New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1868-05-10

tufet Out ndu we blel known WIFI expert
ence has since taught US, an satisfied that
we would never have assumed that burden,
which has considerably paralyzed our 9TH
erwise certain prosperity.
Were the city seasonably to decline
waving the privilege and consenting to
indemnify US in future, l will advise US a
vital element of administration that we
should remain in stdtu quo, suspend all i'm
provements or works, except such as NAV be
necessary to keep up proper order, dmin.
ish the number and pay of our employees.
and distribute among you the large amounts
Piled"
As matter of history on the contrary,
think 1t would be more proper to say
that at the time the company applied
for charter, the Legislature was sur
feited with banks, and would not will
ingly have added another to the list had
not the company, for the privileges so
hcited, consented 70 take upon itself what
it now calls the burden of supplying the
city of New orleans with water for certain
purposes. II was certainly fair COMPACT,
and one that should have been observed to
the letter Under the engagements into
which it had entered, with the conditions
attached to its enjoying certain valuable
privileges, it is now too late in the day for
it to claim compensation for that which
constituted the very consideration for
which the charter was given 1t is forth
nate that under that instrument the city is
invested with the power, by purchase, OF
taking the Waterworks out Of the hands of
s o0mpsny which, when this great city is
clamorlNg for plentiful supply of the life
giving eieeent, is disposed, as its President
states. to FANaint stdtlt g1to and to make no
improvement ) This is an age of progress,
and beyond a doubt, now that we have
possession OF d BE works, it is necessary
that we Should address ourselves with earn
estness toSpe task Of making them real
blessing to fhe community. To this end
many changes and Improvements in the
present system will be indispensable.
New Orleans Is, believe, the only large
emporium in our country which has not
Waterworks of her own. When we consider
what other cities, with noble indifference
to cost, and thorough disregard of obsta-
Giles to be overcome have done to supply
their inhabitants with pure water aud
plenty Of 1t, we should have had great cause
for surprise that New Orleans, with her
aboundiDg population, extensive trade, snd
acknowledged public spirit, should have
fallen so much behind her sister cities in
the race of improvement, did we not know
that her movements in this particular di.
rectiOn have been clOgged by the chartered
rights of company, which has singularly
disregarded, not merely her interests, but
her actual necessities.
She is now free from this serious incum-
brance, which has so long prevented her
from acting in this important matter with
the necessary degree of eRergy and fore,
cast, or from acting at all. She may now
Surn to her sister American cities for vaIua-
BILE precedents, and be encouraged by their
example.
Let us do so. Nearly ten years transpired
before, by the application of steam power,
the waters of the Schuylkill were used for
supplying Philadelphia with pure water,
but nearly half century elapsed from their
commencement in 1889 till the celebrated
WnPLr9 Lot 4
Those who have visited these works, and
have examined the powerful machinery
employed to carry up the waters from the
Schuylkill, by nearly perpendicular ascent
upward of a hundred feet to the great reser.
vOir, whence 1t is distributed by pipes all
over the city, have witnessed one Of the
grandest triumphs which art and science
have achieved over the difficulties inter
posed by nature. The total cost of all the
works, from 1893 to 1852, is said to have
been three millions two hundred and forty
seven thousand eight hundred and ninety.
four dollars. The whole amount of water
rents for the year is one hundred and nine
teen thousand two hundred and two dollars
and twenty-five cents. The Croton Water
works in New York were commenced in
1881, and we're 1--WE years in building. The
whole cost of these stupendOus works.
Including interest and commissions was
twelve add half millions. The water is
conveyed forty and a half miles from its
source at the Croton river to the distributing
reservoir on Fifth avenue. (See new Ameri.
can Encyclopedia, article Aqueduct) The
collecting reservoir, with depth of six feet
contains five hundred million gallons. The
city Of Boston is supplied with water from
Lake Cochituate, by aqueduct, nineteen
and half miles to the fountain on Boston
common, and twenty-three and half miles
to the reservoir at East Boston. The work
was commenced August 90 1916, and water
was first admitted into the public fountain
October rs, lS4S. The quantity of water
calculated upon as necessary to be provided
was seven millions two hundred aud fifty
thousand gallons being twenty and a
half gallons per day for each person of a
future population of two hundred and fifty
Thousand inhabitants. Ten public fountains
are built in different parts of the CITY. and
are supplied by the Cochituate aqueduct.
The whole cost OF the work up to January
1853, after deducting the water rents was
five millions three hundred aud seventy
thousand eight hundred and eighteen dol
lars. The Waterworks of BROOKLYN. New
York, have attracted much attention. They
have recently been completed, and an in
feresting and very valuable descriptive
memoir Of them, gotten up in costly STYLE
illustrated by diagrams, and presented to
me last year by the commissioners, has been
IN the hands Of many of you. 1t was a
very timely present, containing as it does
the last and most mature conclusions of
of works of this description, and can not
fail to be very useful and suggestive to flu.
ture inquirers on the subject, and to us in
particular. The aqueduet for furnishing
the cities Of Brooklyn and williamsburg
receives its supplies from the outlets Of
several ponds and springs, the waters of
which 1t intercepts in the short interval be-
tween their sources and their discharge into
the ocean on the south side of Long Is
land.' The estimated cost of the construc.
non before the work was undertaken, was
upward Of four millions of dollars. The
actual cost Is not stated in the memoir re-
feTred to.
Large and populous cities, like New Or.
leans, must have plentiful supply of water
81 any cost. Up to the present time we
nave depended upon cisterns and a partial
supply Of water from the Mississippi river.
In lnaugurating new system, which now
oeVoises upon u.s. the question Immediately
arises, whether we shall continue 10 obtain
our supply Of water from the Mississippi or
go eisewhere for II. The water Of the Miss.
lsslppl IN us natural state must pass through
anlLrating process In order to tsnder 1t use
tui Tor all purposes, and which II resorted
to on an extensive scale will be attended
with & heavy expense Il is also more
or less liable TO be inpregnated with
impurities flowing into it from the citv.
In order that ali portions Of the citv
may be reached By 1t, &c must have n
head Of At least forty feet above the level
of the river and machinery 81 a very
powerful character be employed To raise Il
SO that elevation, and receiving reservoir
or reservoirs be constructed, holding Wafar
enough 10 supply half a million of inhnhi-
tant8. The objections now stated have led