The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-05-12
THE WHARF QUESTION.
An Inspection Of the Condition Of tis 0se
Above Canal street.

Yesterday the City Surveyor accompanied b.
Messrs. Ellermsnn and Lusk, OF tho firm o
Eager, Elermann Il o., wharf lessees. made Al
inspection Of The wharves along tho river from
from Canal TO Jackson street, and to-day will en-
deavor to complete the inspection.
A DEMOCRAT reporter took the occasion to in
quire on hs own hook into the condition Of tn,
wharves, and pushed hi, examination as far q,
the upper linn OF our wharf system, near The
grain elevator.
Beginning with the upper post, near Eight
street. the wharf ID in fair condition, but oavinf
in and needing raising. At Sixth street the con
dition Ia about the same; three or four workmer
we're engaged in putting in n few plarks. A
Third street the wharf has oaved In and needl
raising. Al Horapuru street large land slide,
two hundred feet in length, has occurred, and iol
several years no wharf has been constructed
here. The wharf contractors have begun 10 con
struct bulkhead to protect the levee. which |,
eaten up to within few feet of the sidewalk o.
Water strees. The wharf imme distely above Is in
good condition, although old. Immediately be-
low, the wharf is caving in threatenipgly AND
needs raising.
Then comes
THE DISTRICT
steamship landing, the wharves. extending down
to Jackson street. being Ia passable condition.
Between Jackson and Eighth streets, however,
there are several wharves which Should long ago
have been extended fifty feet into tho river, the
water, even at this high stage, being too shallow
to admit OF the safe mooring Of vessels drawing
sixteen 10 seventeen feet. The long wharf just
below jackson street, constructed about two
years ago. for two hundred feet Is in passably
good condition, but will very soon requ 70 raising.
Thence to'post 30 the wharf Ia In good condition
The wharf at post 80 needs repairing. At post 80
there is no wharf At all, whilst at post 81 tho
spiles, Btringers and planking need repairing
very badly. Post SO needs repairing; at IS the
wharf IL only fair
A point is now reached. where tho depth of
water would indicate protraced neglect las in the
locality mentioned above, the steamship land
ing above jackson stroet) on the part OF the les
sees and contr actors Messrs. Eermann h Co.
Nearly q year ago the want Of water was com
planned OF ut this point, and extending down to
the Gas Companys wharf. The ships Montebello
and Expounder are both lying at this post, No.
34-the former nearer to tho wharf, drawing
nearly twenty feet and touching bottom; where
rs the contractors are required to provide for a
clear
DErTH or TWENTY FEET.
Immediately outside Of the Montebello there
are five fsthoms OF water, which indicates that
an extension Of the wharf forty or fifty feet out
the Gas Company's wharf, for several hundred
yards, the condition is even worse. The Ex-
FOUNDER, when che arrived here recently, draw
ing seventeen feet only, found IL impossible to
make . mooring, and had TO take her chances
outside of the Montebello. At post 2s there ia
only from 16 to II feet Of water. The wharves
between the two points are about the worst of
the entire upper line; that which Joins the
nuisance wharf, at Robin street. is probably use
loss and no ships use it.
At post 81 the wharf Ia in need OF repars
Some Improvement Is attempted to be shown by
the insertion OF seven new pAnks in the flooring
At post 20 the condition of the wharf Is particu-
larry bad in every respect, in fact scarcely fit for
use, the depth of water. besides, at the end OF
the wharf being only Is feet. At post No. 10 the
splice, stringers and flooring OF one wharf are
rotten, and the two or three new planks inserted
within day or two are q derision upon the word
repair. The other wharf, where the Forest
Eagle lie moored, is scarcely In better condition
The next wharf below is fair. Below the landing
OF the st. Louis Railroad. the long wharf (posts
IA and l5), at which the Katie Is moored, is COM
paratively new And in good condition.
At post No 10 the old wharf is greatly in need
OF repair, whilst the extension is fair. There
are here two or three dangerous holes, which
should be closed. At post No. IL the wharf also
needs repairing, and the next wharf below in in a
bad condition. The barge-wharf, near Julia
street, 10, In some parts nearest the land, be-
coming
from settling. Thence to Canal street the
wharves Of the steamboat landing are in excel
lent condition, and here, like in all other locai
ties, the inner ends Of the wharves have been
well filed in and the levees properly attended to-
To resume, the examination OF this division OF
our wharf system shows that large majority Of
the wharves need reconstruction or extensive re-
pairs, and considerable raising to make them
level, in order that the work OF loa1ing and un-
loading vessels shall not be more laborious than
Several OF the wharves above the English
9 eamship landing, above jackson street. and
those mentioned between post 81 and the Gas.
works coal landing. must, owing to the shallow
ness OF water, be extended, to give clear depth
OF twenty feet to the ships mooring Immediately
abreast the wharves. This shallowness is not
unknown to the contractors, for about year ago
they had engaged steamer provided with q
water pump to deepen some Of these
points. The necessity Of these extensions is pat
ent when 1t Is considered that with the river only
about four feet below the high water mark OF
1874, ships drawing not more than seventeen feet
are inoonvenienoed In making . landing here
about.
In conversation with Capt Hsrrod, Deputy
City Surveyor, who has the direct supervision OF
the wharvee we learn that the past season has
been hard on both Messrs. Elermann 4 Co. and
the city, owing to the csvIng in OF the levees and
wharves especially in the Third District but that
the present condition Of the river front in that
District justies tie belief that there will be little
more danger to apprehend for four or Eve years
to come. Capt. Hsrrod also informs us that the |
contractors will be required to reconstruct the |
wharf immediately above the Canal street ferry |
snd on the lower eide OF the nuisance wharf at |
RobiR stree.
When this last mentioned wharf is constructed |
t will be necessary either to remove the NUISANCE
'oat CT to compsi those in charge to adhere l