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

city OF New Orleans.
In 1858 the Legislature passed Law 70
II The purpose Of draining and reolsiming tb
swamp lands IN the parishes Of Orleans ant
Jefferson, and dividing these lands int
three districts, as foiioWss@l
First District, all lands within the river
julia street, New Cana, Lake Pontchar
train, Bayou st. John. Csrondelet Cana
and st. Peter street. go
Second District, all lands within the riv
/ er, Julia street, Mobile Landing, New Canal
Lake Pontchartrain Jefferson and Pontch
artrain Railroad to the river bank.
Third District, al lands within the river
st. Peter street, CANAL Carondelet, Bayou
81 John Lake Pontchartrein, Lafayette
Avenue, to the river bank. 1lv
| Each of these districts has d Board Of five
commissioners Entrusted with the carrying
out the objects contsnplated by the law
| within their respective districts.
~ The work ist TO be completed within ten
years from 1881 and the Commissioners are
complete drainsge of.each sectlon.oi7sa
Had the Lawmakers been conversant with
the Localities, and The value Of the lands in
| tended to be reclaimed, that clause forbid.
| ding the expenditure Of over $3.50 900 would
never have been inserted in the law, aud
the boundaries of the several districts would
have been otherwise arranged.
In consequence of the limit to expendi-
ture, and ss the area, confguration and IA
cllities for drainage are not equal in each
district, the problem to solve by the Com
missioners is rendered very difficult. In the
First and Second Districts they went brave
~ and headlong to work; In the Third Dis
trict they wisely stopped after the first step.
Let us see what has been accomplished
up to the present day.
FIRST DRAINING DISTRICT.
This district contains an area OF nearly
500 acres, divided into two separate sec
tons by the Metairie Ridge. One section is
bounded by the river, JULIA street, the New
Canal, the Metairie Ridge, Bayou st. John,
Canal Carondelet, and st. Peter street, and
is one Of the best improved portions Of this
city. AZ ,gs.sgss lss,, Il sTCI n
The other section covers the land be-
tween the Metairie Ridge, Lake Pontchar-
rain, the New Canal and Bayou st. John,
having an area of about 800 acres, nearly
all of which is swamp.
The first Of these sections (1700 acres in
extent has been drained and cleared since
1850. by the New Orleans Draining Com.
pany, at cost TO the property owners of
1927 900; it was provided with numerous
canals and reservoirs, and has draining
machine on Hagan Avenue, between Bien-
vine and Cont streets. The drainage of
bulo bCCbAOul M4llCn khN6 Iull btblb-
faction to its Inhabitants, has been very
much neglected since its transfer to the
city. For this reason, and on account of
the numerous improvements made since
eighteen years, in the shape Of buildings,
pavements and baDquettes, the engines and
canals are no longer adequate to perform
the task required. No work has been done
on this section except to collect taxes for
the intendeddrainage.3 TltEa
The Commissioners haun dnvOfn6 fhair
attention to the second section, nearly all
swamp, but yet very little has been accom-
plished. Two canals on Taylor and Harri-
son avenues have been dug; another Of
about seventeen acres long, on the center of
Orleans street, is in progress. The amount
expended up to the present time for the
drainage of the First District can not exceed
$40, 600. .,.. s.-. .......
The Commissioners, from want of proper
advice, or of practical knowledge, wherever
they assumed the direction and control Of
the work, seemed not to have understood
the task before them.
The drainage of large city like ours ia
OF two different kinds, and the cost of each
is vastly different.
the uninhabited or rural portion does not
require as much work at the urban portion
because the land, being open and porous,
absorbs the rain water in large amount, and
the combined action of the sun and wind
soon evaporates and dries up what remains
on the surface. n 1fR NsF } tE Alt y
The inhabited or urban portion is Just the
reverse; the soil there is covered with build
ings, the yards are bricked or tagged, the
streets paved and lined with banquettes,
whose cutters will carry the rain or the
domestic water. into the draining canals as
fast as they reach them.
From the preceding description you will
perceive at once that distinction must be
made between the different sections com.
posing draining district; in the rural sec.
tions y surrounding levee and few bitches
are all that Is REQUIRED for good drainage;
in the urban sections, beside levees, which
are always necessary to keep off the sur
rounding waters, numerous canals and res
ervoirs, large enough to receive the greatest
food without OVERLOOKING their banks, are
required, and also the aid ofpowerful drain
ing machines to remove the water as fast as
1t accumulates in the reservoirs.
If the Draining Commissioners had taken
this view of the subject. which is the only
rational one, their task would have been
much easier, and the cost of drainage OF the
swamps between the lake and the Metairie
Ridge could have been reduced to less than
one.fourth of the present price.
fear that the Commissioners undertake
ing will prove to be q failure, aud my rea-
sons for this fear are as follows:
EHbb-1AGJ thdlBC lie WuOlo III
the rate of three and three.tenths mills per
superficial foot, which brings the whole cost
of drainage for the First Draining District
to $776,642, instead of $780, 900, which ought
to be the maximum cost, as contemplated
by the law OF 1865.
Second-The tax of $40 mills per SUI
pericisl foot brings the cost of drainage for
every square Of ground of 300 feet, whether
swamp or highly improved, to f$297., The
oWnara 0f the auamO lots which bord1u
worth one-ffth of the amount claimed, will
not be able to pay it, and should the COM
missioners be able to accomplish their work,
this property would not sell at forced sale
for one-haf Of the amount claimed. ~
Third-The property owners in that part
of the district comprised within the Metairie
Ridge, New Cana, Bayou st, John, Claiborne
once 1921, 600 to the New Orleans Draining
Company for their drainage, will resist the
payment of an additional sum OF $244 ,371
levied upon them by the First District COM
missioners for similar purpose.
Fourth-The best and most valuable por.
ton of the first draining district lies be-
tween the river, Julia, Claiborne and st.
Peter streets and has an area Of about 600
throughout the whole district, the contri-
button for this part will amount to $50, 24s,
and excepting the amount which may be
paid by few Ignorant persons in the other
sections, will form the only available means
of the first draining commissioners for de-
frsying the expense of draining system
contemplated upon the receipt of S167, 642.
Having demonstrated the impossibility
for the Commissioners of the First Draining
District 70, complete their undertaking, let
Us see whether IL would not be possible by
combined action with the city Of New Or
leans to accomplish an Improvement SO i'm
portant to the welfare of our citizens, and /
think the following plan will answer the
purppse:e c b 100 q B. p Hp@
win maintain the division of the whole