Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1912-10-05


| The Kau ditch now in process of in
corporation under franchise grant
ed at the present session of Congress.
The upper and lower Hamakua
bitches operated by the Hawaiian IT.
rigation Co., Ltd, have a total length
of fifty-two miles. They supply four
plantations with water, besides $780,
600 gallons a day to the Parker
Ranch. A number of >homesteaders
also receive water from the upper,
ditch. During the present drought
the village of HOnokaa has been get
ting it's entire supply from the lower
ditch
KohaIa Ditch Company.
The Kohala Ditch Company has
twenty-five miles of main ditch, with
an auxiliary one of eleven miles call
ed the kehena ditch, both together
supplying five plantations. The ca
pacity of the two Hamakua bitches is
1875 100000 gallons daily, and that of
the two KOhala bitches 100000
gallons The projected kau ditch
will be 100 miles long, thirty miles of
which will consist of tunnels. 1t will
draw water from all of the streams
between Hakalau and Wailuku river
on the windward side of Hawaii, and
convey it 100 miles through Puma and
Kau to South Point in the district of
Kau. This great aqueduct will open
up at least 10000 acres of land that
are today worthless, making them pro-
ductive of untold new wealth.
Just Like Il Romance.
Almost as 'enthralling as the finest
romances born of the imagination of
genius is the story of Mr.. McCros-
sons share in the development of wa
ter for irrigation in Hawaii. All the
more do the achievements of his fore
thoughtful enterprise reflect luster
upon his name when it is remembered ,
that when he began promoting irri-
CATION works the science was only in
it's infancy in this western world
Mr.. McCrosson conceived the idea of
the Hamakua ditch more than twenty
years ago when he was employed on
Hawaii island plantation. For a
time his arguments of the wealth that
lay waiting to be evolved from the
water running to waste into the
ocean fell upon deaf ears, but event
ually Samuel Parker went in with him
and provided the necessary capital for
the upper ditch. A company was
formed which issued bonds for the
construction, and the upper ditch
was opened with a great celebration
several years ago.
Next came the labor of financing the
lower ditch Bonds therefor were
sent to London in the hands of Geo
W. Macfarlane, who failed to place
them just as he had been assured of
success, when the issue was returned
to Honolulu, where it was flOated in
thirty days. OF the issue of one mil
lion dollars, $S00,000 was devoted to |
construction of the lower ditch and
100000 held by trustees for retiring
outstanding bonds of the upper ditch. |
Upper and lower bitches were con-
StruCted by separate corporations, aft |
er which both were amalgamated fl |
nancially by the organization of the |
Hawaiian Irrigation Co., a holding
concern. the officers being: Fred. NJ. |
Lewis. president; John T. McCrOsson, |
vice-president: r.. |. Spalding, treas |
urer; {. F. Clemens. secretary; H. F. |
Lewis, Richard Ivers and F. Z. |
Thompson, directors. Lewis & CO. |
were the purchasers of the bonds. {
having courageously staked the CAPT |
tai upon their faith in the enterprise
and the man
The Lower Ditch.
The work of building the lower
ditch was completed months ahead OF
the time calculated. Water was turn
ed on the night of June 80, 1910, and |
reached the irrigation channels of
kukuihaele plantation Pacific Sugar
Mill next morning. Contracts had
been made for a total supply of As
12I,0"o gallons a day as follows: Pa
auhau Sugar Plantation, 2l.500. 900;
HOnOkaa SUGAR Co.. II,623 900; Pacif-
ic Sugar Mill, 9.U0n,V 900. Estimated
annual profit was 100000.
Jorgen ;Iorgensen. c. E. designed
the system and Superintended itsScon.