The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-10-03
THE DRAINAGE or NEW ORLEANS.
FnEssuNG NECESSITY ron A THOR
OuGI SYSTEM ron THE REMOVAL
or sUR sewage.


i.verilow Of The rear portion of our city ought
certainly 10 be enough. This matter has been
made the subjsct " The closest attutihy ana
study by The civil engineers reeident here as
hong ago az tho Spanish domination aud 1t would
seem that he me Variance OF opinion still exsts
az IL did then. The peculiar topography OF the
sits Of our city being below the high water line oil
beth river and | he, The absence Of almost any
grade whatever on which TO base system
OF NATURAL REV
ar drainage. present difficulties tina. might easily
haye proved serious obstacles to The engineer III
the early De, Of our city, but itwoud now seem,
with The rapid advances OF engineering sk the
remarkable lint rovements IN mechanical devices
Tor eleva,ing water and the Inventions made In
sewsss drains, something might be done to
relieve us Of The present obs to the better
ment Of our great metropolis end its sanitation.
Year after year The equihociial stnrms Of Sep
tsmher OF the heavy fains of epriBg have sub
merged The city from The Metaiiie Ridge up 10
cay Claiborne street. and year after year have we
heard einewef and more certain devices TO pre-
vent these
DISASTROUS HHeUiHs
This city IL pot now what II was-a burg of
pnly 60 600. and this era ia that of seyenty five
ysa.s ago. What The people then could afford TO
pass over we cannot now and IL was therefore to
Inv be fore orr readers tie opinions of scientific
men, both es 10 the necessity Of better system
oil drainage. and also as 10 the means of proeur-
INN II. that The interviews and opinions gwen be-
low were obtained.
ii naede 20 noviate for one to appreciate the
TACT that with systematic drainage OF
THE LANCE swAMps
n our rear The health Of our city weuld be i'm.
aaAsurably improved,
The action Of The Gun on the moiRtened vege-
Fable matter lying exposed to its action between
Broad atiest and the ridge. aud the ridge and
Lake pontrhatlrab, has been, actotding 70 the
opinion OF cur leading physicians. one OF the
snoet fruitful II not the only. Of the pres
snae OF yellow and other malarial fevers here.
The open canals, ietid and noisome with all the
ssanehen Of The city Of Cologne, add their power
ssl reaerve force TO The ewamps, and under the
muet careful surveillance and the use Of
SEA or uAnBoiIo ACID.
aulern thrre can be cleansed and drained our
eity muss still suffer. What Ia the remedy aud
how II ID to be applied ia not for us TO say: that
20 leave for the norce TO the engineers. but what
ali should be established. In The past II has
been the habit OF almost every city admnstra.
t,os. or rather the incoming of every new civil
engineer TO put into force his own peculiar ideas
relative TO The drainage OF the city, ard hardly
had This work been commenced when his success
aor would be indicted into tshce and new eys-
tenn etasted. The result OF nil tha has been that
4 now our drainage syatem Ia sort OF hetefoge.
neous plan.
iMBopy1Sa THE PATCHWORK
ef no one knows how many The Surveyor Of
Yesterday dug canal here and the Surveyor OF
The next cay would Gig another elsewhere. lead
ing somea here but noV etfectng any practical re-
anlt.
The following are The results Of cur reporters
Intervene with the gentlemen VINO 80 kindly ex.
pressed their OPP nluhs:
WHAT On. CHOPIN TutNRH.
reporter of the DEMOCRAT then called upon
DIR, Chopin, president II the Board of Health.
The doctor was buey engaged with health mat
tsra when the reporter called, and with much
Willingness dropped his other bueipess 10 assist
The press representative.
Reporter Doctor, l have called upon you to
exprpsp an opinion relative to tho necessity now
Have you made any examination into tais mat
ar2
DIR, OIL have, cir. / have thought over this
enbiect Iur long time past, and am now a.
havefbeen before, thoroughly impressed with thu
Importance Of tho adoption OF eyat.m OF drain.
age of cur city which would remedy .be present
svile.
q ter sanitation Of unr city there ehoud DO come
other syst,m adopted than that at present at
wcak.
Dr. C,-Petfrctlv satisfied OF il. In my opin-
scn our dratni mschineb ehoud be moved
npoh further bach than they are now aud rem
fpred much moie powerful Mind you, do not
give tAie ais any peculiar ayetem of my own, but
sipiply az the r. suit IF my observations. Our
nnttsYs fhould be llushed with water from our
river daily that H. these running ut right ang'es
with the liypr. On croaa streets the grade of the
cutters should he raised midway between thoee
running from the river 30 that water plugs will
no able 10 wash item either way. La my opiu.
ps all putters or If you call them so, ditches,
should be
OPENED 10 THE LAKE SHORE.
ana then drafting machines or these newly in
vented water eIevaing wheels Established to carry
Ahs drainage water over The lake lev ]. When
Ahe siynr in our 'front.' Ia low wheels should be
syeniea along ia city trent TO raise water enough
10 flush the su.ete, that stream might be kept
ap insuriHg perfect cleanliness.
Rep--Wbat a, out the open canals near or quite
mar the thieky re tied portions OF our cty2
DIR. C.--Tre canals on Broad, Galvtg, Hsgan
ana other avenues am Satisfied they ought to
be flashed from tie b4sins. This would drive all
sAe ie.id aud malarial waters out OF them, aud
mn them with oiesn and healthy water.
Rap.--po you think these canals should DO left
sqen or uncovered, doctoip
DR.. u.--No, sir. / do not. all open canals
ehculd be ooserJd or culverted, but particularly
that on Camp and Nell omene streets, running
they do through the heart Of tho city. IL would
not coat very much to culveit these drains, al d
The fleet q it would be to at once raise our
Aeaish standard.
Rep Respecting the idea OF making the Me-
sAsraa Ridge our rear protection. do you favor
Mas idea?
DR.. OIL think that if we GRAINED to the lake
u would open up tho swsmps behind Metsirie
ridge and thus prevent the masrisl gases
hom risinF, which now, under the combined
Influences of heat aud moisture, favor
Are increase OF disease of the FERROUS type,
Iwouid prefer to have, as said before, the lake
made the outer line of our drainage.
In this connection there Is q matter that
think ought 10 DO attended TO. and that serious
NJ. When ycu psss through our streets, say at
noon, you can observe piles Of tho scrapings OF