New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-07-18

| swamp and marsh, and thereby effectuall,
drain the city. Then, with the dyke EN-
| bankment on the lake shore, preventing &
! back overflow from the lake when the gull
is unusually high, the swamp and marshes
would then be cultivated, thus increasing the
| rapidity of drainage.
The following details will explain the
process. IT it were possible to clear the
country, including the swamps, from the
mouth of the Ohio to New Orleans. of
every tree and all underground, then with
perfect system of connecting levees to
contine the waters of the Mississippi within
banks, and by ditching and leveeing the
swamp lands to exclude the influx of back
waters, overfiows ana inundations would
soon disappear, as if by enchantment; and
the length aud breadth of the Mississippi
valley would soon be ready for the plow
and cultivation. Prairies, plains and allu-
vial countries, free from trees and under
growth (which always attract heavy falls
OF raln), are exempt from all tendencies to
high waters and floods.
DRAINING OF THE SWAMP BETWEEN THE
CITY AND LAKE.
Along the upper line and near the edge of
the swamp in the direction of the lake, be-
ginning at its intersection with the cross
canal along the rear line of the city, at
points six hundred feet apart along said
upper line. cut cross section trenches ex-
tending to within six hundred feet of the
lake, from four to five feet depth below the
surface OF the swamp, intersecting the New
Orleans and Lake canal, New Orleans
canal, Bayou st. John and lower swamp
line. These cross section trenches to have
slopes Of one in two hundred in the direc-
ton of their intersections with the aforesaid
canals leading to the lake. The process of
draining the city, its suburbs, and of re-
claiming the intervening swamp lands hav-
ing been indicated. the method of discharg-
ing the drainage water thus collected into
the lake reservoir, by means of steam lifting
pump machinery, driven by powerful en-
gines will now be explained
DRAINAGE AND DISCHARGE OF WATERS BY
STEAM LIFTING PUMP AND MACHINERY.
Steam machinery has been most success
drainage purposes. The power and ex-
pense requisite to drain thoroughly an area
OF given extent, below the level of natural
drainage, by removing the waters within,
by pumping machinery, and discharging
them over dyke embankments, the height
to which the water must be raised being
known, is easily ascertained. Estimating
an average of thirty inches annual fall Of
rain, including permeating water, with
moderate allowance of evaporation, there
would be about pa inches of water to be
as maximum on every square yard of
surface.
A steam engine of 100 horse power |could
each month raise to the same height, and
discharge in 232 hours the water from an
area of square miles. The drainage of the
Harlem Lake" in Holland, begun in 1889,
was gigantic operation of this class; from
an area of 20 square miles of 1234 depth
of water situated below the level of natural
drainage, it was required TO raise the water
to the height of l6 feet and to an estimated
amount OF 3,500,000 tons per month An
enormous steam engine was constructed in
London for working eleven pumps each of
80 inches diameter and 10 feet stroke The
maximum capacity of all which was to
raise ITO tons of water, 10 feet each stroke
These works set around the circular tower
which contained the collosal engine, and
from the upper portion of which the balance
beams radiated, one for each pump, they
,aised in actual work 66 tons per stroke,
iischaring the water in large canal 80
miles, in length and 100 feet in width, which
lad been previously constructed around the
lrea. Two other similar engines were ap-
Dlied to the said work, and the pumping
continued from May, 1S4S, to July, 1862.
Then the lake was thoroughly drained, and
he lands We're ready to be divided out for
'ale.