The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-06-25
THE CITY HALL.
THE HAKBoR APPROPRIATIONS.


QuicksR"d-StOrm signals.
The information that the President Of the
United States has signed the harbor appro-
priatlon bill gave great pleasure at the City
Hall yesterday. The administration will be-
entirely guided in the expenditure Of the
$4,000 appropriated for the harbor of New
Orleans by the opinion of the photographic
commission.
Nothing will be done to the cave at Monte
gut street until the river shall have fallen
sufficiently to enable the engineers to deter
mine as to the efficiency of the work per-
formed by the city at that spot last spring.
DANGEROUS PRACTICE.
Chief Engineer O'Connor, of our fire depart
ment, has again addressed letter to the
Mayor, asking that some measures shall be
adopted by the Council to prevent the owners
OF wood, lumber and other materials piled
along the lines OF the two navigation canals
from interceptng the approaches to these
canals to the fire engines. Mr.. O'Connor, as
on two previous occasions already, suggests
that at the intersection of streets with the
canals sufficient space shall be left uneneum-
bered, In order that two or three steam en-
gines can reach the edges of the canals In case
Oh IRE III the nelGnDOfnOOu,
AS it Is now, whenever fire breaks out In
the vicinity of one Of these canals several MIN
utes are frequently lost in removing the wood
or other freight to give access to the water,
Considering the combustible character OF the
buildings and merchandise In the localities
referred to, these few minutes lost may one of
these days, Mr.. O'Connor fears, result In a
disastrous confisgration. Why the Council
has SO long neglected to pass an ordinance
covering the repeated requests Of the chief
engineer 1t is difficult to say. Certainly 1t is
not because the cODsignees of freight landed
along the canals have any right to make
storehouses OF the public thoroughfares.
THAT RICE CHAFF.
Col I. N. Marks, whose children and their
nurse came near meeting with q terrible death
In the rice chaff dumped along the batture OPP
pnsite the First District called upon tie
Mayor yesterday to lay his complaint before
him. The Administrator of improvements
was directed TO remove the same, and yester-
day laborers were set to work constructing o.
sluice to drain the stuff into the river This
like that of Chief O'Conner, is not o new COM
plant. First the dumping OF this chaff in the
masters Of vessels, who claimed that, as had
been the case, children would set fire to the
chaff which was In close proximity to the cot
ton in course Of being slowed In the holds Of
their ships. A short time afterwards we re-
lated that two children had been nearly
smothered to death by venturing upon this
artificial uuicksand. It is hoped that after
the accident to the children Of Col. Marks the
Council will do something towards abating
the dangerous nuisance.
THE CLAIBORNE STREET BRIDGE.
Yesterday morning the bridge over the
Carondelet canal at Claiborne street broke
down, one of the rollers OF the turning APP
paratus having given way. The result was
the detention for several hours Of number
OF schooners and other water crafts laden with
freight that were coming up to the basin. Mr..
Joseph Ell. DrGrange, secretary Of the Clai-
borne Street Railroad Company, was at the
City Hall yesterday, looking for Administers
tor Mccartney to have talk with him on the
subject. About two weeks ago the railroad
company, whose cars cross the canal over
this bridge, addressed a communication to
the City Council, asking that attention be
given by thelu to the bridge, and the matter
was referred to Administrator McCafrey.
who has not yet reported on the subject. The
propositions Of the railroad company are that
they will pay One-haf of the cost of recon-
structiDg the bridge, which could be done for
$4,000 or S4OO0-for nothing short Of q new
bridge will remove the objections to the
present one, which is in too dlaDidated
condition to be submitted to mere repairs.
Besides being used by the Claiborne street
cars as crossing, the bridge is the only one
that is used by the heavy steam engines OF
from fires In the rear of the city, the others
not being considered safe enough for the pur-
pose.
STORM AND FLOOD SIGNALS.
The Mayor has received circular from Mr..
A. Watson, the inventor of the "storm and
food signals by the telegraph and cannon
The system would require that each town and
city be provided with u good sized cannon,
the report Of which can be heard from 10 to IS
miles all around or over a space of from 400
to 300 square miles, to announce to farmers
and others when a storm has actually formed
and has commenced travelling. Whether it Is
travelling very rapidly, rapidly or slowly, to
be Indicated by firing the cannon three times
at intervals Of one, three and six minutes, ac-
cording to circumstances. The inventor
claims that these warning guns would save to
the country 100000 annually in damaged
hay, grain and other crops, and many mill
lions Of other property, together with thous-
ands of lives, all at trifiing enst, because
farmers over the whole country, during har-
vest, will receive certain, instant and general
warning to stop cutting, and to get their hay
or grain under cover, or into cocks Or shocks,
to shut out the coming rain.
The Western Union Telegraph, Mr.. Watson
says, has already three times offered free tele-
grams to test the system.