Hilo tribune., 1906-06-19
COMPLETION OF THE
Big KOHALA DITCH
Impressive Ceremonies in Celebration Of Event-Cates
Opened and Ditch Christened by Mrs. Samuel Par
ker-Addresses by Prominent Personages- Ditch a
Feat OF Engineering Means Much to Kohaha.

ICuihO NhAShA ~ EAOuuuus
capacity of the ditch is 70, 900, 900
of gallons daily, and this amount
will be running in it when it is
completed. The ditch when it is
finished, will be FL miles long, and
will carry the water Of Honokane
stream and its tributaries to the
lands of Kohala.
FIVE MILES OF TUNNEL.
That portion of the ditch which
is completed and opened is ID miles
long, and Of this S miles are tun-
nels. The 7 miles to be completed
will be finished in November. The
completed portion of the ditch will
supply more than enough water to
fill the contracts already made with
plantations in Kohala. These
plantations, parts Of which are un-
der the ditch, comprise approxi-
mately 1900 acres of cane land,
of which 10000 acres are under
the ditch.
The plantations that have con-
tracted for water are Niiliili. Hala-
wa, Kohala, Union Mill Co., and
Hawi, and besides these there are
about 6ooo acres of White estate
lands, good for cane and now made
available by the fact that water
can be put upon them.
DESCRIPTION OF DITCH.
The ditch beinning in Kohala
mountains at an elevation of 1850
feet, runs in a general northerly
course, falling to $50 feet in III
miles. When it is completed it
will cost, approximately, $6oo,o 900.
It is lined on the sides with either
cement or stone for the entire dis
lance. Where cement is used, the
concrete is 6 inches thick. Where
the facing is of stone, a native
stone resembling trap rock is used,
this split into blocks sxI4xI7
inches. This stone splits very
easily. the Jap laborers making the
blocks from the rough stone for
FIVE cents a block.
The ditch, in the open. is eight
feet wide on the bottom, eleven feet
wide at the top, and approximately
S feet deep, Where it pierces the
hills in the tunnels, it is on feet
in width at the bottom, widening
to 8 feet at a height of S feet with
or arch running through two feet,
making the extreme height of the
tunnels 7 feet. At intervals along
the tunnels, side tunnels run to the
surface, these having been used to
dump the material taken out. The
tunnels, mostly through porous
rock are lined also with concrete.
The boring of these tunnels is an
impressive feat. The openings in
some places are almost inaccessi-
BILE now and most of them were
nearly so until trails were carved
out of the mountain sides. Six
men were killed and many mules,
by falling down these precipices.
AS was remarked by one of the
party who visited the upper lands
of the conduit the day before the
opening, it is Grand Canyon
scenery" Little is to be seen of the
conduit. 1t is under the forests,
winding its way in the courses best
suited to the levels calculated by
the engineers.
IMPORTANCE TO KoHALA.
The work of the construction
has continued for several years, but
it is done now-and we'll done.
The ditch, indeed, is the biggest
thing in Kohala. 1t will double
the yield of the cane lands under it,
and bring into cultivation almost
twice the acreage that is now avail
able. 1t has great weirs at short
intervals, with time clocks, for
measuring the water taken out,