Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1903-06-26
VAST UNDERTAKING
BY CRESCENT CITY
New Orleans to Spend Mil.
lions For Sewerage, Etc.
ESTIMATE OF OVER $4,000, 900


Mayor CapdeViIie Turns FIRST Spade Of
Earth In Construction Work Which
VIII Place City Among Best SAM
tated Places In World.
New Orleans, June 25.-With for
NAL ceremony today, in the presence
of large assembly of citizens, Mayor
Paul Capdeville turned the first
spade of earth in the work of con.
structing the vast system of sewerage
water and drainage, which is to place
New Orleans abreast of the best sani
tated cities in the world, and which
is to cost, roughly, S18.000,000.
The great undertaking is to be final
ly completed within the next five
years. The tax to provide the money
for this immense scheme of public
improvement was voted in 1899.
me ceremonies were held at the
corner of Canal and Robertson streets,
where the first excavations are to be
made under three contracts already
let, involving an expenditure of 81, 60O,-
600. The governor, the United States
senators, members of congress. state
and city officials, municipal officers,
the supreme court judges, the clergy,
leading business men and the various
committees which have been identified
with the sewerage movement occu
pied seats on TIA platform.
A special guest of honor was for
mer Secretary of the Treasury Charles
s. Fairchild, president of the New
York Trust company, who was prom
inently identified with the financing
Of the enterprise.
Addresses were made by Hon. E..
B. Krflttschnitt and Bernard Nc.
Closkey,
The movement, which eliminated in
the final breaking of ground today,
followed the epidemic of fever in
1898. Though. the disease was mild
and the mortality comparatively insig.
nifcang. immense business losses were
suffered through the institution of pro-
hlbitive guarantees and a great pub
lie demand was aroused for radical
sanitary reform. The property hold.
ers promptly voted the required tax
Necessary, legislative action was Sc.
cure1 and constitutional authority OBJ
tanned for the issue of bonds. I'm
avoldcble delays, however, postponed
the Undertaking may be understood
when il is stated that there is to be
built, row and at the same time. such
systems of sewerage and water supply
as have only been developed In other
cities of similar size by gradual
growth extending usually through sew.
eral generations and as will ultimately
accom- lnodate more than double the
present population. Under her pres.
ent program New Orleans will have
eXpen LED by the end of 1908 a sum of
over S10,000000 on sewerage, water
and drainage work, of which about
$2,000G0G will have been interests on
bonds, 100000 on drainage construc
ton, and $11,000,000 in the construc
ton of sewerage and water works sys
TENS, covering about $50 miles of
streets with water mains and sewers
and but ding connections to the proper
ty lines to about 10000 premises. The
city Is very nearly lever, and large
part Of it is at sea level, in conse.
quence of which the sewerage water
and drainage systems will all require
pumping.
The scheme involves an adequate
and thorough water supply and the
water publication plant, which has
been in existence for the past two
years, has demonstrated the entire
feasibility of the economical purifica.
ton OF water from the Mississippi
river.
The drainage work merged into the
system has been under way for sever
al years, and so much of it has been
completed as to make it certain that
New Orleans will ultimately be one
of the lest drained cities in the coun.
try Work on tn sewerage system
will be pushed with great rapidity
in different sections of the city. and
there will be constant employment for
the labor population. Within two
years 1t is expected that the plant OF
the present water works company
whose franchise was forfeited by the
supreme court, will be acquired and
made Part of the system.
In tie impulse of the voting of the
tax which pledged perfect system OF
modern sanitation and the prospective
construction of the isthmian canal,
New Orleans has made extraordinary
strides in population and business dur
ing the past three years, and the In
auguration of the sewerage work to-
day will, 1t liz expected, still further
accelerate the drift of outside CAPT
tai In this direction.
No Further Rioting in Richmond.