The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-09-21
SANITARY COMMITTEE.
Interesting Reports Containing
Valuable Suggestions.
The Health Statistics of Last Week

The executive committee of the New Orleans
Auxiliary Sanitary Association met yester
day, Acting President Fenner n the chair.
i Mr. Elder, chairman OF the committee Of
canals and drainage, reported work OF flush
ing cutters, etc, In progress, and that tn.
carts I'm the employ Of the co nmittee woule
b But To work next week filling streets. I'll,
committee acknowledged its indebtedness tt
the Board of Underwriters and Capt. Coburn
OF the Protector, for assistance in flushing.
| The committee On streets and levees sub
mitted the following report:
NEW ORLEANS. September 20, 1879.
| Gentlemen-Yo committee on q recent toul
along the levee examined the work that has
been done by the Department Of Improve.
ments under contract with Capt Edward r
Doherty In filling those pestiferous ponds
commonly called 'fever holes"
The magnitude of the work, its cost, and the
benefit to the city is perhaps unknown to most
of our citizens. For their information and as
| an evidence OF the appreciation by this ASSOC
| citation of the efforts made by our city gov
eminent to meet all reasonable demands for
sanitary Improvement you committee beg to
| submit o brief statement OF the labor per-
| formed In our opinion this Is the greatest
single sanitary accomplishment In this city
| during the past decade. Preceding admins
| trations have been urged by citizens In the
strongest terms, by the Board Of Health and
the public press to abate this intolerable nuis-
ance. 1t was reserved for the present admin
istration to remove the SO notorious evil to the
public health, and this association concede TO
them the credit.
Nuns street. a distance OF about one mile, and
have benin existence to a greater or less extent
for twenty-five years. The greatest depth
IL feet; the average depth, 6 feet. The area
of filling, GA, 900 square feet, or about Is
acres, requiring 100, 900 cubic yards Of river
mud.
A survey was made by Fl. c. Brown. city
surveyor, by order of the City Council, in
December, 1878.
The contractor commenced In May, 1879
and cOmDleted his work In u faithful manner
In less than five months
Apart from the sanitary Importance of this
achievement it will be seen that fifteen acres
have been gained for commercial PURPOSES,
and an uninterrupted passage along the levee
secured.
With the intention of eliciting the opinion
OF experts, your committee beg leave to offer
a few suggestions relative to the present
mode OF constructing the wharves along the
levee, and To suggest the adoption OF q plan
which, ID their opinion will prove less costly
to maintain. and Of unqnestionable benefit to
the health of the city. They assume that the
system which has been in vogue for many
years Is Objectionable for the following rea-
gOns.
/. The action Of the current tends to under
mine their foundations In certain localities,
necessitating frequent and expensive repairs.
2. The accretiOn of batture has added street
after street in front Of the business quarter,
which, II continued for years to come, will re-
suit In q great depreciation of valuable prop
erty, and retard indefinitely the improvement
of that lying Immediately to its rear.
8. In justice to the owners Of proper y 10
the rear, Of present improvements burdened
fuyn nf ms
tenn should be adopted to prevent further
addition of land on the river front.
4. We direct attention to the necessity Of
the Improvement and enhancement Of value
by draining and filling Of the thousands or
acres OF idle land which has been in all time
past q burden to the owners and an indis-
putable detriment to the health of the city by
the generation Of malarious poison, exerting
Its depressing influence throughout the year
and causing During the summer swamp fevers
OF various degrees OF severity.
s. Ii in the power Of engineering skill to
prevent encroachments, then Is 1t our duty to
employ 1t fer the protection Of Algiers. We
do not want more land positively not to their
Injury.
Your committee offer for your considera-
lion the following plan: Construct uniform
revetnent Of cypress piling planked from low
TO high water mark, and above low water
mark only such additional woodwork abso-
utRly necessary to accommodate commerce
At different stages of the river; with the aid
Of effective dredging machines fill with bat |
bure sand behind the revetment to u level |
with Its top thus forming an even landing
above high water mark, the uniformity OF
which will add materially to the capacity of
the levee for commercial uses, and greatly |
improve the appearance of the river front. |
The battnre is at all times nuisance except |
ut high water; as the river falls it becomes !
the permanent receptacle of decaying mat
ter, dead animals, various refuse from boats
left by the eddies, u very large amount OF hui
man excremant, increasing In quantity, Of |
ftnsiveness and righteousness to health every |
law OF our long summer.
LII 1t Is objected that the batture will again |
'orm, we meet 1t with the suggestion din IL out |
Millions of loads of that valuable material
IRE and will continue to be needed for years |
ID come for repairing the earth streets, filling
lp sunken lots and swamp land. Our tour Of
Investigation along the levee had for It's OBJ
ect the discovery of batture available for fill
ng streets and lots in the Fourth District,
Dnt none could be found within hauling dis
Jance.
Modern dredges, with modern appliances,
can deliver an immense quantity of river
sand per diem at distance OF from SO to 300
eet at a very low cost. Should this plan be |
adopted, when the revetment II backed up to
! lfvel. no better sanitary measure can ba |
devised than to elevate the river sand and |
make free gift of it to any citizen who is I'M
ible to purchase.
II at any locality the deposit of sand
should occur SO rapidly and SO largely as to |
'ender It's removal impracticable on account |
If expense, the present system OF building |
Hharfs can be retained at such points
EDWARD FENNER,
Chairman Committee on Streets and Levees.
DR.. White, sanitary director, submitted the
ollowing report:
New ORLEANS. September 90 1879
The sanitary director reports that ztnc-iron
lisinfectant ID now beng distributed through
The cit w FL tho d.bpts FORMALLY u ar1p