The New Orleans crescent. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1866-1869, 1868-10-01
ordered to be sent to the Board of Aldermen for

adopted on its first reading:
Resolred. That the controller be and he Is here
by authorized to SELL after ten days notice In the
official journal, TO the highest bidder, all portions
Of land on Claiborne street, created by the open
ing of said street, which has not been sold.
Resolced, That owners of land on Claiborne
street, between Common street and the New
Basin be and they are ordered to so fence in
their property as to inclose all parts of streets
which has become useless from the opening of
Claiborne street. ~ -
The following communications from the city at.
torney were received:
OFFICE Cry ATTORNEY
Room No. IL, City Hall,
New Orleans, September %, 1865. \
To the Honorable the Boasd OF Assistant Alderman.
GeltlemeIa-I have examined the resolution re.
ferred to me, to pay seven per cent interest to
the New Orleans Gas Light Company, on their
monthly bills, and beg to report that there Is no
law prohibiting the payment Of the interest as
Respectfully, lat 81, rlta rla.ra
HENRY ]. LEovY, City Attorney.
OFFICE Cry ATTORNEY
ue Room No. Is, City Hall,
ru New Orleans, September Is, 1865. J
The Honorable the Board of A ssistant Aldermen.
eIenatnen-With reference to the question SUBJ
mtted 10 me as to the power of the city TO de-
mand currency in payment of judgments. beg 70
state that the district courts have decided that the
city is compelle to receive city money in payment
OF all debts due 10 the city. That opinion not hav
ing yet been reversed must be taken to be the
law at present. In this opinion T. Michinard ESQ.,.
assistant city attsrney, concurs with me. 40
HENRY ]. LEovY, City Attorney.
The following resolution was returned to the
Board OF Aldermen so amended as to omit all after
the words "BE AND is HEREBY REPEALED"
On motion of Mr.. Fisher the original resolution
was persisted in, Notwithstanding the amendment
offered by the Board of Aldermen, as follows:
Resolued. That SO much of ordinance No. 2l76,
approved May 18th, 1866, as relates to the publ.
cation in the official journal of specifications for
public works, etc., be and is hereby repealed.
ResOlCed further. That the controller be and he
is hereby authorized to have all specifications for
public works printed in slip form in quantities
sufficient TO be exhibited in the Office Of the con-
troller, city surveyor, street commissioner, com.
conspicuous places about the hall, and in the Me-
chanics' Exchange.
The following resolution from the Board OF al.
dermen was unanimously concurred in on its
several readings:
Resolred, That the Southwestern Bible Society
be and is hereby relieved from the payment Of
taxes for the year 1867, on the property known as
the Bible House and Southwestern Bible Society,
amounting to the sum of $40, said society being
religious one and making no profits, and sus-
tanned by the gifts of the charitable.
An ordinance from the Board of Aldermen, en-
titled AN ordinance authorizing the mayor to
enter into contract with Geo. E. Pitcher, John
F. Caldwell and their associates, under the style
of the New Orleans City Issue Redemption Com
pany, for the redemption and cancellation OF
1$3 600 ,O00) three millions dollars Of treasury
notes of the city Of New Orleans, upon certain
terms and conditions" was read by title and
action thereon deferred to future day.
Mr.. Camp submitted the following plan for the
better drainage of the city of New Orleans, which
was ordered published in the official proceedings
of this body:
To the Members of the Common Council of the City New
Orleans:
Gentemen-In presenting resolution request
log the surveyor to reports plan for the more per-
ft ct draining of this CITY, my intention was to pro.
vide some mode for preventing the inundation
which takes place on our streets every time it
rsins. have examined the reports Of the sur.
tbs ana spf nS hst he system By him Is
in my mind, very defective, and altogether inn
practicable. The digging of canals in every fifth
street of tbickly settled parts of city, the widen
log of streets in neighborhoods thckly built are
utterly impossible, even If it were the best plan.
1t would be impracticable from the immense cost
OF such an undertaking.
The digging of open canals in this fat country,
where the waters stagnste and soon become cor.
rupted and offensive that the borders are unin-
habitable, have proved that instead of improving
",
fact depreciste it, as can be proved by the many
petitions TO culvert some aud ill others of the
canals now in existence. The system of culverts
asprop osed in the following plan provides for the
thorough draining of the city proper. By the
plan proposed the city will never be under water,
as it now after every heavy rain; and as the re-
10 above alluded to does not provide for the
CITY, but merely for the supposed canals which
never can be dug, you will see the necessity OF
the execution Of the present plan. One of the
many advantages Of this system is, that every foot
which will be built will be relief to the part of
the city In which it will be executed. If you
start fIom Toulouse street and branch both ways
{ wards Esplanade and Julia streets, and also at
Julia street and branch up and down Circus, as the
work proceeds every street il crosses will be for
ever guaranteed from overflow. This shows that
the work will be perfect as IL proceeds, and that
it can be started with comparatively small sum
of money.
Another point upon which / wish to call your
attention is, that the surveyor, in his plan, has
made no provision for the draining of that part of
the city which lies between the ridge and the lake,
but passes that portion with the assertion that
levee and few bitches are ali that is necessary
Now it is evident that the health of the city de.
ponds entirely on the thorough drainage of this
swamp; and that, when the plan laid before you
will have been executed, these swamps will be
drained without scarcely any expense, ana that
the assets produced from the increase of value of
property alone will compensate for the outlay no
proposed, and which, by the way, will be less than
cost.
A PLAN FOR THE BETTER DRAINING OF THE CITY OF
NEW ORLEANS.
For the greater facility Of draining the city of
New Orleans would propose to build culvert
from Esplsnsde street to Felicity Road, which
culvert would be made to connect with the New
Canal and the Canal Carondelet. All the streets
running from the river TO Rampant street, between
Felicity Road and Esplanade street, would be
drained directly into this culvert. would change
the grades of the Streets on the lake side of
Rampant street, so that the water should flow
from Claiborne street to Rampant street, and into
The Rampant street culvert. This would save the
expense Of digging out the Claiborne Street
Canal.
would convert the Broad Street Canal into
cuveTt Of the same size as tina. on Rampant street.
say: -
would establish the grades in such manner
as to drain all the streets from Claiborne to Broad
and from Carrollton Avenue TO Broad street and
into the oulvert that street, dispensing entirely
with the Galvez Canal, which has always been
nuisance, on the one side and Hagan Avenue
Canal on the other. I.
would propose 10 construct these culyerts in
such MANNER that they may be entirely isolated
HON the cutters Of the city, in order that they
nav be cleaned out by allowing q strong stream