The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1905-01-11
ELECTRIC SCHEME
Continued from page 81

heavy rainfall of lie interior noun
tains,
OF these streams perhaps the largest
is the Wainiha.
Wainiha is a valley or gorge Is
or 16 miles long and 21a or 3 miles wide
and 5000 to- 1000 feet deep, rent out of
the mountain mass, and extending
from the sea to the summit of Waia-
lealo The rainfall Of this central
mountain region probably averages
over 300 inches a year; a rainfall which
accounts for the large and permanent
streams which radiaate from so small
an area with Waimea and Hanapepe in
the west the Wainiha on the south
and the Hanalei. Lumahai and Wal
nina on the north.
Very commonly Hawaiian streams as
they retreat into the mountains, break
up and fTitter themselves away before
they reach any considerable elevation
but Wainiha holds its own as an UNI
broken stream to the very foot of
Waialeale, to an elevation of 1900 feet.
This offers two advantages i'm conduct
| ing out the water; it obviates the ne
| cessity Of gathering up several streams
and combining them into one; it also
obviates the necessity of making long
detours or expensive syphons to cross
the tributary valley.
| Accordingly Wainiha commends it
self as peculiarly suited to the de-
velopment of water power, and that
| is about all the value that the valley
or the water has as the agricultural
area is very limited and it is out Of
the question to convey the water to
any plantation area at a distance.
Wainiha is owned by native hui
Iwho have for many years found it very
difficult to pay the small pittance of
taxes levied by the government, so
that they were glad to lease the power
possibilities of the water of the valley
while reserving to themselves it's agri-
cultural use.
The proposition Of the Kauai Elec-
trio and Power Company is to lead out
this water at an elevation of about 700
feet carry it along the side Of the val
ley for a distance of between 4 and 3
miles and then drop it back into the
main stream through a fall of $50 feet
where by means of impulse wheels
generator large amount of power
will be developed, and then conveyed
by wire across the Island for use on
the sugar estates where such power is
required in large o. -,'ties,
The ditch will cons almost entire
liy Of rock tunnels piercing the lateral
ridges which buttress the sides of the
valley, and coming 40 the surface only
for a momentary breathing space i'm
1.-The bottom of the ravnes between these
ridges. There viii be % or 23 of these
tunnels the longest of which will be
about 400 feet. On this line Of ditch
there will be suitable settling reser-
voirs for the elimination Of sand and
grit which would otherwise act as a
sand blast on the nozzles and wheel
buckets and cut them out I'm a very
short time. The ditch viii deliver the
water to the pipe line, which will be
about 1900 feet long, 3ia feet in dame
ter, steel pipe of sufficient tensile
strength to bear the strain of so
heavy a column Of water
The power house viii be situated on
a large fiat I'm the bottom Of the valley
well away from the stream, and will
be about so feet long by 40 feet wide
and will be constructed with concrete
walls and iron trussed roof, and will
contain the wheels, generators and
transformers. From the power house
the water will be conducted back to
the stream by an adequate tail race
from which it will flow to the rice and
taro lands below.
1t is expected to develop under ordi-
nary conditions about 1000 horse power
which however win be cut down by
loss i'm the wheels, generators, trans
formers and transmission lines, to a net
amount of about 2500.
The route Of the pole line traverseS
J the intervening valleys 10 Kalihiwa
mauka and thence up that valley TO the
pass overlooking the Wailua water,
shed, thence across that pass and
back to Kilohana and through the gar
to Laval and thence across the Nc
Bryde lands to Hanapepe. The line
viii consist of three copper wires about
the size of a pencil, carrying what Is
known as a high tension alternating
current The line throughout viii BIZ
p kept well away from populous places
? and the government road and win be-
carefully and thoroughly constructed
to avoid accidents.
The enterprise has been promoted