The daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1848-1851, 1849-06-29
Protection of the CITY.

The City Authorities have at length taken de.
cided step for the protection of the city against
renewal of overflow. 1t will be seen that at the
meeting of the Joint. Committee on the Crevasse,
yesterday, it was determined to erect Immediately
temporary levee in the upper part of the Second
Municipality. To avoid the action of the Lafay
cite authorities, who it seems are about to dispute
the right of erecting levee along Felicity Road,
the new levee was directed to commence at Soils
street, where it crosses the Melpomene Canal, and
to extend to Claiborne street, and thence TO the
New Canal. The levee to be constructed on this
line is to be one foot above the highest waer.line
of the late overflow, with width of three feet on
top. In selecting the locality for the levee, We
presume the Engineers have fixed on that line
which will be sure to protect the city Having
confidence therefore, in the judgment Of the Sur
veyors, there can be no objection to building the
levee where they have designated. But there
seems to be one obstacle to the contamination of
this project, which may render the action of the
committee nugatory. This obstacle is found in the
strenuous opposition offered by the city of Lafay-
ette When it was decided that part of the levee
should be built along Felicity Road the authorizes
of Lafayette had an Injunction issued to prevent
the further prosecution of the work. The reason
given for this was that compact had been en tered
into between the Second Municipality and the city
of Lafayette, for paving the street with square
blocks of granite; that the contracts had already
been made, and that Lafayette, whose Jurisdiction
formerly extended to the north side of the street.
had yielded up half of tie street to this Munich
pality for the purposes of mutual accommodation.
If these statements are true, Lafayette would GER
tainly have reason to complain But other reasons
than these influence our sister city. The same
and Fourth Wards to oppose the evee on the north
bank of the New Canal, will actuate the people of
Lafayette to oppose the construction of levee for
the protection of New Orleans, as they think, at
their expense. But the Joint Committee has Or
dered the work to be done, and Lafayette will most
certainly deny the right, and oppose its exercise
We do not know the topography of the country |
Immediately above Lafayette, but think, from |
what we have been told by persons acquainted |
with the subject, that levee might be made there
which would protect both cities. If this course |
should be adopted, both parties would be satisfied,
and there could be no contention, while each cor
porafion should bear its proportion of the expense
Carrollton could have no reason to complain as the
result OF the last crevasse has shown that city TO
be free from water when large portions of New
Orleans and Lafayette were overAowed. We think
a committee should be appointed by each city, to
confer on the subject and decide upon the best
course to be pursued. We should prefer to see
something done which will be in consonance with
the interests of both parties.