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History 1908-1965 Part 2
Most of the money for operation of the College of Hawai`i came from Federal Land Grant College appropriations. Only about one-fifth of the College income came from Territorial funds. The purposes for which Federal Land Grant money could be expended were restricted. Consequently, reasonably adequate funds for engineering instruction, and equipment of the engineering laboratory, were available even when Territorial appropriations for buildings and for liberal studies were stingy. Despite the emphasis of the College of Hawai`i on agriculture, the engineering curriculum attracted the most students.
When the College of Hawai`i moved to Manoa provision had to be made to house engineering laboratory equipment which could not be installed in Hawai`i Hall. The Engineering Materials Testing Laboratory was the second permanent building to be built on the Manoa Campus. This single story concrete building with 3600 square feet of floor space was built at a total cost to the Territory of $8,146. Still standing and in use, it probably represents the Territory's best bargain in public buildings.
The most important piece of equipment in the engineering testing laboratory was a 150,000 pound Reihle Universal Testing Machine, purchased second hand for $800 before the College moved to Manoa. It was installed in the Engineering Materials Laboratory where it not only served its nominal function of demonstrating to engineering students the behavior of materials under stress, but it provided facilities for testing much of the construction material of Hawai`i, including the concrete for Pearl Harbor dry dock. It was an object of general interest and curiosity. The minutes of the Board of Regents report one meeting of the Board that was delayed for an hour while the entire Board of Regents watched John Mason Young, and his engineering students test a large timber to destruction.*