The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1908-09-19
LIFTING WATER
TO HIGH LEVEL
Electric Pumping Plant Is Now
Installed at Kekaha
Plantation.

A pumping plant or some magnitude
utilizing electricity produced by water
power, has Just been completed by The
Hawaiian Electric Company for the
Kekaha Sugar company on Kauai.
About a year ago large ditch, car
rying water from Waimea valley to the
lands of Kekaha and Mana, was com
pleted, and in making plans for this
ditch. which carries more water than
is necessary for the low lying lands, a
rail- of 275 feet was planned at Wal
ava, Immediately back of the Knudsen
homestead. At this point it was pro-
posed to install an electric. generator
and water wheel to produce power for
motor-driven pumps to take the water
from the ditch and pump it to a higher
level.
On January LIST contracts were placed
with The Hawaiian Electric Company
for the complete installation of the nee
essary machinery which is now in sue
cessful operation. A generator and
water wheel of $50 horse power capa-
city are installed in a power house at
the bottom of the fall, which is 275
feet, and the power is transmitted to
three pumping stations, one mile, two
miles and three miles, respectively,
from the generating station.
At stations No. 1 and two Byron
Jackson 2stage high lift centrifugal
pumps are installed to pump water to
a minimum head of 200 feet and a
maximum head of 375 feet, the capa-
city of the pumps varying from one
million to two million gallons each per
day, depending upon the head utilized.
These pumps are direct connected to
$50 horse power induction motors hav-
ing rotative speed of 1850 revolutions
per minute. At station No. two SINH
lar pumps connected to two 200 horse
power motors, are installed TO pump
water to a height of 200 to 375 feet
and having a capacity of two to three
million gallons each per day.
These pumps are now in successful
operation and the Kekaha Sugar COM
Dany are planting fields which will be
supplied by water from this source.
They viii be enabled to take in from
500 to 600 acres additional virgin land
which will produce very heavy crops.
In order to produce the proper rotation
of crops the first cane will probably
be taken off in the year 1910 and from
1900 to 1900 tons of sugar should re-
suit. This will be a very substantial
increase in the Kekaha Sugar com
pany's output and taken with the in
creased output due to the use of the
fresh ditch water on the lower fields,
the returns to the Kekaha stockholders
should be very large.
The electric machinery was built by the
Westinghouse Electric and Manufact.
lring Company at Pittsburg; the water
wheel by the Pelton Water Wheel Com
pany of San Francisco, and the pumps
by the Byron jackson Iron Works of
West Berkeley, Cal. The electric gen
orator produces power of 5000 volts,
this voltage is used in transmitting
power to the pumping stations, and is
then stepped down through transform
FRS and utilized at 44O volts in the
motors.
In addition to pumping the Kekaha
mill is now lighted from this station
and considerable power will be utilized
in the mill for operating the machine
shop, eentrifugals, and for other pur-
poses.
The entire plant was planned and in
stalled by The Hawaiian Electric Com.
pany, Limited.