The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1878-04-09
THE PHOTOGRAPHIC COMMISSION.
rsrrR REPORT TO the CITY COUNCIL.
NEW ORLEANS, April 8. 1878

NEW ORLEANS, April 5, 1878.
Hon. Ed Pilsbury. Mayor Of New Orleans
Sir-The Board OF Engineers, convened at
the request of the City Council "to examine
and report upon the means necessary to pro-
tect the wharves and harbor from the incur
sions OF the river beg to submit the follow
Referring to your letter OF November ~,
1877, the engineering information requested
of the Board was rs follows: =,
1. A thorough and complete survey OF me
river and It's bank from the upper to the loWer
limit of the city, giving cross sections OF tue
stream every half mile and the airectioh pi
the current |
2. plan for the temporary preservation Of
the banks and wharves from destruction-u
apply only to the most exposed points and
adapted to the present resources OF the city
which are limited, accompanied by estimates
q. A more general and comprehensive plan
embracing the river front OF the Second and
Third Districts as permanent work. with
estimates so Us to be conmenc d and carried
ON gradually, as the future prosperity OF the
city may admit. \,
November last, preliminary report was rem
dered your Honor respecting the condition OF
affairs along the city front La this the means
necessary to be taken to preserve the most
exposed points (Which were at the foot Il Sor-
apuru street, and at the foot OF Montegut
street, were presented, and the executions OF
the plans were entrusted to and carried out
under the direction of the City Surveyor. A
general plan also was outlined which was to
embrace the entire city front from Carrollton
to point below the United States Barracks,
or so much of 1t at least rs needed permanent
protection. The board was unprepared at
that time to decide upon all the details to be
observed In this permanent plan of protection,
owing to the lack Of the necessary informa-
ton respecting the condition OF the caving
banks their extent, their composition, slope,
depth Of water, etc, all OF which could only
be furnished by an exhaustive and extensive
survey such as called for by your letter.
This survey Was undertaken under the per-
sonaI supervision OF the local members of the
board, with aid furnished by the government
and by the city, and was carried TT success
In all the details necessary for proper study
OF the problem submitted to the board. 1t ex-
tended from a point above Cnrrollton to q
point below the Barracks, embracing also the
right bank of the river, and was made in
three sections.
Section started from point some $500 feet
above the Metairie road, az the upper end Of a
plank revetment where there Is wide bat
leans Park where there Is also wide bat
ture, total distance Of 22,243 feet. At inter
walls Of 100 feet lines OF soundings were made
extending out from 800 to 400 fe t, and where
there were caving banks intermediate lines
were sounded. Thirty-four sections were also
sounded across the river in this stretch, and
from 100 to 100 soundings We're located on each
section, Thirty OF these cross sections were
nearly at the same points as those made in
thesurvey Of 1851 by Capt. NOW general Hum
From the Orleans Park to Canal street.
there being no caving of the left bank, no
survey OF that line was made.
Section 2 cOmmen ed at Canal street, and
the shore line was run from that point to the
Slaughter House, q distance of 1880 feet,
On this stretch soundings were made at each
100 feet as before, extending out into the river
from 300 to 400 feet. Twenty cross sections
were also sounded at nearly equal intervals,
but only about eighty soundings were located
on each one.
Section included the right bank Of the
river and commenced at point $3.50 feet
above the lock at Westwego, and extended
down to the point at Algiers, and is some
$1,000 feet in length. Soundings were made
at intervals as Ia the surveys of the other
sections and 10 cross sections were sounded
Carrollton section and Canal street, thus fill
Ing that interval.
Gauges were kept at Carrollton, Canal
street, the mint, and at the United States
Barracks, and all soundngs were reduced to
the same plane Of reference as that Of the
Delta survey, and reads on the Carrollton
gauge, 1870
the survey Is as follows: From the upper
end OF the Carrollton survey to station
1856 there Is a wide batture and no caving
going on at present; from station 1856 to
station. 81 lat head OF Carrollton Avenuel
throughout the whole distance Between sta
tions 14O and 157 some 500 feet of the
bank have caved in since 1853, and at the Car
rollton Hotel which Is at the lower end Of the
present cutting, in that time some 200 fee
have gone In. The total length of the cavine
in this section is 5000 feet.
From station 81 down to station IS there have
been about 200 feet caved In since 1858. but there
is little II any, caying going on now, except II
200 feet long Below station 55, there is a i'll
at present and wide batture
Below Canal street from Morgan's wharf
at station 10 to station 100, a distance o
5000 feet, the bank needs more or less pro.
lection. 1t has however, only been deemed
advisable to apply protective measures to The
slope OF the bank from Morgan's wharf Il
Congress street. distance of 1900 feet, leaving
t To be by ns fy below
On the right bank the space through which
the cavng takes place extends from station
40 to 176 below the locks, and from
station. 1896 to 476 above and at Algiers
total length OF 81 700 feet The board, how
ever, does not deem it at present absolutell
necessary to apply the works of protection t.
this entire stretch Of bank, but only to q .por
ton embracing Nine Mile Point The loca
cations of the different caving banks at which
it is proposed to apply the works OF protection
can better be understood by reference to thu
sketch map accompanying the report, Will
at the same time an inspection of the inde1
tion respecting the depths of water, slope 0
bank, composition OF same, etc, much NOR
fully than can be indicated or enumerated il
the report.
The results of the survey Of the banks shov
that they are composed of a hard blue mud
with intermediates soft strata. These sof
strata outcrop at varying depths, as shown
on adjacent lines of soundings. In SOM