LATROBEWATERPIPESCRIPT

LATROBE WATER PIPE SCRIPT

The cypress pipe shown is part of the original municipal waterworks for the city of New Orleans completed by Benjamin Latrobe in 1820.

Benjamin Latrobe was considered to America’s first architect. His works include the US Capitol, the original Phialdelphia waterworks, the country’s first dry dock and the first waterworks for New Orleans. He was awarded the contract to build the waterworks in 1811, but the work was disrupted by the War of 1812. Finally in 1815, work began again on the waterworks and was supervised by son. One of the scourges of life in New Orleans was Yellow Fever and it was thought that there was some connection between water and the disease. Latrobe’s son contracted Yellow Fever and died in 1817 in New Orleans. Benjamin Latrobe took control of the project. He built the steam engine, laid out the framework, and had the cypress logs milled so that they could be used to carry the water/ In 1820 he moved his family to New Orleans and worked at a feverish pitch to complete the system. Working side by side with his men, he connected the waterworks to the Mississippi and in August 1820 contracted Yellow Fever. He died in September 1820.

In 1822 the city took over the waterworks, where it was effective until the 1840s, when the city]s growth outpaced its capacity.