Southern sentinel. [volume] (Plaquemine, Parish of Iberville [La.]) 1848-1858, 1857-03-14
SOUTHERN SENTINEL.
Report OF Committee ON Lands "a
LeVeess

Report of Committee ON LANDS and
Levees'
THE UNDERMINED Committee on Public
yonds ~ vvhom was referred the petition of
oit;zans IF The Parish of Iberville, praying
that the mouth of Bayou Plaquemine be
closed. BE- leave to make the following
- REPORT.
The prayer of the petitioners sets forth the
fact that large masses of drift timber are
taken in from the Mississippi River by the
swift outlet of Bayou Plaquemine, which tim
Der serves to form RATS not only in Bayou
Plaquemine, but in all the main bayous and
lakes in the great Valley of the AtchafaIaya,
by which navigation is obstructed, and all the
lands of this rich domain are annually inun-
dated, to the great damage of the Inhabitants
thereof, and The general depreciation Of lands
belonging to the State. They ask for relief in
the premises, and suggest that the mouth of
Bayou Plaquemine be closed by driving piles
across the same, so as to stop the drift timber
while the water may pass unobstructed.
Your Committee, under a resolution Of the
House Of Representatives, were enabled to
accept Of the courteous invitation of the Citi-
zens Of Plaquemine, to visit in person and
examine the Bayou Plaquemine, and in COM
pany with the Commissioners Of Swamp
AAeaiN4@ " AIAS SOIVhbA SbliS LHCT pEOCEGuGu
to Bayou Plaquemine, on board of the light
draught steamer Minerva, where they were
Hospitality received by Messrs. III. Schlatre,
Jr., J. A. Dardenne, and Theodore Orillion, all
of whom were thoroughly cenversant with the
various watercourses of the AtchafaIaya Val
ley, and took pleasure in facilitating the
thorough examination which we made.
In examining the Bayou PIaquenine, we
observed the sudden descent of The land from
the Mississippi River to Indian Village, where
tideswater is found, the depth being thirteen
feet and the distance only nine miles. This
sudden fall produces Il tremendous current of
water during the high stages Of the river, by
which Vast injury is done, as will be presently
seen.
The mouth Of Bayou Plaquemine is situated
in an abrupt bend of the Mississippi River.
and lies directly opposite the centre of the
descending body OF the Mississippi River,
which, bearing down against this bend, has a
tendency to press all floating matter into the
mouth OF the bayou, which has become en-
larged and funnel-shaped and this tendency
is increased by. the incomplete artificial works,
DR. fender, placed some tive years since on the
southern side of the mouth of the bayou.
Directly opposite this mouth is situated
Point Manchac, upon which a bar is rapidly
forming and standing into the stream, which
naturally. forces the river with greater press
sure against the Plaqnemine shore, and into
Bayou Plaquemine this bar is created by the
effect of the outlet. water through the Plaque.
mine BAYOU.
All of these facts con$pire to make Bayou
Piaqaemine a greater vortex, or ma"istroHl,
for the ingress Of drift.timber, and nearly
four-ifiIts of the vast body of floating drift,
remembering at everv rise of the Mississippi, is
taken in here 10 cnEltt and destroy The utility
of streams below.
Besides this, every year Witnesses the loss
and total destruction Of many tiaiboats, laden
with valuable cargoes, and of large and ex-
V~rn~ive RATS Of saw timber.
The evil increases annually, for the capacity
Of the bayou is rapidly being enlarged by the
caviug of its banks, aud the people of the
town Of Plaqucmine. as well as the planters
along Tie banks of Bayou Plaquemine, are
now subjected to great loss and peril from the
rapid Gazing near the mouth OF Plaquemine,
arising mainly from the present condition Of
this bayou.
In former time, when the Bayou Plaquemine
was reduced in size, it served as an outlet to
the Mississippi only during very high water,
and after >rtcpiving the tributary waters Of
Crosse Iete Bay, the drainage of the who'e
Of the parish Of West Baton Rouge and most
of the parishes of Pointe Coupee and Iber-
ville, it passed on and became itself a tributa.
~ to the Grand River, flowing down the same
TO the ocean, through Berwick's Bay.
The Grand River is properly the coniinua-
ton of the Atchafaiaya, which,. turning east.
ward at Butte a Ia Rose, ran along the lower
boundary of Iberville Parish, until it reached
a point called the park, when it turned and ran
south aud here, after receiving the waters of
Bayou Plaquemine, flowed on to the lower end
Of Grand Lake, and 10 Berwick's Bay.
This river 10 kRowG in different parts Of its
route as Belle River, Grand River, and Bayou
Long. Its capacity was formerly great enough
to carry of, not only oil of the waters of the
Plaquemine, but fourl6fths of the waters of
the Atchafalaya, and had an average width of
two hundred yards by thirty feet in depth. 1t
also had several important outlets upon the
western side, " hich ran into Grand Lake,
some Of which were large enough for large
steamers. Two of these, Big and Little Ba-
o Pigeon, flow into Grand Lake about two
miles apart, aud would serve as drains to large
tracts Of lands between Grand Lake and
Grand River.
The Big Bayou Pigeon has raft in it near
Ry four miles long, completely closing the
bayou, and is, in many places, solid. Little
Pigeon has q raft two miles long, Of more rer
cent origin, and does not appear solid. The
main Grand River itself is closed BY Rats from
Bayou Sorrel, for twelve miles down which
RATS are solid and filed with deposit, so as to
supnoFt trees, and the water has no passage.
Indeed, a stranger would never suppose that a
river had ever there existed.
BAYOU Sorrel, which flows from Grand