New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1874-02-21
THE PEOPLES COLUMN.

EDITOR REPUBLICANS:
The Administrator of Waterworks and
Public Buildings, Mr. Charles Fitzenrelter'
through your columns, calls for bids tor
the removal of the iron building at the levee
end Of Canal street, and its erection on St
Anthony square, in the rear OF The Cathe-
dral, Second District; where it is to be
fitted up as q fre-proof depository TOR
notarial and other records.
Mr.. Editor, this is one Of the most silly
things that seven intelligent men could
think of doing; if the City Council is bent
upon the removal of this building (which is
not in the way and could be put to good
use), let it be taken and sold for old IRON
but not removed and erected elsewhere, to
stand as monument to the short sighted
ness of our municipal fathers.
An iron building would prove totally
unfit for the preservation of records de-
posted in it, such building would be per-
petually damp in this climate; the records
of deceased notaries NOW from thirty to
100 years old), if placed in this building
will not last long, they will molder away.
admit, that building for the safe keep
ing of the public records is needed, but to
make this old iron building depository
would be sad blunder.
1t would be too small, too dark and too
damp. A spacious building with plenty Of
openings for the admission Of sunlight and
air during day time, would be required for
this purpose If all the public documents
which should be preserved, are collected,
they will require a medium sized three
story building to hold them, SO that they
can be properly assorted for reference.
The "Mergue" to which the city fathers
intend TO consign the public records, can
not hold half of them, unless they are
packed as close as sardines in box, which
will rapidly destroy them. An ordinary
brick building can be made tire-proof ac-
cording to the French plan; which is to
leave no air spares in any part Of a house,
provide the building with good slate roof
and all the outside openings with iron
shutters, then fill up the spaces between
the flooring joists with common mortar,
and behind the bases the Same way, if
studding is used for inside partitions, the
space between the studs (behlnd the !ath)
must also be filled up flush.
Whenever the financial condition Of the
city permits it, a large building will have
to be erected, within which all the district
courts Supreme Court included can hold
their sessions, the same building, OF wing
of it, could be set apart for the mortgage
Office and the depository Of the public re-
cords. Until the city can do this, gentle
men OF the Council. let the records remain
where they are in the aotarial and court
offices of the city.
The iron building on Canal street is not
in the way, and should not be removed;
but the cars Of the Canal and Common,
Canal and Claiborne, and the GirOd and
PoydraA street lines stand in the street,
within few feet of this building, and are
IN the woy, and should be removed. The
cars start from this point, where two or
three of them are permanent and trouble
some distractions, on an avenue
which is the most used by erdi-
nary vehicles Of all leading to the
levee. The best use the city could put the
building to would be to give il to the rail
road companies, and compel them to run
their tracks into it, and use it as station
and starting point tor their cars. Il would
be very convenient for the Canal and Com
mon and the Canal and Claiborne street
lines, and also for the cars Of the Dauphine,
Dumaine and Fair Grounds line, which
now stand and start from the river side OF
the Clay statue, at which point they are
public nuisance. The cars Of this line
on Canal street with the Canal and
Claiborne street and other lines. and
should be required to run their ears into
the iron building. The cars of the Girod
and Poydras line stand on Canal street be-
side the triangle building It would be in
convenient for these cars to enter the iron
building, as they turn up town on their trip
to the rear of the city. but their track could
be run across the river end of the triangu-
lar piece of ground, and the cars could
stand on the spot now occupied by the little
wooden shed used as a paint shop, which
should be removed.
Gentlemen of the City Council, the iron
building on Canal street is not in the way.
There is wide road at each side of it for
the passage of vehicles. The neutral
ground on Canal street, between New
Levee and Rampant streets, is just as much
in the way as the iron building is. This
neutral ground furnishes many car lines
with rendezvous and starting point, safe
from the mutual troubles arising from be-
ing in the way Of other vehicles.
The cars running to the extreme river end
Of Canal street need safe standing point,
and there is no place more suitable for them
than the iron building. The city should
turn it over to the car lines and compel its
occupation for this purpose.
l respectfully ask our esteemed Mayor
and the worthy gentlemen who compose
the Board of Administrators, 20 visit the
vicinity of the iron building and examine
the matter in person. 1t will cost the city
nothing to give this building to the car
lines. The companies will transform it
into a station at their own expense. To re.
move it and erect it elsewhere as a dead.
house for the speedy destruction o. the
public records, would cost some thousands.
which would be worse than money thrown
away. Respectfully.
A CITIZEN.
4 Novel Petition.
EDITOR REPUBLICANS:
A certain set of people in this country
have just found out that there is :. defect
in tho constitution Of the l'ri-at States