The Hawaiian gazette., 1906-06-15
CUNCEALIN6
BAD WORK


reservoir No. before an examination
can be made by Engineer H. Clay Kel-
logg, who has been summoned from
California to make an examination of
the work being done and to examine
the plans with a view of pronouncing
on the safety of the work after it is
completed
Some days ago 1 ordered work stop
ped on the pipe because did not think
that the work being done was safe and
wanted an examination made" said
Mr.. Patterson.
Now orders have been issued over
my head and this letter will show you
what hurry they are in to cover up
things before an inspection can be
made" and Mr.. Patterson produced
the following copy of an order issued
to the contractor:
Department or Public Works,
"Office of Assistant superintendent
Honolulu, T. of H., June 5. 1906.
Mr.. L. NJ. Whitehouse, Contractor.
Honolulu, 7. II.
"Sir. The work of reconstruction
upon some SO feet of the 80 inch wood
Stave Pipe through the Nuuanu dam
and reservoir was discontinued over
ten days ago and nothing has since
been done towards completing 1t; the
section of the effluent pipe referred to
is approximately $50 feet below the
gate chamber and is. as yet. not tight
ened up and protected with the con-
crete armor
II would ask that this section of the
pipe be made tight and Immediately
x..ttl, 10 nl1
that all of the wood stave pipe be gone
over on the inside and where open
butt joints are found, have them thor
oughly caulked with oakum and lead
so that a water tight job will be at
tanned. 1t is very important that this
work be taken up without delay so
that the pipe may be filled with water
as 1t should be to prevent deteriora-
ton from exposure.
Yours very truly,
"(Sgd.) ]. H. ROWLAND.
Asst. Supt. of Public Works"
"The pipe referred to in that letter."
continued Mr.. Patterson in explana-
tion. is the weakest spot in the whole
construction. The part of it which has
already been concreted in leaks all the
time. the water from the springs below
it soaking through the concrete and
the pipe and running out in regular
stream through the reservoir end. If
it leaks that way now, what are we
to expect from it when there is a pres
sure to the water in it?"
"It is in the seepage from the pipes
that the danger will come. the water
loosening the earthwork on the outer
side of the dam and making 1t liable
to slide away at any time. The very
fact that the Assistant Superintendent
has ordered the pipe to be caulked
shows that it is known that the pipe
leaks already and caulking with oak
um and white lead is not going to
make a very permanent job.
II am interested in this matter per-
sonally as well as being an inspector.
livs IN Nuuanu valley below the res
ervoir and / know that If the work Is
to be finished as it is being done some-
one will be able to buy my place pret-
ty cheaply, for 1 will not live there
with my family"
KELLOGG WELL KNOWN HERE.
H. Clay Kellogg, who is coming to
make the required investigation. is a
well known engineer of California, his
headquarters being in Santa Ana, his
work for a number CO years having
been the laying out of irrigation sys-
TENS and reservoirs. He Is familiar
with local conditions here, having
drawn up the plans for the big Wahi-
ava dam and personally overseen
much OF the construction work there
81 am not objecting to the manner
in which the Nuuanu dam is being
built because I am an expert but be-
cause l am a citizen who not only has
to help pay for a lot of foolish work
but who owns property and has a
home below It," said Inspector Patier-
son last night, referring to an inter-
view with Engineer Howland of the
Public Works Department, published
in an afternoon paper.
81 am fighting for my little lot in
the Nuuanu valley and I would like
my neighbors to express themselves as
to how they like the idea of having
their property and themselves exposed
to the protection of little caulking of
lead and oakum. That is what 1t
amounts to when the main water pipe
piercing the dam has to be caulked to
are going on looks like a lot of school
boy work to me, and l don't have to
be either an engineer or a dam expert
to know it, either.
"Howland has acknowledged that the
pipe should have been made of red
wood, but the specifications have been
drawn up so loosely that the contractor
can use monkeypod wood If he wants
to. The specifications did not even
state what width the slaves in the
pipe were to be with the consequence
that there is one section with eighteen
slaves and another with twenty; so
that when the two were Joined II could
not be done In the proper way by cut
ting into the slaves and knitting the
sections together, but we had to square
off the two ends and butt the ends to-
gether, joining them with an iron band.
That Is n sample of the specifications
and needless to say the contractor II
not exceeding the specifications and
adding To his own expenses.
1.-THE core wall, too, should have been
OF redwood Governor Carter saw that
when he went over the work with me,