The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-10-05
MUNICIPAL MATTERS.
THE DRAINAGE QUESTION AND THE
PROTECTION LEvEE.


The Mayor and Administrator Cavsuac paid q
visit to the New Lake End yesterday morning to
examine the condition of tho protection ievee,
which, as we have already said, has not
been improved blythe last recent storm. Surveyor
d'Hemecourt was engaged again getting a sup.
ply Of willows from along the line of the Canal
Street Railroad and transporting the same to the
protection levee. These willows, after they shall
have been converted into fascines, will be placed
between the piles of the levee and fastened by
means OF strong cross pieces, at such points
only, however, where the great washings have
occurred, and will serve as temporary
protection to the embankment against the
nor westers that may occur between now
and the completion of the double-close piling
bids for the construction of which are now asked
for. II il the purpose Of Mr. dHemecourt 70 usg
q goodiy portion OF the slope OF the evee to fill
in the caves, as In his opinion, with the proposed
breakwater in front Of the base, an inclination OF
ten or fifteen degrees Will be sufficient where IT
IL now sixty degrees.
Bidd re- for the work referred to are reminded
that it ia to be paid in cash Immediately upon
completion, the Cisy Railroad Company having
agreed to advance the money to the city, the
amount to be deducted from the taxes, which will
become due by the company on the first OF Janu-
ary next.
Il is now urged that for greater security and IS
an experiment costing comparatively little, and
worth the while, to wall the outer slope OF the
protection levee with ball 81 and cement
We have take some trouble to ascertain the
probable cost of work of this kind and obtained
the following figures:
Twenty cubic feet, on the average, of the best
kind Of ballast suitable for the purpose. weighs
fifty cents ton. II ia estimated, at the outside
figure, that the cost OF delivering the ballast on
the protection ievee will BIO fifty cents more per
ton.
While tho
DIMENSIONS OF THE WALL
are varioualv estim atcd, we take the outside ca.
Innate aud say that it shall have base OF FIVE
feet, with two feet at the top, which, according to
tue calculations that have been made, would
make the cost Of the wall about one dollar per
running foot, to which should be added two
dollars per running foot for cement an labor,
making the total cost Of this new style of revet-
ment ior the 1900 yards of protection evee $4,000.
The total front of the lake, between the upper
and lower line drainage canals, is about 4 42-l00
miles, and If we take the figures mentioned, to-
gether with the estimated cost Of the double
breakwater, We find that such works would cost
to complete the entire line Of the lake front
about, say for the ballast revetment $40 900, ard
for the close piIing $i61,0 900, or $4,000 for
both. This. OF course, is exclusive Gf
the earth embankment, which would have
and tho lower line drainage canal, distance of
over 81 900 feet. As to the cost of such levee
I've do not mean q levee Of the dimensions of the
piece of protection lavee now existing between
The New canal and the upper line drainage canal,
but smaller one, which would keep the waters of
the lake from backing intp our swamp, we UNDER
stand that it would be- triaing in comparison with
the $4,000 to $20h 900 spent the 1900 feet oil
protection levee at the New lake. rough estimate
Of the cost Of q levee twenty feet at the base,
ten feet ut the top and fourteen feet high and 70
yards long would be about s63, GOO, showing that
the total cost OF levee, ballast masonry and
double close pling breakwster would be less
than $500. 900. 1t is barely possible that. the
Bienviiie street railroad proptietors, whoever
they pay be- when that road gets out OF the
bankruptcy court, might be willing to aid in MAX
ing the improvement from the New canal to
Milneberg, since the original company has the
right OF way along the shores OF the lake between
the points mentioned.
We have given the above figures in order to
dispel an exaggerated idea of the probable cost
of a work which should constitute the first step
towards draining the city thoroughly, and keep
ing the waters Of the lake from backing up into
our swamps ut any time.