Thibodaux minerva. [volume] (Thibodaux, La.) 18??-1858, 1855-02-17
"Mississippi and Lafourche Railroad. I"
R.uRoAp Csoss1SG OF BAYOU LAFoCRcHE, |
February 18th 1Ss5

!
that the "Lafourche Railroad" is rapidly forcing
itself into public favor The ''ray" in mems minds
is becoming prepared differences Of opinion, or
inequalities in the original surface being leveled.
We must expect to be compelled to fill up great
holzoms, (such as the one at Napoleonville,) or
tunnel through the mountains Of prejudice; but all
obstacles will finally be overcome, the bayou La
fourche win be closed, and the Lafourche Railroad
built Discretion is all that want for the truth
has but to be seen, to be appreciated, to be re-
| ceiyed The Hon. Mr.. Kittredge has taken the
lead in the Legislature a more able advocate we
| could not have. All great measures meet with
great opposition. The man who first proposed to
to light the streets of London says "Macauley,"
who proposed to convert night into day, came near
being sacrificed to the rage of the multitude of the
cold fogies." We must not expect to benefit all,
and injure no interests, some will oppose us from
selfish motives, personal interest," others through
prejudice, prefering darkness to light; preferlng
mud and wooden cart Wheels to proud roads and
hxurient carriages on Railroads; preferng expense
and inconvenience, to cheapness and despatch !;
but, the good sense, the sober second thought of
the community, is with us, will be with US, in favor
of closing the bayou, and building our railroad on
its bank, OH account of the manifest advantages
of such course over any and all Others 1t is
proposed to leave the bayou as it is and build the
railroad, back in the plantations, in series of
straight lines, from Donaldsonvil to the Crossing
would ask, of what advantage would such road
be to the planters on the opposite bank of Laourche?
Such road would be almost inaccessible to pas
sengers, or freight except at the few points where
it touched the bayou
| The owners of plantations through which it would
pass would not allow their private roads to be con-
verified into public thoroughfares, consequently pas
sengers and freight would be compelled to seek the
regular stations, from five to ten miles apart. Such
road would fail in many things, essential to the
success of Lafourche Railroad it would 5e adapted
mainly for through and passenger business, when
it should be built for the local acay freight The
through business to Donaldsonvile, Independent OF
the bayou, would be little or nothing. The 'ray
freight and passenger business, on the bayou,
would exceed thousand fold the through business
Such road, compared to one on the bayou, would
be of little benefit to Donaldsonvile or Thbodaux.
These towns require not only to be connected with
New Orleans but they must secure also the local
trade of the bayou. Would this be secured but
by an almost inaccessible road in the rear of the
plantations OF bv one in front of every mans door?
This railroad l repeat, must be built for the local
,cay freight and passenger business Or we had
better have no road at all. The proposition to
leave the bayou it is is based upon the grauous
assumption that it will remain as is that there is
no aese in closing it. The people of Ascension and
Assumption may with some little show of reason
say this, because they do not get feel the evil in
its extent do those of Lafourche, but the time is
coming when they also will feel it. 1t may be very
gratifying and consolatary to man, when he sees
his neighbours house burning down, Or his fields
overlooked, to be able to say, as he folds his arms
with unconcern, "well, thank God, that is not my
house; those are not my fields; who cares?" This
is the way that some of the people of the upper
part of the bayou, look upon those upon the lower
Lafourche as they groan under the burden OF their
enormous levces. But never mind, gentlemen, the
water will reach your fields soon.
But to return to our railroad, the object is not,
as understand it, to build railroad only. and
leave the BAYOU open, but rather to substitute
railroad for the bayou. 1=p
The bayou is dry half the year, and overfows,
the other half During half the year, the people OF
| lower Lafourche at least are without water, and
shut out from market; and during the other halt,
| SSAN
market During low water, the bayou now, is often
too low for fatboats, and is becoming more and
more SO every year. for the thatit is filling up
During high water, one more crevasses occur
eyery year, spreading ruin and destruction for
miles around Crevasses must occur euery year as
long as the bayou remains open for the reason that
the lower part Of the bayou, for forty or fifty miles
is not half large enough to carry off the water that
comes in above. From Thibodaux down, on the right
| ,c Tof, land hon Tho
cost of maintaining the levees, and it may be said
with some truth, that the more lands here man
owns, the poorer he is. Were the bayou closed,
every foot of this same land would be as valuable
as any in Louisiana. All these immense swamps
could be drained into the bed Of the bayou, and
every log of cypress hauled to the mill. The pre-
sent state of things is ruinous to every poor man on
bayou Lafourche, and is becoming worse and worse
with every year that rolls by. Sheriff's advertise
ments of lands for sale to pay for cost Of construct
ing levees in 'front.' are common; lands are actually
abandoned rich, valuable land, to escape this bur-
densome, onorous tax. And vet in the face Of all
this, of this constant evil, some people object to
closing the bayou; object to measure that would
increase by millions the value of the real estate OF
the Lafourche, that would reclaim all their swamp
land, that would relieve them from the onerous in
tolerable tax of maintaining leyees; that would
render an overflow impossible, that would make the
Laf0urche region what II snOuld De, the Talaase
of Louisiana. And in place of the bayou to have
railroad that would at all times be in readiness to
transact their business with cheapness safety, and
despatch, with uniform and low tariff Of charges
that would never vary, the same in low, as in high
| water. 44ts
IT'S said by some that railroad would be
monopoly that would take advantage Of the ne
cesshes Of the people, and charge enormous prices
for freight SC. Who would build the road but the,
i people themselvess Such a road would pay largely
even at reduced rates, and every planter on the
bayou would probably own stock in it Would
they charge themselves exhorbitant prices? Absurd!
Even were the road to be built by northern capital
lists, how simple to insert clause in the charter,
that freight charges shalnot exceed 8, 4, or cents
per ton per mile. But no one expects this road to
be built by any one else than the people Of La
fourche themselves no help is wanted; let the
citizens Of Lafourche build the road, maintain and
operate it themselves What we want is double
track road Of feet 6inch guage, following generally
the bank Of the bayou from Donaldsonville to this
place, but cutting off the abrupt points and bends
4 Such road can be built and maintained at a much
less cost than any other in the country, and be-
You'd doubt its stock would be worth more than
q any other in the South. +2's =