The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1910-08-11

this morning on account of q state !
ment in the morning paper, attribut- !
ed to Marston Compbell, in which the /
artesian water system of Oahu plan
tation was dealt a rather severe blow.
The following are the points referred
to particularly:
"This condition, it is authoritatively
stated, has already been reached on
Oahu plantation, where through ex-
cessive use, the artesian head has
been lowered more than 10 feet below
its original level and the water is al
ready turning brackish, so much so,
in fact, that grave fears are express
ed as to the future. This, it is said,
accounts in large part for the plan of
tunneling through the Koolau range
of mountains to bring across the wa
ter from the windward side of the
island.
"The pumps on this plantation, it is
stated, are now working much beyond
their originally planned capacity in
order to raise the water. This is
expensive, hard on the pumps and
generally unsatisfactory, leaving out
of consideration the poorer quality of
the water so obtained"
The article in question brought out
the following letter from Superinten-
dnt Campbell to Hackfeld & Com
pany:
Honolulu, August 10, 1910.
Gentlemen
In reading over this mornings pa
per l find an article on artesian water
supply which is credited to me. In
that article are certain comments on
the water supply of Oahu plantation
which beg to inform you did not in
any way emanate from me. 1t was
published purely On the responsible
| ity of the Pacific Commercial Adver-
tiser. My comments to the reporter
on the artesian supply were purely
general in character.
Very truly yours,
MARSTON CAMPBELL,
Superintendent of Public Works.
| Messrs. H Hackfeld & Company,
Agents Oahu Sugar Co.,
Honolulu.
e. N. Schoviile, pump engineer of
Oahu plantation, was highly indig-
nant over the report of the condition
of the water now being pumped up at
! Waipahu. He said:
81 have been at Oahu plantation
| eight years, and during that long
period I have taken hourly records
and made analyses of the water once
each month.
"a declare rinht now that the water
Of Oahu plantation is better today ex'
eept as to one station, than It has
ever been before.
'1n that one exception the pumps
In that station were increased from
| 100000 to 1S,000,000 gallons capa-
/ city without increasing the number
of wells. We have now put in new
extra wells however, and are connect
! ing them up now to meet the new
i increased capacity and when they are
ready conditions will be as nearly
/ ideal as it is possible to get them.
'Tn all the balance of the stations
the water is better than it ever was
before. These are facts which can
be seen II our rep~C from time to
time.
"The static level of the water of
Oahu Plantation today is four feet
higher than Il was eight years ago,
and there is no question but that
after a season of reasonably heavy
! rain it will be back to the highest
static level again.
Summing up, now declare, as the
man in charge and VINO should know
that the water of Oahu plantation
was never better as to quality and
F.. that it is doing its work perfectly
in the cane fields. Any statement, re
port or rumor to the contrary may be
accepted by the public as the veriest
canard."
Manager Bull, who was present dur
ing this interview, fully endorsed the
statements of the engineer. He char
acterized the attack upon the water
of Oahu plantation as unwarranted
and almost criminal In character, in
asmuch as it gave a. false impression
OF conditions to the public and was
a matter of annoyance to stockhold
ers who had no means Of ascertainiAg
the true state of affairs Immediately
Mr.. TENNEWs STATEMENT
e. d. Tenney, the best Informed
man in the Hawaiian islands concerns
ing the water supply and other fea