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

oe IndlHerent to the striking illustration
l9rnlshed oy the city of St. Louis, Missou-
., WhiGn remained an invariably sickly
place, till she had courage and epterprise
enough to drain the swamp in its neigh
Oorhood, the source Of the maladics which
swept of her population and prevented i'm
migration. When she adopted and carried
ooldly into effect that great sanitary meas.
le' what change was soon effected in
i net history; She is now one of the health
sne became such there has been no inter.
luRLlon 70 her progress and prosperity.
e, ~ yDeauthul city Of Augusta, in Georgia,
t,i ni9li W. announcer striking example Of the
oenehclal influences exerted by a iudicious
',,d Vi framing upon the health of large
Augusta, occupying site nearly AZ low ana
leVei as that OF New Orleans, and partaking
almost as much the nature of a swarnn ba3
DAD reputation for health. hut 4 wide
! spread fane Tor the enterprise Of its inhab.
llauts. Next 10 charleston it was the best
| market for large, interior, wealthy. cnt.
tOn-growing region, and nothing Al thai
time interfered with its steady onward
march OF prosperity but the unhealthiness
Of its situation. The public interests re-
quired that the low grounds in the rear of
he city should be drained BY canals empty.
ing INTO the savannah river, upon whose
! banks Augusta is built, by means of which
the pestilential exhalations arising from
the environs were substituted by a pure and
salubrious atmosphere. The impetus given
70 commerce by this great sanitary move.
! menJ was magical. For a series of wears
no southern city was more fourishing than
| Augusta, and nothing interfered with her
prospects but the introduction of re ilronds
the effect OF which was to inpe.rt conse.
! quence to markets nearer the seal ,oara so8
! which divided with her the rici spc = 81
agriculture, which she had piesi9itlF ~
/ most monopoliZed. E'f
| Let New Orleans follow nee fample of
| these cities, and the same I, sr must fol.
/ low. Few things impede r 50gtl more
| than her sanitary cOndia, b l,ehooyes
us to bear this fact constaAiiy ) uaind, and
act under its controlling inhsahse.
| II we never begin a proper system Of
! drainage, it is certain that we shall never
| accomplish anything for the permanent re-
lief and health of the city.
Another mode of draining New Orleans
has been suggested and may be worthy of
| consideration. Metairie Ridge is a strip of
land extending from above the town of Car
roliton to point below the CITY. about
midway between the river and the lake.
From the crown of this ridge the land
slopes toward the river to a point or line of
HagaD Avenue Canal, and the natural
| drainage is toward the river, while, ON the
other hand, the drainage of that portions
wing between the river and Hagan Avenue
v.
the drainage of that portion of the city
lying between the river and the ridge finds
its lowest point at Hagan Avenue Canal,
and must be gotten rid of either by an out
let to the lake, or by pumping into the
river AT the present time that of the sec
ton between the two navigation canals is
being pumped into Bayou St John, to the
great annoyance Of the inhabitants living
| in that neighborhood, and also in contra.
| yentlon of an act of the Legislature, and for
which suit is now pending for damages.
| That Of the upper and lower sections is
thrown over the ridge into the swamp.
| Thus two plans for draining the city have
| been urged by different engineers who have
| written on the subject-one to drain per.
| Drniicular to the river, finding an outlet in
| the lake; the other by draining parallel with
| the river finding an outlet in the river at
some point below the city by pumping over
| the leyee. Both of these plans have their
objections. It is objected to the former
| that, in the absence of a sufficient fall, the
water will flow so sluggishly that in heavy
rains the ground remote from the draining
machines will be oYerfowed, while that in
the immediate vicinity Of them will be
pumped dry. Another objection to this
plan is that the filthy sewerage water
thrown into the lake will lie along the shore
fostering and poisoning the atmosphere to
An extent that would render that portion Of
| -ue city totally uninhabitable. The first
Objection might be overcome by machinery,
| but the latter IF there is no mode of getting
rid Of this fetid water by emptying it into
the lake at distance from the shore) is a
very serious one, and should not be lightly
considered inasmuch as health is the greal
desideratum we are DESTROYS 10 secure. The
objection to the other plan is the difficulty
of passing the navigation canals without
COmmingling the sewerage water of the city
with the pure lake water in the canals.
TINS, however, might be prevented by sink
ing ten foot pipe under the canals at each
intersection Of the draining canals.
The first thing to be done in the matters,
then, the adoption of proper plan. We
are satisfied that great work is to be IN.
dertaken, by means of which great benefit
is to be conferred upon New Orleans, but
how are we to proceed in its accomplish
ment! How can we arrive at the best plan,
which is now the great desideratum think
there is tolerably ready and easy solution
OF this question. The difficulty of draining
the city, and doing it thoroughly, may be
great; but there are no difficulties in the
way which skill and science may not over
come. We have now done with fanciful
speculations, and are dealing with stubborn J
facts and the laws of nature,
In view Of the grave importance of the
subject l recommend that the City Council
offer bonus of from one to five Thousand
dollars to engineers and men of science for
the best plan OF draining the entire city of
New Orleans from its upper to its lower
limits and from the river TO the lake; and
it would be desirable that the cities of JEFF
ferson and Carrollton should cooperate
with New Orleans in this great enterprise.
such proposition, honorable to the CITY
and to science, will lead to a Jealous COM
petition among scientific men, and the
result will be that various plans will be
submitted, from which the best that is
offered should be adopted and acted on
without hesitation.
I would remark, in conclusion, under
this head, that whatever the plan adopted
may be, it should be steadily pursued by
us and our successors in the government
OF the city, till it is fully accomplished.
l congratulate you, gentlemen, on the
prospect which the city at length has Of
controlling the Waterworks, hitherto styled
the Commercial Waterworks, as an incident
to the Commercial Bank of New Orleans.
and which for nearly thirty years has been
an incubus upon the community. When the
Legislature Incorporated that company, and
invested it with banking privileges, it de-
manded a quid pro quo. It declared (but it
was perhaps demanding too much of abank-
ing company, since all banking companies
have a paramount regard to their own in
terests) that for the benefits conferred Il
must have an equivalent. No city required
plentiful supply Of pure, healthful water
more than New Orleans. Bordering on the
tropics, exposed to the rays of an ardent
sun the greater part Of the year, it needed
an abundance OF water for the extinguish
ment Of tires, for culinary purposes for
health, refreshment, comfort, and cleanli-
ness, II the petitioners asking an act OF
incorporation with banking privileges would
pledge themselves to confer this great ben
EFT on the citizens of New Orleans, they