New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1857-05-14
BAYOU MANCHAC "A NEW RAILROAD
Se4 pROFOSED.

BAYOU lMAMCHMC - a NEW kNAAhskNOAO
sa PROPOSED.
Vi Not lonF sinos project was mooted in ST. Louis to
open Bayou 1Ganchac, With the view Of obtaining
direct line Of Communication between ST. Louis and
Mobile.n The subject was brought before the Cham
committee very sensibly reported against it. This
was wise conclusion. The whole country, from the
river to Lake Pontchartrain, belongs to and is under
the exclusive Jurisdiction Of louisiana Consequently
opening Of the old bayou be attempted without
the consent aud permission Of our State authorities
and as that consent and permission never will be
gained, in all likelihood, the enterprise may be re-
garded as gerry dead, even were the arguments in
favor Of its practicabity as strong as those setting
forth its utter impractcability, +
The broaching of this subject led to considerable
discussion in our sister city Mobile correspondent
in the Tribune, of the 9Th ins recommended the APP
pontment Of a Mobile committee to confer with
St. Louis committee, for the purpose of securing re-
establishment Of water communication between the
river Mississippi and lakes Pontchartrain and Maure-
pas. Another correspondent on succeeding day,
doubted whether this State would consent to the pro-
posed opening of the bayou, and suggested that a
railroad connection between the Mobile and Ohio
Railroad and the Missouri Iron Mountain Railroad,
would suffice for all the wants of trade And another
correspondent in the Tribune of the 18th makes some
judieious observations, portion Of which we SUBJ
join:
The Bayou Manchac was closed in 1914 by order of
Gen. Jackson The policy of this act was repeatedly
acquiesced in by the General Government. Officers
81 the Typographical Bureau have, on several occa-
rendering the bayou nayigable. Their reports have
invariably been unfavorable to the measure. Thous-
ands Of acres Of valuable lands in the parishes Of East
Baton Rouge, Iberville Ascension St. James and Liv-
ingston which had been subject to annual overows,
were by the closure of the bayou reclaimed On the
superstition that it would remain So these lands were
eagerly sought, and the sugar cane waves luxu-
riously where before all was swamp.
The correspondent, after giving good reasons why
the bayou should not be opened, proceeds to state
that Manchac, owing to its tortuous course, nerer
tcas nauigabie, except for pirogues and canoes u
that it cannot be rendered nayigable now, except at
immense outlay; and that, even with such outlay it
would only answer for few months in the year, the
bottom of the bayou being twenty-five feet higher
than the surface of the Mississippi in its low stage
Under such circumstances it is evident that the fur
Their entertainment of the ST. Louis proposition would
be time wasted. The writer then summarily dsposes
OF the suggestion that connection between the Mobile
and Ohio Railroad and the Missouri Iron Mountain
Railroad would remedy the evils complained of, and
re-asserts the universally acknowledged trusm that
water transportation of goods is always cheaper than
by railroads. that merchants will give the prefer
ence to steamboats, when rivers are navigable 4" and
that our Gheir) railroad connection with the West
will be advantageous to us (them) only during the
low stage OF the upper rivers" 1t is then remarked
that Mobile ought to do something to render herself
independent of the fluctuations of adjacent marts
and finally, the construction of railroad to Baton
Rouge is pointed out as the solvent remedy We now
quote again from the communication Of the Trbunes
correspondent
The distance by an air line from Mobile to Baton
Rouge, is abont l20 miles. There is now a company
organized IN Louisiana who are about to commence
lne construction OF railroad from the city of Baton
Rouge to connect with the New Orleans jackson and
Great Northern railroad. Its course is almost due
east, and its length near As miles. The State has
granted the company its aid to the amount of $780,
900 besides the parish of East Baton Rouge and the
CITY OF Baton Rouge have each subscribed 500 O0O
With such munifcent proofs of public favor besides
the numerous private subscriptions, it is anticipated
That the road will be finished in less than eighteen
months
II would therefore require only about seyepty.iye
mics OF road TO connect us with the Baton Rouge
Talroad. The whole distance to Baton Rouge could |
be run in four hours. We would hence avoid during
inc high stages OF water when river freghts are low
IN expensive railroad transportation our merchants
could transact business directly with their Western
trends and as the Mississippi would be tapped in the
midst of rich sugar region our commerce could not
lall IN securing rich share in that trade.
We rather like this idea than otherwise, belonging
as we do toa class which holds to the belief that rail-
roads improve and develop wherever they run, and
that the general prosperity is always enhanced by
local prosperity and development The writer in CON
ha Raf Par n