The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1910-08-02
CHRONICLE ON THE
HAMAKUA DITCH

The San Francisco Chronicle of July
"a contained the following observa-
lions on the completion of the Hama
kua Lower ditch:
The completion of the Hamakua
ditch on the island of Hawaii and its
formal opening as a system of irriga-
ton marks the beginning of new
era in sugar production in the islands
that will lie of incalculable benefit to
the plantations whose lands will be
served, Sugar cane raised on lands
not irrigated yields from four to four
and one-half tons per acre, while the
same land under irrigation will read
lily produce seven to eight tons per
acre. This fact has been demon
strated, so it will be of special in
terest to the many stockholders in Ha-
waiian sugar plantations to know that
the Honokaa and Paauhau plantations
will doubtless increase their output
about sixty per cent by reason of their
being provided with water by the Ha-
makua ditch company.
The companys sources of supply
are in the high mountain elevations
and they are so abundant that there
will never be a water scarcity. I'm
der direction of skilled engineers
there has been constructed a wonder
full system of galleries nine miles in
length bored entirely through the
mountains, capable of conducting TO-
100000 gallons of water daily to the
sugar plantations lying along the Ha-
makua coast. Friday morning, July
list, the harnessed waters, conducted
through these galleries, gushed forth
from the mouth of the tunnels into a
receiving weir, around which were
gathered the officers, engineers, work
men of the construction company, and
their friends, who duly celebrated the
arrival of the water upon the field of
usefulness.
The object of tapping this mine of
water wealth in Waipio was primarily
for irrigation purposes only, and it
is now being distributed on the lower
lands of Kukuihaele, Honokaa and
| Paauhau plantations. This water is
all derived from the confluence of four
streams, known as Kawainui, Alakai,
Kolawe and Wanna. The entire length
of the lower ditch, just dedicated, is
twenty-four and three-quarters miles,
comprising tunnels aggregatng $685.
feet, or more than nine miles of under
ground waterways, to which are add
ed 1884 feet of open bitches and g.
| 739 feet of fumes The tunnels were
made six and half feet wide at the
bottom and the sides five feet.
Fourteen months only were requir-
ed to build these twenty-fOur miles of
tunnels and open ways, with fumes
spanning deep gorges, hundreds Of
Japanese being employed on the work.
The great Kohala and the two Ha-
makua bitches do not utilize one
fourth of the water supply at hand
that can be distributed to advantage
on sugar plantations on the island of
| Hawaii.
While this great irrigation system
will imediately benefit the Paauhau
and Honokaa plantations by doubling
their production, it will doubtless
serve as an example for other planta.
| lions to follow. The outlook, there
fore, for sugar growing in the Hawai-
ian islands which has proved so pro
Eitable to the stockholders in the plan
tations during recent years, receives
a fresh impetus by the prospect
through irrigation, of largely increas
ed crops.
OOOsOaOSeS0sOSASGS0S9SOSOS
mics in such expansions, hence talk
of dividend reductions by the rail
roads at this time is premature anf
unfounded. The outlook is brighter
than two or three weeks ago, but
caution Is still imperative. Corn anC
cotton are not yet out of danger; mol
has the period of greatest money
strain heen safely passed
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