Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1903-11-05
CHOOSE PA[0IO SITE
DATA FURNISHED BY
ARCHITECT BEARDSLEE
NEW PLACE HAS MANY ApvANT.
AGES OVER FORMER SITE
LOCATED NEAR
WAiALuA.

The Board Of Health met yesterday
afternoon at 3 o'clock, President c. Il
Cooper, Dr. j. s. b. Pratt DR.. w. II.
Mays, p. c.. Winston and Fred Smith
being present. The sole business trans
acted was the discussion of a site for
the new lslane Asylum.
DR. Cooper opened the discussion by
stating that the impending change in
the government made quick action nee
essary. Superintendent of Public
Works Henry f. Cooper and Governor
5. b. Dole had resigned. Both these
mad taken an active interest in tho
matter and had even visited both the
proposed sites. one in palolo valley
and the other on the railroad line ON
the other side Of Waialua. Further
more President Cooper of the Board of
Health had himself resigned from his
official position out of courtesy to the
new Governor. Should this resigna-
ton be accepted. DR.. Cooper would like
the matter to be definitely settled be-
lOrehand.
While the Board OF Health had not
the power to definitely decide upon a
site for the new asylum he Board of
Public Institutions, in whose hands the
decision in the matter lay. had cOur-
toously asked the Board OF Health for
q suggestion in regard to the matter.
While such suggestion might not he
acted ON 1t would undoubtedly garry
considerable weight in the final Gcri-
sion.
DR.. Cooper ended by emphasizing the
great importance Of the selection Of a
proper site as great deal Of money
was to be expended and the Board
could not AFFORD to make any costly
mistakes.
Frederick W. Beardslee, the architect
and builder who had been called in
consultation, gave valuable and i'm
portant data regarding the two sites
which had both been visited and care
fully inspected by him. Mr.. Beardslee
was not very favorably impressed with
the site suggested on the railroad line.
The site where the buildings would
have to be located was on little rise
which Mr.. Beardslee. on Investigation.
found to be formed by deposits from
mountain torrents and freshets. Test
borings and excavations had shown
that this ground consisted partly OF
large rocks and partly of gravel. This
made a foundation which was very
hard in some places and very soft in
Others. This kind of foundation was
OF character which offered more diff
hculties to the architect than any other
sort. 1t would be a very costly affair
to prepare II for building. Mr.. Boards
lee roughly estimated the preparation
of the site alone AT about $4,000.
Another fact which had to be taken
into consideration was that huge
boulders and rocks had been rolled
down on the site from the mountains
by powerful torrents ana freshets,
Since this had happened before II
would undoubtedly occur again. To
protect the buildings from such dang
ers It would be necessary to erect ex-
tensiye and expensive protective walls.
Furthermore, there would be some
difficulty In getting water. Cattle men
had sunk two wells In the neighbor-
hood but the water yielded was decid-
eddy braCkish. Mr.. Beardslee had been
told that at high tide the water in
these wells became so salty that even
cattle, which do not az a rule object TO
Il mOdicum of salt in their water, re-
fused to drink It, Good water might
possibly be obtained nearer the noun
tain side but this must be considered
problematical.
Mr., Beardslee was much more favor
ably impressed with the site in Palo-
10 valley. This site had the advantage
of a plentiful supply of good water
which could he used not only for drink
ing and bathing purposes hut also for
furnishing power to run electric light
and cold storage plants. The noun
tain stream which should furnish this
power would probably be able to do 81
about nine months out Of the year. An
auxiliary gasoline engine could be in
stalled to furnish the power during
the remaining three months.
.Nll 'N''lA'llN l'N'l WI NNNN
sides and bottom could he built for
about S20o0. As the Palolo soil was
very clayey In character 1t was quite
possible that good reservoir could b'
built without the use of cement, In
which case the cost would be consid
eTably lessencd.
The site consisted of about sever
hundred acres, Of which about thlrC
could be used for agricultural anC
grazing purposes This would tend Il
make the institution practically self
supporting,
There was included u natural plateau
which would be excellent as site io
the buildings. The very nature of thi
was ideal for the purpose as II formed
u kind of pocket A wall could b.
built at the lower end of the site, from
which one guard could watch the who'll
place as the makai end would be III,
only means of exit, 'The proximity o
the PalOlo Land Company rock crush
/ mi la