New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1868-05-08


oy tine Council over your veto. Ihyse
contracts were atterwArd set aside oJ
MAJOR General p, II. Sheridan as fraudulent
Ehls was in August, since which time the
work OF cleaning and keeping in repair the
streets OF the entire city has been pei
formed BY men emplnyed by this depart
ment, with the exception Of the repairing
OF the streets of the SIKH war l.. al.
The previously neglected condlFlon OF Illa
streets and cutters rendered ~ necessary w
| use o full supply OF water Tor the purpose VI
cleaning them; this led to correspondence
| with the Superintendent of the Waterworks
/ Company, who claimed that the company
had the right to regulate the supply OF
\ water the city should use, in the face of the
| charter of the company, which required
| that they should furnish free of cost At all
i times during the continuance OF their CHAR
/ ter, all the water that the city might re.
| quire for the purpose of extinguishing hres,
cleaning aud washing the streets, markets,
and for other public purposes" One good re-
4 suit fOllowed-It turned the attention of the
| city officials, and the public generally, to a
shameful monopoly, which had existed for
nearly thirty-tive years, but soon, am glad
to say TO be eXtinguished, and become tbs
property of the city, as provided for in the
original charter Of the Company-it5 only
! good feature.
Early in the summer the cholera made its
| appearance in the third district, hut was
| soon suppressed by the energy OF the Health
| officer, aided by men detailed from thls de
partmpnt, and liberal use Of catbolic acid
and other dlsinfeCtants.
The experience of New York, London,
anu other large cities was confirmed rs To
the value of an intelligent and judlcious
use of disinfectants more especially OF car
bOlic acid, ut that time but little known IN
this CITY, and as far as ] know, had not
been publicly used. Many members Of The
medical profession who were skepticHl as to
1 its usefulness AS q disntcCtant were after
| ward convinced, and are now warm advO-
Gates for its general use.
| When the epidemic broke out, the large
| number OF unacclimated persons IN the city
| luruisned the material tor its Sntinuauce.
| Among its victims were many who were too
| poor TO pay o doctor, and without friends to
| Oury them in case vi their death. Upon
| this department devOlYed the duty OF car
| rylug the inligent sick TO the hospital, ard
burying the INDECENT dead From the fifth
| day of June, 1867, up to May, 1865. eight
| hundred and twenty one sick were carried
| to the hospital; and during the same period
SIX hundred and seventy-hye were buried.
| This is exc Isive of any SICK tn 1t were CON
veyed during the night time by orders from
| the police.
Fumigstion with sulphurous acid, follow.
/ ed by dlsintectiOu with CaroOlic acid, was
| used TO considerable extent during the CON
tlnuance ofthe yellow fever and with consid
cradle advantage wherever we had u fair op-
portunity Oftryiugit. The want of a proper.
| ly trained corps of health officers with full
powers prevented that extensive application
desirable, and which am sure would have
| resulted in great good, and the saving of
many valuable lives. The Street Commits.
siOner's force is only an auxiliary TO the
Board Of Health, aud in the present condl-
ton of the law can do but Ii tie of itself.
WHAT'S wanted is some proper institution, or
asylum, some temporary home where the
poor aud helpless could be removed to while
| the houses in which they lived were prop
erly fumigated, dislniected, aud made
| healthy.
In spite of the oft-repeated assertions of
| few persons in our midst, | am OF opinion
that no well-informed person believes that
| you can with safety 10 the public health
permit % many millions of square feet of
| foul and poisonous water and filth TO be
exposed to the decompOsing influence of suh
and air as are contained in the many drain.
ing canals of the city.
In my first communication to the Common
Council last June urged the necessi of
having the draining canals cleaned out; and
since that time several times called aLten-
ton to the necessity OF having il done on
the scoie of public health. To me it looks
very much like u vast of public money and
Il cupAble neglect to permit such q mass If
corruption and fifth TO exist, poisoning ana
cOutami atlng ali it comes in contact with.
II Is not tor me to say where the blame lies.
| merely draw attention to the fact.
am prompted to make these remarks,
Oecau c have found that the imperfect aud
inadequate drainage is one Of the greatest
obstacles have to contend with in attempt
ing 10 keep the cutters clean; for while the
large canals are full and are permitted to
remain SO day after day, the water in the
street cutters can not run OIL, but is backed
up, and lies exposed to the SUI and
air, and no force AZ my command eau prop.
erly remedy the evil, SO long rs the canals
are allowed to remain fun. Even while
write, the streets of the fourth district
between Dryades and Claiborne, are par.
TALLY fl0odea in consequence of the Cal.
borne Canal being full, This trouble is
much increased in consequence of the water
sluIces At the levee being SO rotten that II
is not possible to shut off the water; the
cutters soon fill up, and the canal being
full the water can not run off. UtfOr.
tumately, the necessary repairs Can not be
made until the river falls.
Since ! came into office in June last /
have had four blocks and two lntersec ions
on magnolia street macadamized, giving n
good road from the jackson Railroad depot
70 LafGy cite street. The Netasl cost 20 The
city was only labor for hauling and placiug
the stone. All the stone used was found an
the street, and had only to be broken
which was done in the City workhou
good cypress gutter, which WAS placed on
each side of one block. cost only the labor
Of placing It, the merchants IN the vicinity
having furnished the lumDer free Of cost.
The four blocks on Canal street. south
side, between Liberty and Claiborne, have
been for many years almost impass able in
wet weather, aud very bad at all times
Large sums have been expended la throw
ing down ballast. shell, anu brickbats with
out any method, aad which la q few weeks
ut most left the street IN Ms bad condition
rs before. The absence Of u gutter on the
north side made the condition of the street
much worse.
As several of nv predecessors had work
ed on these four blocks, and all had IA led,
| was scarcely in office before I was beset
with complaints demanding that 1 should
have the street put in order. Upon care
iul xAmination found good gutter was
needed on the north side, IL order 10 secure
proper outlet for the water which caul'
down that side of the street. had n good
cypress curb and gutter c1nstru i, d. the
road bed dug up, properly graded, and
rAmmed, With course Of paving on each
side about three feet wide; the centre OF
the street was dlled with about eight inches
Of broken stone. The work has now been
completed nearly year, and car, / think,
be satisfactorily pointed TO rs good Jon
There having been great deal Of public
comment rs to the cost Of the work, | suu-
nit the following items from the records OF
this office:
1850 feet truuning) Of cypress curb and
gutter, cost for
Lumber and nails. .............. sl32l II
Labor. acknowledgements. 9ll 70
Total cost, curb and GUTTER. S2262 SO
Inla gutter anu curb eO1taln- twenty -Hine
eel board measure per running font
Mfeuiam z'is iuAr squares aui intersec.