The morning star and Catholic messenger. [volume] (New Orleans [La.]) 1868-1881, 1871-07-02
The Levee.

INC LoVeo.
The grand question of the day in NUM-
cipat politics is whether there shall be 9
levee built to include the whole limits o.
the city or not. Indeed, the project SO vehe.
mently pushed includes portion of Jeffer.
son parish. The levee is to commences a,
CarroiltoD, go to the lake somewhat upon
the line of the old Carrollton and Lake
Railroad, thence follow the lake shore te
the intersection of the lower line of the
parish of Orleans, and then follow that
line, or an adjacent one, to the river. This
Is work which would involve the ex.
penditure of at least three millions of dol
lars and consume long time in its con-
struction.
This scheme made grand and glorious
eHtrec upon the arena of public attention
some time ago amid great fourishing OF
newspaper trumpets. It was distinctly
asserted that every body was in favor of it,
that is. everybody who know anything
were all agreed.
Somehow or other, though, these civil
engineers have been unluckily called on
to give their opinions in black and white,
and their published communications give a
very different aspect to the case. They
pretty we'll agree that no such work is
necessary, or will be for many years to
come, as a protection against the lake. Its
overfiows will never be able to pass the
ridges which protect the city. Whenever
the space included between those ridges
and the river shall have been populated to
certain extent, then it may become adj
visable to reclaim the wild swamp which
now holds harmless sway from ridge to
lake.
Almost the only thing now needed for
the protection of the city is to keep up the
banks OF the various canals leading through
the ridges, and this work will have to be
done, even though the grand lake levee
were build.
This being the case, does it not look like
trifiing with the patience of the people to
propose an enormous scheme of unneces-
sary improvement, which may be perfectly
well dispensed with for perhaps ten years
to comet But, they say, it is economy;
the whole can be drained then just as
easily as part. On he~contrary, very
eminent men, like Mr.D'Hemecourt and
Gen. Beauregard say that the distance from
river to lake is too far to be drained in one
section. thought to be divided, as nature
has divided it, in two sections, one on each
side Of the ridge. The water should have
a fall, by the time it reaches the ridge,
fully as great as the whole fall from river
to lake. 1t ought to be lifted there by ma
chinery, and recommence its fall to the
lake. This would give sufficient rapidity
of descent to the drainage on both sides to
run off the water in the heaviest rains, if
we'll pumped.
The scheme was we'll laid, however, and
was rushed onward with such hurra of
newspapers that it came near going through
before sleepy public knew what it all
meant. Mayor Flanders, however, put in
fortunate veto at the right moment, for
which he deserves the thanks of the COM
munity, and the whole project may be con-
sidered fairly stranded. 1t was not bad
idea, though, and indeed something of the
kind will have to be done some of these
days, not as necessity but as an improve
ment and means of expansion. But we
have no money now fo- anything but what
is strictly necessary, and scarcely enough
for that, as it appears.