New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1861-11-25

DRAINAGE REPORT.
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The Commissioners Of the Second Draining Dis
trict, appointed under an &C. Of the Legislature
passed 18TH of March, 1858, providing for tho
draining and reclaimng of lands in certain por'
tons Of the parishes of Orleans and Jefferson
have directed the following statement to be pub
lshed in advance Of the time required by law, in
order that all parties interested may that net
withstandng the stringenoy of the times, this great
and to the residents of the parishes OF Orleans
and Jefferson, important undertaking, has not been
suspended, but, on the contrary, is steadily pro-
Egressing
Il That the difficulties the Board had to encounter
and dispose of may be understood, it is necessary
to refer to the date Of It's organization on the 18th
/ of June, 1858, when the act authorizing their
Il organization wss for the first time laid before
= them. careful examination of the law satisfied
y the Board that it had been prepared and passed
I. without proper care and reflection, and was not
n available for the purposes for which it was in
Il tended. A joint meeting Of the Commissioners OF
4 the three districts was held, and supplemental
act framed, which passed the Legislature, and was
/ approved on the 18th Of March. 1853. ~ =
i immediately after the passage OF this supple-
4 mental act, the Commissioners of the Second
] Draining District commenced the preparation OF
the maps, plans, books of tabeaux, ETC., required
4 by the law. This work, of great labor and con-
siderable expenditure, was completed and copies
fled with the Recorders of the parishes OF Orleans
and Jefferson on the 11th January, 1861 and after
4 public notice had been given of such deposit ac-
i cording to law, application was made to the Third
/ District Court of the Parishof Orleans, and to the
Third judicial District Court sitting at Carrollton,
for decree of mortgage, privilege, ETC., on the
h lands comprised within the district The opposi-
4 tons to this application were all set aside, and
judgments rendered in favor OF the Commissioners
in April last. 1t was only after obtaining these
4 Judgments that the Commissioners could legally
4 commence collections to prosecute the work.
1 Nearly year before the decree of the courts was
| rendered, however, the Commissioners ascertained
4 by careful estimates that the amount appropriated
by the State for surveys, maps, plans, and other
initiatory measures was more than sutiicient Tor
| those purposes, and determined to employ the ex
cess in relieving, as far possible, the front or in
1 habited portion of the district from the inconVe
nienee and loss long suffered from high tides in the
| lake, and the inability Of the existing canals To-
carry off the water falling upon the higher portion
OF the district during sudden and heavy rains. For
| this purpose they made canal through Melpom-
enc street. from the draining machine on Claiborne
canal to its intersection with the Toledano canal
| on Toledano or Upper Line street. This canal is
Is feet wide,7 feet deep, and 5270 feet (nearly
| mile) long. At the same time, the old Toledano
canal which had become nearly useless, was en-
larged, the dams and other distractions to free
flow of water removed, and d new canal made from
Carrollton avenue to the Dublin cuvert of the
canal Of the New Orleans Canal and Banking Com
pany- making in all about three miles of canal,
ali 80 ie a Faa ID Toot
This work, as was anticipated, has nearly if not
entirely relieved from overflow the inhabited
portion of the district situate between Julia
and Toledano streets. Another canal was also
made Nashville street, in the parish Of Jefferson
for the purpose of draining off the water from the
low lands between the Carrollton Railroad and
the river, which answers entirely the purposes for
| which It was intended. . -
h Having thus relieved the inhabited portion of the
district, to great extent, from the Inconvenience
experienced from repeated and often disastrous
oyerdows, the Commissioners next turned their at
tention to the Grand Reservoir Canal, to extend
from the canal Of the C&nal and Banking Company,
through Claiborne street to the line of the Jefferson
Railroad Company distance of 49, 500 feet This
Canal will be A feet wide and feet deep, and is
Intended to receive all the water between Clai
borne street and the river; from which, twill be
forced by draining machines through discharging ca
nails into the lake. levee will be made on the lower
or lake side of this canal its entire length which,
when completed, will furnish ample protection from
overflow from the lake for all that section situated
between Claiborne street and the river. This
canal and levee, of almost ineaeulable value to
the residents of Orleans and Jefferson, is under
contract, and will be completed in about twelve
walton is already within a few yards of Napoleon
Avenue, in Jefferson City, and is well worthy visit
from all parties interested in the success of this
undertaking. "a. ,-tg.r= lyEs ~ -, g..
The area of this section contains about 1871 square
miles, more than one-lIalf of which is under water
great portion of the year, and for all purposes of
cultivation or habitation entirely valueess but
when drained, as it surely will be, if the Commits
sioners are permitted to carry out their plans, |
will, in few years, be as susceptible of cultiya-
ton as any land in the State, will add many mil
lions to the tax rolls of the two parishes and what
to us, is of infinitely more value, conduce mater-
ally to the health of this section, and consequently
to the growth of the great metropolis of the South
The Beard have entered in good faith and &C.
cordng to law, into contracts that run months into
the future. Duty and interest alike forbid the yo
or the work suspended, unless there is interference
from quarter which the Board can neither con-
troll nor resist '.s~G --r.
Considering the extraordinary depression of |
trade and extreme stringency of the money mar
ket our collections have far exceeded our expec-
tations. a large majority, in number, of the land
owners, have not only voluntarily and cheerfuly
paid their assessments, but have at the same time
expressed their appreciation ST the management |
of the Commissioners thus far and desire that
this work, in which they, as well every citizen |
of our State, is so deeply interested, and which |
has been so auspiciously inaugurated, should be
continued to rapid and final completion. !
The following condensed statement will show the |
condition of our finances, viz: -.t.
Approximation from tho State Ts0
Oolleetions from property owners 2Sl4 e.
~ -5..r 90 7sss. ss.r-r .-- -. S54,s95
. .-...... ..- Sl6205 81 |
Leaving in Bank, subject to the orders of the
Board, sixteen thousand two hundred and six dol
lars and ftyene cents With this concise statement
of facts, the Commissioners leave the matter in the
hands Of the public, who are most interested.
. .sE.. -.7s.- L. H. PLACE, President
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