New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1868-09-25


B be no longer required, the drainage, insteaC
; of being, apparently, g burden 70 the com
d nunity, win, on the contrary be found tc
be the realization of an immense saving. 3
hIolo!9i9 THIRD DRAINING DIsr1cr.
This district is described, in the law Of
1858, as forming a part of the Second and
Third Districts of the city of New Orleans,
having the. following boundaries, to wit
the river, st. Peterstreet CaTondelet Cana,
N Bayou 81. John, Lake sPontchartrain and
The conlmissioners'e appointed 10 super
iutend the drainage OF this district, after
having disposed Of the $27, 900 appropriated
BY the State to each of the districts FOR pre-
liminary expenses, have abandoned the
work, without accomplishing anything, ex-
cePt making general plan of their district,
and paying $40, GOO to the city OF New Or.
leans toward the building OF q draining
machine on the Gentility road, atethe inter.
section Of London avenue. EfltFEaO no
AS nothing has been done toward the
drainage of this district hy the Commits
sioners, suggest the propriety Of changing
the boundariesas fixed By law, in such
manner as to exclude from It. the land be.
tween the GENTLY ridge, Lafayette avenue,
Lake Pontchartrsin and the Bayou 81. John
| up TO Marigny Canal; and include in the
drainage Of New Orleans that desirable
portion of the Third District between LAfay.
| cite avenue and the lower limits OF the city,
| having 8 front on the river Of nearly three
the drainage of the lands fronting the lake
between Bayou St. John and the prolonga-
ton OF the line of the Fishermau's Canal.
| The new boundaries of the third draining
district, as l propose them, viii be as fol-
lows: Beginning at the river, along st. Peter
street and Carondelet Canal to Bayou St.
John; along Bayou st. John to Marigny
I GanQls alone a.
| road; along GENTLY road to Lafayette
avenue; along Lafayette avenue 10 Florida
walk; along Florida Walk to Bayou Bien-
venue at its intersection with the Fisher
mans Canal; along said canal to the river,
| and along the river to st. Peter street.
This new district covers an area Of $3.50
acres of the best land, equal in beauty and
| fertility to any in the other districts; over
| one-fourth of its area is pretty thickly set.
| tied and well improved, another fourth is
sparsely inhabited, and the remainder per-
fectly wild, owing to the want OF. proper
| drainage. l19Y Ea.E .sHE 7. -u.l ll'-l -.
Since 1886 several attempts have been
made toward the drainage of the Third
District. Since 1s4s two sections of it are
under the care of the city of New Or
leans, which is working at great expense
two draining machines located within their
| limits. iH $3.50 pr 90 lo- |u.l
Unfortunately for the denizens Of these
| sections, they have as yet derived no mate
| rial benefit from the Undertaking, and the
only result thus far has been to shake the
faith of the public in the possibility and
practicability of artificial drainage. =.
By compromise which took place lately,
between the city of New Orleans and the
Carondelet Canal and Navigation Company,
the drainage water will not be permitted
to be thrown into Bayou st. John after the
first of February, 1863. n.Hne H 4.
In virtue of the above, the Orleans drain
| ing machine will have to stop work shortly,
and the one at London avenue will hereaf-
ter have to drain the two sections from
Canal Carondelet to the Pontchartrain rail
road. The location of this draining machine
has been unfortunate; II stands on one OF
the highest points of the Gentilly Ridge,
and consequently is Of very difficult access
| to the waters pouring toward it during
heavy rains from the neighboring low lands.
They reach it only by means Of a narrow
canal cut through the ridge, which forces
them to spread over the land below, where
they remain so long that it renders cultiva-
| ton impossible.
On building the London avenue draining
machine, a place has been prepared to re-
ceive an additional engine and wheel.
Should they be temporarily put up, they
will have to be removed as well as the
whole building, to better selected location.
To remedy the present evils and perfect
the present system in use, and also extend
the benefits Of drainage to the section OF
land extending from the Pontchartran
railroad to the Fishermen'5 canal, and from
the river to Florida walk and GENTLY road
it will be necessary to widen existing canals
| and also to open new ones, whose object
will be to drain, reclaim and render fit for
habitation and culture the whole Of the
| $3.50 acres of land contained in the new
| draining district. The main part and new
feature of this project, giving at once an i'm
mediate result, will be the cutting of large
canal or reservoir on Florida avenue, 1920
feet in flength, go feet wide and feet
deep, beginning at the intersection OF Ma
rigny canal and the Pontchartrain railroad,
aud ending at its Junction with bayou Bien-
venue on the lower side of the city.
Bayou Bienvenue empties into Lake
| Borgne, and is one of the main natural
drains of the lower section of the city,
from Esplanade street down to Terre aux
BGufs.
Such a canal could be completed TO
width of 80 feet in nine months, by means
of two dredge boats, working at both ends,
and would afford immediate relief; the other
half could be completed in nine months
more, and at the end of eighteen months
the city would be in possession of over
| three miles of q canal, equal in size to the
New Canal as first dug, and far more bene-
fetal to the population, at the tritling cost
of about $4,000.
| After the completion of the above canal,
numerous Others will also be necessary to
complete the system of drainage of the
| Third District. Some will be made by the
dredge boats; others already existing will,
besides cleaning, require widening and
deepening. This work must be done by
hand, and the canals, thus improved, will
at once be used in conjunction with the
Florida avenue Canal.
LOCATION AND, DIMENSIONS OF PROPOSED
4 CANALS. ri. ...
\ l. Claiborne street. from Carondelet Ca
nal to Elysian Fields street, 80 feet wide by
| feet deep.
O. Claiborne street, from Elysian Fields
to Fishermans Canal, 40 feet wide by feet
deep. ,"--.., -..tt .,-=. SD .,.--
Marigny Canal IS feet wide by 8 feet deep.
4. St. Bernard avenue, from Claiborne
| street to Broad street, IS feet wide by feet
deep. .-.
5. Marigny canal, from Bayou St. John to
Elysian Fields, 60 feet wide by feet deep.
6. Elysisn Fields, from Claiborne to Ma
rigny canal, IS feet wide by feet deep.
7. London avenue, from GENTLY road to
st. Bernard avenue, 80 feet wide by 7 feet
deep.
8 st. Anthony street, from GENTLY road
TO Marigny canal, so feet wide by feet
deep. FL
g. Washington avenue. from Goodchildren
or st. Claude avenue to Florida walk, 80 feet
wide by Z feet deep.
10. Franklin avenue, from GENTLY road
to Florida walk, so feet wide by Z feet deep.
IL. Lafayette avenue, from Where street
TO GENTLY road, 80 feet wide by 2 feet deep.
IL. Florida walk, from Elysian Fields to
Fishermsn's canal, 50 feet wide by feet
deep. .--.,...5..