Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1904-10-07

soc. Z. IL. OF san FRANCISCO. Cal, VINO
has been prominently identified with
great irrigation ditch building propo-
sitions in these islands. His latest
work was that Of constructing the Koo. |
lau ditch on the island of Maui. which |
IL the largest in this Territory, and he |
will soon commence work on the great
Kohala ditch on the island of Hawaii:
The development of irrigation pro- |
jects has been prosecuted with great |
yigor by private corporations owning |
sugar estates In the Hawaiian Islands |
during the last ten years. No aid for
this work has been received from eth
er the local territorial government Of |
Hawaii or the National Government at |
Washington. What was formerly aril |
and unproductiye soil covered by wilt |
brush and pasturing few cattle, has,
by application of water at heavy cx.
'pcnditure OF money and enterprise,
been converted into productive sugar.
cane land
Rainfall.
The rainfall Of the Hawaiian Islands
Is very local and peculiar in its distri.
button. The trade.winds blow off the
ocean from the northeast. and on this
slope rainfall OF from 90 to geo inches
q year is quite common. the intensity
varying with the altitude and local con.
igurations, while on the lee sides the
rain is often as light as from 10 to Is
inches. The islands as rule are quite
rugged, varying in altitude at their
central highest points from 1900 to
10000 feet. The wiudward sides are
covered with a dense brush which re-
mains green throughout the year. On
the northeast slope of Maui the maxi. |
mum precipitation is at an altitude OF
1900 feet, being often as great as 400
inches year at Nahiku, while at sea
level and higher up the mountains 1t is
only third of this quantity.
Uses Of Water.
Water Is used for irrigating the
sugar cane, the annual crop of sugar
each year amounting to 100000 tons,
which averages $40 ton, or S2S,O 900.
900. One half of this is due to the de.
velopment OF irrigated plantations dur.
ing the last twenty years. The other
200 900 tons Is raised on rainfall plan.
tations which are very uncertain in
their output, owing to the precarious
rain conditions prevailing.
Ancient Water Rights.
The population of Hawaii was very
dense in prehistoric times. as the re.
mains of old houses and fields bear con.
vincing testimony. Nearly all the
streams were lead out by bitches called
"Auwais", and the water used for
growing taro the national food, and
other vegetables. The bitches were ex.
cavated in surface earth and main.
tanned by joint users, each of whom
had to devote so many days each
month towards repair. The water was
also distributed between its users by
set rules and az stated times; each dis.
trict with its branch ditch getting SO
land thus cultivated was always In the
Vicinity of the stream as no long anc-
lent conduits were built, and was styled
"taro" land In contrast to "kula" or
dry land. which carried no water
L
rights.
The native Hawaiians have protect.
ed with the greatest zeal their water
rights through taro land, which the
gradual growth and expansion of sug-
lar plantation interests have tended to
absorb.
Modern irrigation.
The present water supply OF the Is
lands Is derived from two sources:
ID BY pumping ground or arte.
sian waters from wells and sumps, ex-
Icavated near the sea shore. The pumps
are driven with either coal or oil as
fuel, or by electricity generated from
water power.
CD BY gravity. from the natural
flowing streams, the impounding Of
food waters OF same; and by the inter-
lception of ground water by tunnelling.
One OF the most striking discoveries
the Continental engineer has to exper.
Hence Is the extraordinary productive.
lness Of some of the island water sheds
(which destroys at once many precon-
ceiyed theories as to what run offs
should be. The Waihee shed on Maui.
with an area of about four square
miles, yields daily minimum flow OF
it7,O0O,0O0 gallons. while the olokele
shed on Kauai, with an area of about
eight square miles, yields minimum
flow OF l0,OO0,OO0, and mean flow OF
70,O00,OO0 gallons in twenty.four hours
Each of these water sheds is particular
~ and favorably situated for precipita
ton with brush covered steep slopes
and with almost daily rainfall.
Nearly all the Hawaiian streams re
spond very quickly to rainfall, risini
land falling quite rapidly; while th0s,
with a good dense brush covered wat
ershed hold the volume in streams al
. most constantly above a certain min
imum.
Oahu Artesian Supply.
The artesian supply of the island o
Oahu Is the most peculiar and tn,
! lmost generous that we find I'm any coun