The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1905-08-01
CARS To
KAHAU|K|
Rapid Transit Extension
Being Pushed
Rapidly.

| Railroad construction activity on
lOahu is conferred just now in the Ka-
ihauiki extension of the Honolulu Rapid
Transit and Land Company's electric
Iline. The completion of this piece of
track, although it is but half a mile in
length, will be an important step be-
lcause it is expected to mark the open
ing of electric light freight service in
Hawaii. 1t is the intention of the
company in building this stretch of line
to make a bid for the contract of
Hauling material to the new Kahauiki
Army Post, and without doubt this
icontract will be awarded to the local
line. AS the Rapid Transit already has
a line along Queen street, Allen street,
and, in fact, the entire waterfront, it
will be easy to take the freight from
the wharves and convey it through to
kahauiki. The company has also al
lready constructed a line on the extern
sion of Queen street, connecting with
the Queen street line at Queen and
River streets. This piece of track ex
tends across Nuuanu Stream on the
Queen street bridge and into the yards
that it will be extended into the Iwilei
!section, thus reaching the oil tanks,
the gas works and various other indus
tries in that district. The partially
completed line on South street and
near the Honolulu Iron Works add to
the possibilities of working up a
freight business.
Work on the Kahauiki extension is
being rushed with considerable vigor.
The rails have been laid on nine
Itenths of the route and the trolley Wire
has been strung along the whole line,
although the insulators have not yet
been installed. The roadway, like that
of all other parts Of the system, is the
best that can be made. A trench is
first dug along the line laid out.
Crushed rock is put into the trench
| and leveled up. This gives a firm
troadbed. Ties are placed close together
and eighty-five pound girder rails,
heavier than the main line rails of
many of the trunk lines, are placed on
| the ties, welded and bolted tight so
that the cars may run smoothly. So
solid is the construction that the big
cars slide around the curves and skim
along the tangents with hardly jar
Even as far out in the country as
Kahauiki the track work is not left
open construction, but the roadway is
brought up flush with the rails. A
rock crusher is installed just beyond
| the present terminus of the used track
and large rock is dumped between the
rails first. Finer stuff is put on top
and the whole rolled down with
l rf,,1
macadamized pavement results in con-
trast with which the dirt roadway be-
side it is a sorry spectacle. The track
is being laid on the official grade of
the road, which is uneven, and as re-
suit the rails are above the level of the
road at the side of the track in places
and above it in others.
| The new line continues straight out
the extension of King street from the
old terminus OF the tracks, past the
slaughter house, for about quarter
of a mile. Then it plunges down into
the valley on a long swinging curve
which hugs the hillside on the mauka
side of the road. AT the bottom of the
| valley the line runs straight Eva,
along the mauka side of the road,
across the stream and to the foot Of
the hill on the Eva side of the valley.
Here it ends at the boundary of the
Kahauiki reservation. Besides it's
value as freight carrying proposition,
the line viii prove most popular from
a passenger standpoint. 1t furnishes
Ian opportunity for beautiful ride out
in the country, with green and brown
hills on one side and the panorama of
the ocean on the other. From the ter
minus of the track it is but a one
minute walk to the Moanalua drive,
land the completion of the new extern
sion will place the pleasures of Moana-
Ilua within the reach of many who
could not enjoy them formerly. The
new army post, when it is completed,
will be an attraction in itself, for it
is to be model in its class.
| A few weeks at the most will see
the completion of the Kahauiki extern
sion and then the King street cars
will run out to the terminus of the new
track. No change in the schedule Will
/! be necessary, as there is now long
lay-over for the cars at the end of
the line Too much cannot be said for
, the character of the roadbed on the
local system. Cars are being operated
at speed of sixty miles an hour on
Iinterurban lines around Los Angeles
| with roadbeds that are not as good as
that on the local line. That the Rapi<
| Transit tracks will stand much more
traffic than is put on them and mucS
higher speed where street traffic makes
it safe, goes without saying.
/ cOTnTERS FOR CAME FTETnS