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

city: and further, as equal protection
AGAINST overflow from the lake for all the
land on this side of the ridges can be oh
tanned. provided secure locks are placed in
tSa New canal, and also in the Bayou ST.
Jobn. near the ridge, vi hout the levee ON
tba lake shore. as can be with the leyee
completed Therefore, can not perceive
of any actual or pressing necessity for
making this levee. The very heavy ex.
nenditure required to make the levee could
only he iustitiable if equal protection from
overflow could only be obtained for the
lands ON this side of the ridges from the
nroDosed levee alone.
The subject of drainage is equally an alp
important one, that should command the
thoughtful consideration of every one that
desires the welfare OF this city. Therefore.
the proposed plan to place the draining
machines on the lake shore should be well
considered and thoroughly digested, until
there remains not a reasonable doubt as TO
the best plan that can possibly be adopted
before any system be commenced. If an
inuertect and erroneous one be now
adopted, the consequences will be very
serious, and prove fatal to the best inter
est of the city, and injurious to the people
The above plan involves the most fatal mis-.
fake because the important lands between
tbe river and the ridges will be much more
imperfectly drained than even by our pres
emf plan. which is a most wretched and de-
fective system OF drainage; and to ATTEMPT
to drain the lands on this side of the ridge
by machines on the lake shore will be very
expensive, and the most imperfect sys
ten. being simply continuation ard
perp t alton, IN an aggravated form
by the New Orleans Draining
company, which was to place the machines
a considerable distance from the built mn
part OF the city. and to use large canals ~
serve as basins. to hold and conduct To the
machines both the domestic water or sew
age and the rain water. BY having CON
tinued this system as adopted about thirty.
five years ago, the lands have been badly
drained, while the canals which received
the drainage from the city for conveyance
to the machines, have produced a great
nuisance from their terrible stencil, The
section between the river and ridge and the
two navigabe canals has the machine To-
Gated at Hagan avenue and the Old canal
the first principal canal receiving the drain
age from the street cutters is in Galvez
street from here by the canal in the CEN
tire of Canal street and various tortuons
routes, both the domestic and rain waters
have 10 md their way to the draining ma
chine the consequence has been that the
dirt and filth carried by the cutters de-
posts in the various canals, rapidly filling
them up. DESTROYING their capacity to hold
the rain water during the heavy
showers. for which purpose they were
originally dug Now, if the machines should
be placed en the lake shore, it follows as
natural consequence that all the evils expe-
rienced from defective drainage in this Sec
tiol will be greatly aggravated, in fact
more than doubled. The distance from Gal.
vez street canal to Hagan avenue, and hence
from Canal street to the draining machine. is
about 1900 yards; with the machines on the
loI,a sI,r l..a.
greater than to the machine at Hagan ave-
nue.. and as the defective drainage in this
section has been caused by the machine
having been placed too far from the city,
the proposed drainage of the lands on this
side the ridge for their Improvement, by
placing the machines on the lake shore, ap-
pears to be incorrect.
And now remark or two with re-
spect to what appears the most feas-
IDLE, simple and economical system
for a complete and thorough drainage.
Any system, to produce something like
perfect drainage, must comprehend the self
evident fact that we have q city, and large
one. to drain. as well as the vacant lands,
and that this large city is ever and con-
tinuOusly producing large quantity of
feculent matter, which is regularly carried
by the gutter to the first cross canal; hence
the drainage of city like this should be
and must be different from the drainage of
plantation if any good results are TO ac-
crue. The city has been heretofore and is
still drained as if it were only plantation,
there having been no distinction between
the two systems; the most fearful eonse-
quences have followed, and owing to that
very simple fact the prosperity and advan-
cement of the city has been completely
checked.
The system which probably will eventual
iy be adopted provides for the removal of the
feculent matter carried by the cutters into
the first cross canal, in the SECTION before
named; this is Galvez street canal. Drain
ing power would be applied at this canal to
remove all the drainage carried by the gut
tiers into this canal as fast as delivered by
the cutters and that only during heavy
rains would any of the drainage from the
city pass beyond the first canal; hence, dur
ing the time between the heavy rains all
the feculent matter and the domestic water
would be taken from the canal and raised
sufficient height to flow through moderate
sized tubes to the most suitable place for
discharging it. and the plan cOmprehends |
having large amount of draining power in
reserve and always ready at the time OF
heavy rains TO drain the water out as fast
as it falls. by which arrangement the large
draining canals can be gradually dispensed
with. and only moderate width canals or
drains will be required; these running
across the section from the New to the Old
canal neither the canal in the centre of
Canal street or culverts on the side of said
street would be required The change from
the present system to the one have imper-
fectly mentioned would be gradual and the
expense moderate.
But drainage on the plan of taking the
feculent matter and domestic water from
Galvez street canal could be at once applied
there at moderate outlay of money, and
immediate relief for this filthy section
would be secured,
/ regret that in the foregoing sketch
have not been able to make the matter as
clear and distinct as / could have desired.
GEORGE NJ. LONGACRE,
No. III Bienville street, New Orleans.
l coincide with the above.
nJ-nH