The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-11-03
views Of distinguished gentlemen, ~ reported In
the DEMocRAT OF The sd nit.
DIR. Choppin.- In my opinion, ell cutters, or II
you can call them 20. bitches. shonld be

DIR. Ohupptb. In my OpiDi0n all gutters, or IL
you can call them 30, bitches, shonld be
| OPENED TO THE IsKEsHoRE,
and then draining machines, or these newly in
vented water elevating wheels established to
| carry the drainage water over the lake level
Rep Respecting the idea of making The Me-
tairie Ridge our rear protection, do you favor
| that idea
| would open up the swanps behind Metairie
! Ridge aud thus prevent the mslsrial gases from
| rising, which now, under the comb ned influences
| Of heat aud moisture, favor the increase of
disease of the FERROUS type. l would prefer TO
have. as | said before, the lake made the outer
line Of our drainage.
In response TO the heterogeneous propounded
to Dr. Stone by the reporter he said he had a.
ways held the opinion that l. was prime neees-
sity for the health Of our city. and that II would
not be until tur rear swamps we're thoroughly
drained that perfect sanitation here could be
| expected. There could be no doubt but that the
s~amps In the rear of the city we're breeders OF
malaiial fevers, and their drainage was required
| to preserve our sanitation. To him. as he ex-
pressed IT, the drainage Of New Orleans was one
of
THE MOST ptFFfcftT MATTERS
AZ well ne the most important one our physicians
#ttta civil engineers had h enntend with For
years we have suffered from the lack Of proper
attention to this department Of our social coon
omy.
DR.. J. n Oasteianos-The ewamps In the rear
OF aud sround our city do effsc,ually contribute,
under favorable meteorological circumstances, TO
evolve and permanently disseminate through
the atmosphere Of our city the malarial emans-
hons which make fever permanent institute
among us, aud which 80 successfully tends TO
heap upon our city the unmerited cpprobrium OF
the city of fever 81 d death. Let those who would
have b, prosperous redeem her from this bon
dsge TO pr. iuice, agai st which she In this IL,
many other case al beavers 30 extrieate herself
and this can be effected by thorough system
of drainage.
DR.. Felix u. Gandet was In favor OF the city
authorit es immediately adopting general sys-
tenn Of drainage and carrying Il out ~ any rate.
DIR. Uhss. Turpn-But l. we wish q nermsnent
sanitary condition, and u return Of immigra.
ton and OF our commercial prosperity, we need
complete drainage Of the city. II should, there
fore, be drained at any cost. We may then enjoy
q usefulness comparable to those cities repu ed
az being the hesltbies ID the world.
DIR. Joseph r. Seott-He was thorough sdvo-
cate of removing from the rear of our city the
causes # malaria
MIR. l., J. Olnstesd, the only civil engineer
whose views we're obtained at that time, while
opposing levee in the water Of the lake, was In
favor Of constructing one on the immediate
shore He said:
"Many of the engineers who addressed you let
ters upon the subi ct Of q protection levee for
this city. perceive, recommend the adoption of
the line 81 the Matairie aud GENTLY ridges.
This plan. n,en engineering point of view, is GER
tainy the moN feasible. to cay nothing OF its
great economyyss temporary expedient IN ac- |
commodstiBg Sas area this eide OF the ridges |
above mentioned. But there are other consider |
atoms which shnuh' have governed the said en- |
gineers in their views OF protection levee for |
this city. BY an esd mination OF the map IL will |
be seen that the ci y Of New Orleans extends 30 |
and along the lake shore. the latter boundary |
alone being not less than 20 900 lineal English |
feet. The area comprised within the exterior |
boundaries of the city neipg at least tbat
which lie enclosed between the ridges aforesaid
and th river. The drainage Of this immense
area Of land u not therefore, provided for by the
building Of levee along the ridge aforesaid aud
yet am informed thai the whole OF this property
IL subject to drainage ne we'll az to other munich
pal taxes. 1ts DRAINAGE Ia not only not provided
FOR by the plan proposed by the engineers who
have RECOMMENDED the levee to be placed upon
The ..sxes, S,.s il is Contemplated TO p3ur the
immense accumulation Of fitn from the thickly
populated area this side OF the ridge over and
upon the entire surface of the district beyond
them, which every man OF common sense must
II this plan is carried out. and the
entire drainage of the area within the ridges liz |
poured over into the ewsmp beyond, New orleans
will continue to be celebrated the world over az |
graveyard for all new corners.
IL will readily be n, therefore, that any sys-
tenn of drainage having the Metairie ridge for |
it's base or rear line would not answer the re. |
uuirements OF this city, and would not only be |
useless expense, but publ Q calamity viewed |
from sanitary standpoint. Aside from other res- |
sons, the CIV owns out One-seVeutH paTt vi tne |
Metairie and GENTLY ridges (the City Park and |
what control could che exercise over the grades |
of the numerous o. meteries and farms located on |
the ridges The owners of property thereon |
would no doubt reply as did the lessee OF the
New canal in 1871. when his clerk sold part of |
the east emhsnknent, at Hagsn Avenue (the
of which caused the disastrous overflow |
that year., "the city has no control over |
the earth forming those embsnkments."
The navigation cs,,al, pa. sing from the lake into
the heart of the si,y, not being subject to the
control of the city government he's been serious |
obstacls to good drainage, and the Legislature |
should delegate the entire control OF those canals
to the city authorities. Again, the ridges are not
OF sufficient elevs ion to be q perfect security |
az ,inet overflow leach succeeding high water
mark being above the previoua onel the laat gaze |
OVERLOOKING with calm water the ridge mark near |
the lake shore about three inches, and at The rear
only elk inches below the ridge mark. Had the |
wind from the nor lasted two hours 10 1ger the |
wat would have passed over the ridge and 10 !,
undated the rear OF The city.
Regarding the passage Of the legislative act |
au bhorizpg and making compulsory general
a, stem of drainage for the city kno~ nothing. |
The price fixed by the act would have been high |
had the company realized Il in cash. 1t compares |
very favorably with COVER ment and state ex- |
psnditures for work perform. in this vicpi', in |
past wears. The canals excavated in the suburbs |
of the city previous to tue erations of the late
drainage company we're performed by dredge |
boat without tue assistance Of the steam derrick.
They were about thirty feet wide and eight feet |
deep with the excavations left We, close to the
edge OF the canal, in fact no bernie was forms d;
the resut has been \ continual wash ng and
caving of the banks by rains. All the eu canals |
forming the outside line OF works and the Orleans
street canal average ffty-fve feet in width and
twelve feet in depth, with BERNIE not less than
twenty feet. No single dredge can construct
such works without the assistance OF the derrick,
neoess stating double movement Of each yard Of
earth.
My duties relative to the drainage act were
executive, and began about May, 1871, and con-
nued up to December, 1874. The estimate for
complete system Of large canals and embapk-
ments, with necessary pumping machinery, the
price Of earthwork being fix d by the drainage
act $50 cents for each cubic yard of excavation
aud SO cents for each cube yard of protection
levees, grsded), was not to exceed three mil
hon dollars, not inclusive of dredging out and
increasit the capacity of old canals and the ex-
csvatlng of new canal in Pc, dras street, from
Galyez to Carroton Avenue, as q substitute for