Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-04-16

pE0D3c1u. He B.OAeSI eEBtueex1HB genius IA
: America has been engaged In its solution
and three sepstrate systems have been
found necessary to accomplish the purpose.
A portion Of New Orleans is lower than
below the surface OF the Mississippi river
at high tide, and the soil upon which the
city Is built Is porous and holds water like
a sponge. In the struggle with nature the
engineers have created system OF covered
canals to drain the surface water into
big canal. by which It Is to be carried out
side the city limits and pumped into Lake
Borgue. A second system of open canals
has been constructed to convey the storm
water. the rainfall (Which is sometimes as
much as ten inches In twenty-four hours)
into Lake Ponchartrain. In addition to
these third system OF ordinary under
ground sewers with connections with all
the houses In the city has been provided
to carry ordinary sewage to a central sta
ton below the city, where 1t Is pumped into
the Mississippi river and carried out to sea.
complete; the third has only recently been
begun. But when that is finished 1t is be-
lieved that the sponge upon which the city
is built will be squeezed dry
Afflicted With Mosquitoes.
New Orleans is sorely afflicted with mos
quitoes. and, as recent Investigations have
demonstrated. they are the most prolific
purveyors of disease. But nothing is being
done by the municipality to remedy the evil
DR.. Kohnke president of the city board of
health, started crusade two years ago
but could get neither official nor popular
support. He has now abandoned practical
efforts and, with the assistance of Other
physicians, is making campaign of educa-
tfon and trying to convince the people of
their danger. Prof Dyer of the natural
history chair at Tulane University who is
mosquito expert, and was sent to Mexico
by the Department of Agriculture at Wash
ington to investigate similar phenomena
there, is also trying to arouse the people
from their conservatism.
The city is surrounded by swamps, which
swarm with mosquitoes. Many of the streets
in the most populous sections, as I have
already tod you, are spotted with pools
of stagnant water; the only drainage has
easily damned by drifting substances and
vegetation: and $4,000 out of %. 600 houses
get their water supply from cisterns, which
catch the rainfall it is drained from the
roof Only one house in ten throughout
all New Orleans has city water. Most of
the cisterns are open and are the most
prolific breeding places for mosquitoes. They
have been condemned again and again, but
the people have always had them, and they
do not ike to change. They have drank
the water from the cisterns all of their
lives, and their ancestors before Them and
do not consider themselves any the worse
for it. And it should be said that many
medical authorities declare that this els
tern water, although it contains dust, SCOT
and cinderS that have been washed by the
rain from the roofs. is more free from dis
ease germs than the water of the river or
any that could be obtained from wells. The
health reports show that there is very lit
tie typhoid fever, and scarlet fever is I'M
known. Dfphtheria is very rare, and other
diseases which are supposed to be acquired
from impure water are almost never heard
of. The death rate has been reduced to
81 per 1000 outside of the hospitals and
the colored population. Among the colored
people it is about SO per LOCO. mostly in
the undrained districts. Mr.. Henry Mayo,
secretary of the Progressive Union, insists
that the mortality among the whites is only
13 per LOCO. and will give you a circular
issued by Dr. Kohnke, chairman of the city
board of health, in support of his state
ment.
New Waterworks and Drainage.
The city has just begun an entirely new
system of water works. The present sup
ply is furnished by a private corporation,
which is in the hands of a receiver, and
the charter OF the company has been re-
voked by the courts because of violation of
it's terms. The municipal government pro-
poses to spend between 81. 900 600 and s.. 600,
coo In building tanks, into which Mississippi
river water will be pumped and allowed to
remain until it settles 1t will then be
run through filters and distributed through
out the city.
1t is also proposed to drain an area of
fifty-six square miles of swamp land which
surrounds the city. The legislature has au-
thorized a tax of two mills on New Orleans
property to pay the expense, and the city
will be reimbursed by the sale of the lands
which will be divided into lots and offered
to the public. A portion of the area belong
ing to private parties will be redeemed in
the same way.