New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-06-21


driven into the sand and iron facngs to
levee outside the lake shore in the water.
Mr.. Cockrem: Before tbs work is com
menced it is desired that the Council SHOULD
in consultation decide whether the leve'
should be made in the lake or out.
The Mayor: think the Administrator OF
Public Accounts (Mr. Shaw misunder
stood the purport of my question. The frs
ordinance passed by the Council on thii
subject gave authority to three members O
the Council to point out where all work en-
tered upon by this company should be dene
The present resolution takes all power Out
of the hands of this committee and gives il
to the Administrator of Improvements and
a man outside the Council altogether, the
Surveyor. The Mayor is as urgent for a
protection levee as any member Of this
Council. The question with me is where
the levee should be put; but this resolution
fixes it out in the lake, because that is
the plan of the Surveyor.
Mr.. Cockrem said the Surveyor had other
plans which could be adopted by the
Council
Mr.. Bonzano did not see why there should
be any change in the reference originally
made.
| The Mayor: Let me state to the Council
exactly how the matter stands. There was
opposition on the part of myself and one or
two Administrators to the original ordinance
accepting this contract with the Mexican
Gulf Canal Company, made for us by the
Legislature. That opposition was over
ruled, and an ordinance was passed, fixing
who were to direct the company where to
| commence, to-wit: the Administrator of
Finance, the Administrator of Improve
ments and the Mayor. immediately
upon the passage of that ordinance
over the Mayors veto, called upon the
Surveyor to point out where it was most
necessary to put the company to work, and
after taking the Surveyors advice, the COM
mittee reported to the Council whcre they
had put the company to work. Now, there
is other and more extensive work to be
done, and this resolution says that the Adj
veyor alone shall direct it,
Mr. Cockrem said this resolution was ex-
actly in accordance with the resolution or,
ganizing the Committee on Drainage.
After further desultory discussion, the
yeas and nays were called.
Administrators Cockrem and Shaw voted
yea.
Mr.. Delassize said: am in favor of the
levee if it is not in the lake. If it is not in
the lake | vote yes; if to the contrary. no.
Mr.. Remick and Mr.. Lewis voted yea.
Mr.. Walton: l understand that the law
cOmpels us to have this work done, and to
have it done by this company There is no
discretion about it. A protection levee |
was always in favor of. As TO the place
where it ought to be put down, and the
mode of construction, don't suppose |
could come any nearer to an intelligent de-
cision if l were to study the question for
months. don't think can be determined
till the thing is done, which would be the
best course. l vote yea.
Mr.. Bonzano also voted yea.
The Mayor obtained leave, in connection
with the decision just taken, to publish the
replies of prominent engineers and citizens
whom he had addressed on this subject
They are as follows:
Opinions of Engineers and Citizens.
NRw ORLEANS MOBILE AND TEXAS RAuRoAp)
Engineers Office, )
New Orleans, Jnne II, 1871.
BENZ. F. Flanders ESQ, Mayor of the city of New
Orleans:
Your communication of the thirteenth in
slant, asking for an expression of my views
relative TO what should be done to protect
the city of New Orleans from overflow, is
received.
The limited period allowed for reply,
and the pressure of other duties, prevent
my devoting the necessary time to the
study of the subject which its Importance
demands, particularly as regards the ques-
ton of cost. Estimates of cost can only be
made after obtaining reliable data, by
means of surveys, levels, measurements,
ETC., and these are not at my command.
shall therefore not attempt to give esti-
mates of cost
Protection from overflow is an unavoida-
BILE necessity to New Orleans, and will al
WAYS be so. Therefore it seems to me that |
some general and reliable plan for perma-
nent and reliable protection should be de-
cided upon and adopted Immediately, even
if it takes several years, or decade, to
compete III. we SHOulu nave Il pIdn OF the |
work to be done, an end always in view,
and then there will be chance that some
of us will live to see it accomplished. Here |
tofore we have had no plant has always |
been system of patchwork, of Temporal
ry expedients, etc, poorly devised and i'm !
perfectly executed, and altogether I'M
worthy of great city like New Orleans |
| think that the plan to be adopted should |
be such as to include not only the present
built up portions of the city, but such ex-
tensions also as are probable within the next |
generation. ........
The plan recommended by the committee |
of engineers, appointed about three years
ago to devise such system of protection |
and drainage, is substantially the same as
that now offered by City Surveyor Bell | |
see no reason to change the views then ex-
pressed by me in favor of the general plan |
then decided upon for a protection levee,
and therefore | now repeat that am in |
favor of Surveyor Bells plan to build such
alevee, and of building the lake shore por-
ton of it in the edge of the lake itself.
While City Surveyor of New Orleans, in
1866 | advocated the building of a ievee in
the edge of the lake, from the New canal to
the POntchartrain railroad. see no good
reason to doubt the practicability of con-
structing and maintaining such levee as
Mr. Bell proposes, and l agree with him
that the best location for it would be in the
OF course it would be necessary to protect
the levee with q revetment of timber and |
planking, or of iron, supported and stayed
by timber pillng. Iron piles and plates, if |
made OF hard, fine-grained grey or white
cast iron, will not be injured, appreciably,
by the water of the lake, whether fresh.
brackish or salt. Docs