportunity TO note the inn |
mense amount of work that has been |
and is being done to bring these noun |
tain streams under control. Commencing |
a long distance back ia the hills, the !
waters of the streams forming the sys-
tenn are taken from their natural chan
nels, in different canyons, and carried |
in made ways-tunnels, fumes and /
ditches-around and through hills, and |
finally impounded in the big Opaeula |
from which the water can be |
drawn as needed for use on the broad |
cane fields below. 1 have gone through
several of the tunnels, have climbed |
over ridges where good views could be
had of the surprisingly large forest
covered watershed of the hills above, 1
and have taken, or endeavored to take,
4 few pictures that will give others at
east an linking of the work being done.
OVER TWO MILES OF TUNNELS.
AS I noted previously, the Opaeula
system includes three streams-the Ka-
nananui, Kawaiiki. and Opaeula. In
eading the Opaeula where man wills,
-hirty-one tunnels have been dug; the
xawaiiki has seventeen tunnels; and
he Kamananui. which has been sur
Keyed. but upon which no development
work, has been done as yet, will have
hree. a total of fifty-one tunnels, vary
ng in length, but measuring altogether
like two and a quarter miles.
TO dig a hole four by six feet more
han two miles through a rocky noun
ain is liable to give one an idea, at the Il
Irish, that he had been doing some
hing In connection with the Opaeula
system a dam is being built, (Which is
to be finished in two or three
weeks if it does not rain too much),
With capacity of 100000, 900 gallons
Sites are available for other dams of
greater capacity. There are two ST.
ohons for carrying water across the
Anahula rayine-one 1875 feet long, 90
nch steel pipe; and the other 1850 feet
ong, 20 inch steel pipe. The ravine is