New Orleans Republican., 1868-09-18
CITY couNcIL--oFFIcIAL.
BOARD OF ALDERMEN.


CITY HALL, New ORLEANS, !
Septemberl5, 1868.
The Board met pursuant to adjournment.
Present: Messrs. Boguille, Brady, Kaiser,
o'Brien, Pessou and Shlelds-6
On motion, Mr.. Shields took the chair.
The reading of the minutes was, on mo =
ton, dispensed with.
The following communications were read,
| received, and referred to the Committee on
Streets and Landings:
STREET COMMISSIONERS OFFICE
Room No. tity Han. :
New Orleans, september 3. 1853.
To the Honorable Common Council of the City
of New Or eHl s:
GEHTLEMEN-As the pay roll of my depart.
ment shows an increased expenditure of
S460O over that of last month, | deem it ne
cessary for your information to respectfully
lay before you report of portion of the
extra work which has been done during the
past month, and causing the said increase;
at the same time calling your attention to
the fact that all the work which has been
done on the ballast roads and paved streets
has been so substantially and thoroughly
executed, that the cost of keeping the same
IN repair will be very moderate for the next
tn 'ee years.
On my instaIment in this Office found
IluGIl OF IIlb ClLy WOTh III u DdCkWdTu con-
dition, caused probably by the working force
of this department having been somewhat
reduced; therefore, to get the whole Of the
city work up as it should b., and to do it in
such thorough manner that for lengCh of
time 1t should not require much further ex.
pense, somewhat increased the force, and
although the rainy weather has retarded
work in a certain degree, yet considering
the force under my control, and the very
short time have been in office, permit me
with Difference to say, that large amount
of work has been done, as would be clearly
eXcmphtied on examination by any of your
honorable bodg), and when about thirty
days more have elapsed, | shall be enabled
to reduce my force and expenditures in
large degree, and still keep all the streets in
good condition.
Besides doing all the usual cleaning and
repairing of the streets of the city, the fol.
lowing extra work has been done:
Say in the First and Fourth Districts
Two extra gangs have been employed, work
ing on the Liberty street plank road; a large
portion of the planks have been taken up,
and the parts uncovered converted into a
good serviceable ballast road. The sound
plank taken up has been used to repair the
central part OF the plank road, rendering
that part servieeable, which before was
impassable; the whole Of which has been
done under orders from the honorable Com.
mlttee on streets and Landings.
A large extra gang has been kept steadily
at work in getting the paved streets of the
above districts in good order, all of which
will soon be completed in frstrate condi-
tion.
A new, substantial ballast road has also
been made on Melpomene street, from How.
ard out 10 the dredging machine, and an
extra gang has been employed in the Fourth
District, Wheeling sand from the river for
future use.
In the Second and Third Districts an extra
gang has been employed in repairing the
ballast roads from Canal street to Toulouse,
which were very much out of order, and ali
the intersections of the following streets
with Claiborne have been taken Hp and
substantially repaired, viz: Canal Street,
Customhouse, Blenville, Cont, ST. Louis,
Toulouse, Carondelet Walk, st. Peter, Or
leans and st. Ann streets; besides cleaning
out and grading nearly all the streets back
OF the Fourth Fifth, Sixth Seventh, Eighth
and Ninth Wards. An extra gang has also
been employed in the Third District wheel.
ing sand from the river.
AhThe Third District is the only one in
which the street bridges are under my CON
troll; from that district am glad to say
there are rev or no complaints; but with re.
gard to the street bridges, which are attend.
ed % under contract, regret to say that the
co lplalnts are so numerous that have not
space enough even to mention them; SO ur.
gent have been the Complaints that | have
had to detail gang to do the contractOr,s
work, which will be charged TO his account
for last month. Indeed, as o general rule,
1t may be safely considered that work under
contract 70 never so faithfully done as the
regular city work.
FEARING to trespass too long on your val
liable time, | will conclude with one more
remark, which is, that had any notice been
given to me, or had received the slightest
intimation that large portion of the city
tract, / have every reason to believe that
the city might have saved ter Thousand dol
lars last month ia my department. All Of
which Is respectfully submitted by your
obedient servant,
JOSEPH MURPHY,