The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1904-11-10

The Planters Monthly This month
contains two Interesting articles on ir-
ieouon Bon Hawaii Boy j. n. IS. Williams
and NJ NJ. O'Shauphucssy THE fol-
lowing are extracts.
ON the island of oahu am underground
reservoir of water which could Doe tap
per by artesian wells was discovered
some years ago, this water rises at this
| place some 30 feet above the level of the
sea and Is found at depths varying
from 400 to 1900 feet
Pumping machinery of great capl-
city was put down and the underground
supply drawn upon for use ON the plan
tatious situated within the artesian
area.
AT the present time the daily water
pumped from the sumps through very
and of oahu reaches about 300 millions
of gallons. some of 10 lifted upwards Of
500 feet i'm height
This condition of 8u artesian supply
does not appear to- exist on any of the
other islands in the group. and when
pumping is resOrted TO, open wells or
sumps are eXcayated. the underground
supply resulting from rainfall on tire
mountain sides percolatug through am
upper broken stratum and retained by
lower stratum of imperyious rock.
These sumps are excavated to about
20 feet below sea level, tunnels are then
driven on the lower stratum directly
inland, opening up the water-bearing
rocks. and the supply thus obtained is
pumped fro mthe sumps through very
long pipe lines to the levels required
on the cultivated areas.
/ TO avoid the heavy expense Of long
pipelines, there are three instances Of
shaft-sinking at the upper levels of the
cultivated lands down to sea level, and
regular underground pumps Of mining
pattern installed, but these have prov
ed so expensive I'm first cost and up
keep that there is no encouragement to
repeat the experiment
q one of the largest stations Of this
kind is at Kihei on the island Of Maui,
where the shaft is 300 feet deep and
two pumping engines Of a combined
capacity Of II millions gallons Of water
per day lifted 400 feet high, are situat-
ed in a very large chamber eXcayated
i'm the rock; an abundant water supply
is found at sea level. but the expenses
Of operation are very heavy i'm COM
parisOn to those Of surface pumping
stations delivering water through long
pipelines.
The machinery installed I'm the vari-
Gus pumping stations Is Of the most
modern and complete make obtainable
at the present day, and as i'm no other
part of the world are such mechanical
irrigating plants in existence. a more
than passing notice may be Of interest.
The plantations that pump all or part
OF their irrigation supply are situated
as follows:
Millions
Island Of Kauai. 3. approx. deliv.
"A hours I'm gallons .............. Is
5 Island Of oahu, 6. approx. deliv
"a hours i'm gallons ............. $50
Island of Maui. >. approx. deliv.
"a hours I'm gallons ............ $50
Island Of Hawaii, 2, approx. de-
liv. "A hours in gallons........ 10
Total delivery per "A hours. gal
Ions, about ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS. j9j
, The average height to which this wa
ter is pumped is about 200 feet, and the
total power developed to deliver thi.
a enormous quantity Of water is over 20,
Z 900 horsepower.
d The stations are divided into units OF
a various capacities, situated at spot,
most convenient for obtaining the wa.
+ ter. The largest units deliver from Il
% to u million of gallons per "A hours
and a station may have as many a.
t four units; the majority have only one
The artesian supply of the island o
Oahu is the most peculiar and the mos
fVy
Of such a limited area, the island beinJ
only about twelve miles wide. nortl
and south, by thirty-fve miles long
with mountain ranges near its nortl
coast 1900 feet high. 1t yields dali!
from wells and sumps $50 to 300 mil
lions of gallons without any apparen
e, diminutiOn of the supply the sour.
of which is in a porous strata found "a
a depth Of from 400 to 800 feet below tn
+ sea level The static level of the waite
in the wells penetrating this formation
varies from an elevation Of 40 fee
above the sea level at Honolulu TO 2
feet at Eva plantation, sixteen mile
westerly. Excessive pumping or pro
longed droughts vary somewhat thi
level which is always quickly restore
on cessation of affecting conditions
Y The islands are all of a porous strait
/ fled lava formation formed In layers b
Is successive emissions from the ancien
n central cones which now form the sum
mits of the islands. The water suppl
i'm the artesan strata near the sea
sustained by mountain precipitation
n and the intimate connection betwee
y the mountains and the wells is prove
by the sudden discoloration of the wa
ter in the latter some hours after heav
= rainfalls in the mountains. The arte
sian condition of the oahu strata
caused by a tight coral and clay cush
ion which rests on the foreshore an
prevents the water escaping to sea. /
none of the other islands, owing to tn
absence of this necessary formation,
- artesian water found; the pumps bein
fed from sumps excavated from five I
eight below sea level in all of which tn