DRAINAGE AND SEWERAGE. The surface of the city being entirely flat, with the exception of Metairie Ridge, which has an elevation of about two feet, the problem of drainage and sewerage has been a perplexing one ever since the founding of New Orleans. The average rainfall being 58 inches, tropical downpours are not infre quent, and they sometimes flood the principal streets to the depth of several feet. To this in convenience is added the fact that strong winds often force the waters of Lake Pontchartrain over the rear of the city, and keep it submerged for several days. Various plans for draining the city were tried, but they all failed. Finally the city appropriated for this purpose a large amount of money derived from the sale of street railway franchises, and under a drainage board appointed in 1896 the immense work of digging canals and establishing pumping stations was begun. Much
yet remains to be done, but the system as far as completed was put into practical operation in March, 1900. Meanwhile (1899), the property owners of the city voted a special tax of two mills to run forty-two years to provide the neces sary funds for "sewerage, drainage, and munic ipal water-works." A new board was then ap pointed, hut a troublesome litigation in the courts tied its hands for many months. Recent decisions of the courts, how-ever, in favor of the city give promise of speedy and successful execution of this great work. At present New Orleans is insuffi ciently supplied with river water, and a large majority of the inhabitants depend upon rain water, collected in great wooden vats or cisterns, which, rising nearly as high as the houses, form a unique feature of the city.