New Orleans daily crescent., 1866-11-15
CITY DRAINAGE.

tructlng the health ofncef, IN ceftaln Coh%h
,encies, to close the distilleries, and to pro
;eed against the hotel keepers for violation
,f the health ordinance, ought to direct public
attention to the important question OF city
drainage, or sewerage. 1t is possible that IN
the present condition Of the city as to drain
age, the views of the Board of Health cannot
be enforced except by recourse to the severe
measures now proposed, but it is likewise
possible that the true method has been, thus
far, left entirely out Of view. The litigation
which seems likely to arise from the action OF
the Board of Health--the resistance which
will certainly be made by large and lnt1uen-
tial class to a proceeding which threatens TO
ruin their business-is an indication that
there is something defective in the present
system. 1t is scarcely conceivable, indeed,
that a reasonable supervision OF hygiene mat
ters cannot be exercised without resortlng to
the extremely harsh and stringent measures
PROPOSED by the Board of Health-measures
which, if enforced with equal and exact JUS
tice, would make almost all manufacturing
Industries, and much commercial business,
entirely impracticable. Yet we are told that,
either these measures must be carried into
effect, at whatever cost to the business OF the
city. or we must submit to infections which
are supposed to be extremely deleterious to
the public health.
Does it not seem then that something which
might have been done, has been omitted, and
that We are involved in this unpleasant dilem-
M simply because we have declined to avail
| ourselves Of agencies through which the de-
sirable object might Be achieved, and the ne
oessity for injurious severity averted? Might
we not, for instance, by q judicious system Of
underground drainage, or. sewerage, have pro-
vided means for carrying off all OF the foul
and refuse matter which now must either be
discharged into the cutters, or carted away at
d great and almost unendurable expense. 1t
Is not too much to assert that if New Orleans
is ever to become great manufacturing city
some such system as this must be adopted.
The plan OF carting off the refuse which al
most all factories are compelled to discharge,
and the exerementitious matter Of numerous
hotels, is too primitive to be adapted to the
wants Of a highly organized society, When
ever an effort is made to compel it, resistance
and expensive litigation ensue. On the othel
hand the discharge of such matter into the
cutters is extremely offensive, and, we arc
told BY physicians and other scientific men
injurious to health. Underground drains, O
sewers, would obyiate all these difficulties
The objection may be urged that the. topo
graphy Of New Orleans is such that under
/ ground drainage is impracticable, But this
lis a question which cannot be decided
fen parte, or by unprofesaional persons
4 Modern science has solved SO many prob,
Elems that we are quite sure it is capable oi
accomplishing the drainage of eityaas fiat as
New Orleans, or even as the City Of Mexico.
| Without attempting to forestal opinion On
| this point, or to do more than to offer an illus
tration, we might suggestthat covered drains,
having very slight fall, might be exhausted
BY means Of stationary engines. This sug-
gests itself to us as one method Of overcoming
the more obvious difficulties Practical en-
gineers could doubtless suggest others. One
thing is very certain under the present state
Of affairs there seems to be an irrepressible
conflict between the interests and the neces-
sites of industry, and the requirements Of
the public health, Itis impossible for such a
conflict to continue for amy length of time
without leading to disastrous results. With
out industry we can have no trade,
no commerce, no production, no city:
Without health, or something neal
the average Of health, we shall be just a;
badly oil. The conflict between these two
necessities must be terminated, and it is the
duty Of the city authorities to take measures
for accomplishing this object. In the mean
time, in order to show that our inventive and
scientific resources are sufficient for the pur
pose, providing they be properly stimulated
and directed, the proprietor Of this papel
will give $3.50 as a prize for the best pracd
cal essay embodying a plan for draining New
Orleans, BY underground sewers; the plan tt
be decided to be meritorious and practicable
bya committee of the Academy of Sciences
The essays should be sent in before the 1st o
March.