The herald. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1905-1953, 1913-05-01
LETTERS FROM
THE PEOPLE
Protecting Lower Algiers.

papers last Monday stated that Engi-
neer Lewis of the Orleans Levee Board
was assembling material for the pro-
posed protecting of the section below
the railroad from back water, should
a crevasse occur close enough to AL
giers to make such protection neces-
sary. What kind of material is being
gotten ready was not stated, but ii
must be tools, soch as wheel-barrows,
scrapers, shovels, ETC., that were meant,
since earth is the only kind of material
which would be needed for a back
leyee. and this earth would be dug
from the fields across which it is said
the Levee Board proposes to build this
embankment. There has been consid-
cradle objection by the owners of prop
erty in the section mentioned to this
proposed cutting up of the fields and
disfiguring them with barrow-pits
which would make more breeding
places for mosquitoes and unless this
levee is to be done away after the wa
ter which it would keep out has sub
sided and the earth replaced in these
holes, it is said that many of the own
ers are going to protest.
1t is pointed out that the city owns
the right of way along the banks OF
the Algiers outfall canal, and that
when these same owners gave this 200
foot strip across their places, free OF
charge to the city, they did so believ-
| ing that the excavations from the ca
nal would furnish this back levee,
while locating it at a point where 1t
would not be visible.
1t is contended that if the bank OF
this canal nearest the river was now
| raised three feet with material taken
from the bottom of the canal by a
dredge, that the original plan could
still be carried out and they would
then have some permanent and reliable
protection, which is very essential to
have behind this built-up portion of tie
district, should a crevasse happen any,
where from Algiers to Oak Point, some
| 90 miles down, which would swamp
the only other back protection they
will have.
The side levee which it would be
necessary to build from the canal to
wards the river, at the lower end OF
the district near Lees Lane, which IL
would take in, could, it is stated, be
also built in short order by the same
dredge at nominal cost.
1t is argued that if this permanent
extension of the present Algiers pro
lection levee was constructed in thi:
manner the Drainage and Sewerage
Boards plan of properly draining thi'
section could then be taken up for Sc
rious consideration, since the value q
the property in this section when thu
protected would justify this extra ex
penditure on the part of the munici
pality.
Some of these people affected can
not understand why the Levee Boar
should go to the expense of building
and then removing Mr.. Lewis propose
: levee. for this one high water, whe
) the board could, for little more none
( give this district the permanent proteC
: ton it should have, and which tn
: board will, more than likely, be Gale
, upon later they say 10 give them an!
!. way. Mr.. Lewis objection to the cana
5 bank levee is, it seems, that it contain
! roots and stumps which he though
D would render it unsafe, but people VIII
; seem to know say that this embanl
l. ment has a base of probably so feet
+ more and that it would hold out II
S ) or 6 feet of slack water which woul
\ come against it, without any troub
Y whatever.
J. The worst feature of the whole ma
ter is that should this work have
be done in a hurry in the next two
three weeks with the present scarci
of labor, particularly if there shou
be rainy weather, it would be impos
= BILE to put this field levee in on tin
to probably head off the water.