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

and permanent as 70 De able to resfa3 q,
action of weather and water under all a ~
| cumstances. asF 2ts ttst5 ftkt ~
The eight feet of embankment wall ~,
produced above the original surface of ~. ~
ground to be well backed up by the r suc
terial excavated from the trench. ana 10
other materials obtained for this purnosyy
whereupon you will haxe a levee OF amri.
dimensions and of sufficient strength ~
resist effectually any force Of waters IkeiU
to be brought against it.
That portion of the timber plankinp h
meath the ground will not decay, while tba,
mart of the exterior planking exposed ~
the weather will endure until the copcress
behind it requires no further assistance foe
it's support Iron revetments for this mn
pose. exposed to weather and salt water
would last but little longer than wood
while costing more per lineal feot than ths
entire levee proposed by the plan above
described.
I will construct levee of the characte,
herein described, and give ample securitv
for its completion, the said levee to he
twenty Thousand lineal feet in length. for
the sum of three hundred and forty-s;r
thousand dollars, and / will Furthermore
guarantee to keep the same in perfec. re.
pair tor the sum OF twelve thousand dol
lars per annum.
A further expenditure of one hundred
and fifty thousand dollars is, believe
amply sufficient to build all the levees 70,
Ouired for the upper and lower lines con-
meeting the Mississippi with the lake line
and twenty thousand dollars per annum.
when properly applied, is sufficient TO keen
all the said leuees in perfect repair, and
thus secure the city from overflow from
waters beyond the levees.
A very wide levee, with shellroad and
railroad. promenade and parallel canal.
would look very we'll on paper, but of what
earthly use seventeen miles of shellroad,
making three quarters the circuit Of the
city, out in the swamps and along the lake
shore. can be for the public good. is more
than can possibly comprehend. The pub
lie convenience does not at present require
such a road, and as place Of resort for
pleasure il would be an expensive luxury.
It would necessarily have to be lighted up
at night, and protected by a strong police
force as experience with such roads else
where in the neighborhood of large cities
sufficiently demonstrates. 1t would be far
better to improve the condition OF existing
roads and SO regulate their irregularities Of
grade as to insure a more perfect drainage
during sudden and heavy rains, than to
build new roads which are not required for
the accommodation of the public traffic.
am still further puzzled to comprehend
the necessity for twenty thousand Eneal
feet of canal inside the levee and along the
lake shore, as proposed by the City Sur
veyor. As there would be little or no cur
rent through this canal. it would require a
and expensive outlay OF money TO
keep it in repair and free from alluvial de-
posits. As a temporary reservoir Tor the
of large quantities of water
caused by heavy rains, it would be TO some
extent useful; but the money which il would
cost could be much more judiciously ex-
pended i'll keeping the existing canals per-
tectly free from the Accommodations which
so much impede the currents of water
and in further providing other
canals which are absolutely required 10 per-
feet your system of drainage. If proper
pumping engines are provided for keeping
the area comprised within the ievee from
water caused by rain fails, the canals which
convey the water thereto will afford all the
temporary reservoir that is needed for the
retention of the waters which may suddenly
fall.
The existing pumping devices used by
the city are a nuisance, and far behind the
age in engineering appliances adopted else
where Tor the accomplishment OF ike pur-
poses. They remind me of a man bailing
water from pond by means OF bucket
to the end of long pole, while be
handles the opposite end, ard thereby
makes himself the fulcrum. If the City
Council will advertise for proposals they
will find no difficulty in finding responsible
parties who will, for a compensation tIifing
as compared with that at present expended,
furnish their own machinery and pump this
city so dry, and SO keep it, that persons who
require wells will be compelled to dig deep
TO lind water.
In concluding the brief suggestions herein
made would venture to assert that | be-
ieve you would find great difficulty in pro-
.ectlng and preserving levee advanced
nto the lake." and provided with perpen-
iicular revetments as proposed. | have
Dracticed civil engineering with but little
Interruption for the last thirty years. and
nave studied nearly all the important works
IN the subject, have visited and examined
he most important public works in this
the West Indies and in Europe,
put l have yet to learn the new theory ad-
RANGED by the Surveyor that experience
las proved that long sloping beaches require
evees of double the height of those pro-
Ilded with revetments. An instance with
ShIch many of the prominent citizens OF
his city are familiar and to whom can re-
er, proves the very contrary of the Survey
'r's theory.
The Moro Castle at the entrance to the
larbor OF Havana stands boldly against the
.eep waters OF the gull stream, and al
hough more than eighty feet elevation,
AVE seen its summit inundated with the
waters of the gulf during violent wind,
While the waters upon the opposite shore
expended their fury and force by the trac-
ION and friction of a sloping beach, without
ven sprinkEng the street of only ten feet
levatlon above the water of the gulf, and
aiming closely parallel Herewith
L. j. OLMSTEAD,
Civil Engineer.