New-York tribune., 1903-07-06
sANITATION IN NER.nRLEANU

Ihe sanitary regeneration OF the Crescent
City has just entered upon the second of three
important stages. For a system of sewers
Whlch VIII extend through three hundred and
sixty miles of streets the initial digging oc
CURED few days ago. and 1t was attended
with appropriate ceremonies Hitherto most
OF the dwellings in New-OrIeans have been
without any such accommodations, A nrivata
company, OF recent origin, built a few short
sewers, which have been useful to the hotels
and larger buildings, but even these discharge
into cesspools. When the projected municipal
work is completed, connection with the nublic
sewers VIII be compulsory upon all property
owners, and the filth of the city will be forced
to distance by pumps Thus a radical change
In comfort, cleanliness and health will soon be
effected.
That revolution will be accompanied. or
closely followed, by the introduction of an ade-
quate water supply. The two things ought
always to go hand in hand, and deficiencies
in one respect are usually attended bv
deficiencies in the other. This has been the
experience Of New-Orleans To limited num-
Der Of consumers another private companv has
ministered since 1895; but the great majority
Of townspeople have relied upon cisterns These
are liable to grow foul, and are great breeding
places for mosquitoes. AS an offset to the Oh
ugatory feature OF the new sewer system, water
is to be furnished to householders gratuitousIv
Moreover, since the city will have the whole
Mississippi River to draw upon, there certainly
should be an abundant supply Owing to oc-
casional discoIoration by soil carried in sus-
pension, filters, or at least settling basins. will
doubtless be requisite but the quality OF the
water is said to be above Feproach so far as
disease germs are concerned.
Still another reform, related to the others
has now been practically consummated This
is an elaborate provision for dealing with
water from either rainfall or leaks in +ba
levees Portions Of the city are below the
level Of the river and In general wav the
surface slopes back from the Mississinni +o
Lakes Pontchartrain and Borgne The grade is
not sufficient to prevent large accumulatfons of
fluid. By six or seven judciOusly placed pump
ing stations, however it is possible to get rid
of these. None of the pumps need to lift the
water more than ten or twelve feet and some
Of them work against a head of only eight
Were it deemed desirable to connect the nro-
posed sewerage system, which will lie at con-
siderabiy lower levels, with these works for
disposing OF surface water, no doubt the under
taking would be feasible. From some Of the
current accounts Of the project whose execu-
ton has just been begun, it may be inferred
that the two will be independent of each other
The sewers may have their own outlet into the
Mississippi below the city. In either case addi-
donal pumps, singly or collectively. raising the
sewage to the necessary elevation, would be
required. GraVitation would then do the rest
New-Orleans has many claims to the admira-
ton or the rest Of the country. She was long
the sole capital Of that vast French province
whose addition to the United States occurred
just hundred years ago. a large French ele.
ment still exists in her population. Her Mardi
Gras festivities surpass in impressiveness those
OF the Old World. Thousands of visitors are
drawn thither at the carnival season. A good
deal OF Northern capital has been invested in