New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-04-28

1ov0o boI4Wstho city 81 sNo&t z 80 ~
1 81 tho Me4siriO Ridge, thirty !.
i iyo vida BY twelve DEEP NJ
toen and half cubic yarde....: 1890
q, 120 lineaI feet Of canal and
1evee below the city ard south Of
Metairie Ridge; forty wide and
twelve deep. eighteen cubic .ao ,.o
s,6co fsst Il canal and md ievse aions
FishermAn's canal, lower limits,
thirty wide by ten deep, eleven - -.
. o a4S ii SssGs fset canal and ievee w
along lake shore, sixty-hve loot
canal and one hundred foot
levee. O<1,<UV
Total. 81, 6sl, $40
csvstinr. al fifty cents. 2a,7eo
Total cost of canal and levees. 81 ,s34, AGO
A. The above estimate comprises seventeen
miles of reservoir canals and protection
levees, and eleven miles of river front, in
closing an area of &c, 026 acres, or 1, l3S, 692,
$50 superficial feet, over which area rain
fall of three inches would place 283, 423, lao
cubic feet of water on the land, which
five times the capacity Of the present six
wheels now in use, to discharge the rain fall
in ten hours, which machinery would prob
ably cost $45O, 900, and should be capable of
lifting seventeen feet.
The capacity of the canals, as proposed,
would be about Al. l94,l70 cubic feet The
capacity of the present draining canals,
and new ones as proposed, to be about
$4,000, 600 cubic feet, making total reser-
Should the lake levee be located q suf6-
Gent distance in from the lake shore to pro-
tect it from the heavy seas istill some light
facing would be required to prevent wash
ing), about four hundred acres would be
absorbed for canal and levee, and leaving
an unsightly shore outside. would recon-
mend, If . lake levee be built, that it be
placed as far as possible out in the lake,
and riveted permanently; the cost Of which,
for 1900 feet of iron revetment would be,
at $22 50 per lineal foot complete, $420, 75O.
Relative to the cost of excavating, my ex-
perience is in prairie lands. Canals of thirty
feet width. ten feet deep, can be excavated
with dredges for twenty ive cents per cubic
yard; in swamp timber land, the cost has
been thirty.fve to thirty eight cents per
cubic yard. Canals thirty-6ve feet wide,
eight to ten feet deep. ja llt
The annual cost of running the six pro-
posed pumping engines would not exceed
SOS, 600 per annum, including fuel, engiA-
In my opinion thorough system of open
drains, with adequate machinery capable of
draining the proposed inclOsed area of
26,O26 acres, should not exceed in cost
100000 Te.. i..l
Considerable reduction of area might be
made by adopting the Metairie Ridge as the
rear limit Of drainage, the estimate Of
which system have not been able to pre-
pare yet.
Upon examination of the report on the
proposed system of drainage Of First Drain
ing District, by Major G. T. Beauregard,
then chief engineer of said district, find
he estimates the cost of retaining per acre
at $98 SO, but proposes levee along the
lake shore, entirely inadequate to protect
the lands. Accepting his estimate as to the
cost of retaining one acre, this would
place the cost Of draining 26,026 acres at
The proposed area to be inclosed between
the ridge and lake would be about 1918
acres. Accompanying this report flor which
SO short q time has been allOwed) find
sketches of proposed canals, prOiles of
levees and plat of inclosed area; also re-
port on drainage by General Beauregard
and two contracts for excavating canals.
All of which is respectfully submitted,
w. H. BELL, City Surveyor.
(ExHIBIT B.i
COST OF DRAINAGE COMMISSIONERS CANALS.
NEW ORLEANS, April IA, 1871.
Hon. BENZ F. Flanders, Mayor
SIR have the honor to say in reply to
your note of this date asking for state
ment of the cost Of drainage canals made
by the Board of Commissioners, that the
document handed you included the cost of
coal and wood used for the running of the
dredge boats; the pay of the engineer, all
his assistants, and every item expended in
the prosecution of digging the canals; also,
the cost of the dredge boat. Annexed is a
amounting to $1l6,0N II; lifting 42l ,283
cubic yards of earth, costing q 78-lO0 cents
per cubic yard.
This statement does not include the
salary of the secretary, superintendent and
Office expenses, which do not exceed $500 a
month.
Very respectfully,
WILLIAM T. MAYO,
Secretary Board of Commissioners, Second
Draining District.
COST OF EXCAVATIONS BIZ COMMISSIONERS
OF SECOND DRAINING DISTRICT.
In 1S6O-Melpomene canal, from Mel
pomene draining machine to TOleda no
street; twenty-eight feet at top, twenty.
four feet at bottom, three feet deep, five
thousand two hundred and seventy feet in
and fifty cubic yards, costing 81, 497 q, say
"a 66-l00 cents per cubic yard. :
In l861-Toledan0 canal, from Claiborne
canal to CarrOlltOn avenue; cleaning out
the same, twelve feet wide at top, six feet
wide at bottom, and one foot lower than the
natural surface of the swamp; twenty-six
acres, costing Sis an acre; also four acres
of discharging canal at 1875 per acre, with
other necessary work on the bank of this
| In 1862 to l864-Claib0rne canal, from
T0ledano street to CarrOllton avenue,
parallel to Mississippi river; forty-f feet
wide at top, eight feet deep, seventeen
thousand six hundred and thirty feet
long, say two hundred and thirty-one thou
sand two hundred and twenty-seven cubic
yards of excavation, costing al, 1873 80,
which is 20 $40 cents per cubic yard.
In 1865 and l866-The Dublin canal, from
Tenth street in Carrollton to the new canal
Julia street,; thirty five feet wide. eight
yards Of. excavation, costing $4,000 96,
which is 30 $40 cents per cubic yard.
In 1867-The Fourteenth street canal in
Carrollt0n, from the draining machine to
the upper line of Carrollton; thirty-five feet
wide, eight feet deep, 500 feet long, say
54,570 cubic yards Of excavation, costing
$18,306 20, which is 1914 cents per cubic
yard. ~ -
In l868-The Peters avenue canal; thirty
five feet wide, eight feet deep, 200 feet long,
costing 81 4-l0 cents per cubic yard.
In 1869 and 1850-Upperline canal, from
Fourteenth street to Metairie ridge, costing
81 40 cents per cubic yard. l.
The average cost of excavatins per square
yard is twenty-eight cents. Vi.
hnrohv corfifv nm INV honor fh NJ tho