New Orleans Republican., 1872-08-14

foundry men, charging that ''the specifca-
tions for estimates were so drawn up as to
effectdaIly exclude all competition ,exceptby
those who possessed information not acces-
sible to them" beg leave to quote from the
evidence of City Surveyor Bell, taken when
the Injunction suit of William GOlding was
before the Eighth District Court:
II have read the proposals and specifca-
tions referred to in the petition on file in
this case. They are not drawn in vague
and indefinite manner, but are sufficiently
explicit to enable any party understanding
the business to know the quality and
amount in weight and thickness Of the
material to be used in the work called for
The evidence of Colonel Armstrong, G. B.
Churchill and P. s. FayssOux is fully cor
robOratiye of that Of Mr. Bell.
The machinery as provided for in the or
dinance now before the Council is what is
required by our city, taking into considera-
ton future as well as present wants.
Through it, after the necessary extension
of pipe is made, the people will realize
abundance of water with pressure n6Ces-
sary for its delivery in the upper story Of
the highest dwellings, with the utilization
of public and private hydrants for fire ex-
tinguishing and other equally useful pur-
poses. Under its operation, the water rates
will be put down at least one-half, on aC-
count Of its economy in running, and the
| item of saving in insurance alone will more
! than cover the remaining half; besides, the
works will pay running expenses and inter
est, and leave margin for the gradual ex-
| tinction Of the debt.
In pressing the matter Of providing for
! our people a waterwOrks worthy the name,
! | have been solely influenced by cOnsidera-
! tions for the public welfare. particularly
! desire to have the Improvement and eXten-
| sion undertaken by the city, the lease or
| sale Of the waterwOrks being, in my esti-
nation, prejudiCial to its true interest, our
| present deplOTable condition as to water
! supply being the offspring Of mistaken
| policy in time past, in surrendGrDg to a
! private corporation that which should never
| be controlled save by municipal authority.
| During the past month the laying OF 3O6S
feet OF eight-inch iron pipe on E5planade
| street was completed. This pipe takes the
! place of cement pipe, which had become in
| a measure useless. There was also 900 feet
Of fOur-inCh pipe laid connecting the main
| pipe with nineteen fire hydrants; two eight
inch and one foUr-inch stOp-cOCks were also
| placed
The collections for water rents, etc.,
| during the past month were as follows:
| First District. Observation-Disclosures. $2458 03
Second and Third Districts. 1l39 55
Total. ..........:.............. 1857 s.
Labor and old iron................ 81 o3
TotaI........................$ $685. Al
Number of hours worked at
pumps. .,':....:. ...':....; 1904
Number of barrels of coal cons
sumed. :..................;. 2IEU I<U
Number Of gallons water pumped lJ7, l1O,O'U
INSANE ASYLUM.
The remOdeling of the Marine Hospital,
in view of its use as an insane asylum, is so
near completion that during the early part
of the present month the insane will be
transferred thereto
AS have opposed persistently the project
of using the hospital building for an insane
asylum, desire here to give expression to
the reasons which governed my action.
|. / hold the location to be insalubriOus.
it being very low and subject in the fall OF
the year, to malarial influences.
,. | deemed it unwise to spend the large
amount Of money necessary to its remodel
ing on building not belonging to the city,
nor subject to it's control even by the bind
ing force of a lease, while the expenditure
of a small amount in addition to the cost
Of remodeling, would have placed the city
| in possession of a piece of ground on the
river front large enough to locate the In
| sane Asylum as well as all the charitable
and correctional institutions, there being
ample margin for the erection of the nee
essary buildings in the amount to be real
lied from the'sale of the present buildings,
etc., and from the 100000 Insane Asylum
bonds ordered by the Council to be Issued.
Referring to tie tenure by which the city
! holds the hospital even now it is rumOred
that certain parties are in negotiation for
the purchase of the building from the
| United States government, with view
Of forcing lease by the city at an eXorbi-
tant rate, or its purchase at an equally ex-
| travagant price.