New Orleans Republican., 1868-05-07
new ORLEANS lRfP6BIIlCAN 4 ,TlHURsD MAY n I8s8


with banking privileges, il demanded
9itid pro quo. Il declared (but It was per
haps demanding too much Of a banking
cofopaay, since all banking companies
have q paramount regard TO their own in
tereats, that for the benefits conferred 1t
mnst have an equivalent No city required
q plentiful supply Of pure, heaithful water
more than New Orleans. Bordering on the
sun the greater part OF the year, 1t needed
an abundance of water for the extinguish-
ment of tres, for culinary purposes, for
health, refreshment, comfort and cieanli-
ness. II the petitioners asking an act of
incorporation with banking privileges
would pledge themselves to confer this
great benefit on the citizens ofNew Orleans,
wise. They did 30 pledge themselves; but
how did they redeem their obligations?
Only in so lsft-handed and partial
a way that II is nothing but a
proyocation to speak of it. wish not
to enter into q history Of the past with its
gross disregard OF the interests and necessi.
tiesof this great and growing population,
and the iitigations which that negligence
provoked, as it would serve only to revive
unpleasant memories. II is sufficient to
say that the corporation mas not supplied
us with pure wafer in cur dwellings; that it
has not furnished us with suficiency of
water for the extinguishment of fires, both
of which it promised to do; that its distri.
buttons Of a supply Of water have been eX-
ceedingly partial and to crown all, that it
has had the modesty and extremely nice
senee OF Justice to complain, because when
1t pledged itself lin consideration of the
benefits conferred on iU to supply the city
with water, free Of cost, that we have not
paid for it..
eAs q matter of history" says Mr.. Laba.
tut President of the Company, in his report
tor the year 1867, ''it is proper to state that
at the date of our charter, owing to the exis-
tence of popular,Opposition to banking insti-
tutions the obligation OF supplying the city
for said purposes ii. c. tor street and fire pur-
pOses) was forced upon US by the Legisla-
ture, but had we then known what expert
ence has since taught u, am satisfied that
we would never have assumed that burden,
has considerably paralyzed our 9TH
erwise certain prosperity.
''Were the city seasonably to decline
waving the privilege aud cOnsenting to
indemnity US in future, will advise as q
vital element of administration that we
should remain in Stdtu quo, suspend all i'm
prOyements or works, except such as may be
necessary to keep up a proper order, dlmin-
ish the number and pay of our employees,
and distribute among YOU the large amounts
NsAANA W%9S WOAAN " ~R-
plied.r ... a.r
As a matter of history, on the
contrary, I think it would be more proper
to say chat at the time the com.
pany applied for a charter, the Legislature
was surfeited with banks, and would not
willingly have added another to the list,
had not the company, for the privileges So
licited, 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
constituted the very consideration for
which the charter was given. 1t is fortu-
nate that under that instrument the city is
invested with the power, by purchase, of
taking the Waterworks out of the hands Of
a company which, when this great city is
clamoring for plentiful supply of the life
giving element, is disposed, as its President
states, to remain stdtu quo and to make no
improvements. This is an age of progress,
and beyond all doubt, now that we have
possession of these works, 1t is necessary
that we should address ourselves with earn
estness to the task of making them a real
blessing to the community. TO this end
many changes and improvements in the
present system win 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 a noble Indifference
TO cost and a thorough disregard Of obsta
cles to be overcome, have done to supply
their inhabitants with pure water, and
plenty of IT, we should have had great cause
for surprise that New Orleans, with heg
ha
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 a company, which has singulariy
disregarded, not merely her interests, but
her actual necessities.
She is now free from this serious ineum-
hrance, 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
turn to her sister American cities for Yalua-
BILE precedents, and be encouraged by their
example.
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
in 1883 till the celebrated
Fairmount WaterwoTks were completed.
Those who have visited these works, and
have examined the powerful machinery
to carry up the waters from the
Schuylkill, by nearly perpendicular ascent
upward, of q 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 cosi Of ali the
works, from 1872 to 1859, is said to have
been three millions twohundred 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
1887, aud were five years in building. The
whole cost OF these stupendons works,
including interest and commissions, was
twelve and half millions. The water is
conveyed forty and half miles from its
source at the Oroton 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
eity of Boston is supplied with water from
Lake COchituate, by aqueduct, nineteen
and e half miles to the fountain on Boston
common, and twenty-thFee and half miles
to the reservoir at East Boston. The work
was commenced August 20, 1916, and water
was first admitted into the public fountain
October 25 lS45. The quantity of water
calculated upon as necessary to be provided
WAS seven millions two hundred and fifty
thousand gallons, being twenty-eight and a
half gallons per day for each person Of 8
future population of two hundred and fifty
thousand inhabltants. 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
1858, after dedueting the water rents, was